Well, it was Valentine’s Day and in the heart of Winter after all.
So, was this mere infatuation or are these a mated pair? It is squirrel mating season in Southeast Michigan. For a quick minute, as I peered at these two cute Eastern Gray squirrels through my camera lens, I felt like a voyeur. 🙂 Here’s another shot of these cutie pies after they inched a bit closer, seemingly oblivious to me and the shutter clicks.
Then they saw me. Curiosity got the better of them and they peered down at me as if to say “privacy please … unless of course peanuts are involved!”
In a show of good faith, I stashed the camera in my fanny pack momentarily and rattled the bag of peanuts to ensure I had their attention. Oh ya … their ears and noses perked up when they smelled the fresh peanuts and they hustled down to ground level. Since peanuts were promised, the sweet endearments could wait.
They even alerted a friend which sat there, bright-eyed and bushytailed ready to feast.
A few minutes later, two of the three squirrels scampered back up the tree.
Stand by your man.
At the Creek shoreline there were a lot of waterfowl, most of them mingling on the ice. I laughed out loud at these two Canada Geese – the sight of them took me way back to elementary school and “Field Day” and two-legged races. It was at the end of the school year, we had a picnic, outdoor games and got ribbons for prizes. Only these two weren’t so animated, but their respective poses, perched on the poop-strewn ice did give me cause to pause for some photos.
One of the geese suddenly bent over – was it thirsty, or wanted to take a gander at its reflection in the icy-cold water? Pretty fancy footwork, bending down like that, still on one leg. Balance is everything, right?
I’m gonna soak up the sun.
Soon, both geese were back to soaking up the sun, one lifting its head to feel the warm of the beautiful day, just as I was, only I preferred planting both feet on the still icy-dicey ground, to their respective one-legged stance.
Moments later the pair had company, a few fine-feathered friends, first the “Odd Man Out” who stood on two wide webbed feet and a Mallard that photobombed the trio and their reflections, while causing a pretty impressive reflection of his own.
I never tire of seeing those iridescent Mallard drake heads, especially in Winter when colorful images are hard to come by.
My eyes adored you …
What an intense gaze this Mallard male was giving the Mallard female. I hope this was its mate and not the snoozing female in the foreground, but I had my doubts because …
… moments later, the object of his intensive gaze paddled away. Hmm.
Life is a journey … I continued on my merry way.
Would I see any more quirky photo ops at my favorite nature nook?
In between stepping precariously on the sometimes icy path …
… I shielded my eyes from the sun to gaze into the sky, searching for my pair of Northern Cardinals that always find me. They announce their arrival in a series of tweets. Sure enough, just as I paused at this park bench, the year-around spot where I leave them sunflower seeds and peanuts, the lovebirds flew over to see me. Too bad I didn’t get that photo as they perched on a branch, side by side, while I was busy stomping out a place in the snow to drop off their treats, as you see below …
The male Cardinal usually eats first (even on Valentine’s Day). If I wanted the color red for this heart-related holiday post, the male fit the bill to a “T”.
After the male ate his fill of sunflower seeds, he took a peanut “to go” and his mate flew to the ground, then back to the park bench momentarily to snack on a sunflower seed.
I was happy she went back to the seed stash in the snow, thus giving me time to get a few shots of her.
While I was grateful the brutal cold, snow, icy roads and fierce winds had finally subsided and I was able to return here, it was far from safe and most of the time I walked in the snow or grassy areas to avoid the ice. Even the soft ice might present a slip-and-fall issue. It still looked desolate, the Phragmites waving their heads in the gentle breeze and ice and snow were present at “The Point”, the place where both sides of the Creek merge.
I could see skid marks where Jacob, the Park’s resident catch-and-release fisherman, had dragged his shanty to shore once he decided the ice was unstable. The last time I’d been here, albeit briefly, he still had the shanty in place.
A whole lotta shakin’ (and scammin’) goin’ on!
There were not as many squirrels as in past years, so as I ambled along, leaving peanuts in the usual spots, my second trip around, I was happy to see most of the peanuts I had left an hour before were now gone. Of course, it might have been the piggy Blue Jays. They are famous for stealing in-shell peanuts from right under a squirrel’s nose. I found a few Jays busying themselves, shaking and/or tossing the peanuts into the air to test their weight, then flying off with a peanut to add to their cache of treats.
Here are a few of those Jays. Unfortunately the tree’s shadow made the photos a bit darker than I’d like.
Rockin’ Robin.
Not only did it feel good to be out and about in the sunshine, the third walk with my camera in as many days, but a Robin was singing its heart out. I looked for it, thinking it should be easy to spot in the bare trees, but I had no luck finding it. I also heard a woodpecker, likely Rex, the only Red-bellied Woodpecker at this venue, but Rex remained MIA.
I was also here for the Great Backyard Bird Count.
It was my third bird count in two days. The event brings together birders or anyone who will stop for 15 minutes, anytime over the course of four days (always over President’s Day weekend), to count how many birds they see in one location, then submit their findings to the official GBBC website, or to the eBird website (which is where I always submit my findings). These sites work hand in hand to collect information on wild birds. This was my submission.
I just had a blogiversary!
Normally, I would have celebrated my blogiversary last week, but I did the tribute to my mom instead. I have been blogging since February 11, 2013.
I decided since I discovered Council Point Park in May of the same year, it is only fitting that I celebrate with a post about my furry and feathered friends I meet and feed along the trail.
As I left the perimeter path, near the pavilion I saw a solo Fox Squirrel standing on haunches on the salt-stained cement. It was Penelope, Parker’s main squeeze. Parker, as longtime followers know, was my favorite Park furry friend. He did not survive the Winter of 2024-2025, but his mate, Penelope, did. I offered to take her home so we could celebrate “Gal-entine’s Day” but she stayed put, despite my offer to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She was content to grab a single peanut and scampered off soon thereafter.
Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge this week is “Love Your Pet”. I did not initially participate in this Challenge as I don’t have any pets, except those furry and feathered friends at Council Point Park, but Terri says my furry and feathered friends DO count as pets, so I am linking to her post. I’m lovin’ on these critters, albeit smaller than what we normally think of as pets. 🙂
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Too cute Linda. This post made me feel cold which is good as it’s a stinker here today.
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Thank you Brian – I’m glad I could help to cool you off! I was so grateful to just get out a few days after our horrible Winter and it was great to see my furry and feathered friends again. I’m not sure which of us was happier to see the other. 🙂
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Lovely tour of the park, and excellent closeups, as always! 👌 The Valentine’s Day angle is cute as well. I wonder why those geese liked to stand on one leg for so long? I couldn’t do it. 😆
Congratulations on your 13th Blogiversary! 🎉 Nice to see there are still some of us “oldtimers” around! (I started in 2009.) 😎
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Thank you Debbie! It was great to be back at my favorite park, considering I’d only been there a handful of times since our wintry weather began in November. I also find it odd the geese and seagulls stand on one foot, but I’ve never seen the ducks do that. They do this to warm their feet as their feet aren’t insulated and tuck their feet against their body, but seagulls do it in the Summer too. The geese made me laugh as they were holding up different legs and looked like bookends. If it was the same leg as the other, it would not have been so funny. Balance is good when you’re older, but I also would not attempt bending down to the ground on one leg as I would face plant! Thank you – 2009 is a long time to be blogging for you. I do feel like an “oldtimer” now having 13 years under my belt.
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great post and the slideshow of photos was outstanding – and your lens really captured so much fun – 🙃
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Thank you Yvette! It was great to get out and about as I’ve only walked about five times since November due to the wintry weather and only two days out of the three, I took the camera. Next week will be all the waterfowl I saw at the Detroit River. It was nice to get re-acquainted with my furry and feathered pals here.
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Looks like you had a lovely day out in nature! I loved the squirrels, of course, and the first image of the one legged geese, and the puffed up female cardinal.
Bruce is in the hospital so I’m up early to get there before the doctors do their rounds. I swear they come early to avoid having to talk to the family. Time to get going.
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I did Dawn, just like you getting out to Kensington! I’m glad you liked the photos. It felt like a breath of fresh air to get out in the sunshine and enjoy a walk. Next Sunday I’ll have a post from my visit to the Detroit River. Those squirrels gazing at one another made me smile and the rest of the walk kind of fell into place the day before. I’m sorry to read your husband is in the hospital and yes, those doctors do their rounds early to get in/out and avoid “family time”.
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What a fantastic post! Loved all your pics. The squirrels are adorable and the reflections of the mallards beautiful. Stay warm out there today. 😉
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Thank you Pepper! I used to fill my blog with so many squirrel photos from this park and I hope one day the population will be like before (around 35-40), with black gray and Fox Squirrels all running over to greet me. It’s been fun with the Cardinals as we’ve established a pattern, just for this pair, though there are other Cardinals here too. The Jays also bop from tree to tree, following the peanuts/me. I’ve missed the interaction due to Winter. It was cold today, but at least no snow to shovel as it blew away. 🙂
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How wonderful! Just the other day I ran into an avid birder along the trails. She told me how the birds recognized her voice and would come when she called them. They did! 😁
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That would thrill me too Pepper! Before the pandemic I had a male Cardinal that would hop along behind me on the walking path. I never knew he did this, or why, because had he flown over near me, I would have fed him. A walker alerted me to him, so I always looked behind me going forward. I often had squirrels trailing along behind me as I was the “Pied Piper”. Then the Park closed for a month (all of May 2020) at the beginning of the pandemic and when it opened up again, my Cardinal buddy that trailed me was gone. I missed all the young goslings that year – they were grown up by the time the Park reopened. I wonder if you ran into Jocelyn Anderson. She is the photographer I mentioned to you that feeds the birds from the palm of her hand and records them visiting with her iPhone. She takes great still shots too. I follow her on social media. I will send you a link to her website with her “About page” and when you get time, you can peruse some of her shots.
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I’d love to look for Jocelyn at Kensington. I could learn so much from her. I hope the cardinal finds you again. 😉
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I hope you run into Jocelyn sometime. She seems very nice and conversational from her social media posts. She adds some humor to each of her videos of the birds eating from her hand. Now that you know what she looks like, you will likely run into her. She goes to Kensington to the Nature Center area to feed and birds every morning all year around.
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I will definitely look for her next time I am by the nature Center.
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Here is Jocelyn’s site. Patience is a virtue when it comes to birds, but they know her and even a Mourning Dove will land on her palm – they are big as you know.
https://jocelynandersonphotographyshop.com/pages/about
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Thanks so much for the link. Linda is a wonderful photographer. No, she is not the person I came across at Kensington but seems just as knowledgable I will keep an eye out for Linda whenever I am at Kensington, 😉
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You’re welcome Pepper. I enjoy seeing her photos. She especially likes the “Tufties” (her favorite bird, the Tufted Titmouse) and gets very sweet photos of them as the come over to see her.
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It must have been good to get out. The weather has been awful this winter. If not bitter cold, then snowy or icy. I love that the critters are still coming around for food.
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It felt so good to get out Kate and three days in a row I went here, plus down to the Detroit River to see if there were ice floes left – that post will be next Sunday. I feel I’ve let down these critters, by not showing up on a regular basis, but I’ll make it up to them once the weather improves for good. The ice may not look bad here as we had had two days over 32 degrees before I took the photos, but it was not safe to walk before, nor to get there. I can hardly wait until Spring and I am sure I am not the only one saying that. I hope you didn’t get slammed too badly with this latest snowstorm.
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The storm wasn’t bad. We got less than 6 inches and it was warm enough to start melting. Nuisance stuff.
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That’s good. Like our Sunday morning snow, wet and heavy and I got out to shovel it, then it was melted, even on the grass, by the afternoon. We got more snow last night, but it blew away … our windchills are in single digits right now, so no warm-up anytime soon.
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Congratulations on 13 years! And what great shots of your outdoor friends. I agree, those mallard heads are something I can’t get enough of!
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Thank you JP! It was a slow start the first 4 1/2 years with only friends as followers, but fun afterward and I hope to continue for a long time. I’m glad you liked the photos. It was good seeing them again. I’ve let them down due to this wintry weather impacting the neighborhood and the Park which plowed one time and never again. Those mallard heads seem like they would glow in the dark!
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I wonder If you could write your friends off on your taxes as dependants?
Technically they do depend upon you.
Lucky 13 eh, hopefully many more ahead!
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Wayne, I’ll bet I could have written them off when we had milder Winters and I made it to the Park on a near-everyday basis. It’s been horribly hit-or-miss visits on my part … last Winter and this one have been brutally cold, snowy and icy – ice being more worrisome and constant than snow it seems. I hope to resume regular walks once the weather stabilizes. Hopefully long before the goslings arrive in late April/early May! I hope there are many more blogging years ahead of me too. If it had not been for Uncle Tree, I may have still just had my few subscribers, friends and Marge. He “discovered” my blog in November 2017 and he told me to check out your blog right after that.
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good old Uncle Tree, I hope he’s doing well
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Yes, if not for Uncle Tree, I would not have discovered you. 🙂 I just looked for his blog – it is still there, but his last post was in 2019.
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speaking of someone I haven’t heard from in a while….whatever happened to the retired military guy who only used 2 initials? I forget them. Do you know who I mean? He was very popular.
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There was a guy named “T.D.” but I didn’t know he was in the military. The T.D. I’m thinking about moved to West Virginia to live with family members as he and his wife both had cancer and they went to live with family as they had no income coming in and they had four kids. This T.D. has not written a post for a long time and his wife died … his last post said “what will I do now?” Does this sound familiar?
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No, looks like you didn’t know him. Military was HUGE with this guy! I suspect he must have passed? Been a while since I last heard from him. Maybe I’ll remember?
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Okay – no, I don’t think I ever interacted with him here. I hope you remember his name – it bugs me when I can’t think of something like that.
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Oh my goodness, I 💙 the first two pictures so much!!! They do seem to be very much in love. It’s so nice to see some of your squirrels getting back into the swing of things. The geese standing on opposite legs was pretty cool. They didn’t seem to mind the mallard swimming right through their lovely reflections. Nice to see the close ups of Mr. & Ms. Cardinal. Gotta love those bold, bossy, blue jays. Best wishes to Penelope, well along in her solo journey now.
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Thank you Barbara! Those two squirrels gazing into one another’s eyes was so sweet. I have missed seeing them, interacting with them and the weather caused me to let them down food-wise. I hope I can do better once the weather improves. The birds are always grateful, especially this cardinal pair. The jays are bold and bossy and if the squirrels aren’t paying attention, they grab all the peanuts. This is why I take trail mix sometimes. The birds don’t want the almonds as they’re too big for them. The geese made me smile with their one-legged stance. I felt badly for Penelope, looking so alone … there were several Fox squirrels there in the Fall, so I hope they made it through the Winter, or perhaps they relocated to the neighborhood for handouts?
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I know how Penelope must feel. I hope you keep seeing her. ♡
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You know Barbara, I was going to make the correlation between you and Penelope, but I didn’t want to make you sad, so I didn’t write it. But yes, Parker was her longtime mate, just as Tim was yours. The animal world is not all that different from our world. Did you ever see a video about the two Vancouver, B.C. Mute Swans’ reunion after one of them had to be rehabbed briefly? The video was on news sites, social media about a year ago – it was just beautiful.
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I don’t know if it’s the same video but I did a search and found one. When the male saw her he couldn’t get to fast enough, it was so touching to see them reunite! Thanks for telling me about it.
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You’re welcome Barbara. That was a beautiful reunion. All the joy, noise, wing-flapping … just wonderful. I’m glad the rehabbers caught it in video.
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Love the furry’d and feathered Valentines Day antics, Linda. I think this post easily qualifies for Love Your Pet Day, so feel free to link up! These cuties see you coming with treats and you care for them! I got a kick out of the one legged double-duck pics… too cute! I hope to see some Arizona Cardinals while we’re there! I enjoy how you capture the critters’ expressions and interpret with the story.
I’m looking forward to a wee break, but the Flower Hour will continue! Have a great day!
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I’m glad you liked the post Terri and I will link it to this week’s Challenge. I almost did that as they are like pets to me, even the birds, especially the Cardinals. After I took these photos on Valentine’s Day, I was eager to sort through and get them posted fairly close to the holiday. On this day, those squirrels looking so intently at one another and the other critters’ antics seemed to fall right into place for a holiday-type post. Yes, that is a nice long break, then Easter off as well for you. I will still link my flower this Wednesday – it is Milkweed and its seeds, which are lovely when they turn to fluff.
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Today, “my” Phoebe came back today and is fixing up her nest! Third year, so excited!
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That’s great! I hope she doesn’t have her brood until you return!
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I think it will take some time to fix up the nest. When we were gone in early April two yrs ago, she’d just layed her eggs. It’s still pretty cold here.
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That’s good, so you won’t miss the event or the photo ops. Today, I was listening to the news and there was a lot of excitement for the Detroit Lions as they are playing one game in Munich in 2026. One of the players, (wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown), has dual citizenship, German/American, born in Germany. Then I remembered your earlier comment about seeing the Arizona Cardinals – the football team – are they practicing already? Or an Arizona Cardinal bird? 🙂
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Lol, yes to both, Linda! Its spring training now in AZ for baseball. The AZ Cardinals football team is on break, but this is the time to see the actual birds! I’m hoping!
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I hope you see them too Terri!
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Such beautiful observation and narration. Images of the squirrels, geese on one leg, Penelope will stay with me through the day. Congratulations on your blog anniversary.
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Thank you for your nice comment – I appreciate it. I once filled this blog with many photos of my furry and feathered friends at this venue, but then the last two Winters have been brutally cold, snowy and icy, so I’ve not seen them as much as I used to. I hope the weather improves so I can once again be a regular contributor to their well-being (truthfully it helps my well-being as well). If I had not discovered this little park in May 2013, I might still be writing about walks in the neighborhood instead of out in nature as I began exploring bigger parks and seeing more “wildlife”.
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Wonderful late Valentine’s Day post with most of your favorite critters and feathered friends.
I did not realize for sure that Parker did not survive the winter of 2024-25. So sad! At least Penelope is still around. Too bad she didn’t take you up on your PB&J offer.
It looks like you and I had about the same amount of snow on the ground on Valentine’s Day. A bunch of snow melted here with the warm temperatures in PA, but we got nicked with the coastal storm yesterday and now another 3 – 4 inches are on the ground. Ugh!
Happy Blogiversary!!! 13 years is quite an accomplishment.
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Thank you Laurie – it was fun to put together and also great to be back there again. It’s the little things sometimes, but I fretted about not getting out due to the brutal cold, ice and snow, not just for their well-being, but mine as well. This is the second Winter in a row we’ve had the same conditions, only the wintry weather began on November 9th this time! I last saw Parker around Christmastime 2024 or early January 2025. I never saw him after that last visit. That was the first Winter after the habitat on the shoreline side was ripped apart. Another walker insisted that coyotes had crossed the frozen Ecorse Creek and come to the Park or it was hawks/eagles, but it might have been the cold/starvation – they couldn’t access what they buried. He was my pal for a long time, but his mate Penelope knew me all those years, so she will visit me, but is not bold and brash like Parker.
The weather is horrible but this latest round of snow over the weekend is not lasting, even though it’s only 25 degrees. It is nothing compared to what you and others are dealing with – ugh indeed!
Thanks – yes, 13 years is a long time and no one here on WordPress “discovered” me until November 2017, so that’s when the fun really began. 🙂
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Great photos! You were able to get some lovely close ups of the different birds. Lovely.
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Thank you Monica! I used to fill my blog with stories and photos of these critters at the Park all year long, but our cold and wintry weather (same as yours) has held me back from visiting them. It was great to see them all again. 🙂
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Yes, I was happy with warm weather last week. Now, it is cold again. At least we haven’t had a blizzard like East Coast. OMG – crossing my fingers it stays there.
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Today the local weatherman I follow on social media reposted a prediction from a “Washington Post” reporter who only writes about the weather and he promises another Polar Vortex in early March … I hope that falls apart. The photos of the East Coast blizzard are amazing. Did you see the snowball fight in NYC, 100s of people in a large park? Here’s what that writer said (gulp):
“There’s potential for *another* major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event in early March — a rare occurrence, as two SSWs in a single season happen only about once per decade. As polar vortex shenanigans continue, the United States isn’t yet done with Arctic cold!
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OMG – Linda, it looks like Spring outside!! Snow is gone, I hear the kids at the school, they are even workers heavy jackets. I saw something on this that when Chicago has just a little bit of warm weather, we put shorts on. LOL. ANYHOW… let’s see what happens!! For today, I’m heading out for a walk. The birds are chirping SO LOUD!!
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Monica, even if they call it “False Spring #1” I’m all in for it. We get another warmish day this Friday, up to 55 degrees. We have memes like that here in Michigan, where they say if you don’t like the weather wait a few hours. Our states are so similar weather-wise. There was a video of a guy in Boston I believe, during this big blizzard and he was walking along in shorts and a tee-shirt and running shoes!
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Hi Linda, it’s Friday and beautiful weather. Hope yours is the same.
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Same here Monica – I stayed out as much as I could and even got a carwash since I knew nothing would freeze up! I hope we have turned a corner?!
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A fun outing with your furry and feathered friends!
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Yes, it was good to get out and about again and see them since we have had those horrible Winter weather!
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Miss Linda…………………thank you for being such a great Blogger…………………….I enjoyed the close up pictures especially in the snow………………………and mostly for the Cardinals and Blue Jays……………………
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Thank you Ann Marie! It felt so good to be back there after this cold, snowy and icy Winter. It was nice to see my furry and feathered friends that I’ve been writing about for years up until last Winter and this one. I was happy to get the pictures of the Cardinals and Blue Jays. The few times I’ve been to Council Point Park this Winter, it was one time around, drop off seeds and peanuts, but did not take a camera. I hope the weather improves soon and I can be a regular visitor there to not only walk but dole out treats as well.
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Beautiful post!
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Thank you Anne! It was great to see my furry and feathered friends again. I’ve not been there as much as I would like to be due to our horrible Winter weather. I just stocked up on more peanuts and treats for them today … I hope to be a more regular visitor again, although I’m hearing we have another Polar Vortex episode in March. I am so done with Winter! Lise is lucky she got in before this wild weather on the East Coast. I was thinking of you since Long Island got hit pretty badly. Thankfully you’re long gone from there and escaped it.
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We talked to my SIL and BIL today on Long Island. They stayed home. Yesterday, Kate in NJ walked to work.
I hope most of your bad winter weather is behind you.
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I sure don’t blame them for staying inside … hopefully they had someone helping them out with snow removal. I forgot about Kate needing to deal with the snowstorm. Well, that’s lucky she is able to walk to work. I hope our bad weather is behind us too Anne. We have a one-day warm-up to 54 this Friday.
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Kate’s work is two miles from her home. I’m glad someone drove her home.
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Oh that is handy, but not so much if she would be needing to climb over snow piles to get there. Yes, it’s good she only had to walk one way.
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These are all so much fun!
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Thank you Kirstin! Not only was it great being back there after this seemingly endless brutal Winter, but I knew capturing all those little scenarios going on would give everyone a smile! 🙂
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What an enjoyable, wonderful post, Linda! I loved ‘walking’ along with you on that beautiful day, finding your nature buddies and seeing the sights. Beautiful shots, those close-ups!! I love seeing the character in the animals and birds! And Happy 13th Blogiversary!
In reference to your eBird count, first congrats on doing the GBBC, it was a fun weekend! Just a suggestion, did you know that if you’re positive on hearing a bird (as your Red-bellied Woodpecker and American Robin), it is acceptable to add the 1 count and bird to your list? That way, the count is picked up. General e-list comments that add birds are not picked up/counted, so they miss out in totals. Birders that know song/calls add birds heard, I do as well. When adding as a count, you can put in the details, ‘heard’; I’ve added ‘heard’ many times for a bird not usually on my daily list that caught my ear (think eagle, owl, hawks, herons, even small birds gray catbird). Think also, if we didn’t include heard birds at night that are seldom seen, then there wouldn’t be so many counts for the nocturnal birds. All about the count totals they say! I hope you don’t mind me suggesting this, I love that you’re an eBirder too! Of course, please do your counts how you feel comfortable. I get too wrapped up in birding sometimes, lol. I do an e-list daily somewhere, even if it’s my backyard for 15-20 mins. I started my own challenge of doing a daily checklist Jan 1, 2025 and I’ve not missed a day yet. Yes, the family thinks I am cuckoo 🤪 but I love my hobby and that is all that matters. 😊
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Donna, I’m glad you liked my furry and feathered pals. I used to fill my blog with lots more photos of them and their antics, facial expressions. I got to the Park many more days in Winter than I did this year. I was using my digital compact camera with 12X zoom. It is easy to handle while tossing out peanuts.
I never mind any suggestions you give me about birding … I think of you as an expert. First, I did not realize you could go by sound alone for the Count. The male Red-bellied Woodpecker, (which I named Rex long ago), is the only RBW at this Park and is often there, so I was sorry he didn’t put in an appearance, as he swoops down and eats peanuts or sunflower seeds, right next to the squirrels. When they widened the Creek in May 2024 and essentially destroyed the habitats of the squirrels, birds, even the geese and ducks sitting on nests at the time, they took down Rex’s dilapidated tree. That long-dead tree was so full of holes and I got photos of him over the years, but now he is not in any one place, but I heard him and the Robin. I’m glad to know this info. I did two eBird Counts the day before, both at the Detroit River. The first was difficult as the birds were too far out but I could ID them using the binoculars. But I did an actual count of the geese (many) and will do that post sometime in the Summer to cool us off. 🙂 The second Count that day was where I saw the Redheads, Canvasbacks and Swans – that post will be this Sunday, March 1st.
I didn’t realize you could do a daily count – I have done the GBBC from my backyard when the weather is snowy/icy, but I see Sparrows, not the array of birds you have in the yard and your feeders. Do you follow Dawn (Change is Hard)? She is in Michigan, a county just north of me – Dawn saw her first Red-winged Blackbird of the season at her backyard feeder last week. At the Park, I usually see them in March. Hers might turn around and go back where he spent the Winter as it’s cold here again.
Thanks for the blogiversary wishes! My first four and a half years were friends and neighbors only, then someone “discovered” me and blogging took off after that!
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For eBird, you can do a count any time/any day for an incidental sighting or a checklist, for a minute or as long as you want, for as many times during the day. If I see good birds a second time during the day, I’ll do another checklist. An incidental sighting would be if you were out/about and saw a bird not so common and don’t have time for a checklist. So just add the one bird, seen incidental instead of stationary or while walking. If you want to see a crazy eBird account, mine is public https://ebird.org/myebird/US-MD-041 😊
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I did not realize this Donna so now I can contribute more often, like when I saw the Green Heron, which was a first for me at that venue. I guess I assumed this was just for the GBBC only, another way of contributing for that event. I should have realized that as I learned about eBird from my former HVAC tech. He and his wife bought an empty store, turned it into a Wild Birds Unlimited franchise store in 2019. I follow their WBU store and they encouraged joining eBird for the GBBC, which is likely how I learned about it. They have many feeders in their backyard and had nesting Bluebirds last year. I know we have Bluebirds in SE Michigan – I just never see them. That is impressive how many species you have seen and that you submitted photos as well – 22 species just today! Indian Point must be the place you access nearby. So, I was able to find you as you’re a public profile, but because I have an eBird account, the link reverted back to my account each time I tried, although it displayed “Talbot, Maryland” up top. So, I did a work-around, by searching for a region, top species recorded – bingo Donna Wadsley. 🙂 I am impressed, but then I enjoy your photos very much as well!
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I’m so happy you’ll contribute more often to eBird, you’ll start seeing your species list grow and where you’re seeing them. For my eBird account, Indian Point is where I live. 🙂 Lucky me, I need not go far to bird, I am blessed to have found our home a 2 1/2 years ago with its surrounding diversity and super-nice neighbors who let me wander everywhere!
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I do remember you saying that you were able to go onto neighbor’s property – that’s so nice of them since they know that photographing birds is a passion for you!
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I enjoyed the variety of animals today, Linda. You almost convinced me the gray squirrels really are cute, even if the ones down here always have their eyes (and teeth) on anything they can sharpen on. Those geese have an impressive way of hiding their other leg, let alone balancing on one. They’re cold-blooded, right? So I’m wondering why they would do that. Finally, the cardinals look striking against a white background. It appears your zoom lens came in handy there.
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Thank you Dave! It was great to be back at my favorite nature nook and see all the critters. I’ve let them down this Winter with all the snow/ice/cold that was the Winter of 2026. Thankfully we are not part of this big bomb cyclone storm. I wish you and JP did not have to deal with the squirrels and their gnawing behavior. I’ve dealt with it too out in the garden and them chewing on the landline telephone wires. I’m glad you appreciate how cute these squirrels look though.
As to the geese standing on one leg, they are warm blooded, as are ducks. They stand on one leg as their feet have no insulation from the cold so they tuck their feet and leg up against their body. They would probably be warmer if they didn’t stand on the ice! Seagulls do this too and I have an upcoming post with seagulls standing on one leg and seagulls do this all year around. When I go to this park, since I’m handling peanuts or seeds, I use my 10-year-old digital compact camera which has 12X zoom and is easy to just put into my pocket or use the wrist strap so I can go back and forth from taking pictures to feeding. The Cardinals are so pretty against the snow. I’m glad I could get some photos of them – they always fly over to see me. The Jays will follow me from tree to tree waiting for a “drop”. They are nervy and loud, but beautiful birds. The Jay photos were a little dark, but I included them so everyone could see their antics.
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First of all, congratulations on 3 years of blogging! I think this is my favorite post since following you. The geese with their opposite foot down is framed picture worthy (minus the poop 🤣) We haven’t seen robins yet, usually we get one in late January but not this year. I love your title and can’t wait until spring!
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Thank you Diane! I’m glad you liked it. I had a lot of fun putting together this post with the photos of my critter’s antics. It was great to be back at my favorite nature nook – I have been there so sporadically, I’m surprised they remember me. I hope to change that if the weather cooperates. I went grocery shopping today and got more peanuts and treats for them. I still had peanuts left in my stash – you know how I bulk up on everything in the Fall. Well, I still have two brand-new, 10-pound bags of sunflower seeds and a 10-pound bag of chipped peanuts (bought for the Chickadees only). They went elsewhere as did the Juncos this Winter as I never saw them at the Park any of the times I was there. The geese with the legs up like that looked like bookends – so funny. 🙂 The ice was pretty dirty from those geese! I can’t wait ’til Spring either, but today I heard we may get another Polar Vortex event, nationwide, in early March. I hope they are wrong!
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What wonderful tails err tales about you furry and feathered friends. Great photos as well. i love seeing the cardinals. I haven’t seen any around here this winter. I’ve heard reports of robins but haven’t seen those either.
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Thanks Ruth! It was good to be back and telling tales about my furry and feathered friends. I made the most of those few days, getting some snow and ice photos for upcoming posts. That cardinal pair are so special. They see me and know to go to “our designated spot” which is about halfway through the walking path loop. Sometimes they fly along, flitting from tree to tree, as do the jays. I don’t see many in our neighborhood either. Mostly sparrows – lots of them. I thought you might have already seen your pesky robin that sings at dawn. 🙂 No robins here either. One blogger in Oakland County, saw her first Red-winged Blackbird last week. That signals Spring to me!
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What a wonderful day you had! And you met so many couples! Poor Parker – we miss him.
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I did have a wonderful day Joni – it was so good to get back to my old stomping grounds! After I saw the squirrel couple, the rest of the walk fell into place as to a Valentine’s Day post (even if it would be my second post for that holiday). I do miss Parker too – there were so many years of seeing him running up to me and posing, hamming it up … so many photographs in my blog about him. I knew it was inevitable, but I hate to think what happened as a result of the Winter of 2024-2025.
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Congratulations on your Blogging Anniversary ! I can almost see Spring in your photos! lol
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Yes, 13 years already! Thank you Susan. It was a little slow the first four years, with just friends following me, but finally took off when someone at WP “discovered” me. Spring was in the air that day for sure. I went out and walked and took photos for three days in a row, just happy be out walking with the camera again.
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