In the first place who would want this many birds in a cage? Think of all the soiled paper one would have to remove and other maintainance. With a window feeder one can enjoy the birds close at hand just as well. All one needs to do is keep a supply of food available. In this photo I have a multitude of Pine Siskins voratiously consuming rather expensive sunflower chips. By supplying sunflower chips I avoid the seed hulls that would otherwise accumulate beneath the feeder. The piece of wire fencing you see in the background keeps the wild turkeys off of the feeder. I refuse to supply sunflower chips to fill a turkey’s crop!

I looked out of the window this morning and was greeted by a view of fresh snow. This is the 15th of February and I was wishing that Spring would be peeking around the corner. Seven Pine Siskins have recently arrived and seem to be taking the weather in stride. The coat hangers in the photo tend to deter jays so that smaller birds can feed peacefully. The hangers also make handy perches for the smaller birds

My great-granddaughter, Natalie, celebrated her third birthday yesterday. After the cake and icecream had been served and eaten she retreated to her new toys. Jane, the dog, seemed interested in the game as well.

This little guy makes regular trips across the yard and up the hill to find pine cones. Sometimes it scampers back across the lawn, along the top of the board fence to its cache or fovorite dining place. This time it paused on a mound of snow by the woodshed to bite loose a couple of bracts from the pine cone searching for the hidden seeds within. This fellow is usually referred to as a “pine squirrel” or “chickory.” Like squirrels elsewhere they can be tamed by the lure of food to feed from your hand. However I have not practiced this for a long time.

After a light snowfall yesterday I ventured outside with the camera. One never knows what may get in front of the lens. We have five wild turkey toms that visit us nearly every day. They have found where I scatter seeds for the smaller birds. On this day just enough snow had fallen on the wet frozen ground to record the passing of various wildlife. The soft white snow gave way to the dark ground below giving contrast to the tracks of our passing toms.

We’ve had freezing weather for several months and snow is predicted this week. Even though Winter is only half gone I’m looking foreward to Spring. This photo of blue camas was taken in May of last year just a few miles north of Ola in Gem county. May is the ideal time to take a trip to Sagehen Reservoir to see birds and wildflowers. I have been on field trips to this area nearly every year for the last forty. I have never grown tired of Nature in full bloom.

No, I didn’t stop at a hippy joint!  I thought I’d post this abstract to show what can happen by accident. Inadvertantly I pressd the sutter button while sitting in my vehicle after dark. The car motor was running and the lights were on. The camera happened to be pointed at the dashboard. The camera settings were: 28 mm wide angle, shutter speed 2 sec., F-stop f/3.4, and ISO 800.  I don’t think I have enough camera savvy to ever duplicate this on purpose. An important reminder here: When using slow shutter speeds use a tripod or a bean bag, keep the camera steady.

Hilda does such a wonderful job as an artist. Here she used a slab of petrified bog as a canvas. This scene shows a mournful Black Bear cub looking longingly at its mother. The cub is about to strike out on its own after being weaned and abandoned by its mother. A weasel (ermine) in winter coat looks on.

I never paid much attention to this plant before except to identify it at our home in Boise, ID. It apparently came by way of the irrigation ditch or was transported by a bird. I have discovered a lot of these plants along Daggett Creek on our ranch.

Notice the unique notched leaves and the red berries. The flowers are lavender with a yellow center. Do not be tempted to eat the berries. They are deadly poison as are the leaves.

The lawn under the maple tree was a mess with leaves so I got the rake and rounded them up. Maple leaves are one of my favorites. Their cleft edges are a sight to behold. In the fall after the first freeze their colour turns to yellow, red and brown. I gave Nature a helping hand here and arranged this display.