GETTING COLDER

The weather is definitely getting colder. I saw a sparrow ice-skating across the bird bath this morning. I know the hummingbirds are enjoying their heated feeder. The male Anna’s is definitely enjoying it as he has decided it is his feeder. I see the other two hummers at the feeder a lot less frequently now. He chases them away almost every time. They do manage to get in there every now and then for a drink when he’s not around. Maybe as it gets colder he will be more inclined to share. I have decided to name the little rascal Rodney.

HELLO, MY NAME IS RODNEY AND I AM A VERY SELFISH MALE ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD

THE TWO OTHER HUMMERS (WHICH ARE EITHER JUVENILES OR FEMALES) ARE ALLOWED BRIEF VISITS TO THE FEEDER

The other birds, which are mostly sparrows and finches, are so happy that we put out some suet cakes for them. We were afraid they wouldn’t go to that feeder since these were suet cakes we bought and not ones we made ourselves. And in the past, the birds sometimes balked at getting inside the cage. Well, that is not the case this year. We must have much smarter birds now because they immediately started getting inside the cage so they could get to the cakes. There is usually anywhere from three to five birds inside of it, pecking away at the cakes.

BIRDS INSIDE SUET CAKE FEEDER

This feeder has a cage around it in order to keep out the bigger birds, like Starlings and Jays, who would gobble up a suet cake in no time. When we first moved here to Yakima, we put out a suet feeder and our yard was invaded by Starlings. They ate the cakes up lickety-split and left none for the smaller birds. They also chased away the other birds, which we did not like at all. So we got this feeder and we have not had any problems since then.

The bird bath has been frozen most mornings when we get up, but it does thaw out pretty quickly when the temperature rises above freezing. The birds sure do enjoy having fresh water available to them. Linda and I need to work on finding a heated bird bath for them. If anyone has any suggestions of one you have personal experience with, please let me know in the comments.

CALIFORNIA SCRUB JAY AT THE BIRD BATH. HE WAS LOOKING RIGHT AT ME!

JAY ENJOYING A DRINK

ANOTHER YEAR

Linda and I celebrated our 23rd Anniversary yesterday. Suffice it to say that I cannot believe it has been that long, it seems like only yesterday when she moved out to North Carolina to be with me. We have had a lot of adventures along the way and I have done some things that I never dreamed I would ever do (like move to the Pacific Northwest), but here we are 23 years later, still happy as can be. Here’s to at least another 23 years!

iMOVIE UPDATE

Yet another blog with no video. Apple has not released an update, so my problem remains unsolved. I have a phone appointment with a lady at Apple this afternoon, and I am hoping that we can come up with something. I am just about ready to go to the last resort and restore the program back to my last back-up…which, unfortunately, was in February. That means I would lose all video in my library from February 21st to October 19th, when the program stopped opening. Most of the video has been posted to YouTube, so I would still have it on that platform. I don’t know, I am on the fence about what to do. But, in the scheme of things, I guess this is a first-world problem.

PARTING SHOT

Summer Girl has once again agreed to give up her Parting Shot. She is being unusually cooperative about it, makes me wonder what she wants in return. At any rate, I wanted to give you all an update on how things are going back at my sister’s house after the loss of their little chihuahua, Mimi. It has been a hard adjustment to not having her around, by both Manners and Susan, as well as the kitties in the house. They can tell that something is different. Susan got Mimi’s little bed and put it in the room where some of the cats like to sleep. It was immediately occupied by Piper, pictured below. Some of their cats have been extra-loving during this time. It’s as if they know that their mommies are sad and need extra comforting. Animals can read the emotions of humans very well, and I think cats are especially adept at this. One a happy note, I am pleased to report that little Indigo, the kitty that broke his leg, is doing just fine and is healing nicely.

SWEET PIPER IN HER NEW BED

INDIGO (INDY) CHILLAXIN’

Join me every Wednesday (barring any unforeseen circumstances) for more from the Southerner in the Northwest.