Definite Signs of Winter...

[Tammie]

Hello Forum! :hi:
First, yesterday we woke up to an inch of snow on the ground and blowing snow conditions. Then today, we wake up and it's
-5°C with the first hard frost of the season. My dahlias and marigolds are finished but the icicle pansies are perking back up again! :)
Another sign of winter? About 100 juncos!! They've been showing up more and more everyday for the past couple of weeks. I look so forward to spring and fall because of this. I also have a few more white crowned sparrows and spotted a white throated sparrow yesterday! You should have seen them
eating in the snow yesterday... they all came out in full force. It was great. :t:
I got a couple of fuzzy shots of a pileated woodpecker this morning if anyone wants to check out the online photo album (thache)(also one in the gallery). THAT was a thrill! Definitely added some excitement to my day! :)
No sign of the grosbeaks yet. Even the evening grosbeaks have been gone for a couple of weeks now and I don't know why. :( Sure do miss them though. Maybe they'll be back soon with their cousins, the pine grosbeaks. I can only hope.
How's migration going for everyone else out there?

[Geraldine]

Hi Tammie,
Well, I've just taken the dog out and it was like a re-enactment of The Old Man and the Sea, with me playing the Spencer Tracy part, and the dog being the Marlin, or whatever the big fish was called. Not a bird to be seen anywhere. A few angry blackbirds cursing in the bushes, that's all. It's certainly changed dramatically in the last few days!

[pauco]

Hi Tammie.
Well the weather over in this part of the world today was like midsummer warm sunshine on the 1st Oct!! plenty of house
sparrows, starlings, greenfinches, chaffinches.
sounds like yours are getting ready for a hard winter, good luck.
bert

[Tammie]

Geraldine, maybe you should go to Bert's area! Sounds like he's got the best weather out of all of us! ;)

[steve_nova]

Oh thanks Tammie for reminding us of whats to come. Not so much snow nowadays, just short, damp days and loooong nights!;)

[Tammie]

Thanks Steve... but I think I'll keep the snow! If you use your immense immagination, I'm sure you could find SOMETHING to do on those loooonnnggg nights?! ;)

[Walther Loff]

Hi Tammie:
Well, we beat you on the first snow part here at the lake cottage on September 15th we wokeup with one inch of snow.. for some strange reasons the bird population went some where else.. The fun I had last year digiscoping has demished to very little.. On the highway we came accross a flock of more than 1000 black birds mixed with Crows getting ready to migrate and almost was forced of the road not to hit any of them.. than I came accross a spruce grouse, but a farmer in a hurry chased it away with his truck, all that is left here is magpie's, Blue Jays, Pine Grosbeaks, Chickadee's and some wood peckers... heavy overcast to get a nice picture.. I hope it get better next year....
regards
Walther...
oh not to forget we get occasionally a visit from a badger..

[Charles Harper]

Where you been Walther?

In this part of Japan, October always has the most beautiful weather. Warm sunny days with light breezes, cool nights. I took a stroll through the patch Sunday, and nothin' doin', just late summer waiting for its end. Leaf edges just starting to curl and brown, fat insects stuffing the last bit in before they either pupate or snuff it, birds quiet now that the youngsters have grown up and shut up, the summer visitors left, winterers not yet arrived. I saw 12 species in a two-hour walk. Yawn. But gorgeous walking weather!

[Tammie]

Hi Walther, nice to hear from you! :)
I figured you had the snow earlier than I did but that's okay, I'm not jealous!!
1000 blackbirds!! I would expect you to be hearing the music from Hitchcock's movie, for sure! :eek!:
I'm having a hard time getting nice pictures lately too... seems like every time I step out with the camera, it starts to snow again. Today looks nice and sunny though so I think I'll head out to the yard for fall cleanup.
One request of you though.... ppllleeeaaasssse send me your pine grosbeaks!! They are my favorite fall and winter bird and I can't wait to see them!

Be well.

[Walther Loff]

Hi CHarles: 127 Km West of Edmonton, Alberta. this is the norm in this part of the world, just a reminder what is to come later; today it is +18C, the leaves are gold in colour and yes it is pretty..however this year for some reason unknown to me the bird population went elsewhere.... Than my Nikon CP5000 USB port and Remote failed, warrantee replaced the remote, but I had to pay for the camera repair and felt naked (less camera) 4 weeks and now all works fine again.
Tammie: would it not be better to strap on your golden wings (the way you Ontarians feel about your self) and fly west and spent some time here with the grosbeaks :-).... I was not joking about the 1000 black and cow birds gathering on a country road and yes I saw that movie and Edith and I had that sudden creepy feeling of good old Hitchcock, but we managed...I hope this fall I will have more luck seeing and digiscoping birds that I can post.
Regards friends.
Walther.

[Tammie]

Walther, if all it took was to strap on wings, I'd be there in a heartbeat! ;) But, since life ain't that easy, I guess I'll have to wait for my pretty grosbeaks.
What I have here the most right now is juncos. And, I'm loving every minute of it because I know they won't be here much longer. I have easily a hundred of them in the yard every day. You constantly hear their chatter whenever you're outside.
Speaking of that, I'd better get out there and fill up the feeders!

[Andrew]

Charles, our leaves ain't even turnign brown yet! They were late turning last year too.

[seb_seb]

28 blue tits!!!!!!!! woweeee

[Tammie]

Seb, I'm moving to your place!!

[Lihu_Xiong]

^_^£¬In my city, It snows but snow never can be seen in the ground. Now the day is cool, the sky is grey. I have to put on my coat. But the trees are living well.

And some ducks have arrive the wetland near my city and they began to moult and winter there. Most of the migrating shorebirds has gone to Australia or New zealand. Only egrets and little shorebirds, such as common greenshank, common sandpiper, can be seen in the wetland.
Sparrows and black birds in the urban district all disapeared. Occasionally their songs can be heard. ^_^