Fox!

Okay, not the furry kind...the feathered kind, a Fox Sparrow.  These large sparrows usually only show up in our garden when it snows, and during migration.  We are right on the edge of their winter range so they aren't as abundant here as they are a bit further south.

Winter Storm/Blizzard Stella did exactly what we hoped she wouldn't and veered west meaning that we got the 18-24 inches of snow and NYC only got around 1/3 that much.  The snow started around 11 last night and by this morning we already had about 10 inches.  It's been snowing all day, with heavy winds, so some of the drifts are several feet high. Not the fun kind so snow, that's for sure.  

Hubs is out snow-blowing our driveway.  Earlier he blew out the neighbor's driveway, since he (neighbor) just had a hip replacement.  He may have to do both driveways again tomorrow - we'll have to see what happens over night.  It appears, though, that the worst of the snow is done.

The bird feeders have been packed all day and I was spoiled for choices.  I finally decided on this shot just because I like it.  It was taken though out living room window, so isn't as sharp as I might like, but it captures the feeling of cold pretty well.  I feel bad for the birds when it's like this - its hard for them to take in enough calories to keep warm.  So, in addition to all the feeders, I've been throwing handfuls of seeds out on the snow. The starlings have completely taken over the peanut feeders (such bullies) so I finally moved that feeder away from the others just so that the other birds could get to the seeds.  And, on at least 5 occasions, I saw starlings actually taking baths in the birdbath - how crazy is that?  

I hope all my friends in the path of this storm are staying safe!  The biggest worry in storms like this is losing electricity - we've been lucky in that regard.  I just talked to MIL and she's in good spirits.  She's very happy to be seeing the snow - I told her she's very lucky to be viewing in from inside where it's warm, and she agreed!

Two other snowy shots on Flickr,  starting HERE , both very minimalistic.  The second shot is also my second favorite today.  Just for fun, I'll put a snowy-faced cardinal in Extra - who doesn't love a red bird in the snow, right?

xo
Debbi