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.”
Nature
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.
The smaller of the two
The smaller of the two big oaks we had to have taken down is now split and stacked ready for next winter. That dog just won’t stand still!
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.
Our biggest red oak tree is no more
We had it taken down last week for fear insect infestation had weakened the base enough to threaten the house. Two days of rain and mist followed.
Big snow storm hitting north central and north east
Initially not expected to reach south of Washington DC, but we got two inches by 9pm, then almost another half inch overnight, followed by howling winds.
Frost on the pumpkin
Mid-morning, new year’s eve. Apparently the deer don’t eat dead pumpkin.
Stafford Regional Choral Society, Dec 15th
Photo by Nikki Piner, forwarded by Elspeth from Facebook.
Autumn
The dwarf Japanese red maple in the blue bench garden on Sunday morning. Also in this picture is one of our largest white oaks, directly behind the blue bench. Sadly, it’s so badly damaged at the base by boring insects that it has become a hazard to the house.