The News from Kenabeek

We’ve had more snow and cold, almost all melted again – back to patchy snow in the shadier areas. The open fields are bare and brown. Not at their most attractive!

On the other hand, the birds are convinced it’s spring. I have no idea how many of them we get – I can only count as many as a can at a given moment at the feeders, but I don’t know how often they come back, and how many are first-timers. I know we have at least 6 or 8 chickadees, a pair each of red-breasted and white-breasted nuthatches, at least 8 purple finches (half female), two to four sparrows, and several pine siskins. There must be more, because last week they had almost emptied the feeder in less than a week, and our normal winter birds only go through about half of it in a week. (This feeder is, I guesstimate, about 10″ by 7″ x 4″ and holds a lot of sunflower seeds.)

The female purple finches are definitely the most aggressive at the feeder, but it seems to be temporary. Initially they spend more time chasing other birds, and each other, off the feeder than they do actual eating, but with time they seem to settle down and will share. Then there will be some more squabbling – I wonder if it’s because new birds arrive, and they have to get acquainted and slotted into the pecking order. I’m sure the “regulars” like the chickadees, who are here all year long, must raise their bird equivalent of eyebrows and snort “tourists!” from time to time.

My sunroom is almost full now – tomatoes and hollyhocks sprouting; four o’clocks, violas (aka Johnny-jump-ups), morning glories and scarlet runner beans all planted in their little pots, and my tender bulbs, canna and calla lilies, back in dirt to see if they survived the winter (I forgot they were there while the sunroom was closed up January-March so they were exposed to below-freezing weather without much protection.) One of the callas is sprouting so they may be tougher than I think! If all goes well, by the time I need to put the tomatoes into the big containers all the annuals will be in the dirt outside – right now all but one container is full of little pots of stuff.

And outside my window, the spruce and fir are already wearing a brighter green.