Thursday, December 09, 2010

Brrrr.

12-9-10 SHORT HILLS: It has been cold here, with day-time highs barely above freezing since Monday. Double digit north winds push the ‘feel-like’ temperature down into the teens. The deciduous shrubs that had been holding onto their leaves have given it all up, and the last rose buds have been nipped. I guess the cold snap feels especially cold because it has been fairly mild through the fall until now. Several windy days have produced a shower of branches and twigs which I have been clearing from whoever lives beneath the source trees.

Downy Woodpeckers have been at the feeder.


Downy Woodpecker, female. The male has a dime-sized red spot on the back of the head

Her feathers are plumped up to act like a down coat in the cold. NPI. The Hairy Woodpecker is a larger version of the same bird, but with a longer bill.

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