Winter birds

Here in Erie we have winter birds or I guess it would be more proper to say that we have birds that winter with us. They are here in the summer, too. The ones I see most often at our feeders are chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals and woodpeckers. There are a few other kinds, but I'm not as good identifying them as I should be!

It is quite amazing to me that they stay with us, however, I have to remember that we don't get as cold as say the midwest, but with all this snow (we are at 60" now--well below our average through this date, but still a lot) you might think they wouldn't. However, the bird feeders are many in this area so I suspect if they can find suitable shelter, the food might keep them here. Oh, and of course, there is endless fresh lake and creek water.

Winter and the Nuthatch

Once or twice and maybe again, who knows,
the timid nuthatch will come to me
if I stand still, with something good to eat in my hand.
The first time he did it
he landed smack on his belly, as though
the legs wouldn't cooperate. The next time
he was bolder. Then he became absolutely
wild about those walnuts.

But there was a morning I came late and, guess what,
the nuthatch was flying into a stranger's hand.
To speak plainly, I felt betrayed.
I wanted to say: Mister
that nuthatch and I have a relationship.
It took hours of standing in the snow
before he would drop from the tree and trust my fingers.
But I didn't say anything.

Nobody owns the sky or the trees.
Nobody owns the hearts of birds.
Still, being human and partial therefore to my own successes--
though not resentful of others fashioning theirs--

I'll come tomorrow, I believe, quite early.

Mary Oliver

Four of our sisters heading over to our Glinodo

property for some sledding down the big hill. 

(click to enlarge)