March has turned into a murky month, however we would not think to complain considering the storms that rage elsewhere.
The first two months of 2026 were not entirely sunlit either, but with snow constantly on the ground, the house was always bright, which gave the illusion of fine days.
Until the fields and hills green up, it’s all a bit drab now under grey skies.
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It is hard to find photographs, but I did catch a teal and its mate in a newly thawed pond.
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Down in the bottom field we have acquired a pond of our own from snow melt and rain.
That overnight dusting of snow soon dispersed.
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A flock of red-wings and starlings were splashing in it when we got home one day.
The red-wings are particularly numerous just now. And noisy!
As I’ve said before, it’s a sound I welcome!
The price of birdseed has become prohibitive, so these days we offer mostly cracked corn, peanuts, sunflower seeds and suet.
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Another recent returnee appreciates it. This is a male house finch. Females are brown.
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They make a cute couple.
House finches are partial migrants, meaning they fly short distances to avoid extreme cold.
Recently Grant read that one can help birds by offering calcium…
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So now we collect our egg shells, dry them briefly in the air-fryer and grind them.
A small job that I can manage with the mortar and pestle.
Some birds like their suet crumbled, so I add the ground egg shells to that.
Soon, we’ll be watching for hummingbirds and hope we get more than last year.
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Grant calls this poor creature Aerial.
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Squirrels and their tails! Till I came here, I never realised how varied they are.
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How did this design come about?
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This one had exceptional ear tufts.
Squirrels can be quite entertaining…
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“Oh mate! Leave some for us!”
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“Did you say something?”
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“I thought I heard someone speak.”
Maybe they behave like rogues, but they are amusing and pretty.
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Just before dark on Friday, Grant noticed a pair of foxes out by the old wall.
Apart from the fox we saw recently on the way to Greenwich, we hadn’t seen one since winter set in. We were spoiled last year, discovering we had a fox den behind the garage and being able to watch 5 kits grow up.
Some weeks ago, a tree came down in a storm and when our neighbour up the hill cleared it, the entrance to the den got covered over. He is a farmer so we could hardly ask him to watch out for the foxes. I think they had abandoned that den anyway, since by the end of last summer we only saw them by the wall at the other end of the property.
Every year is different and we celebrate whoever shows up.
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Thank you so much, Carolyn, for the delightful photos and update on your visitors. I also welcome any creature that wants to dine in my garden or settle here. The sound of fledglings in spring overpowers the dreadful news on TV and lifts my spirit! My resident squirrels provide the entertainment indeed, and are very much appreciated. And the spring is already here!
Joanna
So glad you are living in the midst of so much!
It is always nice to see how the birds enjoy water. At our place, they like to sit on the grass in the spray of water coming from the sprinkler (which I’m sure is a welcome sight for them during the hot summer days). I have never seen a male house finch – what a beautiful little bird. And I did not know about the benefits of egg shells for birds – I will remember that (especially because we eat eggs for breakfast almost every day)!