Author: TWB

Snow Days, Again

A Cold Southern Vacation

The birds really are not happy this year.Usually, we average about 1 chance of snow each winter. This makes a second, measurable snowfall very unusual. The juncos, like the male above,  come only for the winter, spending their summers in Canada. In our part of middle Alabama, we get a number of birds that turn up only in winter. This year their southern vacations have been a bit frosty. We made certain the bird feeders were full and seed was scattered on the ground so at least they were not hungry.This snowfall was even more uncommon. The snow stuck to the roads (yes, there is a street in the picture); not a very good thing when the heaviest road-clearing equipment is usually a sand truck. We had several days of frigid weather with temperatures in the teens. It was cold for the birds, and for the people too. We had to take precautions such as leaving cabinet doors open to make sure our pipes did not freeze. If it is very cold, we may leave a faucet dripping.

 

Birds with Water Problems

Birds Don’t Like Hard Water

Our local birds will not be getting one of the things they wished for. They prefer their water to look like this. Unfortunately for them, this is what the forecast has in store for them over the next week. They expect us to fix it. The entails taking some hot water out to melt the ice, or at least loosen it enough to dump out. Then some more tepid water to make sure it isn’t too hot when they come rushing back. If this doesn’t happen soon enough, some of them (frequently cardinals) will start looking in the kitchen window.

Snow: December 11, 2017

Our local birds look a bit worried, or at least hungry

This is a problem that the birds that visit our birdfeeders do not usually have to worry about. Seeing snowflakes is rare enough in this part of the country. A couple of days ago we were treated with enough snow to leave a couple of inches on the ground, and quite a few upset birds. As it stands today, the last few sheltered patches of snow in the shade are losing their fight and are melting away.

Goldenrod, Falsely Accused

The real allergy culprit is ragweed

One of the things we look forward to as fall approaches is the goldenrod blooming. The bees and butterflies clearly appreciate the explosion of pretty little yellow blooms as well. There is one small plant that grows outside one of our windows. We cherish it and don’t treat it as a weed. The picture above is of a larger cluster of goldenrod in a bed in our backyard. Unfortunately, as showy as it is, it gets blamed for the crimes of some other plants.Goldenrod is related to asters and is appreciated as a garden plant in some other countries. Here it has the misfortune of blooming at the same time as ragweed, a plant with insignificant flowers that produce large quantities of wind-blown pollen. Goldenrod pollen is heavy and sticky, it depends on insects to be transported between blooms.

Goldenrod is only a weed if it is growing where you want something else to be.