"Look, Ma - no feet!"

We awoke this morning to 6-8 inches of snow and temps in the single digits (Fahrenheit). The first thing you notice when it's this cold is that most of the birds seem to be missing their feet ... yep, almost as if they all dropped off in the middle of the night. Anyway, I thought this picture best illustrated how freaking COLD it is today!

The Dark-eyed Junco (slate colored) is one of the two common winter sparrows in our area. They show up each fall, and disappear again in the spring, heading north to breed. Their distinctive "kew" call is a sound that speaks of winter to me. If you'd like to have a listen, here is a recoding of their vocalizations - the winter call is the very last part of the recording. It sounds almost electronic doesn't it? I thought this would be a good entry into Cathaber's Sound Illustration Challenge. :)

I posted five other puffy birds starting HERE on Flickr - the usual suspects...titmice, blue jays, finches, and the big red guy.

Had a rather dramatic appearance by one of the hawks (couldn't tell if it was the Sharpie or the Coopers) - he zoomed into the weeping cherry, then chased a handful of juncos about 100 feet into the shrubs at the edge of the woods, where they successfully evaded him. Pretty amazing to watch.

Planning a quiet night at home - white beans with spinach for dinner. Tomorrow we are planning a trip up to Wallkill River NWR for a raptor presentation followed by a walk to look for owls and raptors. If we don't freeze to death, it should be fun. :)

Thanks for the many lovely comments on yesterday's blip - I especially enjoyed the memories many of you shared of your own dogs, present and past. Our lives are definitely enriched by the furry company we keep, isn't it?

Happy Friday, people!

salute
Debbi