On a Frigid Day, 3 New Birds

The storm was as advertised--we got about 6 inches of snow overnight and the temperatures today never got out of the teens, with wind chills around zero. I have a friend who lives in the Berkshires and she is probably scoffing at this report but for those of us who live in more temperate climes, this is about as cold as it gets 'round here.

I did go out, briefly, tromping around the backyard to brush away the snow on the feeders and to dump more seed on the ground--and on the windowsill where our cat Peeve likes to sit on the other side and grind her teeth at juncos while pawing ineffectually at the glass. The junco remain oblivious.

It really didn't seem that cold, but then I was only out briefly. Certainly, I wasn't going to take a long walk in the woods. The birds, which have not been at the feeders very much this winter, were in abundance today. The snow not only covers the seeds on the ground, but also coats the seeds and berries on the plants in a coat of ice.

While doing this and that I kept an eye on the feeders and added 3 new birds for the year, nothing special. Our local rarity, Pine Warbler, made a couple of appearances. Actually, we have two: a bright male and a drabber, probably first year female. They  had to settle for the suet, since the peanut butter pine cone was snow-capped.

18 species
Canada Goose  X    Heard flyovers
Turkey Vulture  1
Mourning Dove  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  1    Heard
American Crow  1    Heard
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Pine Warbler  2    
Song Sparrow  2
White-throated Sparrow  4
Dark-eyed Junco  15
Northern Cardinal  3    
House Finch  1    Sunflower seed feeder
American Goldfinch  4
House Sparrow  2