First feeder snow
The first real snow of the season came overnight and the feeders woke up like they remembered something. I was at my sister’s place for the week. Her yard is better than mine for feeder work because there’s a stand of hemlocks behind the feeders that gives birds confidence to queue up.
Chickadees were the main act (Black-capped), followed by a rolling rotation of White-breasted Nuthatches, one Red-breasted Nuthatch that was new for the yard, Tufted Titmice, and a persistent male Northern Cardinal who held the top of a hemlock between feeder runs.
A Hairy Woodpecker arrived mid-morning and stayed for most of ten minutes — big and calm, a nice counter to the jumpy Downy who came later. A Blue Jay broke up the smaller birds twice with the usual drama. An American Tree Sparrow (my first of the year) on the ground beneath the tube was a nice bonus.
Late in the morning, a Sharp-shinned Hawk scattered everything and came up empty. Three birds took cover in a hemlock and didn’t move for a long time. The sharp-shin moved on after five minutes and the little birds eventually came back.
Got a nice frame of the cardinal against fresh snow that I’ve been trying for for years. Sometimes you just need the right yard.
