Zero Below, Birds and Snow

It is frigid in Noblesville, Indiana today! The temperatures have been zero degrees and below all day. It was eight below zero when I went out to fill the bird feeders this morning. During our snow yesterday and again this morning I tried to keep the feeders full and the snow off of them.


Thankfully it was a light fluffy snow and just required scooping out and brushing off.


We usually remove our swing during the winter months and this year I decided to use the frame for a makeshift bird feeding station. It has worked really well especially during the snow and extremely cold temperatures we're having right now. Having it so close to the house has kept me and my animal children entertained for hours these last two days.



I've been waiting for snow and cold weather to use this wreath idea that I saw on Jake and Ruth's Photo blog. I had been reading about staging outdoor settings to get better bird photographs and thought using the wreath was a great idea. It isn't exactly the way I want it, but I thought I'd put it out today just to see if there was any interest. I was beyond thrilled when I caught this precious little chickadee on the wreath waiting its turn for the feeder.

I'd love to have berries, dried sunflower heads, pine cones with peanut butter and maybe some fruit on this wreath. Next summer I'm planting a lot of sunflowers to use during the winter for this very thing. I'm sure the cardinals and maybe the bluebirds would stop by to pose for me then. Speaking of bluebirds, I wonder if they would visit in the spring if I filled the cup with meal worms. I just might have to give that a try!

Here's a few of the visitors from the last two days:






I also saved the window feeder for a cold snowy day. The cat sat for hours, barely moving a muscle watching this bird show.



I thought this bird looked so funny! What is it? It is the only one I've seen and I can't identify it in the books. It's larger than a sparrow. Is it by any chance a female cowbird? I know what the males look like, they are easy to identify. If it isn't that then I'm clueless.



Sweet little song sparrow. I've only seen one of these also.

I only wish I had just one of these nasty birds. They don't seem to like the bird feeding station and are not eating as much as they did last year. I had read that they don't like to go under things to eat and they also have a difficult time gripping with their feet.



I've only seen one male and one female cardinal for the last couple of years. Apparently there has been another couple that has moved into the neighborhood, because now I'm seeing two females and two males. Either that or I'm seeing double.

Yesterday I was sitting at the kitchen table paying bills and balancing the bank statement, which is not something I normally enjoy, but it is a very distressing thing to do when you're without an income. I glanced up just in time to see a wren at the bird feeder! In the eight years that I've lived in this home, I've never once seen a wren. They were some of my favorite little birds when I lived in Alabama. They would nest each year in an old mailbox that I had in the back of my yard in the shade garden. Once, I took the light fixture down from the carport and realized I didn't have a replacement bulb. I laid the fixture on a shelf and before I could get it back up they had built a nest in it, right on the carport! It was so much fun watching that little wren family. I've missed seeing them! It was such a blessing to see the wren, it immediately lifted my spirit and made me very happy. I only wish I had been able to capture the moment with a picture.

For all of you who are in this deep freeze, stay warm and safe!