Another Goose Gathering

 

Coming back from Watertown, we saw yet more geese gathering on this small lake or large pond, I'm not sure which. We wished we could get closer, but driving across the field didn't seem like a good idea. What a pretty sight, though. 

Geese Migration in Progress

 While heading to Watertown for some Goodwill shopping with my daughter, Audrey, we just had to pull over to watch and listen to the migrating geese in this open field, cameras in hand. 

Most were sitting still in the field, but some were milling around. They were getting ready to take flight - You could just feel it in the air. 

And there they went . . .

More and more of them took flight . . . 

Until finally, the last, lingering geese left the field and followed the masses into the morning sky. 

What doesn't show up here is how the morning sun was glistening on the backs of the geese, sparkling like diamonds. It was an amazing sight to behold. The sound was awesome as well. 

And then they were gone. 

A Hairy Ice Pecker

This hairy woodpecker uses his pecking skills to break apart a little chunk of ice, then carries a piece of it in its beak and deposits it in a hole in the tree bark. 

 I wonder if he will be disappointed if he finds it melted from the warmer weather that we have been promised? 

Next, he checks out the suet smorgasbord . . .

If You Feed Them, They Will Come

 With the colder weather, I have to keep trying to keep the water from freezing up completely. But this sparrow doesn't seem to mind if I allow a few ice chips to form. In fact, he seems to like it! 

Bobbing for ice chips?

If you feed them, they will come. 

From standing room only  . . .

To a table for one!

Blue Jay Herald

 

I wasn't feeling well the past few days and didn't get out to set out seed,

so the birds found other places to light down.

But it didn't take them long to come back around when this blue jay started making noise. 

Welcome back. I'll try to do a better job at keeping up.

The Geese Are A' Goin'

I wish I could have taken a picture of these geese as I was approaching and saw them in a big, dark spiral, coming up from the harvested fields. But they were pretty dispersed by the time I got pulled over to get a pic. 

They were making quite a racket!

 

I'm sure this means they won't be around much longer. 

Get ready for them down south of us. Here they come!

Grackles

A lot of people don't like common grackles, but I do.  I think they look rather striking, with their cool, black sheen. 

I don't know if I would want a whole yard full of them, as they can get to be pretty aggressive, but they are pretty cool to look at. 

Walk This Way

Mourning doves are not only lovely, but they can be so funny and entertaining! This one looks like it's doing a little dance.

Winter White

 

Some people think the first day of winter is on Dec 21/22, the shortest day of the year. Others (like me) think that the first day of winter should actually be set at the midway point between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. 

But I would say that our feathered and furry friends, without having calendars to look at, would say that the first day of winter is first day that the icy, cold winds blow, especially if they bring some of that white stuff along. 

This blue jay is looking for a hearty meal, as a ground blizzard keeps people off the roads. 

I'm glad I had just stocked up on seeds and suet.

      

   This pair of squirrels looks very thankful for finding some food on this blustery day.

The mourning doves and sparrows congregate together as usual, 

huddled a little bit closer together. 

Get ready for the long winter, my little friends. 

I'll do my best to keep up with your needs. 

Disappointed Little Nuthatch

Today, I saw my hungry little nuthatch 

scurry down the big tree in search of its daily meal of suet,

 but he was disappointed to find my muffin tin all emptied out. 

|

Poor little guy . . .

He looked up one side and down the other, but there was no suet to be found.

Such a disappointed little nuthatch!

So he hopped on over for a quick drink, 

and then scurried back up the tree.

And I put down my camera and added suet to my W.I.N list!

(What's Important Now?)

 

Little Clinic on the Prairie

 

As the sunrise keeps moving south in the eastern sky, moving toward that bend in the ellipsical path that marks the shortest day of the year, I can no longer see the sunrise out the sliding glass door of my little apartment. The sun is currently rising just this side of what I call the "Little Clinic on the Prairie," or the Horizon Clinic of Lake Preston, SD. 

Soon, the sun will be rising behind the clinic and I will have to walk out to the edge of the barren field to get a glimpse of it coming up over the horizon. Then, when it finally reaches the place that marks the winter solstice, it will round the bend and start moving northward again. I suspect I will be seeing it from my apartment again about the same time that the famed groundhog will be watching for its shadow.