Life on a family farm
in the wilds of
Upstate New York
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Beyond
Bizarre. The weather that is. Woke up to rain and a sweet chuckling bird song that pulled me right out of slumber. It took me a few minutes to even realize what it was, as it is so out of place right now. A robin. Not that there haven't been robins around. Many of them routinely winter up here in the north. We had at least ninety a couple weeks ago. Still to have one chortling right outside the window was startling. And then.... Either the boss forgot to cover the wood or the wind blew the canvas off because we are faced with getting the fire ramped up with ice-covered wood and a rather low bed of coals. Probably isn't going to matter much as it is oddly warm..welcome to the weirdest winter I remember, but I ain't complaining. Every odd day brings us closer to spring and the robin is here to remind us.
It's been a warmer winter here but oddly we hardly have any birds. We often have a stay over Meadow Lark but not this year....maybe the old guy past on.
During our vacation on a Caribbean Island, I woke each morning to a beautiful Cardinal's song. Not likely our year-round resident Cardinals would winter in the Caribbean, but Northern Mockingbirds must, because that was the bird who had brought a whole repertoire of northern birdsong to this tropical isle.
Our Michigan robins go south for the winter. Their return in late March is a sign that spring is coming. But they didn't migrate this year, I have a bunch in my yard right now. How did they know we were going to have an unusually warm winter?
Oh! to hear that chortle of the robin. We've been in Florida for a full week and I've not seen or heard one yet. What a sweet sweet gift on a chill January morning.
Linda, we have a lot of birds, but not a lot of species. I am ticking them off on my list, but very, very slowly.
Jacqueline, how cool is that! I love hearing what the mockers are talking about. We have seen quite a decline in numbers of them here in recent years. I had to work to find even one this summer, when usually several pairs are fighting over the prime territory.
Linda, today our weather is normal, and I have to say I prefer weird. lol
Denny, most of ours go, but a few always stay behind eating fruits and berries. Normally the main flock in this area hangs around north of the river, but this year there are quite a few on the south side where we live. They seem kind of lost though.
Cathy, I had to think a minute before I even recognized it. So out of time and season. Enjoy Florida! My brother just retired there and he regales and torments me with tales of what he sees in his backyard. It is a long way from a White-throated Sparrow to a Sandhill Crane, in more than geography. lol
6 comments:
It's been a warmer winter here but oddly we hardly have any birds. We often have a stay over Meadow Lark but not this year....maybe the old guy past on.
During our vacation on a Caribbean Island, I woke each morning to a beautiful Cardinal's song. Not likely our year-round resident Cardinals would winter in the Caribbean, but Northern Mockingbirds must, because that was the bird who had brought a whole repertoire of northern birdsong to this tropical isle.
We are just as odd...terribly cold and snowy. Of course this year we don't want wet and snow...at least not until the corn is all in.
Linda
Our Michigan robins go south for the winter. Their return in late March is a sign that spring is coming. But they didn't migrate this year, I have a bunch in my yard right now. How did they know we were going to have an unusually warm winter?
Oh! to hear that chortle of the robin.
We've been in Florida for a full week and I've not seen or heard one yet.
What a sweet sweet gift on a chill January morning.
Linda, we have a lot of birds, but not a lot of species. I am ticking them off on my list, but very, very slowly.
Jacqueline, how cool is that! I love hearing what the mockers are talking about. We have seen quite a decline in numbers of them here in recent years. I had to work to find even one this summer, when usually several pairs are fighting over the prime territory.
Linda, today our weather is normal, and I have to say I prefer weird. lol
Denny, most of ours go, but a few always stay behind eating fruits and berries. Normally the main flock in this area hangs around north of the river, but this year there are quite a few on the south side where we live. They seem kind of lost though.
Cathy, I had to think a minute before I even recognized it. So out of time and season. Enjoy Florida! My brother just retired there and he regales and torments me with tales of what he sees in his backyard. It is a long way from a White-throated Sparrow to a Sandhill Crane, in more than geography. lol
Post a Comment