[Tweeters] snow melted, birds melted away

[Dennis Paulson]

Hello tweets,

We had so many birds coming to our yard and all its feeders from 20-23 December, not so many yesterday while there was still some snow on the ground, and virtually none on snowless today in comparison. I could barely get any work done while watching and photographing the birds in the back yard from my office for those four days, and now it’s a forlorn day, with me looking out the window and wishing a bird would show up—any bird!

There are still a few Varied Thrushes around, nothing like the 18 that we counted at once on Friday, and most of the other birds that were coming to suet and bark butter constantly have just evaporated. I’m assuming they are out finding natural food (natural food is healthiest, right?). Also, I know they don’t have to eat as much when temperatures are higher, but this difference is much greater than that would explain.

Or are there Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks perched at either end of our roof, with a Merlin looking down from atop a tree?

Dennis Paulson
Maple Leaf, Seattle