Siberia Vortex gifts

As with most of the country, our area has found itself pummelled by rapidly falling temperatures and increasingly higher wind speeds. The wind moaning and howling has not stopped for over 24 hours and promises to pick up tonight. Ahead of the Siberian vortex, the trees surrounding our property were filled with birds. I heard birdsong that was loud enough to rival what I usually hear during migration season. As I ran outside with binoculars in hand to see which species I was hearing, the cold front came through with high winds and the flocks left their trees en mass. A bit disappointed but with a bit of time on my hands, I pulled out a new camera lens to put it through its paces. Low visibility and dangerous windchills meant I needed to stick with subjects close at hand and the birds enjoying their birdseed at the feeders willingly obliged. A caveat or two, these were shot through *ahem* a very dirty window and are not the clearest images. Nonetheless, they brought a smile to my face. House Finches are in the first photos. They are by large my most frequent and most numerous visitors. Scroll through and remember to click on a photo for a larger image. More on the other birds below.

The photo to the right is a female house finch. While not as colorful as her mate, taking a closer look you will see her feathers are just as beautiful.

The photos to the right and below show the two types of nuthatches I see frequently, the white-breasted nuthatch and the red-breasted nuthatch. Bird guides tell me the white-breasted is uncommon for my area, but I see them often.

This little Tufted Titmouse to the left and below gives you an idea of how very cold it was. By the time these photos were taken the temperature had dropped from 20 degrees.  All of the birds were fluffing out their feathers to keep warm. I am still amazed at how resilient and persistent they are. Temperatures that would cause frostbite in humans in as little as 15 minutes seem to have no effect on them. Watching them adjust their wings and flight path to their feeders while buffeted by the winds reminded me of their flexibility as well.