Snow returned to The Retreat and temps dipped into the low teens. The Hermit Thrush was not one bit happy about the state of his feeder when he showed up for breakfast. Of course, I felt sorry for him and trudged out to uncover the frozen food. The Pit Bull remained inside ... keeping his lazy butt warm by the fire. I often wonder how it is I can love a universe of creatures who warm their butts while I work my butt off serving their needs. The answer, at least for me, must be simply in being allowed to watch them thrive. Oh, I'm sure they'd all survive without me, but you've probably figured this out by now ... it's unlikely I'll ever know that for sure.
Okay ... now to the Bird on a Cold Tin Wire ...
One of the most sought-after foods during cold weather is suet. Its high fat content provides the birds with energy to stay warm. At one feeding station, I attached a small wire between the feeder and the fence to keep the feeder properly angled toward the video camera. Who knew the birds would think the wire was for them -- a perfect perch? Well ... perfect except for its very narrow diameter.
In the feature video, the Pine Warbler really wants that suet -- but is finding it quite difficult to balance on the wire. It's cute to watch him try -- mostly because he returns to the feeder with a plan. (An admission to the technical folks in the audience: I lied -- the wire is actually aluminum.)