Skip to main content

Featured

A Closer Look at Winter Damage

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are noticeable casualties but no outright deaths that I have seen. The bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red') did not like the cold at all. It was planted six years ago, in the north-facing garden no less, and I've not experienced die-back on it until now. A local expert said to cut it all the way back so that is what I did. If it doesn't make it, I won't be too distraught. It is

Name that bird


I love the birds in the garden but I'm not that great at identifying them. We have a small room off the kitchen that was once a back porch. We had it enclosed with large windows when we had the kitchen remodeled after we moved in. We sometimes eat there but mostly I use the table there to put jigsaw puzzles together. Outside the window are 4 birdfeeders that hang from a large trellis that goes over the window. Sitting there working on a puzzle and watching the birds is a great pleasure, totally relaxing and a good way to lower the blood pressure.

The birds that frequent the feeders that I can identify easily are the house finches, goldfinches, chickadees, titmouse, cardinals and sometimes mourning doves. Michael has been talking about this funny little bird for months now that I had never seen. He described it a little butterball with small tail feathers that stick straight up in the back. This little guy is also very chatty and sometimes sits outside the window and chirps loudly. One morning Michael said he saw him jumping up and down outside the kitchen window and when he walked over to investigate, he saw that the bird was eating ants along the windowsill.

I finally saw the bird last Sunday when I was out taking photos. I don't seem him at the feeders and he is indeed very vocal. I'm guessing some type of wren? I know some of my bird-knoweledgeable readers will know.


 
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. As Steph said on your Facebook page, Phillip, it's one of our Carolina wrens looking for warmer weather :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carolina Wrens don't eat many seeds. They prefer bugs. Sometimes they eat a little suet and peanuts at my feeders though. I love to see them snap up a moth and eat it. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What special photos... another wonderful aspect of gardening! Larry

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello, Your blog appeared on my board, and it was not by magic! So surely I saw and decided to follow you. I was watching and reading your past entries and photos are interesting and very beautiful. I love the garden, but funny thing is that here where I live, sometimes the weather does not help me, and what I do is buy everything green, occasionally buy season flowering plants. I live in a country or zone field. So every day is seen and heard all kinds of birds, of which some, but it gives me immense joy to hear and see them! from time to time I have tenants (birds) I rented a window! , these in rent to see what other birds and to get them out is a problem! (just kidding) the bird is beautiful! Here is synonymous say good luck to have them around us! Greetings, Rose Marie

    ReplyDelete
  5. a lovely little wren. My favorite kind of birds.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think he's called Robert but you can call him Bob.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yep, Wren it is! Love those little chatty guys. We have them year round at our house. They love the suet cakes and suet balls we put in the cage feeder. They go crazy when the neighbors cats are in the yard. They just cuss up a storm at them. Hee hee....

    ReplyDelete
  8. Caroline wren's can sing your socks off.

    ReplyDelete
  9. He is a little Wren and they love people. My Mother used to put seeds on the porch rail every morning and the male would take them one by one to his mate. She would prop the storm door open so the dogs could come and go in the mornings and if she was late with the seeds, he would hop in the door and stand in her living room and fuss until she brought the seeds out! She got so much joy from that little fellow and he returned for a couple of winters! Enjoy your new friends! Hugs Carol

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Phillip, He does look like a little butterball! Sweet photos.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have one that finds the most unusual places to next. It loves opened fertilizer or moss sacks. Cannot remember what that sulfur smelling stuff name is that helps clay soils, but one year nested in it. Don't know how many times I've had to go and buy another bag until it hatches.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well Phillip, you did such a wonderful job of describing the Carolina Wren that I could have told you without the picture! I've been a birder since I was about 7 or 8 years old. I can't go outside without hearing each and every bird out there! It is such a joy to watch all the antics going on in the woods. The Carolina is as you know is quite the character and will put a nest nearly anywhere! I had one start a nest in a bag of potting soil I had sitting on my porch!! So put out a little wren house and enjoy the fun!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for all the information and great stories about the carolina wren. I hope he stays!

    ReplyDelete
  14. So cute. I see you got your I.D.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts