Brrr! and Pregnant Totty

Totty, my very pregnant Icelandic Sheepdog, made an attempt to get under my north wooden deck to create a nest for delivering her puppies which are expected soon. Do I need to say I squelched that effort? I do not want to be digging out a dog den with puppies in serious Lake Huron wind chill and  minus degrees (Fahrenheit).

Just WOW!

I have signed onto a site that records bird sightings thanks to my friends in British Columbia who belong to Wodin - but not without a few SNAFUS caused by ignorance on my part. Adam is my volunteer mentor.

Wild Turkeys

There's a field between Sandusky and Port Sanilac that almost always has wild turkeys feeding.

I mis-identified redpolls as purple finches. I have both species at my feeders, a fact I did not know, but failed to identify them correctly. Redpolls here are more common than purple finches - a fact that was almost immediately brought to my attention last night. This morning as soon as it got light I took a closer look at my feeders before and after filling them. Adam told me that I had house finches there too. (I was completely unaware of that.) This is going to be fun, another amazing adventure. I have my bird books - plural - and I will try to be more conscientious.

Maybe Cardinals, Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Redpolls

Maybe this is a Purple Finch.

Christine started this adventure with her gift of The Bird Year by Mark Obmasick; Imelda and Steve suggested (goaded?) I sign up for "the winter bird count", whatever that is. Yoicks.

I have an acceptable (for me anyway) camera but I cannot get close-ups. I have two niger feeders, two sunflower oiler feeders, and two suet feeders so I do get lots of birds which I am beginning to be able to differentiate and identify.

My Aunt Kit and Kathy both have said that I 'need a project or a job' to do in order to make me happy. I guess they're right. I will start a bird list - because I've heard that is what one does.