Tomorrow will be the bird count day in this neck of the woods. I take it as a personal affront if the birds do not come around to be counted. I am pleased to say quite a few of my feather friends came by to enjoy black oil sunflower seeds as well as a few gobs of peanut butter.
Let me share a few sightings with you: Redpolls have started to come around as well as three purple finch. A northern flicker is calling from my forest talking about whatever flickers talk about on such a darn cold day. I am very pleased about the number of black capped chickadees as well as a threesome of the mountain chickadees. Poking about with that group are two nuthatches.
Hairy and downy woodpeckers very much enjoy the peanut butter I put in the log feeder. Mind you a cat that was dumped here kind of liked the bird it killed that was feeding on the peanut butter. What is wrong with people who are unable to look after their pets? I feel better after telling you that story.
Just to make the peanut butter less sticky I have added ground peanuts as well as some sunflower seed hearts. I know some of you make your own suet cakes. The commercial cakes are good for the birds as well.
There is still a small flock of pine grosbeaks . It seems as if they are eating saskatoon berries that are still on the many trees. Evening grosbeaks are coming in large flocks. Of course they prefer the sunflower seed. Even the small birds like the juncos and redpolls seem to manage the sunflower seed. The grosbeaks leave a few tidbits for them.
Nothing goes to waste here. Leftover grain from the many deer is eaten by a few grouse, rabbits and of course one old dog. Now that is annoying.
Now that we are on the topic of dogs I do hope all of you were able to care for your dogs during that very cold spell. Since my old rescue dogs lack the desire to be indoors it is up to me to make sure they are warm. Old blankets and coats are used even though each dog has a heated bed. Every couple hours I get out of bed to make sure the dogs are covered and to put another log in the wood stove.
My little rescue dog, Tuffy, is doing very much better. Thanks for asking. At 15 years old he lives on to bark another day and to put a smile on the faces of all who meet him. What better purpose can there be ?
Those of you who keep your dogs indoors make sure you add a bit of olive oil to their food. It will help prevent dry skin. Even those outdoor dogs like mine get a dash of oil just to make sure their skin and fur stays in good shape. Easy to do and worth the effort.
I hope the new year will be kind to all of you. Take full advantage of the beauty of this place. I marvel at all I see when I wander through my forest. How lucky we are!
Take care of yourselves and each other.
Mind your way.
You can call me at 250-846-5095 or email a comment to mallory@bulkley.net.