Fun Friday

We got a dusting of light, fluffy snow overnight, just enough to create some interesting photo ops starting the Blue Jays (5th yard bird to be photographed this year).  I threw some peanuts on top of our grill, which had just the right amount of snow - then I waited.  Didn't take more than a minute for the first jay to work up its courage to drop down from a tree and snatch a peanut, in a flurry of snow.  Then, it was a steady stream as at least 5 jays took turns grabbing peanuts, talking loudly as they got braver.  Made standing on the porch in 27 F temps kind of fun.

Blue jays are in the corvid family (same as crows) meaning that they are smart, vocal, social birds.  Although we have them year-round here, they may not always be the same individual birds. Some blue jays migrate while other don't - scientists really don't know a great deal about the migratory behavior of these birds.  But, what I know is that we always have them around the yard and that they bring a lot of smiles with their antics.  They also serve as an excellent alarm system when hawks enter the area, screeching at top volume and warning all the other birds of danger.  

I've got my Honda at the dealer today to check out a few things.  Hopefully it won't be anything too costly - we've been very lucky with it all these years.  

Temperatures won't make it out of the 20s for the next few days, so the Bistro is doing a booming business and I've had to top off both heated water sources this morning.  At times like this, having open water for the birds to drink is even more critical than the supply of bird seed and suet and the bird baths are constantly busy.  The squirrels also know right where the water is, so they are frequently seen lapping water from the baths.  

Keep well, people, and have a good weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

xo
Debbi