Cop Car's Beat

Two eastern bluebirds - happy for a drink

 

The deer knock our socks off

 11 of 13 deer

 The other two

 12 of 13

At least four times, yesterday, our deer herd chose to visit us. Never mind that the most deer we had seen in the last several weeks were four that visited us every few days. Thirteen deer very nearly camped out in our yard for the day. For once, they showed up during daylight hours. They normally come at twilight, making for difficult photographing.

For contrast, the last previous photo of our back yard had been taken in late October - of our flock of turkey.

 One dozen turkey

The very last post concerning food gifts in 2010

When Hunky Husband sent an email to Dudette thanking her for the wonderful banana bread that she had brought us on New Year's Eve, it reminded me that I had failed to post photos of the hand-carried foods that made their way into our home for the holidays. Dudette & her Wichi Dude rarely come to our home without bringing bottles of wine or other such goodies, but I rarely remember to take photos for sharing.

The wine has been drunk - without benefit of photos. Take my word for it that it was all wonderful!

 Extra virgin olive oil

Dudette has, lately, kept me supplied with this scrumptious olive oil that comes from the olive orchard that her employers established a few years ago when they imported trees from the old world to grow in their California orchard.

Dudette & WD and Wonderful GrandDaughter & Chew make it a practice to assure that we have fancy nuts and candies to consume, and Dudette assures that we bring home crescent rolls when we dine at their home.

As to the monthly shipments of fruit that Dudette & WS, WGD & Chew, and Bogie & her Wonderful Spouse arranged to have shipped to us, we received the first installment in mid-week. On a morning that had dipped below zero (for the first time in several years), the postal carrier hand carried a box of five beautiful Royal Riviera Pears - the February shipment. The box contained an explanation that adverse weather had delayed the expected January shipment of Honeybells from Florida.

 Royal Riviera Pear

 

Birds 2011

I had seen in our local newspaper, the other day, that this last Sunday would be the annual "Christmas bird count" for our community. Thus, I spent much of Sunday, a cold but beautifully sunny day, at the kitchen bay window with eyes trained on our feeders, birdbath, trees, and general surrounds of our yard. Late Sunday, I sent in this report:

15           Canada Goose
110 (est) Mourning Dove                        
2             Red-bellied Woodpecker
3             Downy Woodpecker                 
2             Northern Flicker, Yellow-shafted

2             Blue Jay
2             American Crow
3             Black-capped Chickadee
2             Tufted Titmouse

1             Carolina Wren                          

190 (est) American Robin                       
140 (est) European Starling                      

5             Cedar Waxwing                       

1             Song Sparrow
7             Harris's Sparrow
9             Dark-eyed Junco, Slate-colored
5             Northern Cardinal
4             Common Grackle                     
5             House Finch

16            American Goldfinch
11            House Sparrow

Where were our white-breasted nuthatches, great blue herons, hairy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, eastern bluebirds....?

Yesterday (Monday) it snowed much of the day, and was cold, grey, and cloudy all day.

Today is cold (think we got up to 15 degrees - it was 8 degrees at Noon), clear & sunny. In the afternoon, I started bird-watching again - merely for enjoyment this time. Wouldn't you know it? The Eastern Bluebirds that didn't show up for "the count" showed up this afternoon (and a great blue heron flew by late this afternoon). Two male bluebirds came to the birdbath for a drink. Unfortunately, the photo that I took is blurry - either out-of-focus or I moved. However, I did get a few goodish (well, if "gooder" is a word, so is goodish!) photos. As usual, the photos were taken with maximum zoom-in and through one or another window. And...most are taken from above the birds. Oh, well!

 Mourning Dove
 Harris's sparrow (female)
 House finch (female)
 House finch (male) with yellow-shafted flicker in the background, on the birdbath
 Northern cardinal (male)
 Four mourning doves + one American goldfinch

 And, finally, a Carolina wren