The sun shines and the snow glistens in my backyard. Whoa! Did I say snow? It was only October when I wrote those words, and yes, I’m afraid it was snow.
A week later, the snow covering my garden and lawn shows no sign of leaving. The only hope for a reprieve is a possible warm-up in November.
However, the good news is that a batch of critters started gathering at my feeders since I put out suet and sunflower seeds.
The critters have responded with enthusiasm. Woodpeckers left the forest where they spent the summer and found my suet cage. They can be seen pounding and chipping away at the frozen stuff. They’re especially lively at the crack of dawn.
The gang of chipmunks that ruled my summer back yard has gone into seclusion, but Rodney, the red squirrel still forages on the ground beneath my deck railing where I scatter sunflower seeds. He doesn’t appear to be starving, in fact sports a potbelly.
Rodney also spends a good amount of time fighting with and chasing away the rowdy Blue Jay crew that tries to intimidate everyone else.
If I look outside and happen to see my husband walking from the garage to a stump on the upper edge of the garden, he’s usually surrounded by a cloud of small birds. This is my avian clique comprised of two nuthatches and an unknown host of chickadees.
This feathered gang has been around throughout the summer, is gaining membership, and is not shy. The chickadees swoop down from tree perches whenever they spot a human and squawk for food. They won’t eat from my hand, but the nuthatches aren’t the least bit shy and will land on my fingers to grab a peanut.
Be warned. If you enter my yard, you must bring a pocket full of peanuts, or the small bird gang will hold you for ransom. This small band of merry birds will stalk you until you feed them. They don’t care where you set the peanuts as long as you share them.
The nuthatches are especially bold. If they feel ignored, they will fly directly at me, and, at the last minute, execute a rolling maneuver worthy of the Blue Angels, just missing my face.
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