The Grosbeaks are Here and Other Observations From Fish Creek


This morning I was pleasantly interrupted from my morning lounging by Moh's excitement of large yellow birds at the bird feeder. I knew before I got up that the evening grosbeaks had arrived. I spotted 3 pair in all. Now I'm hoping the pine grosbeaks will appear.

I have a brisk hike through the woods surrounding our home that I try to walk regularly. It's interesting to take note of the new activity that happens-whether it be the freezing creek, new mushrooms, a fallen tree, or an old nest that blew out of a tree. Yesterday I discovered a bunch of wood chips around the base of a tree. When I got closer I noticed two large holes in the tree from what I am guessing is from a pileated woodpecker.









A little farther a long I noticed a hole at the base of a snag. I'm not sure what has made it's home down there. Surprisingly the dogs, Emma and Mister, weren't too interested.
Crossing the creek I was treated to a glorious view of the setting sun shining on the towering birches.

Birdfeeder Revisited

The Goldfinches are very dull-coloured this time of year

I have been putting extra emphasis on keping my birdfeeders filled this season. With all of the trees free of their leaves and the tall grasses and flowers dry and brown, it's refreshing to see life in the barren outdoors. Having the benefit of large south-facing passive solar windows, the birds almost seem as though they are part of the family. The newest arrivals to the feeder have been the goldfinches and housefinches (joining the purple finches). We have also have welcomed the entertaining, acrobatic nuthatches. The White-breasted and smaller red-breasted nuthatch are a delight to watch because they move down trees backwards. Sometimes they even hang upside down on the birdfeeder before the hop down to snatch a seed. The White-breasted Nuthatch Upside-down
The Red-breasted Nuthatch Grabbing Some Sunflower Seeds

The hairy woodpecker has still been a regular visitor, to the delight of my border collie who enjoys watching him from inside. I have been stuffing suet in the holes of the birch log that I use as a pole for my feeder.
The Hairy Woodpecker on the Birch Pole

A Tribute to the Black-Capped Chickadee

One of the things I enjoy about winter is watching the birds that frequent my feeder. My favorite, although not as exciting as a rare visitor such as a grosbeak, is the Black-capped chickadee. They are hardy troopers who spend the entire year in the northwoods. They visit my feeder on the coldest of days when other birds and animals remain silent in the woods. Personally I would like to see the chickadee as the state bird for Wisconsin, instead of the fair-weather Robin. Having the robin as the state bird would be like having a governor who spent half of the year in Florida.

Purple Finch Enjoying Some Sunflower Seeds

Since I just started keeping my birdfeeder filled I haven't spotted that many species yet this fall. So far, besides the chickadees, we've had the hairy woodpecker, purple finch (I'm curious if he will spend the winter), dark-eyed juncos (they will probably head south in a week or so), and blue jays. In the past I have had problems with bears and deer raiding the feeders, but none yet this season.