Friday, January 08, 2021

Empty Nests

Cold grey weather has set in since the start of the year. Walking around our neighborhood I see almost no birds at all. We sighted the sparrow in the picture below several miles away in a more open area. Even out there, we hardly saw any songbirds at all. Just a lot of Canada geese and a few ducks where empty fields and still-unfrozen ponds attracted them. Around here, we also see a lot of crows and English sparrows, and the occasional cardinal. 

DominosFarms-2
American Tree Sparrow

What I see in my neighborhood -- empty nests, waiting for their owners to come back in the spring.

Leaves would hide this little eye-level nest in breeding season.
I like the way it has filled up with snow.

A very chilled-looking squirrel was huddling near a nest.
Maybe a bird nest, maybe a squirrel nest.

I hope this wasp's nest is really vacant! It's right in front of my house.


Blog post © 2021 mae sander.



19 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

It's already Jan., spring is not far away :-)) I too hope that wasp nest is empty!!

Iris Flavia said...

Nice series. Our squirrels hop around here happily, also. Wonder how, these tiny guys, in the cold!

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

You see no birds there because they are all hanging out here. We are trying to show them great hospitality during their visit, but you can feel confident that they will return home in a few more weeks.

Divers and Sundry said...

I have trouble telling some of the sparrows apart. That's a pretty bird :) That's a huge wasp nest!

Lowcarb team member said...

I like the picture of the American tree sparrow.
I certainly do hope that wasps nest is empty!

All the best Jan

DVArtist said...

I live in Oregon and year round we have so many birds that birders from around the world come here to bird watch. We have many bird sanctuaries. I do like your photos. Great shots.

Tandy | Lavender and Lime (http://tandysinclair.com) said...

That nest full of snow must be quite sturdy.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Cute capture of the American Tree Sparrow. I do not see them often here. I believe the wasp make new nest every season. The poor squirrel does look like it is trying to stay warm. I am looking forward to Spring. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

American Tree Sparrow is one of the pure delights of winter. It looks delicate but it is a tough little character.

Himawan Sant said...

Too bad the squirrels flocked to each other because they were cold.
You are observant to see these moments.

Regards

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

It can be shocking to see where big nests are when the leaves come off the trees. They may come back to that nest too. The little Sparrow is very sweet!

Rain said...

Hi Mae :) I love the photos of the nests...except the wasp nest! There are a few in the trees around here too, but luckily they have been abandoned. We leave them up so that the new wasps won't make nests nearby. We actually found one behind the insulation in our basement last week, eek...I don't see too many birds around here, except near the feeder now!

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

That wasp's nest does look kind of ominous if it's not empty! I too have been walking and taking shots of local birds and wildlife, but I am in South Florida and our weather is beautiful and the birds and shrubbery are colorful and prolific. I did a post on my walk this week too.

Klara S said...

Interesting series of pictures.
All the best in 2021.

Tina said...

I'm still feeding our cardinals and chickadees. When I get up they are lining the fence and I grab a coat and go spread seed. They give me joy to watch them.
You have such great photos of your walkabouts.

Lea said...

Interesting photos! I really like the nest filled with snow

Bill said...

Beautiful series of photos. I love the little sparrow.

My name is Erika. said...

Interesting. I have SO many birds right now or some many species. But I do go through spells when I have hardly any and wonder where they disappear to.

2 gators said...

we get a kick out the squirrels here such acrobats love watching the birds as well