Way back in mid-winter, a little flock of Eastern Bluebirds vacationed for a week in our backyard buffet. I was totally surprised because, although bluebirds do winter over in northeast Ohio, none had ever done so in our neighborhood. Sadly, after delighting us for a week, they were suddenly gone, and we haven't seen them for …
He’s still here, and guess what…
...He's not alone! He brought a friend. Yesterday morning I heard the distinctive call the pileated woodpecker makes when he swoops in for a landing at the backyard buffet. So of course I picked up my camera and headed for my post at the kitchen window (It actually makes a good bird shooting blind, although I do …
Rain-streaked and wind-swept
After several day's absence, the Eastern bluebirds reappeared at the Backyard Buffet this morning. Unfortunately, our recent weather has not been kind to the little birds. Instead of sunshine and blue skies, they have been welcomed by rain, wind, and cold temperatures. This morning the weather was especially unpleasant and has gone from unpleasant to …
Bright spots on a wintry day
Overnight the temperature dropped to single digits and several inches of snow fell. The Backyard Buffet looks much more appealing when the ground is covered with a blanket of white, and because that same blanket had covered over much of their natural food, the birds were looking for food at ALL the feeders. That includes …
It can be a challenge…
... to keep up with the visitors to my back yard buffet. Looking back through recent posts, I realized I'm not doing a very good job of keeping up with the ordinary little birds who visit the "buffet." The fallen tree episode, starling invasion, Christmas cookie baking, and rapscallion deer visitors have dominated my posts for the …
Return of the Rapscallions!
The new bird feeder, destroyed by the rapscallions last week, has been replaced, thanks to a warranty from the manufacturer. Yesterday I hung it in the back yard buffet, in place of the feeder the deer had destroyed, wondering how long it would take for them to discover it. It was mid-afternoon, well before dark, but unfortunately …
Hawk incursion!
A few minutes ago, while I was in the Back Yard Buffet, refilling the water bowl and keeping an eye on Gulliver as he wandered around the yard, a small hawk zoomed into the Buffet. It paused very briefly right in front of me as I stood near the brush pile, but thankfully didn't linger. …
A little bit of water…
...is a very good thing to put out for the birds. Unfortunately we don't have an electric outlet in our back yard buffet, so we can't keep a fountain running throughout the winter. The best I can do is put out a fresh bowl of water in the morning and refill it when it begins to …
It was a cold and cloudy morning…
It was a cold, cloudy morning at the end of November. A storm had blown through the neighborhood during the night, but we hadn't heard a thing (although others did), and this is what Bob saw when he took Gulliver outside for an early morning walk. The top of one of the very tall oak …
First snowfall
Put together the first snowfall of the season with blustery wind and very cold temperatures. Then throw in a brand new brush pile that the birds are absolutely loving, and suddenly you have open house at the Bird Buffet. The juncos, mourning doves, blue jays, sparrows, titmice, chickadees, and more all spent an exciting day …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 