Growing up

This is the last male Northern Cardinal that hatched in our yard this fall and he's almost fully molted into his adult plumage now.  If you look closely, you can still see just a trace of a dark patch on his bill and you'll see that he still has some of his rusty "teenage" feathers  But in short order, I won't be able to tell him from the other males who visit.  I opted not to do anything with this image other than crop it. If I were feeling more motivated, I might have a go at removing that irritating plant behind him... but c'est la'vie.  

It warmed into the 40's today and since we are finally clear of all ice and snow, I carefully ventured into the upper part of our yard to see the tree damage up close.  Hubs went with me, giving me a steadying arm when I teetered.  Seeing some of those big limbs that came down in the ice storm up close was a little sobering.  We are going to have to do a lot of clean up work but at least some of the wood can be aged and burned in our fireplace eventually.  

It was an otherwise uneventful day.  I did manage to spend some time on the deck which was very enjoyable.

Just a few more days left of this year...

xo
Debbi