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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

Bird Watching



We have really been enjoying the birds outside our breakfast room window. I got a new feeder for Christmas and something that I should have bought a long time ago - a de-icer for the bird bath. We have had some frigid temperatures this past week and this coming week temperatures are suppose to stay below freezing all week long. Lows will get down in the single digits at night. I dread seeing the next electric bill but looking on the bright side, maybe the cold will kill the mosquitoes.

The de-icer is great. Since most of the water is frozen everywhere, the birds flock to it in the mornings. I see more robins at the bird bath than any other bird. They must stay thirsty.



Today was sunny and cold and the bird feeders were very active. Some of the visitors were:

Carolina Chickadee - I love these little birds.





I really adore the little Goldfinches. The yellow coloring gets more vibrant as spring approaches. I'm always amused at how they love to eat hanging upside down.







Another little cutie is the Tufted Titmouse -



And then there are some birds that I'm unsure about. Is this pretty little red bird a Purple Finch?







And who is this little bird?



These photos were taken in the afternoon. There is even a greater variety in early morning, with blue jays, cardinals and other birds making their rounds.

Comments

  1. Love this post - thank you! Happy New Year.

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  2. I think the last photo is a goldfinch in winter "garb" or female. The red bird, we call a house finch. FWIW

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  3. Birds 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.

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  4. Great shots!!! And how nice of you to make sure they have unfrozen water.

    I 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!

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  5. Lisa, thanks so much for identifying these for me.

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  6. I 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!

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  7. What lovely feeders, bird bath and acrobatic birds your have Phillip!

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  8. Lisa'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!

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  9. Hi 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).

    Sorry to hear this miserable cold weather is reaching so far south. Miserable here too with no warm up in the forecast.
    Marnie

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  10. 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.

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  11. Birds 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.

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  12. Phillip, 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.

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  13. It 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!

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  14. Beautiful 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.
    I 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!!

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  15. 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!

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  16. What 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.

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  17. Glad 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.
    Ann S.

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  18. Great shots Phillip! I love the upside down Goldfinch.

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  19. Just stumbled across your blog...love the photos of the birds! Added you to my reader. :)

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  20. House finch and sparrow. You got some great shots.

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  21. Great photos! We can't keep our feeder filled with seeds these days-- hungry birds as weeks of cold weather have set in.

    Cheers,
    Cameron

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  22. 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! :-)
    Frances

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  23. 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.

    All of your shots are fab BTW. Love the upside-down Goldfinch.~~Dee

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  24. 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.

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  25. share your secret... your birds are amazing!
    I 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!

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  26. Well, I knew what the red bird was, but apparently so did a lot of other people.
    But great pics anyway.

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  27. 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.

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  28. Phillip, where did you get your birthbath heater? Locally or mail order?

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