The Daily Bucket is a place where we can post and exchange our observations about the natural happenings in our neighborhoods. Birds, bugs, blossoms and more - each notation is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the natural patterns that are unwinding around us.
The feeders went out on the deck a few weeks back; it took several days for the usual suspects to discover that food had returned. We added a heated birdbath this year, which is really used as a drinking fountain - unless you are a Wisconsin bird, in which case it's a bubbler. Anticipating snow and blizzard conditions on the 20th, the suet went out on the 19th. By the 24th we had a good crowd. House Sparrows (I'll put them first!), Northern Juncos, American Goldfinches, Purple Finches, American Tree Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Northern Cardinals had all appeared. Noon on that dark, cloudy Christmas Eve brought an unexpected visitor that scattered everyone else.
It landed on the deck railing just outside our kitchen. Perhaps it had done this on days before, but we had not seen any previous visits. When it turned its head away from us, I slowly inched my way to get the camera and then moved back to the kitchen. Ms. Janislav and I watched our visitor for more than 15 minutes until the noise of ice sliding off our roof caused it to fly off. The only worthwhile picture is this one taken as it flew off. Taxonomists may disagree, but I think it gets a lot of points on artistic impression.
We immediately went to our bird books and soon identified our visitor. We had not previously seen this bird in our backyard (E. Central Iowa), so we were pretty excited. That would have been all of the story, but it returned on Christmas day.
The Sun was out and our house was full of family. Christmas dinner was to be served at noon, and we were well on the way to meeting our deadline when everything stopped; our visitor had returned. It perched on the deck rail again, although in a spot best seen from the corner of the dining room. As 8 people moved slowly into position and peered out, it sat on the rail looking around. The usual bird crowd that had been there a few minutes earlier had again vanished. I slowly raised the blinds on a window only 4 feet from its perch to give the camera an unobstructed view. Our deck has a cedar pergola with cinder block pillars, which show up in this picture. After another 10 minutes, it again flew off. After eating, we exchanged gifts, chatted, and made a few sled runs down what was left of the previous week's snow. But the most memorable thing for me on that Christmas day will be our unexpected visitor; not bearing gifts, but bringing a gift by its presence that we shall not soon forget.
The other birds don't see the presence of this bird as a gift. Based on the bird book pictures, it seems to be a juvenile with an uncertain gender. Still, it's no doubt capable of making a meal of most of the birds that show at our feeders. In the days since Christmas, we have seen it nearby several times, although not on the deck rail. We seem to be on its circuit, at least for a while.
Having been a teacher, I like to finish with a begging question still hanging, so tell us what's happening in your neck of the woods on this lovely day....