Good morning Jack!

Two very cold nights below freezing were obvious invitations to 'Jack' who furtively slunk through the trees, climbed the fence, swished his way through piles of crisp oak leaves, bent under bird feeders - perhaps stopping to peer through the somewhat dirty windows of the potting shed - before breathing on the rosy pink camellias.  He left them pale, their edges tinged in sepia brown giving them a vintage look as they bowed toward the bird bath. 

Stay warm dear friends. . . . . . . . and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The world has tilted . . . . . . .

 . . . . . and our homes have become the safest and most comfortable place to be.

Our little house finch couple continue to build their home in our porch hanging

 basket - a cozy nest for a clutch of eggs which hopefully produce a family of 

baby birds in the weeks to come.

The camellias have been amazing for several weeks but now, just as the azaleas

 are starting to bloom, Camellia japonica's lovely flowers are fading and falling

 to the ground.  

It's always a good idea to clear away fallen flowers as fungal disease is

common. Camellia petal blight causes flowers to turn brown rapidly, then

drop.  Sanitation is the best control: pick up and destroy all fallen blossoms

as well as infected ones on the plant. Remove and discard any existing mulch,

then replace with new mulch.

  

I'm somewhat concerned this shrub may have a fungal issue as many of the flowers

 did turn brown this year. I do try to pick up the fallen ones asap, however perhaps

 I should rake out all the old mulch and replenish. No excuses now for 'no time' to 

work in the garden!

They still look beautiful to me!

A big song bird and camellia blooms. . . . . . . . .

A relatively secret bird, the Brown thrasher can be uncooperative in offering

 up its song or the songs of other birds it often mimics. However, when the male does

 let loose, it can display the largest repertoire of any North American bird. . . . .an

 amazing 1,200 songs have been documented!

It usually sings from a perch high in the treetops when hoping to claim a mate, 

and territory. Personally I've only been privy to that amazing concert once, and

 that was several years ago. 

At this time of year, this quite large bird at 11.5 inches in length, stays closer to the

 ground foraging through leaf litter, thrashing its bill from side to side to expose

 spiders and insects - this movement gives it the name 'thrasher'.

Only during winter will it come to feeders, but you can attract it to your garden

with berry-producing plants such as hollies, elderberry, mulberry. . . . . . . . and

of course a water source. A couple of years back a pair nested at eye level in my

 large variegated privet shrub, I loved seeing them closeup.

 Here, my recent visitor tried out two of my back garden baths, and I was able

 to get a few good photos from the window.

Camellia japonica - the Rose of Winter - blooms are profuse this year - I have two

 now quite large bushes in the garden, both this color. Neighbors have beautiful

 pale pink ones - I should get one of those planted too!

Such beautiful markings on the Brown thrasher's chest and wings, plus the gleaming

 yellow eyes. Male and female are similar so not sure which this one is.

If you are within the range of this bird I hope you have them in your garden -

they are fun to watch and perhaps, some day if you're lucky, you'll hear one

 serenading non-stop from a treetop.