Birds Of A Feather, Flock Together, Even In A Snowstorm.

Our snowless Winter finally ended here in the  Hazle Township  area of Northeastern Pennsylvania today. We woke up to around six inches on the ground, and we now have over fifteen inches and it’s still snowing. 

It wasn’t easy walking or driving in the snow but I will have to admit, my backyard did look pretty covered with the new fallen snow. And the snow cover brought a lot more birds to my feeders.It wasn’t the best conditions for photography but I managed to get some photographs as I watched them fight for access to the seed. 

A solitary crow sat on a branch above the feeder throughout the day, and about every half hour, would fly underneath the feeder to eat the seeds that fell into the snow. 

There were also about 20 mourning doves feeding on the fallen seeds then flying up to the trees for safety from the hawk that has been hanging around the past few weeks. I didn’t see him today but probably had a good day of hunting the squirrels, rabbits and rodents that  have a hard time traveling in the deep snow. 

Finally there was a large flock of juncos. or snow birds, also feeding off the seeds that fell to the ground from the feeders. 

The feeders attracted a large number of sparrows, which came in smaller flocks, and fought with each other for the seed. 

There were a few nut hatches at the feeder too,  picking out the sunflower seeds, as they faced downward, and then flying off to a nearby tree to enjoy their  treat.

Finally, surprisingly,  there were only a few black capped chickadees today. But quite a few of the most colorful bird at the feeder, the house finch, shown above. . The various birds flew on and off the feeder, gathering as much seeds as they could, until chased off by newly arriving, and hungry birds. 

There isn’t a lot of things to do in the middle of a snow storm in January but sure glad I was able to spend some time watching the birds  that came to my feeder. I’m glad i can provide them with a meal in exchange for their company. I love to have them in my backyard but I can’t wait until they can share it with the robins and songbirds when they return in the Spring. It won’t be to long now. I just hope we don’t get a lot more snow and cold while we wait for it to arrive. here is a link to some more photographs of the birds at my feeder today. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/backyard-bird-feeder-january-23-2016

“All Heaven and Earth
Flowered white obliterate…
Snow…unceasing snow”
― Hashin, Japanese Haiku