Flowers from My Neighbor

My friend across the street made this for my front entryway. She has made several for me over the years. Isn't this beautiful? It was a surprise when I came home the other night.

Decaying Pears

A display of...decaying pears. I don't really know how this happened. I suspect my daughter lined them up on the stones when we were picking up pears after a windstorm, and then, I just forgot they were there? I need to dig out my gardening gloves to clean them up.

Pine Siskin

This is a pine siskin, a small finch that comes here most winters. It's a bird that follows the food. So, sometimes, if there is a lot of food in the pine habitat they love, they stay there. Their favorite foods are thistle seed and black-eyed Susan seeds. I used to think these were goldfinches in winter dress until a neighbor pointed out the differences.

Snowy Nose

A little snowy face robbing the new platform bird feeder. We got a dump of new snow today....and it's turning to rain this afternoon. More mucky, muddy, slushy soup, anyone?

Critter Tracks

Tracks in the fresh snow at my back door. My husband tells these are squirrel tracks. He says the squirrel came right up to the sliding door and looked inside, which was entertainment for my indoor-only cats.

Sweet Oregon Junco Gal

A female Oregon Junco picking through the frosty grass for breakfast. The Juncos, house finches, pine siskins and house sparrows are winter buddies in my yard.

Hawk - Fly Away Little Birds

And poof - little birds disappear! I believe this is a Cooper's Hawk, hard to tell because the photo is fuzzy, but it's a common hawk around here. And it's a smart hawk because it knows where to find an easy lunch - dining on little birds at backyard bird feeders.