After many days of clear weather, Saturday brought snow.
A flock of starlings came to perch in the bushes, staring at us as we breakfasted.
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Some dropped onto the snow to dig frantically for seed buried beneath.
Most inconsiderate of me to have breakfast before going out to uncover theirs.
I felt black looks directed my way.
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Mrs Cardinal meanwhile sat patiently watching, hoping the ruffians would fly off and leave her to find a meal in peace.
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From the patio came other complaints.
Grant had anchored a couple of boxes beneath the patio table to protect the nuts but squirrels are not good at sharing, so there was a lot of scrabbling and outraged chattering.
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The fresh snow was soon decorated.
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There were many wing marks.
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And also a tail-mark.
An art form all its own. Nature has so very many.
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This one is a mystery.
Seeing all these marks in the snow makes you realise how much goes on around you that you are not aware of.
And how much you miss by not staying glued to a window!
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Now, Carolyn, this isn’t like you to have breakfast before others! I love the squirrels having a proper meal, while the birds waited. The sign of mysterious happenings left in the snow would fascinate me too!
Joanna
I remember walking in deep snow with Ollie, and being amazed by the variety of animal tracks and bird feet prints on the snow over on the nature reserve. Lots of pawprints of the different dogs too. The deepest tracks were caused by the larger types of deer, who literally ‘ploughed’ through the drifts.
Lovely photos as always, Carolyn.
Best wishes, Pete.
I reckon they’ve been watching the Winter Olympics and are trying out all the disciplines!
The patterns in the snow are almost as beautiful as the clouds in the sky. I wonder, if you were to sit by the window for a whole day (of course with your camera and something to eat and drink at hand), what you would see coming and going in your yard? You would probably be able to write a month’s worth of posts from just one day’s observations!
Lovely photos!