A Blue Day and an Orange Night

And here's Fluffy once again chewing that bird seed. Good thing, birds are still few and far between at the feeders. Somebody has to do it. And Fluffy is the marsupial for the job.


I realized that I was secretly hoping that Fluffy was a female or in correct parlance, a Jill. Yes folks, females are Jills and males are Jacks. (Sounds rather like an Australian named them doesn't it?) At any rate, the reason I was secretly hoping Fluffy was a girl is that I'd really like to see baby possums hanging off her tail from this distance. And just what would be your guess as to the correct name for baby possums? It's the same name that is given to baby kangaroos. They're Joey's.

Told you it had an Aussie ring to it. They must have gotten to name all the marsupials.

And while looking for the correct specific name for possums, I came across a rather astounding fact. Desert Rabbits can copulate up to 120 times an hour. Random yes, but how could I pass that up?


I went outside to get my car last night after visiting my mom and what should I see. Orange snow.

It's those strange lights they insist on putting in parking lots. And let me tell you it was Snowing with a capital S. Some flakes were more than an inch across.

Therefore today was blue. Much better than tornadoes though.

When I got up there wasn't a bird in sight but there were nine squirrels doing the day shift for Fluffy. And there are going to be more squirrels without a doubt. Squirrel copulation was the order of the day.

No lichen in sight either. It's now for the most part covered in snow.

Finally I spied a bird. Yes, it's a Crow. And even he didn't stay long. All tolled there was one House Finch who ate stealthily from the back of the feeder, and a pair of Juncos that stayed for about 20 seconds before fleeing to the evergreens.

I wasn't sure if previously the Juncos had moved quarters because of the Cooper's Hawk or because the snow had melted making the Spruce not nearly as cozy or as good a hiding place as it had been before. But at least two of them are back.

And though I looked, and I looked, and I looked,

I couldn't find the raptor that was keeping the smaller birds under cover. Though the evidence of large numbers of cavorting squirrels does point to today's taloned one not being a Red-tail. Indeed, it's looking like the Cooper's Hawk is still haunting the area.

Another report came in of a Rough-legged Hawk not far from town. John Blakeman had told me there was an influx of them in Ohio, and I should keep an eye peeled. I have, but no luck for me so far. Though I heard from the local Bird Lady that she'd seen a real beauty a few days ago.

The good thing about birding? There is always hope because you just never know what tomorrow may bring.

So keep your eyes open.

Donegal Browne