Sunday morning - more tulips!

European starlings braved the foggy morning - even a lone Brown-headed cowbird

 showed up for breakfast. It's warmer, calm, but so dreary and more rain coming.

Tomorrow March arrives, called 'Martius' by the Romans, from the god Mars.

It received the name 'Hlyd Monath', i.e. loud or stormy month, from the 

Anglo-Saxons.

March days of note

March 1st - St.David

March 12th - St.Gregory

March 17th - St.Patrick

March 25th - Lady Day

This weekend I gathered up white tulips at LIDL - there were

 just two bunches. . . . . . .I brought them both home.

Clean and bright, they will welcome a new month. . . . .let's all

 hope it will be a better one.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Many thanks for all the kind comments on my 14th blog anniversary 

yesterday - you are all wonderful friends.

Learning to share in bird land . . . . . . .

The beautiful Northern Flickers are still around and I was thrilled to get this shot of 

one with an Eastern Bluebird perched close by.

Later there was a bit of a skirmish at the suet feeder on the fig tree when the 
European Starling returned after a long absence, pushing and shoving the Flicker off. . . . . 

. . . . . but he waited whilst the Starling nibbled for a couple of minutes.

Waiting patiently for his turn - displaying his lovely golden yellow tail and 
under wing feathers, and the speckled pattern on his breast.

Above - Mrs. Northern Flicker

Here the pair are hanging out together, male on the suet, female 
close by - the only time I've actually seen them both together around the feeders.
I didn't even know she was there until I loaded the pic on the laptop!

If you're wondering about the rust colored leaves in March - we have a small oak 
tree which hasn't shed its leaves yet, and a still-with-leaves maple behind the fig. Once 
the new buds are formed they will both drop their leaves and we'll be raking again, but 
hopefully under a spring green canopy.