Our Speckled Friends.......

I don't quite like them as they are big and pushy.  They put on quiet a show as the do a dueling starlings in the air.  I am really trying hard to get that photo to share. They are speckled and big and can eat up a cake of suet in a couple of days.  They can be driven off by a red bellied woodpecker but they don't seem to be around much these days. I have learned to tolerate the starlings as they act like crows.  I don't like that they eat me out of house and home.

I will share an extra photo today as it is Valentine's Day.  The warmer weather that we had for a couple of days did slow them down from the feeder.  As the wind blows and it is very cold again I will put out more sunflower seed.

Friday's Shot.......

I was concerned yesterday that the birds had left my feeding stations because I hadn't been feeding them. They did start to return by late morning.  In the afternoon as the sun was going down cardinals came to the feeders.  They tend to come when it is almost dark. I can see them out there but there isn't light to take a shot.  This photo though was taken at the borderline time when the light was just enough to shoot but if the camera was at the wrong angle it took blurry shots. She is working on a seed breaking it open with her beak.

Barefoot.......

The bucket boy isn't covered with snow anymore.  He is resting in some leftover leaves from the fall.  Chances are he will be very cold for the next 10 days.  Arctic air is moving in again to our state to remind us that winter is not over and not to get our hopes up for another month.

Evening View to the West.......

I hesitate to share this as my junky shed shows up but true life shots are reality.  The sun seems to look pretty good now that it is cooling off again.  Cold wind's today make it seem a lot colder than it is.

River Birch.........

My river birch does not live near a river but it does get a lot of moisture from the garden shed that sits nearby. Leaning things against trees can be decorative but it also can be a good place to put your junk.  The reflection of the light on the snow really does turn the photographs blue.

A second shot to help you appreciate this species of tree.  The electric pole in the background draws a sharp contrast to the rough shedding bark of the birch.

Checking the Sky........

The sky has the appearance of a snow storm in the sky. When I view it in a small form it looks like snow drifts.

You can see one could visualize snow drifts with the wind blowing as you look at the smaller shot. 

We have warm weather again today to help melt some of our snow.  It will take a lot of days before it will be all gone. 

Straight and Strong.........

I will never know the age of the chimney.  The house was lifted so a basement could be put under it back in the 30's.  I suspect the original chimney was removed as this chimney and stack goes all the way to the basement floor.  I don't think a chimney made in 1904 would look this good today.