Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Berries for Birds

Berries for Birds
Beaver Creek Road
12 November 2013

     Yesterday we had our first real snow of the season, and while the accumulation was only a centimetre or two, it was sufficient to carpet the landscape white. When I went out this morning the temperature was minus 2°C, cold enough to prevent widespread melting.
    The little wetland on Beaver Creek Road, which has been so productive from early spring onwards, was mostly iced over and other than for two Mallards Anas platyrynchos, devoid of birds.
     These berries glistened in the sun and looked quite beautiful with their jaunty hat of snow. I have little doubt that before long Cedar Waxwings Bombycilla cedrorum and the few American Robins Turdus migratorius that still remain will make short work of them. Actually the berry crop all around is plentiful, so winter finches and other berry eaters should have easy pickings during the cold months ahead.






David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

7 comments:

  1. Very nice berries with their snow caps!
    Thanks for sharing.

    ***
    Happy day.

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  2. What a marvellous find! I see a market for Christmas card illustrators & the like! Glad you can enjoy some birding memories of Australia via blogs David!

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  3. how pretty the berries and glad they will offer some energy to certain birds

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  4. Nothing like these wild berries to attract them!
    I guess you will sow us next who they attract! LOL!
    Cheers, keep well David!

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  5. Those berries do look very inviting, David. I hope you get your Cedar Waxwings soon. Last winter was one of the best ever in UK for Bohemian Waxwings. There were many thousands all over the country by this time last year. This year there's only been very small numbers - probably less than 100 for the whole of UK and thy're mainly in the north of Scotland

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  6. Actually Richard, Cedar Waxwing is a common species resident here all year......now Bohemian Waxwings are a different matter entirely!

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  7. Blimey David, have you already snow!!!
    I see it on the berries, feed the birds.

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