Gold in the Trumpet Vine

Saw a flash of warm gold in the pecan tree next door while I was sitting at my computer. Some type of oriole, I think, female or juvenile. Grabbed the telephoto lens and took these photos of the antics from the comfort of my desk chair (an entirely different view than the bare fence I looked at all winter). Apparently there's good eatin' in trumpet vine flowers.

Red robins, red robins

For a couple of hours around lunchtime today, several flocks of birds flew into the neighborhood to feed. My cherry laurel had been mostly decorative until dozens of robins and a handful of pushy starlings made it into a whirling dervish of activity. And the possumhaw is pretty picked over this afternoon, with just a few berries left after everyone had their share. A group of cedar waxwings (second photo from the bottom) watched from a tree across the street but didn't venture into the fray. Really an amazing sight to see! Guess it's migration time already.

It might be winter

We've been in the 20's since Tuesday night, and now a snow day. A beautifully pristine inch of snow over everything. And a chance we'll get above freezing this afternoon! Tomorrow should get up to the 50's...so I can see what this weather has done to my garden.


The birds have been swarming the feeder the past couple of days. A cardinal tried to chase off a gang of sparrow toughs, but there were too many. Plus, my little feline lurker was not so camouflaged in the snow.