Towheeblog

The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don’t dwell on what has passed away
Or what is yet to be

Ah, the wars they will be fought again
The holy dove, she will be caught again
Bought and sold, and bought again
The dove is never free

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in. –Leonard Cohen

Round our garden today. Sunday Morning, 11/21/21.

7AM—Awake and begin the day.  It is chilly (35) and low fog.  Already dozens of juncos are scattered about the garden, feeding on yesterday’s remnants and whatever natural fodder they can find.
715AM—sunrise.  B-C Chickadee appears with juncos in back garden.
745AM—The first siskin appears in the back garden. At about that instant a junco, giddy from morning breakfast perhaps, flies into our kitchen window.  That’s despite both repellent decals and handing silver ribbons.  The bird hits the screened portion of the window and bounces off, unhurt I presume.
8AM—Just before I go out to spread sunflower seeds, fill the baths, the siskin count’s up to twenty. In the back garden I hear drumming, look up to see Downy working in a flowering plum(not flowering now, of course) The juncos now are mostly off the feeders, not wanting to cope with the pesky, pushy little finchlets. Temp: 38.  Fog still lying low.
805—Within a couple minutes of my return indoors the juncos are back at the refreshed supply of breakfast seeds.  The first scrub-jay appears and soon realizes he slept through the first scatter of peanuts-in-shell.  So he begins weighing and caching.
808—White-throated Sparrow drops down among the juncos ion front of the house.  It’s been several days since my last, and first sighting, here.  He’s a full size larger than the juncs.

820—The morning’s scrub-jay is now eating seeds with the juncos.  Now both chickadee species and a lone House Finch are in front of the house.
830AM—First squirrels begin their gorging process, driving birds from hanging platforms.  Waves of siskins and juncos moving about, mostly on the ground.

843AM—First American Goldfinch appears.
855—It’s breezy now, still 38, fog slightly thinner on the ground level.  Squirrels now control the back garden.  Juncos and siskins thick on the ground, in front.  American Goldfinch hits windows and bounces off.
920—No birds to be seen on ground, many in neighbor’s birch tree.
923—A handful of siskins drop to the ground.
938—Birds missing.  Then I see Cooper’s Hawk perched on front garden pole holding feeder.

10AM—Dog and I go for walk at Minto-Brown.
1115—40, fog persists though ground level visibility has improved.   Squirrels busy, no birds to be seen.  There has been no sight nor sound of crows!  Along with juncos they are usually the first evident bird each morning.  Does the low visibility due to fog make them ever so cautious and quiet?
1132—I throw out some peanuts.  Scrub-jays hear the sound, react but approach cautiously.  A couple juncos flutter through the shrubbery.  Coop caution.  In the distance a single crow calls.
Noon–the bird drought is extended. Danger lurks.

MINTO-BROWN
There were few birds evident. Heavy fog. And this: