The Face-Off

The male cardinal and male house sparrow face-off:

The cardinal wins!

Winter's Last Hurrah and little Indiana Feature!

Winter, (in Indiana), is not quite ready to hand the reins over to spring! We had a bit of wintry mix again last night and for some reason it feels colder to me in March than it did all winter! I am longing for warmth and sunshine!

I usually hibernate as much as possible during the winter but I knew the March 6th snowfall would probably be our last so I ventured out to Forest Park and Potter's Bridge for a few pictures.

We have had a lot of much needed precipitation this winter and the river has recovered from the summer's severe drought. The water level had been so low that you could walk almost all the way across.

Potter's Bridge is one of my favorite places to take pictures here in Noblesville! I love covered bridges!

This one was taken at Forrest Park. I stopped by to watch the kids sled at the golf course.

You know that I can't have a blog post about snow without a few bird pictures!

We have a few more days of cold temperatures then hopefully it will feel a little more like spring!

Thank you to Jessica Nunemaker, from little Indiana, for featuring Robin's Nesting Place!
Jessica writes little Indiana: Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in Small Towns in Indiana. Discovering Indiana’s best small towns! Jessica is also the host of PBS Indiana Town Explorer!

Mockingbird Tales and a Little Coffee Humor

I have enjoyed photographing the birds today, especially the mockingbird! It was freezing and we had a few flurries so the feeders were at full capacity!

I thought this caption was fitting for this picture! I made it for my daughter because she is so not a morning person and this has been a running joke in our family for several years! I think I'll make an 8x10 of it for her to hang over her coffee maker!

It has been so cold the last few days and as soon as I fill the birdbath it freezes. I kept seeing the birds land on it trying to get a drink and I felt bad so I finally pulled out the heated birdbath. I got this one for $2.00 at a garage sale a few years ago. I have tried using it in the past and the birds wouldn't drink from it.

As soon as I put it out, the mockingbird landed and was drinking. None of the other birds were brave enough to venture in for a drink. I need to find something sturdy to hold it so that I can place it further out in the yard. Hopefully the other birds would use it then.

The mockingbird is new to my yard and he has quickly become a favorite to watch! He also chases away the starlings so he occasionally gets special treats of mealworms! I want him to stick around!

No Winter Whining

There is a new meme called, " No Winter Whining- Finding Color in Winter".  It is Jen from Muddy Boot Dreams and  Heather from, Life is a garden.

Winter is in full force today and the temperatures have plummeted! We are under a weather advisory due to wind chills to -20°, but I'm not whining! As the snow fell and the wind blew, I sat for a few hours bird watching! Camera in hand, of course!

It is kind of hard to complain about the weather when I'm safe inside all cozy and warm and especially when I am watching the birds! They just make me happy!

So here is my contribution to Finding Color in Winter!

Hope you enjoy!

Okay, so maybe a little bit of whining, but only because I wanted a caption and could think of nothing clever to say!

You can follow No Winter Whining on Facebook and Pinterest, Jen has the links on her blog post!

He Acts Like He Owns the Place!

 What crazy winter weather we have in Indiana! Saturday was a beautiful sunny day with a high of 63°! What a glorious break for those of us who get a little weary of the grey winter skies!Yesterday the temperatures started dropping and we had torrential rains with flooding. This morning when I went out to fill the bird feeders it was snowing and 16°!

I am still enjoying my mockingbird visitor! Here he/she is eating chunky peanut butter! I thought I would put a few meal worms, seeds and peanuts in a yellow cup to see who my first brave visitor would be. The chickadee was first but too fast to capture and the mockingbird was next. He is beginning to act like he owns the place!