The annual nature show called autumn is officially over here on Roundtop. All the leaves are down (and brown, too) and the sky is gray. This time of year is often challenging to photograph. Colors are limited to various shades of brown, and the light is so variable that what looks gorgeous one minute turns dull and drab in the time it takes to raise the camera to my eye. It takes me a while to adjust after the brilliance of just a week ago.My outdoor forays were unusually limited this weekend. Heavy rain kept me inside most of Saturday, and the tornado watch kept me with one ear focused the radio much of the time. Sunday boasted gale-force winds much of the time, and those doesn’t make me want to rush outside and play. So I spent an inordinate amount of time inside and watching the birds at my feeders.
The new bird-feeding season is starting out quite a bit different than usual. So far, I haven’t seen a single northern cardinal. Usually I have 4-6 of them. Are they gone? Are they still finding food on their own? So far it’s a mystery. I also haven’t seen a Carolina wren this fall feeding season, though it’s possible I have simply missed them. They were never the most regular of my visitors.
The rest of my diners are pretty much the usual suspects, though titmice and chickadees of both the Carolina and black-capped variety seem a bit more abundant than average. The white-breasted nuthatch is furiously defending the feeder from all but the bigger birds—like the blue jays and red-bellied woodpecker. I haven’t actually seen the downy woodpecker in the feeder yet, but it is feeding on branches all around. Yesterday I had the first goldfinch that I’ve seen. It ignored the thistle tube (perhaps because of the wind) and fed in the platform feeder instead.
So far, I have had no unusual suspects at the feeders, but the season is early yet. Once the first snow dusts the mountain, I typically get all sorts of birds who ignored the feeders before the snow fall. Last night, snow flurries tickled my face as I walked the dogs after dark. It won’t be long.
Posts
6 comments:
One of my favorite songs...now stuck in my head...
November is very gray here too but for me, as long as there is sunshine, I can enjoy the lack of color.
Carolyn, We still have half of our leaves ON the trees--and half on the ground. It's not very pretty right now here. BUT--I love your picture. There is something neat about seeing the 'winter' look!!!!! I lived in the deep south for many years---and missed the seasons SO much. SO--I am not complaining about the winter look... Four seasons???? Yeah!!!!
Hope your Cardinals come back. Ours are still here--at least 2-4 of them!!!!
Lynne: there's worse songs to be stuck in your head than California Dreamin!
Betsy: I don't mind empty trees when the sky is sunny, either (or when there's snow). The sun part hasn't happened yet. The snow has been only a few flakes so far.
Carolyn H.
It IS a drab time and very challenging to take pictures.
Over winter, we just get our regulars at the feeders: chickadees (blackcap and mountain), nuthatches, the Pileated, Hairy, Downy and sometimes the Flicker Woodpeckers. That's it. No variation.
Cicero: do you have pileateds actually eat at your feeders? Mine never do. They swoop the red-bellied woodpeckers in the feeder and gnaw on trees next to the feeder, but i've never actually had one IN the feeder.
Carolyn H.
Oh you too got the tornado watch over the weekend? yes, this time is challenging to find something photograph. I tend to look for poems instead.
For tonight, had a dusting of snow. A lot of the ski areas up here are planning to fire up the snowmaking machine this week.
Post a Comment