Strawberry Tree
Since moving to Washington, I have discovered a great number of new trees. One of my favorites is the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It is a four-season tree with semi-glossy evergreen leaves and lovely mahogany bark. In autumn, clusters of white flowers appear, bearing a resemblance to Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. And then there are the little fruits, which resemble strawberries that appear at the same time as the flowers. I am not sure why, but I have only seen a few fruits on ours. I don't know if birds are getting them before I see them or what happens. The fruits are said to be edible but not very tasty (to humans). This year, our tree is loaded with flowers, the most I've ever seen. Bees absolutely love it and so do the hummingbirds. The flowers usually continue to appear straight through winter, and it can be blooming even during the coldest periods of winter. Aside from the fact that I have not seen much of the colorful fruits, the major negative note is the fact tha
Love this post - thank you! Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteI think the last photo is a goldfinch in winter "garb" or female. The red bird, we call a house finch. FWIW
ReplyDeleteBirds do make the garden seem so lively. I love the first photo of the chickadee. It seems to be looking through a tiny porthole into the garden. Sorry, my imagination got away from me. The reddish colored bird is a House Finch. Purple finches don't have all that streaking below. They look a little chunkier too. The last bird is a male House Sparrow. The females are a little drabber brown and don't have the bib. Water is as good of a draw for birds as feed when it is so cold because all the natural water freezes up. I hope you are keeping warm.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots!!! And how nice of you to make sure they have unfrozen water.
ReplyDeleteI saw some of those reddish birds at my feeder yesterday and wondered what they are. Glad someone here has ID'd them for both of us!
Lisa, thanks so much for identifying these for me.
ReplyDeleteI love watching the birds! The one hanging upside down is great. I've never had any luck with de-icers, which seem to stop working within a year. I just returned one to Wild Birds Unlimited that was $50 and stopped working after 4 days! Yours looks different from the ones I've had (vertical vs. horizontal)... would you please show a photo or let me know its brand name? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely feeders, bird bath and acrobatic birds your have Phillip!
ReplyDeleteLisa's right about the bird ID's. I was just wondering when the goldfinches were going to show up at our house. They usually don't get here til mid January. I'd love a de-icer and am not looking forward to the coming week's worth of weather. It's actually snowing here right now, very unusual! I'll soon be off to the store for more seed cakes for the birdies!
ReplyDeleteHi Phillip, your red headed visitor is a house finch (male)--very similar to a purple finch but much more plentiful. The last bird is a house sparrow or English sparrow (male also).
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear this miserable cold weather is reaching so far south. Miserable here too with no warm up in the forecast.
Marnie
The birds are so calming to watch aren't they? I need to add more feeders and hook up the birdbath heater so thanks for that reminder. Also, love your new property. What fun that will be.
ReplyDeleteBirds definitely do make the winter days a bit brighter. We had a flock of goldfinches popping about all over the garden eating seeds from crape myrtles and perennials. Very nice birdfeeder.
ReplyDeletePhillip, we are sending you some warmer weather! The last several days have been around 50-52, and of course we spent most of it outside in the garden. So it may take 4 or 5 days to get there. Love your bird photos.
ReplyDeleteIt is like a hot tub for the birds and you know they just love it! They sure are enjoying their new feeder! I am cannot wait for my new camera to get here so I can FINALLY start taking some good bird shots! Stay warm up there! I just built myself a fire!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, Phillip. We have had so much activity at our feeders, I have been filling them just about every day. I have been shopping for a heated bird bath.
ReplyDeleteI have prepared a Root Beer Bundt cake - which we will be having for dessert tonight. I was so excited to see the recipe you posted... as I have a love for Root Beer & chocolate!!
We have two bird feeders visible from our living room windows. One of my joys of winter is sitting on the couch and watching them. We have a lot of goldfinches and house finches. I agree with other commenters, the red bird is a house finch. I love your photos!
ReplyDeleteWhat great pics. I do love to watch the birds at the feeder. A bird bath heater is a great idea and when it gets cold it is the only water around for the birds. I'm sure they appreciate your bird bath.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm not the only one standing at my window taking bird pictures LOL. I got some great shots during migration of some Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. I was so excited.
ReplyDeleteAnn S.
Great shots Phillip! I love the upside down Goldfinch.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled across your blog...love the photos of the birds! Added you to my reader. :)
ReplyDeleteHouse finch and sparrow. You got some great shots.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! We can't keep our feeder filled with seeds these days-- hungry birds as weeks of cold weather have set in.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Cameron
What a joy to be able to sit and watch the birds from inside. Your shots are wonderful. Glad Lisa identified the sparrow and finch, we always wonder about them, having nearly the exact same birds here as you do. We need a heater for the bird baths, they are frozen more often than thawed here lately. The pond pump keep that water unfrozen and it is a popular spot. Do stay warm! :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Phillip, I also love the birds, and I'm so grateful that they flock to the feeder. I just wrote an article for OK Gardener about a woman's who has a bird sanctuary. She suggests peanut feeders and fruit cylinder feeders. I'm thinking about trying those. It's supposed to get cold this week.
ReplyDeleteAll of your shots are fab BTW. Love the upside-down Goldfinch.~~Dee
These are terrific photos! What kind of camera do you use? My bird feeders give me so much joy all year. I too had to install a heater but I put mine in my little garden pond to keep a spot open so fish can breath and birds can drink. I blogged about mine too.
ReplyDeleteshare your secret... your birds are amazing!
ReplyDeleteI re-posted a blog from last year during this time about seeds. YOUR comment was very useful and I just wanted to thank you again.
Come see some of my photos! I like my Winter Walk posting with the kitty!
Happy New Year!
Well, I knew what the red bird was, but apparently so did a lot of other people.
ReplyDeleteBut great pics anyway.
Thank you for these pictures Phillip! For some unknown reason, we don't have a lot of birds in our garden lately. So, I enjoyed looking at yours. A sparrow (the last picture) is a common bird here in the PNW. And, it's the most spread bird in Russia. People love it because it's a tough bird. It spends cold winters there and never heads south.
ReplyDeletePhillip, where did you get your birthbath heater? Locally or mail order?
ReplyDelete