After Thanksgiving, we returned home in time to fill feeders, refresh the ponds

and get ready for the first snowfall of the season!

11-30-24 Hairy Woodpecker female

A female Hairy Woodpecker got first dibs on the roasted peanuts.

11-30-24 White-throated Sparrow 11-30-24 Eastern Bluebird

A White-throated Sparrow and Eastern Bluebird drank at the bubbler.

11-30-24 Downy Woodpecker

A Downy Woodpecker found the bark butter on a small white oak. Time to feast before the snow falls!

11-30-24 Rudy!

Rudy returned, ready for all the hungry birds that would come in. 

11-30-24 American Goldfinches
American Goldfinches were at Rudy's table, chowing down scattered sunflower chips.

11-30-24 American Goldfinch eating Cliff Goldenrod seeds (Solidago drummondii) 11-30-24 Four American Goldfinches eating Cliff Goldenrod seeds (Solidago drummondii)

American Goldfinches took turns eating seeds from Cliff Goldenrod (Solidago drummondii). This plant fills the pockets along the driveway wall. It is a top Keystone native perennial, supporting 97 different species of moths and butterflies, as well as other native pollinators such as bees and tiny flies. Cliff Goldenrod also feeds sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, which take cover in these planting pockets.

11-30-24 Cliff Goldenrod (Solidago drummondii) along the driveway

These photos are from mid-September in different years. It is a beautiful, long-blooming plant and so beneficial to pollinators and birds! 

In this photo, a cucumber beetle and a native masked bee (Hylaeus species) forage for the pollen and nectar of the tiny blooms. These flowers attract a lot of people asking me about them, too! 

12-7-24 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 12-7-24 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Back to December! This male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker came in to drink at the bubbler. I just happened to see its head pop up! The glare from the low sun was challenging for photos that day. Oh, well, if I'd stepped outside the bird would have flown and we can't have that! Birds come first here.

12-8-24 House Finches and female Eastern Bluebirds 12-8-24 Eastern Bluebird

Water is important to birds all year round. These House Finches and Eastern Bluebirds took advantage of an opportunity to get in.

12-13-24 American Goldfinches and House Finches

This week has felt a lot colder than the thermometer reads, and that means the bird activity is high. American Goldfinches and House Finches are regulars.

12-13-24 Northern Flicker female upsets House Finches

A female Northern Flicker came in and the House Finches took off to give the larger bird some space.

12-13-24 Eastern Bluebird female

A female Eastern Bluebird took a mealworm or two.

12-13-24 Blue Jay

Blue Jays go for bark butter bits and peanuts.

  12-13-24 White-throated Sparrow

This White-throated Sparrow grabbed a safflower seed.

  12-13-24 White-breasted Nuthatch tossing a bark butter bit.

A fussy White-breasted Nuthatch tossed a few before choosing a larger bit of bark butter to cache.

12-13-24 Northern Cardinal female

This female Northern Cardinal nibbled on sunflower chips.

12-13-24 American Robin

The heated bird bath is convenient and popular with the birds. It also gives them a minute to soak up a little warmth with their water. There are usually two American Robins around.

  12-13-24 Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmice are also frequent visitors.

  12-13-24 Northern Cardinal

This is our resident Northern Cardinal, 'Bam-Bam'. This guy is still challenging his reflections on bright days. He owns the place!

12-13-24 Eastern Bluebird female

And the Eastern Bluebirds come in. I never realized how quickly one could fall for them until they started coming around. Too sweet!

12-13-24 Rusty Blackbird with caterpillar from leaves 12-13-24 Rusty Blackbird female 12-13-24 Rusty Blackbird
The first of Fall Rusty Blackbirds have shown up. Yesterday, three were spotted and finally photographed. The first male found several dark caterpillars in the leaves by the garden edge. Later, the female came in with another male and they were near the pond and in the sugar maple (Acer saccharum).

About 12:25 pm yesterday, lucky Friday the 13th, I went out to refill the feeders by the driveway. American Crows were upset and calling, but I wasn't sure why. Then, a large bird came into view from the northeast and circled over me, over our yard, banking left and continuing in a lazy circle again. My jaw dropped and I stood in awe, watching this beautiful adult Bald Eagle! This is not a bird I see every year! And, I had never had one so close and pointedly over our sanctuary before. What a thrill! As it finished the second circuit, it banked to the right and continued on to the east. How lucky to be in the right place at the right time. 

Birds and awe. Sigh... both good for the soul!