January Snows

Design - "January Snows"

Designer - Bent Creek

Fabric - 32 count French Cafe Mocha linen

Fibers - GAST & WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 5 January 2011

Completed - 8 January 2011

January Snows is right!

After three winters with no snow in our part of the Willamette Valley,

...we woke up yesterday morning to a couple of inches of snow.

The dark gray skies lingered for most of the day.

The light, icy dry snow fell until about 2pm. 

We ended up with just a bit over 4"... 

...and a Winter Wonderland.

Thankfully after the destruction wrought by our ice storm,  

...this storm looks to be 'easier' on the forest.

I could hear the Acorn Woodpeckers working on their granary tree (off to the left), but I did not see them at the feeders.  

I did have fresh water available.

The California Quail act as mini-snowplows and they made lots of trails to the feeders.

The fir boughs are ssnow-covered, but not weighted down.

Standing proud.

The clouds broke as the sun set.

We are supposed to get down to 10°F Wednesday night.

Believe me I will keep the feeders full and rotate the hummingbird feeders to that they have access to calories to fight the bitter cold. 

Snow Day?

Design - "More Snow"

Designer - Val's Little Stuff

Fabric - 28 count Mushroom Lugana

Fibers - GAST - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 1 January 2011

Completed - 4 January 2011

I may find a couple of inches of snow on the ground when I get up today.

I thought "More Snow" might work well to celebrate the day.

With our recent cold weather, I've had lots of Jays including California Scrub Jays...

...and the ever-present Steller's Jays.

I have a decent flock of House Finches.  This poor guy looks a bit bedraggled and has a growth on his left leg. 

A much healthier looking Junco. 

And here as promised are my 'other' chickadees - Chestnut-back Chickadees.

I only ever see these guys in the winter.

They are smaller and slimmer than the Black-capped chickadees, and they do not make the "Chickadee-dee-dee" call. 

They love peanuts and nuts, and sunflower seeds and tend to linger longer at the feeders than their Black-capped brethern.

Catching Up

I decided to celebrate the New Year by catching a cold.  I fought it off for a couple of days, but then it won, so I've been laying low and sniffling and napping.

2016 ended with a fun bird sighting.  Early one morning I heard a long low "gwack...gwack...gwack" and looked up to see a Great Blue Heron flying overhead.

No sign of Pine Siskins this winter darn it.
I will have to make do with my House Finches...

...and Juncos.  I counted over 20 Juncos this afternoon.

The Black-capped Chickadees are active.

I had a World Record four of them in our little Japanese Maple the other day.

They are no longer the only Chickadees coming to the feeders.

I'll share my other winter visitors in tomorrow's post. 

It is supposed to be 22F tonight with snow.

The next two night are to have lows of 14F and 18F. With the help of my parents I've moved almost 200 plants into the shop where they will be safe from these artic temps.  And I'll do my best to provide high energy food to the birds.

A Skiff of Snow

Garden Grumbles and Cross Stitch Fumbles January 2017 Blog Header

Here are the details for this month's blog header. 

Lizzie Kate,  "Tis the Season", Lizzie Kate, "Tiny Tidings XX" - "Snow", Lizzie Kate, "Tiny Tidings XIX" - "Snow Bird".

We began 2017 with a skiff of snow.

It made for more activity than usual at the bird feeders.

Here's a female Flicker.

And a male Hairy Woodpecker.

This Rufous Towhee looks none too pleased at the snow.

I think the California Quail are my favorite Snow Birds.

As the snow covered the grasses, they too were active at the feeders.

A nice mix of males and females. 

Everyone was puffed up against the cold weather.

  

Ready, set, go!

Forward, March!

We are to have cold weather with snow flurries for several days.  A very different winter than we normally have in the Willamette Valley.

Happy New Year!

This postcard was sent to my maternal grandfather as a child.

I wish you all a most Happy new Year! 

Brrrrr! We are supposed to have a snow shower or two today.

Not the best hummingbird weather.

Any time it gets below freezing, I bring the feeders in a night.

I put them back outside at first light (by 7:15am).

If it stays well below freezing during the day, I'll rotate them out every couple of hours, so the birds always have a source of energy available. 

You have to admire a little bird who can survive low temperatures of 10F or below. 

I do my part to help them survive the winter weather.