Ice Storm Art: A Winter Garden Tour Revisited

 

If you think it's chilly outside this weekend, let me remind you of the weather we experienced during the third week of January last year. I'm republishing this blog post from Jan. 20, 2012 because so many of my readers enjoyed the photos of plants encased in ice. All day today, people had to listen to me whine about being cold. Then I remembered this.

 

 

Original post:

 



Here on Good Life Northwest, I've shown photos of my Tacoma garden in every season, but never any like these. To anyone watching me yesterday, I must have looked crazy, hunched down next to my plants to take photos while trying to protect my camera from frozen rain.

 

I can still hear the crunch of my boots through the crust of ice over what had started as 8-9" of snow but had condensed into a treacherous mess. That sound is preferable to the sound of breaking branches. We lost three huge tree limbs and can't tell yet what damage might be done to our shrubs. But at least we didn't lose power, like so many others, an estimated 230,000 across the state, according to Puget Sound Energy.

I hope you aren't one of them. I want to be able share with you these images of the beauty that can be found on even the most miserable day, if you take the time and have the inclination to notice. So pour another cup of coffee, feel gratitude for the roof over your head and all the other things we too often take for granted, and enjoy the show.

Don't worry. The feeder was thawed and refilled immediately after taking this photo.

All photos and text copyrighted 2012 Candace J. Brown

 

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LAST DAY of the Great Backyard Bird Count is Feb. 20 BONUS: Snowy Owl Video

The goldfinches, flickers, thrushes, robins, downy woodpeckers, chickadees and other birds in my back yard were not the only things that flew by this past week. So did the days. That's my excuse for just now letting you know this news: the 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count, ends today.

Fortunately, there is still time to participate. As the GBBC website says, "It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!" Please read on.

Downy Woodpecker                                                 photo credit: Jerry Acton of New York  2012

This annual event always takes place over a period of four days (Feb. 17-20 this year) but you can spend as little as 15 minutes today to still be included in this fun and important project. As the website says, by counting the birds in your own backyard you can help the cause of creating a "real-time snapshot" of bird populations across America. You have until March 5 to report your observations. It's really quite exciting and easy. Click here to learn how to participate (and here for downloadable instructions.)

Just by spending that 15 minutes and submitting your findings, you will be eligible to win a wonderful PRIZE in a random drawing. And be sure to have your camera  handy. Enter your photos in the Great Backyard Bird Count Photo Contest. Click here for the rules. The photo you see below won't win any prizes because I took it through a window and it isn't very sharp. But it gives you some idea of what we enjoy every day. Before putting up a finch feeder, I didn't know that in winter, goldfinches don't look as gold  as they do at other times.

Goldfinches at Tacoma backyard feeder in fall of 2011  Photo taken through window glass. 

All over America people look forward to this event and you can follow it online. You can see the results coming in through this link to the Map Room, Top 10 List, State Tallies, and Detailed Reports. Kids love it too, and this is the perfect activity on this Monday holiday. The special page for kids includes activities, jigsaw puzzles to do right on the computer, downloadable bird pictures to color, and more.

This winter's biggest birding news across the nation, including here in the Pacific Northwest, is the unusual occurance of Snowy Owl sightings. The opportunities to see them will probably end in March when these magnificent creatures are expected to leave the area. Although I've been lucky enough to see many interesting birds in my own Tacoma backyard, I doubt if a snowy owl will be among them. For that reason, I enjoyed this video about snowies from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and hope you will too. This high definition video is best enjoyed in the full-screen view which can be accessed by clicking on the symbol of arrows in the lower right corner.




Enjoy your Monday and remember to donate a little of it toward the Great Backyard Bird Count.
You might be surprised by what you discover.

Snowy Day Diversion: Amazing High Definition Videos of Hummingbirds

Here in my little home office in Tacoma, Washington, I'm trying to get some writing done, but the view out the window makes me feel as excited as a six-year-old. SNOW! One moment it's falling straight and the next it's like a blizzard, blowing horizontally. And it couldn't contrast more with what I'm about to share with you.

I am reminded of the day in January 2009, now three years ago, when I wrote a blog post called Hummingbirds at Home Through a Northwest Winter. I won't repeat it here, but I do have a delightful surprise to offer on this most wintry day.

 I just discovered a whole channel of high definition videos of hummingbirds. You can reach it through this link. (If the screen appears black, just scroll down.)

Close your eyes for a moment as you click on this example. If you, too, are living where it is snowing today, you are about to experience summer again.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eating From My Hand (Part One) from Russ Thompson on Vimeo.

And here is another video about Rufus hummingbirds from the Northwest ending up in Ohio during the winter. If your feeders are still out, like mine, please remember to keep them thawed. You can read some great suggestions in the comments on my original blog post, here. Many thanks to all the readers who shared their ideas on feeding hummingbirds during these cold months.

Keep cozy, and thanks for visiting Good Life Northwest.


Winter Hummingbird from Wildlife Matters on Vimeo.