Hazy shade of winter.

This song appropriately came on the radio yesterday morning as I drove to work through ice and slush and snow.  Portland had yet another snowstorm followed by yet another ice storm this weekend and it is safe to say we are all OVER IT.  Over tending to frozen hummingbird feeders, to frozen birdbaths, to dogs that can't walk on ice.  Bleh!  Stop!  Oh, what?  There's more snow coming? 


Wah.  Last week I broke down and purchased a heated bird bath dish for the first time and it has proven to be a huge hit with my yard birds.  Photos from last week:

 Did I mention the east winds have been crazy also? 

 Song Sparrow does not like perching on rim, but will lean over and drink

 Best goldfinch face

 Flicker about to kick out the non-natives

Scrub-jay-approved

On Saturday as the snow was beginning I heard from Sarah that a Black-throated Blue Warbler was visiting a suet feeder in SW Portland.  I was not over eager to leave my house, but I was over eager for such a good-looking state bird, so off I went.  I arrived at the house and found a few birders already standing there, and the bird appeared quickly.  I took a few terrible photos.


It went back into hiding and appeared briefly again about fifteen minutes later.  After that I decided I was cold (it was about 27°) and should head back home before the snow got worse.  Such a great bird and in my 10-mile radius (heh)! 

Sunday morning the ice storm hit, work was cancelled, and I had the whole day to put around the house in my pajamas.  Before they got coated in ice I took a few shots of the rat tracks all over the driveway.


I gave Jay a few extra peanuts out of pity.


My front and side windows acquired a thick coating of ice which made it difficult to watch my window hummingbird feeder.


Yesterday morning I expected to wake to the ice all melted and things much better.  This was not the case.  Anything that had melted slightly the evening before had refrozen thicker and heavier.  My dogwood sagged, my wax myrtle dipped over into the heated bird bath, and the camellia will probably never be the same.  

Saddest plants. 

But it was pretty!  I took a bunch of photos before leaving for work.

Melting icicles

 Cold feeders, cold camellia

 Happy hummer in the ice maze

Red-winged Blackbird, Lesser and American Goldfinches

House Finch

 Black-capped Chickadee

Okay, geez, that's a lot of yard birds for you to tolerate, but I saved the best for last:



Hell yeah!  A Merlin flew in to it's favorite neighborhood perch, this super tall tree that I am guessing is a doug fir.  Year bird!


And now it's time to get ready for more snow coming tonight.  Good times!

Comments

  1. F@&K snow. I am so over this crap. I love that heated birdbath. Too bad Christmas is already past.

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  2. Like, where do all those birds go when that weather is getting inclement? How do they not all die? How can that Anna's be so chill/not chill?

    Seeing as no one else has posted 5MR stuff, do you win by default? What's the statue of limitations on this thing?

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    Replies
    1. Nate wussed out because it was going to be chilly in Austin, and Steve had an atmospheric river to contend with so he's doing it this saturday. Unless his baby comes. Then he'll rematch in 18 years.

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  3. 10MR? Are you biradial, or at least biradial-curious?

    Glad you got the warbler. Your weather is pretty but sounds like shit. I'm ready for a break from the storm train myself. I'm still stoked on the scote train though.

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    Replies
    1. Throw a BTBW in my 10mr and I am VERY curious... #scotetrainforlife

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    2. I checked my 10MR and decided it wasn't overly enticing...my 40MR is where it's at hahahahahaha ugh

      5MC could happen any day now! Chomping at the bit!

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  4. Winter has arrived big time in Portland!! The ice is miserable, hope yur trees revive when it melts..Jake looks so cozy in his blankey...cute. We have a heated bat have had it for 8 yrs and its great! The birds depend on some water free of ice, all our normal fountains and even the rain barrels have a 4 inch thick ice jam on top...Great Yarddies!

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    Replies
    1. The trees mostly sprung back up but then we just got 8 inches of snow to push them back down! UGH. I can't believe it took me this long to get a heated bath!

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  5. Snow and a Black-throated Blue Warbler? I didn't realize Ohio was within a 10-mile radius of Portland.

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  6. whistling gold finch face was the best face.

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    Replies
    1. I laugh every time I look at it, and imagine he is laughing also. Hoo hoo hoo.

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  7. Thank you for your post, Jen. I'm going to bookmark it. Every time I get homesick for Oregon, I'm going to look at your photos and be glad we aren't there. We've had a pretty wet winter so far--must have had 6 or 7 days of rain in the past two months. And we've only had 2 days over 80 in since the beginning of December.

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    Replies
    1. Ha!! This winter has been interesting to say the least. San Diego is not looking too bad right now.

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