Did you know there is a Scandinavian custom that feeding the birds on New Year’s Day will bring you luck the rest of the year?
Another nature lover sent me this video some time ago – it is about an hour long and there is no need to watch the entire video; just watch for a few minutes, or listen to it while you read this post, then tell me whether it brought you a little joy and peacefulness. Please click here.
When walking at Council Point Park, it is not just the squirrels who come a’callin’ and begging for peanuts and sunflower seeds. The Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees and sometimes the Downy Woodpeckers and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers likewise arrive to feast under the Safe Haven Tree, or on the path near the fallen log (where I fed them until brush and weeds overtook that area).
I love walking down the perimeter path as I hear the screech of a Blue Jay alerting its brethren that The Peanut Lady is on the premises. Sometimes the Jays or Cardinals follow me from tree to tree and, emboldened by these treats, quickly swoop down to snatch a peanut from the path. Maybe a Chickadee will alight on a nearby branch, waiting for me to move along so it can grab a sunflower seed (and no, I don’t take that personally).
The peaceful ambiance of the Park is sometimes interrupted by a cacophony of sounds emanating from the trees to the Creek. There is nothing like hearing the first call of a Red-Winged Blackbird come Spring, or the sweet song of a Goldfinch in the Summer. There are always Mallards at play with their loud quacking which sounds like raucous laughter and sometimes the honking of the geese as they come in for a landing can be deafening, but I always look up to watch them (and not just to know whether I need to cover my head and/or duck).
Taking a tally of the birds.
Besides participating in two “Bird Count” events in 2021, it’s time to revisit the perpetual “Birdie Bucket List” to see how I fared in 2021.
Well yay me! But, I am embarrassed to say I put out two hummingbird feeders daily for months in search of “Hope” the female hummer who visited in 2020. She showed up once, attracted by the red handle of the pole cutter I had leaned against a fence, so I hurried and put out her feeders. Then, after I finally put the feeders away in early Fall, she happened by. I insinuated she was a “slacker” thus I’d see her in the Spring of 2022.
I saw two Red-tailed Hawks on two occasions which made my day and I got some sweet photos of Mallard ducklings, including a close-up during the rescue of the ducklings from the sewer in July.
I look forward to many more walks and hopefully capturing images of new feathered friends as well.
But wait … don’t go yet! Keep on scrolling.
Every moment of the year has its own beauty. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’ve compiled a slideshow of my favorite 2021 shots, all which appeared in my blog. These are critters that I spent a lot of time oohing and aahing over, a group that runs the gamut from birdies to bunnies to Bambi – they were memorable moments, but I think you all know I was over the moon about Bambi. My walks in nature have been the balm that soothes my soul in this broken world we live in today.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
What a great post. You captured some great photos on your walks. It is amazing what large objects Blue Jays can pick up and fly away with. Love that Ma;;ard Duck.
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Thank you Peggy. Funny thing about this post. I intended it to be a Christmas post as I had two doves looking down at me from a tree and several geese laying on the ground eating grass. I decided to call it “The Twelve Days of Christmas” but I realized I had some ducks and swans, but not the other items, so I scrapped the idea and I did my annual “Birdie Bucket List” which I started doing a few years ago. I was pleased to find so many critters this year on my walks. The Blue Jays are amazing and I’ve seen them steal two peanuts at a time if they have the time to adjust them in their beak. That Mallard Duck just made me laugh when he pivoted and as much as said “no treats for me, I’m outta here!!”
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Yes it takes a lot of different things to make the twelve days of Christmas. I found Mallard Ducks are out of here a lot. I haven’t found a friendly one yet.
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It was an idea that was best left in my head. The all-white Pekin ducks are very friendly, but I only see them at one park. There are maybe a dozen of them there and people bring treats for them and they’ll eat out of your hand.
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Wow. That would be fun to feed the Pekin Ducks.
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I was at Elizabeth Park last year and a young girl and her father were feeding one M&M cookies. It was gobbling them right from her hand. They are really tame Peggy. In December 2020 I was at Council Point Park and walking on the path and all of a sudden two big beige-colored ducks were leading a passel of Mallards and came right up to me … I know they were begging for food, but never saw Mallards do that. I wish I had my camera handy, but had left it behind as it was expected to snow. I’d loved to have a pic of them begging – they came up to my knees! The next day, there was a man and a young girl feeding the ducks bread. Those big ducks were there and I took a photo. I sent that photo to a duck rescue organization to ask about them and Matt (who runs the waterfowl sanctuary) said they were actually begging – he said they were domestic ducks called “Khaki Campbells” and very tame and someone had dumped them and that it happens all the time, especially Pekins (the ducklings people buy for kids for Easter). He asked me to call him and he’d come rescue them or send someone (he lives far from me). Sadly, I never saw them again and I worried about them all Winter. This is the duck rescue organization I contacted about the duckling who was left behind from the sewer duckling rescue in July and Matt sent someone to pick it up.
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Very interesting. People dump so many little creatures – expecting them to fend for themselves. We were feeding some white ducks at the lake that were eating out of our hand. I have no idea what type of duck they were, but I was sure they were wild.
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They were likely Pekin Ducks Peggy. They are so friendly. I follow the Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary on Facebook. Yesterday Matt and his wife drove over 100 miles each way to rescue a Pekin Duck that someone saw paddling around, then the pond iced up. The people tried to entice it to come to the shoreline to eat, but it stayed out on the ice, shivering and scared. So Matt has some gear to get out on the ice to do waterfowl rescues, so they got it and that duck now is at their sanctuary. I met a woman a couple of years ago and she told me a story how she found a few Pekin ducklings dumped off at Elizabeth Park and she put corn on the boardwalk and got them to follow her to where she knew the Pekin ducks stay and got the adults to “adopt” the Pekin ducklings. She walks there every day and feeds the ducks corn, the squirrels and birds peanuts so she monitored the Pekin ducklings’ progress. It is bad enough to dump creatures without doing it in the Winter.
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Dedicated people. We fed a duck for months on a pond next to our property. One day an Eagle swooped down and killed it. Made ne sad, Fed parent geese with their offspring for months until the whole family flew away. Was enjoyable watching their babies grow.
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Yes, they have a huge pond and barn on their property and have dedicated their lives to rescuing waterfowl, mostly ducks. It is amazing how many rescues they make, some abandoned ducklings, many injured birds, some out in the elements. I would hate to see an eagle kill a duck, especially one that you had nurtured. We have Cooper’s Hawks and Red-Tailed Hawks, not only at the Park but in the neighborhood. For two years I fed five squirrels (two gray, two black and one Fox) and a pair of Blue Jays and a pair of Cardinals. Every morning I put peanuts on the porch. I got a kick out of them and then when my neighbor was off work due to COVID, he saw a hawk in the tree across the street staring at my house. He didn’t tell me right away, but one by one the squirrels disappeared and I happened to ask if he’d seen the two grays in particular as they were very friendly. I was sick about it. At the Park we usually have three or four sets of goslings every year and it is remarkable to watch them grow up, from little fuzzballs to mini-geese with attitudes! Then the parents begin to lose their flight feathers, so the families disappear for a couple of months and they come back full grown.
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We have red tailed hawks here too. A lot of our fox squirrels get run over on the highway in front of our house. We feed them several types of nuts.
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We never had the hawks until the last few years, but we had Peregrine Falcons for about 10 years. And that was something new for us as well. We have a street that has trees lining the street on both sides. It’s an old neighborhood with huge trees, so lots of squirrels. Same thing … when you drive down the street, they scurry across … sometimes hesitate in the middle of the road, sometimes run back … the odds are bad on this street for them crossing the street.
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Wishing you a happy new year!
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Thank you Ruth and same to you!
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I enjoyed your slideshow very much!
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Thank you Anne … I decided to pick my favorite shots and I thought it might be way too long if it displayed one right after the other (although Reader displayed it that way for some reason). I hope to be as lucky this year.
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You had a great year for wildlife Linda! Now all you need to get this year is a Baldie!
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Thank you Wayne – the highlight was my Bambi sighting. I went home feeling on top of the world that day! I will try again in February and March at Dingell Park for Baldie pics. During the Winter this is a hangout for Baldies, Canvasback Ducks which I’ve seen (but not close up) and Mergansers (which I’ve never seen, but have seen photos on the Dingell Park Facebook site). Wish me luck for this year for Baldies. Yesterday there were five Mute Swans going overhead at Council Point Park. I didn’t take my camera as it was very gray and gloomy and it had recently rained. The humming noise made me look up in the air. They went by pretty quickly though.
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I just know this year will be the year of the Baldie for you Linda!
Good luck!
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Thank you Wayne. I hope I am successful, even if it is a young ‘un.
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Oh you will be visited to be sure! I’ve sent word down the eagle grapevine. It’s in the mail.
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Thank you Wayne – I hope not to disappoint you then!
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I doubt you will.
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Your slideshow is the best of the best photos! I’m partial to the frog (miss mine!) but they are all wonderful.
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Thank you Kate! I had fun going through the entire year of photos to pick my favorites … this year I’ll collect my favorites as I go along and make it a yearly post. That was the closest I’ve ever been to a bullfrog though I hear them all the time at Council Point Park.
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Happy New Year Linda! May the birds be with you this year 🙂
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Thank you Jeanine – I hope it means lots of good luck in 2022. They say if a bird poops on your head, you’ll have good luck … I think I’d rather feed them to guarantee good luck. 🙂
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Happy New Year! You certainly did get some great shots of birds this year. Maybe your next project should be to get them to eat out of your hand. Once when we were in Canada in a national park, a man asked me if I would like to feed birds out of my hand. He had trained them. He said it takes a lot of patience and the trick is to not look at the birds while they are deciding whether to alight on your outstretched hand. I fed chickadees and nuthatches. With your abilities with animals of all kinds, I bet you could do it!
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Back at you Laurie! We have a park in the northern suburbs (not near me though) and I understand there is an area where you can do that. I have followed Jocelyn Anderson on Twitter and she goes there daily and feeds the birds, even Red-Bellied Woodpeckers (which must really weigh down her hand/arm). Jocelyn takes videos with her iPhone. I would love to be able to get these birds to trust me and do that. A friend of mine tells me that when she loads sunflower seeds in her feeder, the Chickadees alight on her shoulder, so she’ll cup her hands full of seeds and they perch on her hands to eat. She feeds them the same time every day, so they look for her.
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What a wonderful collection of birds and other animals that you saw this year! I agree with you that being out in nature is calming and helps to change your focus. We watched a movie the other night that I think you would enjoy if you haven’t already seen it. It’s called “The Big Year” with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. It’s a comedy about birdwatching.
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Thank you Rebecca – I had a wonderful year with my lucky finds and the Bambi was my best day of all. I am thankful for the opportunity to take nature walks, whether they are at my local Council Point Park or in bigger parks. All are calming. I will look for that movie Rebecca – I don’t have TV but I will see if can stream it from somewhere. Thank you for the suggestion.
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Miss Linda…………………………that opening picture of the Bluebird with it’s mouth full ………….is delightful…………………………..This morning while waiting for a friend to get in the car in Wyandotte I took a close up picture of a big hawk sitting on top of a small tree…………………..when I rolled up my window he flew away………………………………he was waiting for his breakfast…………………the owner feeds the squirrels…………………………………we do have a lot of Robins by our apartment parking lot………………feeding on the small ornamental apple trees………………………..
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That Bluebird was cramming peanuts into his mouth wasn’t he? They are sneaky Ann Marie – they swoop down right in front of the squirrels … very brave, but not before screeching to their friends that there are peanuts there for the taking. Oh, I hate to hear about the big hawk waiting to swoop down and get a squirrel. I haven’t seen any hawks at Council Point Park in a while and hoped they had gone somewhere else to hunt. I don’t think the Robins go away anymore for Winter – they are hardier than we thought. I saw a worm wiggling across the asphalt path today because it was so warm – poor thing will get doused with sleet or snow tonight and not live to tell about it. Happy New Year!
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Does that include chickens? When we feed them outside all of the other birds join in the feast. 🙂 I loved you slide show. What great photos!!! Happy New Year Linda. Have you set a goal for 2022 yet?
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I have to put chickens on my Birdie Bucket List going forward Ruth because I never thought to put a Wild Turkey on my list before, though I’d read about the group of them about five miles from where I live – they walk across a busy intersection and hold up traffic, but I never saw them at all and go that way all the time. I have set a goal of one mile more to walk which will be 1,257 miles for 2022. I went five miles this morning, so I’m off to a good start – until the big snowfall arrives tonight and will stop me in my tracks for a few days.
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Our “big” snowfall was only about two inches – maybe three. Did you get a lot?
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Same here Ruth – just over two inches. I go by what Wyandotte’s totals are as the National Weather Service gives it for there and they are the next city over. Weatherman said the snow storm was an “underachiever” – we did get a lot of ice in that wintry mix though.
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Thankfully we didn’t get any of that ice – just snow.
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We got the reverse but there’s more snow coming end of the week so we might catch up with you. Still very slippery even though I shoveled. Not a Winter fan (despite being a Canadian). 🙂
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Well I fed the sparrows today so I hope I have good luck the rest of the year! I filled the bird feeder yesterday and it was still full this morning but this afternoon it was empty so I don’t know if the wind emptied it or the sparrows? I don’t know which of your photos I like best – so many stunning shots. Bambi of course, but I love that one with the duck and the squirrel – looks like their best buddies!
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One of the houses I pass by has a wooden feeder on a stand and a Fox Squirrel is always laying across the top trying to get at the seeds. Same thing every morning. If I can get a picture one day it will be a Wordless Wednesday post “What kind of bird is this?” Glad you liked the photos Joni – when I decided to do this post, I went through the entire year of photos to look for and pick my favorites, though I knew the Bambi and bunnies and those funny Mallard Duck shots had to be included. I think I will make that a yearly feature so I hope I am as lucky this year.
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I don’t know if a squirrel could reach the birdfeeder, and I had the slots set so that they would have to peck at the holes to get the seeds out, so I’m really baffled? Snowing now. I guess we won’t be watching the Mad Men DVD because the DVD player doesn’t work. When the Cogeco guy switched out the box a month ago, he must have done something to the DVD connection at the back, but I can’t figure out why the DVD player won’t even light up/turn on, from the tangle of wires back there. So frustrating, but I’m not going to experiment with it on a holiday weekend. Not much on tonight – same old junk!
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I had to catch up here and still want to respond to you. I have not been to Reader yet. I’m not doing a post for Monday since I did one for today. I’m thinking the wind must have been the culprit then. So now you have to try and fix the DVD part or call the Cogeco guy in again? That is very frustrating. I remember years ago when we had the wall-to-wall carpeting put in, it was September when all the new shows rolled out and I specifically said to the guys “when you move the TV/VCR back you’ll rehook everything back up right? (The TV is on a piece of furniture, a cabinet which we emptied to put the VCR and some tapes inside it … it was not designed to be used for TV stand). “Sure” he said – I didn’t test it and there I was trying to program something as more than one show was on and so I had to move everything and put it back together.
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I don’t think the Cogeco guy would come back for that, he would just say it’s my DVD and my problem. So I may try and ask mom’s neighbour when I see him if he can take a look at it. We haven’t used the DVD in a long time, so it’s possible it’s toast, but still I find the timing odd. The DVD light doesn’t turn on, but when I hit DVD selection on the TV remote – it says this device is not recognized so maybe I could try calling Cogeco tech dept, but I don’t want to fool around too much with it and leave mom with no tv, so may wait a bit, at least until after the weekend is over, and my car is fixed. Did I tell you I found a car part on the driveway, which the neighbour says is a wheel weight, from the tires, so now I have to get that fixed too, the same time as the alignment next week. They have to remove everything and rebalance it to find out which wheel it fell off of. He said sometimes they fall off but I bet they were rushing? If I hadn’t been heading out for my walk on Thurs I wouldn’t even have seen it laying there, but I did as the snow had melted. It’s always something…..past 1 I’d better go to bed!
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Now that would scare me about the car and yes, they likely were rushing as it was the holiday season. People going out of town (driving as it’s safer) or short-staffed for a myriad of reasons. I got my tires rotated many years ago and it was at a department store, so my I left the car and my mom and I walked over to the store to walk around. We went back and it was done, we drove home and likely were talking to one another and didn’t hear the noise, but it was a hot Summer night and various neighbors were sitting outside and two of the male neighbors came over when we pulled in the driveway and said there was something rattling around in the hubcaps and asked if we had gotten new tires or something done re: tires. i told them rotation at Korvette’s. One neighbor took off the hubcaps and found bolts or something inside a couple of hubcaps. They told me to go back before they closed, which I did. They apologized, but what if I went on an expressway and the wheel came off? You were lucky you saw it. Do they reset the tire sensors too? I had to have it done twice and finally he put new tire sensors on – likely the potholes and uneven pavement. I try to dodge potholes as much as I can. We already have them from last week’s thaw.
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I don’t know what they’ll do, but he told me they have to figure out which wheel it came off of and rebalance them all? I suspect it was from the passenger side from the location where I found it laying on the driveway. I was supposed to go back after 100km anyway to have them check and tighten the bolts, and do the alignment, so its probably a good thing I rebooked the alignment appointment for this week. Looks sunny out today, but cold, at least the driveway is clear – I shoveled it myself yesterday, but it wasn’t that bad and my back doesn’t hurt today!
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I hope they figure it out for you Joni … hopefully your alignment isn’t for a day it snows or is icy. I had ice in the shady places where the sun didn’t get to it yesterday, so that unfortunately was icy this morning as well as the porch, that pesky freezing rain.
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I’ve been watching the forecast but it’s just flurries the rest of the week. I walked today, but carefully, mostly on the road or sidewalks or in the park – lots of icy patches, but it was sunny and good to get out.
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One station says more snow on Saturday – another says a “dry next ten days” – who do you believe? I know the sun was shining which made me feel badly, I was not enjoying it on a walk.
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Your photos do make me smile. I see a lot of wildlife, but don’t often get any decent photos to share.
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Thank you Eileen. I floated home the day I saw the fawn and got photos of – it was not afraid of me in the least and its mom ambled off into the water leaving it by itself. I go to that large metropark all the time and the deer are always either elusive or I see them when I’m driving in/out of the park and can’t stop. I see more ducks and squirrels than anything else, so some of these were a real treat to see and photograph!
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Gorgeous photos! Wow!
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Glad you liked them Anne. I’m thinking I’ll make this an annual post of my favorites.
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Happy new year!! Lovely images and reminders of your fun adventures in 2021. My favorite was the duckling rescue and all that people that came together to save those fuzzy little guys.
Your last sentence is beautifully worded, so eloquent. In 2022, onto more adventures and discoveries, and health. Hugs…
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Yes, it was fun going through a year’s worth of photos (a lot of photos) to pick out my favorites. Some I knew already I would be including like the ducklings from the duckling rescue and Mama and her ducklings by the sewer grate. I’ll never forget her circling around me like to tell me her babies were down in the sewer. I really feel like nature is a balm – the world is a scary place right now, in many regards, so yes, lots more adventures and good health is what I wish for each of us. Hugs back to you Esther.
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Good job
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Thank you Pondok Ratu!
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Love that traveling bird feeder video! Your experience feeding the jays and chickadees resonates with me. When I used to feed the birds off my balcony the jays would always loudly announce a new batch of peanuts and the chickadees would politely wait their turns for gleanings from the woodpeckers at the suet feeder. Happy memories! Lucky you to have seen a Golden-crowned Kinglet! It was fun strolling down memory lane with you on your slideshow. It was such a good year for wildlife sightings!
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Isn’t it peaceful Barbara? I keep it handy to listen to sometimes and then I feel like I am out on a walk in the middle of a forest. The Jays sure like to be the town crier to announce peanuts and are a delight to watch. Yes, the Golden-crowned Kinglets – actually were a pair balancing on a weed in my garden. They are so tiny and perched on it. No photo unfortunately. It was a fun year for wildlife sightings and I hope I can do as well in 2022.
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That first photo should be titled “Mouthful” 🙂
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Yes, he opened wide like at the dentist didn’t he? And if they have time, they will check out the selection to find the biggest peanut … picky, picky.
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Happy New Year, Linda! I don’t know how you picked favorites, you capture so many great photos, I bet it was hard to narrow the selection down? I can’t even pick a favorite out of the ones you chose! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you that you’ll capture even more photos this year that make your heart sing along with ours your loyal fans!
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Thanks Shelley! I originally was going to try to make it like a “12 Days of Christmas Theme” but that didn’t fly, so I waded through twelve months of photos, though I did have a few in mind before that journey. I was very excited for the fawn, but the duck and squirrel, the cute chickadee and the squirrel on his belly eating seeds in the snow were my favorites. I have to update my carousel of photos on my blog. I have had the same 50 Favorite Photos featured for years
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Sounds like a fun project to work on! Good luck choosing!!
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Might have to start now. 🙂
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🥰😊🤗
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Well, I took your advice and filled all the bird feeders today, Linda. I hadn’t been able to since we ran out of seed — our birds will only eat sunflower seeds for some reason — and I finally found some over the weekend. Today, I filled everything up, but I haven’t noticed anyone eating yet. They probably thought this restaurant went out of business, so hopefully they come back soon. ;0)
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I like your theory Pam, but I suspect they are still scoping out all the new birdfeeders in the neighborhood that folks got for Christmas. Many people still staying home have developed an interest in putting up birdfeeders and watching birds – it’s peaceful too. I know the owner of a local Wild Birds Unlimited and follow him on Facebook. He constantly promotes how entertaining and peaceful it is to watch the birds in your backyard.
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It is sooo peaceful, Linda, I agree.
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Feeding birds is so much fun, I love it and what a great idea on the video, you know I will be having the husband make up some of those. 🙂
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It is Sandra – I saw the cardinal that I was feeding every Winter this morning. I stopped putting peanuts out after the squirrel was run over. But I was running the car and saw it looking at me from the tree. I wanted to run in the house and grab peanuts, but don’t want to start with birds, not squirrels in the neighborhood. This was a great video and when I looked at it again, I saw a message on the video that they had other videos. I have to look for them. It was so soothing to watch. I know you could have some fun with one of those little sleighs and nuts and maybe some apples cut up … equals a ton of photos. Those little red squirrels are adorable in that video. 🙂
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If feeding birds brings good luck (maybe especially for the birds 🙂 ), then you are sure to be swimming in good luck all year. Happy New Year, Linda!
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Thanks Janis – I hope so too. This Blue Jay certainly looks like he is happy. 🙂 Happy New Year back at you Janis!
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Well, i fed my two parrots. Does that count for the good luck thing?
Superb pics, Linda! Pro-shots for sure! 🌲🌲🙂🌲🌲
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Yes, I’ll give you a little wiggle room – how’s that. Thank you Tom … my favorites of the year and each of those pictures still give me a little burst of joy to see them again!
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Love the photos of your posts. Who can forget the duckling rescue?! I’m learning to identify lots of birds’ names and enjoying your witty and eloquent writing. Go Linda!! 😃😃
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Thank you Esther – my head will swell now. That was a fun morning, then post with Mama and her missing ducklings. The “story” unfolded before my very eyes. It was a fun year for pictures, as I was luckier than other years I think.
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lol…that’s ok. A little head swelling for the new year is good for the soul. I’m not just saying that to flatter, but I do admire the fluidity of your writing style and word choice.
More good pictures and stories this year too!
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Thank you Esther. My blog has become a labor of love and I do love to write. Because of the blog, it renewed my interest in photography. I always had the camera around for family photos, but as family members were all gone, I didn’t take many pictures, so in 2015 I started taking photos to show where I walked. My earlier posts were stock photos that I bought from Dollar Photo or I used no photo at all. (In those days I did not know about sites like Pixabay and Pexels unfortunately.)
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It sounds like you are going to have a very lucky year! We just had snowy owls visit our Bay Area right off the lake.
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I’ve never seen any owl except one small owl at the rehab center in a cage at one of the Metroparks. I would love to see one, especially a snowy owl. There was a snowy owl in Downtown Detroit that used to visit and fly around every Winter – this was after I starting working from home. But people would see him and post sightings on social media. Is everyone in your family feeling 100% yet?
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I always love to live vicariously through your photos and walking blog. You have so many opportunities for wildlife. It is simply stunning! Thank you for sharing. 💞
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And Happy New Year!
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Thank you – same to you Mia and maybe this time next year things may be as close to normal as possible!
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That can be our prayer! 💞
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Glad you enjoy them Mia. It was an exciting year for me getting pictures and it is funy since I did not start out with a blog about nature and wildlife, just walking … it has kind of morphed into what it is today (probably because of the squirrels at the Park).
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They’re fun little friends that tell a story, and I’m glad you capture these to retell to us.
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The day I saw the fawn I am sure I floated home and could hardly wait to see the photos on the screen, then share them. 🙂
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They are so sweet!
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