5½” on the patio table, and 14F at 7am. By 9am the sun started to poke through the clouds, and a flock of goldfinches were jockying for position on the feeder. Then we spotted this stranger — the female bluebird maybe?
Birds
Curtis Lake
From the Curtis Park dam early Sunday morning, Hartwood, Virginia.
The Fredericksburg paper had a picture of a swan at this spot in March of 2013. Today I could also see two more on the far side of the lake. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said in 2012, “The mute swan is classified as a non-native exotic (nuisance) species in Virginia.”
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
Tufted titmouse about 7am, with 5″ of snow on the ground. We had another inch by noon, and initially thought we were snowed in for the day. Again, schools and government offices were all closed. But we were able to get out in the afternoon to attend the event commemorated a bit later.
Eastern Goldfinch
Usually our most plentiful feeder visitors.
Slate-colored Junco
We may see even more juncos than goldfinches.
Red-winged Blackbird
Was he expecting to find spring in Virginia?
We’ve seen them regularly at the pond at the other end of Harwill Drive, but not in the winter, and never at home at all until this snowstorm when two of them came to our feeders. Only the male is the distinctive black with epaulets. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says “Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow.”
Common Grackle
We had a couple of common grackles at our feeders during this snowstorm, but I wasn’t quick enough with the camera. We’ve never had them at home before. They were big, black, with a very dark blue head, and their eyes were yellow.
Waiting for spring
Snow day
Through the kitchen window at lunchtime during the snowstorm which closed schools at least three days. We only got three inches (Elspeth and Tim got six) followed by unusually low temperatures for the rest of the week. An opportunity to snap both the male and female cardinals at once — my Kodak Easyshare, hand-held, on maximum optical zoom.
Technology Upgrade
This just in from Chicago: Sandy obtained our new access security hardware online and facilities installed it today. We’re hoping bluebird testing will begin shortly.