Bird watching...

One of my favorite things about where I live is the pretty tree out behind my patio. I've hung my bird feeder from there and, as a result, it's a pretty busy spot for our local avian friends. Bing and Wes love to watch the birds, and I catch myself spending more and more time doing the same. Yesterday, at the height of the snow, it was actually quite extraordinary: I've never seen so many cardinals in one spot. At one point, I counted at least six males in the tree (fewer females, though--I'm not sure where they were). I know it's not that rare to love and appreciate the beauty of a cardinal, but I really do. The brightness of their red feathers against the white snow was just lovely.

I tried to take some pictures, but as soon as I opened the door out back, the birds noticed and from that point on, they were more scattered and spent less time sitting around the feeder. I did my best, though, and thought I'd share some shots with you.


This guy has the feeder all to himself!


A female eating on one side, a male on the other. I like how it looks like she's looking at me.


Can you spot the bird way up in the branches?

As I mentioned, once I opened the door, the birds really kept their distance. It didn't help that I had called attention to the two felines who were also eagerly watching their every move--especially since there was no longer a closed door between them. But I did take some more pictures, specifically of the birds that were far away, but still stood out against the white snow. I've left these (more or less) un-cropped, as I think part of the fun is seeing that flash of red standing out in a field of white.







Hope you enjoyed!