Friday, January 13, 2012

For The Birds

It's finally snowing here in upstate New York!!  I love winter and the coziness of staying inside with a nice fire as the snow falls outside.   Since I work at home, I situated my work space by this window which is great in all four seasons.

My sister P. gave me a "squirrel proof" bird feeder and I LOVE it!  It really works too...except the little chipmunks aren't heavy enough for it to close (they are hibernating now anyway).

It was busy outside the window today.  It was snowing and blowing and there was a lot of activity at the feeder.  I was able to take some pictures of my visitors. ( A little disclaimer-there is a screen on the window so I was taking pictures through that)

Here is my shy cardinal...He has shown up now and again over the past few months.  He's hiding in the cedars, but the chickadees are regulars and never shy.

Isn't he a beautiful guy? 

Gorgeous color with a beautiful mask and beak.

It was very windy today...talk about "ruffled feathers"!!

He came to the feeder...and the wind was blowing up his crown.  

My little Chickadee!!

This Blue Jay showed up for a quick snack and this was the only picture I could get.

SOMEBODY wanted to be outside, no matter how cold.  Our kitties live indoors...but they can dream, can't they?  Sorry Sidney...you can look but not touch!

The Mrs. stopped by as well...Isn't she so cute?

She spent quite a bit of time on top of the snowy cedars

I am so happy that it has finally snowed and that so many visitors took advantage of our feeder.  Do you get feathered visitors where you are?

Thank you for coming by for a peak out my winter window!

Tess

38 comments:

  1. Your kitty watching the birds reminded me of one day walking into our den and seeing our youngest (about 3 or 4) watching the birds--our cat standing next to her. She looked at me very seriously and said, "Do cats eat birds?"I nodded affirmatively and she wailed, "OOOOOOOOh, Mom!"

    Thanks for the peek out your window and the stroll down memory lane!

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  2. Hi lovely lady.
    Your photos are Beautiful love the kitty looking at the Red Birds sweet.
    Thanks so much for coming over with your sweet comments on my new tablescape.
    I hope you are having a wonderful weekend with your family.
    xxoo Diane

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  3. There is nothing prettier than Cardninals in the winter. Thanks for your sweet visit to my winter table.

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  4. Tess, we are entertained by our Mr. and Mrs. cardinal too. Love the photo of the ruffled feathers! Did you hear that Wayne Mahar clocked the wind at 105 on top of the Carrier Dome last night? Crazy!

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    1. Hi Debbie...These is the first we've had the Cardinals hanging out here! I love it!

      The wind was wild the other day...and more to come, I hear. But where's the snow???
      Thanks for stopping!

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  5. What a beautiful view from your desk! I'm not sure I'd get any work done, with snowy scenes and birds to watch! Great photography, too!

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  6. We haven't had much snow this year in Nova Scotia. I wish we had cardinals here. They are so beautiful! Great pictures!

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  7. I love your pictures. The lady Cardinal is so special...she looks like a snow angel. Thank you for giving us a peak. Cherry Kay

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  8. Great shot, especially that one of the jay! We have loads of birds at our feeder too. We just purchased 65# of seed which will last a month if the raccoon doesn't show up. Love that shot of the cardinal with all the green. Even through the screen, they are great shots. Dianne

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  9. Love your photos! I too love birds and cats. I Feed birds too. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos good shots. I miss my kitty she passed after 19 years. Joann

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  10. Thanks for your sweet comments. I love birds. My 4 year old keeps reminding me to go buy some seed. My grandmother loved cardinals. They really are stunningbin the winter.

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  11. Those are great pictures through the window! I love the cardinal. I see one around here all the time, but I'm never able to get a long look at him.

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  12. Hi Tess,

    These are GREAT pictures! I love them all (including kitty), but I think my favorite is the Blue Jay. He has such a funny expression on his face. :-) We also have Blue Jays here, but haven't seen them at the feeder yet. They have a reputation for being aggressive, but I still think they're beautiful. The male and female cardinals are definitely the prettiest, though. Do you get bluebirds where you live?

    Your snow scenes are wonderful. We haven't had so much as one flake here this year. I love a pretty snow.

    Thanks for your visit Tess -- I so enjoyed your post!

    Hugs,

    Denise at Forest Manor

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  13. Tess, I am so envious that you get to work from home and have that incredible view out your window. I don't think we have cardinals in the west, but I love them. I, like you, love the snow, and the best day at home in the winter is getting to stay home while the snow is coming down. What beautiful pictures you have captured of your bird friends. Is your cat allowed to go out? Or are you afraid he might bring you back some feathers? Joni

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  14. Beautiful shots of the red cardinal against the snowy backdrop! Your pictures will make gorgeous postcards! I love pictures of nature so much especially this time of the year, beauty in nature is abundant no matter what the season is! I was going through your previous posts and I love your Christmas table with the Royal Doulton Old English Rose china collection. Beautiful table setting! Highway man is my favorite poem,the imagery used in that poem by Noyes always captivates me!! and yes I heard the song by Loreena McKennitt, so hauntingly beautiful! Thanks for visiting me and your loving thoughts. Happy week to you!~Poppy

    http://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

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  15. Such fabulous shots of those beauties. That red on the cardinal is just stunning!wow, you have a lot of snow. We have only had that once here this year. I just love the one where his crown is ruffled!

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  16. I Love cardinals! Great pictures! No snow here in the Midwest (yet) XO Cindy

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  17. Loved the photos with the birds (and the lurking kitty). We only had a dusting in Tennessee, but the birds have enjoyed the feeders. Have a great weekend!

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  18. Hey Tess! I've decided we could be best friends! I LOVE CATS, DISHES and watching wildlife too. Your pictures are magazine perfect! I enjoyed my visit to your blog!
    Donna

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  19. Great shots, Tess...especially through that screen! I LOVE seeing the red cardinals!

    I just finished quilting a tablerunner with cardinals on it. They are Ohio's state bird. I've also got a new quilted wallhanging with chickadee on it that I have to finish binding & then I can hang it.

    I should look into getting a feeder like yours.

    fondly,
    Rett

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  20. Hi Tess,

    Oh your bird photos are so beautiful. I love snow and I love bird watching! We are supposed to have snow here on Sunday night and I am ready for some.

    Have a wonderful weekend,

    Nancy

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  21. i love your photos - we have snow too and more coming this week in Colorado!

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  22. Thank you for your kind words on my football table. Oh your pictures are beautiful. The Mrs. Cardinal is so pretty. Jealous of the snow but then again, I wouldn't want snow for more than a couple of days.

    Cynthia

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  23. Tess, Love the shot of the birds, I saw my first Robin 2 weeks ago when it was springlike now it is snowing again! Thanks for stopping by, Laura

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  24. We've had a winter that feels like spring....not that I'm complaining mind you. We are supposed to get our first snow of the winter tomorrow......we'll see!

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  25. Beautiful shots of the birds. I do have cardinals. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a message. I am already a follower.

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  26. Gorgeous photos of the birds, and the snow just adds that beautiful touch. Still hasn't snowed here in NJ yet....mild winter which I guess is fine but I like snow in the winter. Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit. Following you now!
    Marianne :)

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  27. What a beautiful post! Your view is wonderful from your window! I adore bird watching!! Our cardinals have been visiting the birdbaths here in our yard...we have several couples that live in and around our garden. Spring is almost here in Oklahoma...I'm sure your birds appreciate the great meals you provide them! Enjoyed my visit..I'm a new follower.
    Miss Bloomers

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  28. Tess, these are WONDERFUL shots & how lucky you are to be able to sit & watch this wondrous scene outside your window.

    Thanks for stopping by ...yes, my bridemaids wore pink. You must come back & see MY chickadees, since you're on the subject!!!!

    fondly,
    Rett

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  29. Hi lovely lady.
    Thanks for your sweet comments. I love birds.
    I hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend.
    XXOO Diane

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  30. Beautiful post, I love cardinals too. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  31. Hi lovely lady.
    I also love your photos of your Cardinals.
    Thanks so much for coming over to see my Spring Tablescape. I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family.
    XXOO Diane

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  32. Hi Tess, Yes we have a feeder and we get so many birds! My husband used to resist because the seeds kill the grass, but now he is hooked on watching them too. We have red bellied and downy woodpeckers, cardinals, jays, nuthatches, finches, junco, chickadees, various sparrows...I can't remember them but I am joining the project feeder watch next winter! Your photos are beautiful, especially Mrs. Cardinal! Linda

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  33. Wonderful pictures of the cardinals and I love the chick-a-dees! (We used to have these birds and more when we lived in North Carolina, but now that we are in South Florida we just don't seem to see anything but starlings, blue jays, and crows - many, MANY crows).

    Thank you for the lovely comments you left on my site earlier - they are much appreciated!

    Hugs and Happy Easter -
    Carol @arewethereyet

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  34. Hi Tess! Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting! I really appreciate that! On Saturday I had 460 visitors to my blog - that's a record for me! Only two comments on my blog post - but at least I had a lot of people looking at it!

    We have 2 birdfeeders and we love to look at all the activity outside. My husband recently bought a baffle - which makes it very difficult for the squirrels to steal the bird's food. We learned the hard way last year about the location of our birdfeeder. We had it fairly close to our deck and a very crafty cat found it really easy to hide underneath and wait for the birds to fly to the ground to pick up some seeds...and pounce. So, after that tragedy we finally moved the birdfeeder further away so that the birds will have time to escape. We are also going to enclose the underneath of the deck (which we should have done awhile ago)!

    Loved your pictures!

    Linda

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    1. LOL I have learned that ALL kitties are 'crafty', and we too have had to 'kitty proof' our bird feeders and bird baths! Placing them in area where there are few bushes and many wide open spaces seems to work the best. Sorry a birdie was nabbed, but when you love birds and well as cats, a balance has to be struck!

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  35. What a delightful blog! I have tabbies and love china and other 'breakables' as well! Your pictures of the lovely song birds remind me of looking out my windows (before all my trees blew down!) You are a woman after my own heart. I LOVE Ina Garten and had a very heartwarming experience where she was able to comfort some friends and me after the deadly tornado last May 22, that destroyed our homes, many of our lives, and our city, Joplin, Missouri. Her kindness and generosity will not be forgotten. I am so happy you like her too .. . and the tabbies of course! Thank you for your wonderful blog!

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