Mid-Winter Silence

Very quiet around the pond these days. Winter doldrums, we used to call them during our erstwhile sailing days. The clear cold winter skies sometimes yield a beautiful sunset. Its bright colors complement the muted neutrals of winter.

Most of the action occurs in and around the hanging bird feeder. Cardinals, goldfinches, woodpeckers, chickadees, and tufted titmice are the major customers. They need suet at this time of year for insulation. Some of the smaller birds climb right into the seed cage. I guess they never learned not to play with their food.

Of course, there’s always the prospect of a nocturnal blitz by a male bear. One who has eschewed the warmth of a winter burrow. Some are poor sleepers, I guess. We’ve wakened on more than one occasion to find our bird feeder strewn across the lawn and up the driveway. Smokey is not well acquainted with the social graces. Not even a thank you note.

Two turkey hens pecked their way into the yard today. Looking for some of Mother Nature’s cold leftovers, I assume. Finding little, they pecked their way out.

A few squirrels have been racing erratically around as though they had been quaffing jet fuel. Lacking GPS, they have apparently lost the acorns they stashed underground late last summer. Hard to believe. There was a glut on acorns at that time. They now appear to be very scarce. And, if squirrel behavior is an indication, very valuable. Hmm. Not sure what the exchange rate is for acorns these days, but maybe I should consider trading in some of my 401K assets for acorns. Maybe not.