The female cardinal below almost looks like it's hiding another bird behind it. I think it's just the lighting and how fluffed up its feathers are.
The male cardinal below is perched in my deck wall vines just before the sun went down.
The next shot is of a sparrow who's getting a drink on my deck.
I almost didn't recognize the titmouse below because they have such distinctive crowns except when they're wet.
It always surprises me when I look at shots how different the birds look when they're feathers are flat or poofed out. The female cardinal below with flat feathers is a good example of that when compared with the first poofy shot.
The trees are starting to get signs of life with everything mixed up by the back and forth weather.
I am trying to enjoy the mild weather and forget about the ramifications of the confused seasons.
The first day of February is a lot more like the first day of April, weather wise.
As long as they don't start breeding too early, the mix of warm and cool days has probably made this an easier winter for the wildlife.
I know it's made a big difference in my heating bill which has been significantly lower this winter.
I was very surprised to spot those little flowers blooming a few days ago in the woods.
I should try to go on a walk today since it's mild and the sun is out.
I took the lake shots on Saturday which was also a pretty day.
I know the weather has been odd a lot of places this winter but I can't stop thinking about it.
I hope the plants and animals aren't totally confused by the weather in negative ways.
I think the three ducks below look like a happy little family.
So far the gulls are still at the lake and since they leave during the spring, at least they aren't confused enough to go.
I'm also not hearing the loud honking of the geese and ducks which they do during breeding season.
I think the trees and flowers and people are the main ones confused by the whacky winter.
Click for the home of nature notes.
The white camellia in my front yard has one bloom open already which has never happened this early.
All the other buds on the bush are thankfully still fairly small and closed.
Although my neighbor's red camellia was starting to bloom way ahead of schedule, I thought my white camellias would be safe until at least the end of February. After I shot this bloom it was freezing cold that night and the blossom froze and turned brown.
Click for the home of Today's Flowers.
My next door neighbor's cat Black Jack is very Dark and Fluffy.
The second shot is one I took of him on my deck before I started keeping my back fence shut so the cats wouldn't annoy the backyard birds.
The cat below is also dark and fluffy but I can't remember his or her name.
I sure do have a lot of dark and fluffy cats visiting me, particularly since my city has an ordinance against people letting their cats roam. Click for Sandy's Fluffy Photohunt and/or click here for Gattina's Dark Photohunt.
The down side of the way our weather is so mixed up this year, with lots of spring like days as well as winter ones, is that the flowers are totally confused.
The helleborus (lenten rose) above is always among the first to bloom in the early spring but not in the middle of winter.
The narcissus are also popping through the leaves.
Usually in the spring when the narcissus pop up I start moving the leaves away, but this year having them emerge in winter they need more not less protection. Hopefully we are having enough freezing cold weather scattered in between the premature spring like weather to keep the birds from mating too early.
I'm not hearing the calls that I associate more with mating season. I'm sure day length is a factor in birds mating which should prevent that happening too soon.
I am worried about the spring flowers. I have a feeling that early spring blossoms will be a loss this year.
We can have a hard freeze through mid to late April where I live, and often have March flowers that do alright with a mix of weather.
However, it seems like some of the spring flowers are getting ready to bloom MUCH too soon this year.
I would even prefer to have it stay cold for awhile before it warms up again but there's no telling what will happen.
I certainly do seem to talk about the weather a lot.
I used to think of talking about the weather as boring but in reality weather affects all of nature so much, including human beasts.
I apologize for how blurry some of the bird shots are but it has been so overcast and they have been rather animated. Click for the home of nature notes.
I thought I'd post some recent shots of my clivia miniata blooms now that the flower stalk has grown and more of the flowers are open.
This plant is native to southern Africa and is grown indoors where I live.
It can be planted outdoors in USDA zones 9 through 11. Since I live in USDA zone 7, it isn't recommended to be planted outside here. I've had this plant since 2006 and it has given me a lot of pleasure. It hasn't bloomed every year but having something green and healthy inside is fun even when it doesn't bloom.
Click for the home of Today's Flowers.
