Snowbird

Last night's storm left us with about 15 inches/38 cm of fresh snow this morning with an additional inch falling gently throughout the morning.  Hubs and I spent the first two hours of the day digging out.  First order of business was to clear enough of the driveway for SIL to get out, then we finished the rest after she'd gone    Second order of business for me was to dig out enough of the patio to set up my hide and to dig a trail to each of the feeders and top them off  

Once the chores were done, I happily retired to the hide for an hour or so.  As is always the case when it snows, there were loads of birds including huge numbers of dark-eyed juncos (male seen here) and white throated sparrows.  Also had 8 cardinals which is the most I've seen at one time this year.  I went with this shot because this bird is often called "snowbirds" by people in our part of the country.  They breed north of here so we only have them in winter months.  Like most sparrows, they prefer to feed on the ground, but as is always the case, a few eager-beavers quickly figure out the hanging feeders.  They are quite vocal, with tend to get into little spats with each other - so lots of fun to watch.  See Extra for a shot I took of one against a solid snowy background.

After all the shoveling, and the hide time, I retired to the sofa, in front of the fire.  My back and neck are complaining about all the shoveling so I took that as my sign to take it easy this afternoon.  Happily, we didn't lose power during the storm, so hot showers are on the menu later.

We will have frigid temps for the next 3 or 4 days so I think you can fairly expect to see birds-in-the-snow photos.  

Inching closer to the end of the Trump administration, thank goodness.  Covid is still out of control throughout most of the US and delivery of the vaccines is slower than expected.  We are in for a long few months, I think.  

So continue doing the smart things - stay safe, wear a mask, be kind.  And don't forget the chocolate (my current fave is dark chocolate with almond chips).

xo
Debbi