The results are in.

Our first Great Backyard Bird Count was a success. We started off slowly on February 13th with a cold and cloudy day. Not too many visitors made an appearance. Luckily the following three days we had lots of visitors. In fact so many some times we had a hard time getting everyone counted. My oldest daughter had so much fun helping, she was out before 8 am yesterday with her camera and binoculars. She is very good at identifying birds. Here she is all ready to count.

I took as many pictures as I could. Unfortunately I had a hard time photographing any of our more uncommon birds since they were not always close enough to get a good picture of with my camera. Maybe next year I'll have a better camera and better photos. Some of these photos were taken by my helper.

I discovered that the Steller's Jays and chickadees have found the new seed feeder. I didn't see any birds on the peanut butter feeder, but I did see the squirrels eating all the bark butter off of the tree I had put it on. The Dark-eyed juncos were our most common visitors. They seem to be in and around our yard most of the day. The American Crows were mostly fly overs, although they like to sit in the high branches of our pine tree. We also see seagulls on a regular basis even though we don't live very close to water. They seem to be around the same times the crows are here. I think I counted 14 different types of birds over the 4 days, not bad at all.

So here are the results:

Day 1

American Crow 9

Black-capped Chickadee 5

Bushtit 1

Bewick's Wren 2

Dark-eyed Junco 14

Day 2

gull species 1

Steller's Jay 1

American Crow 23

Black-capped Chickadee 2

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 4

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1

American Robin 4

Dark-eyed Junco 17

Day 3

gull species 1

Anna's Hummingbird 1

Northern Flicker 1

Steller's Jay 5

American Crow 15

Black-capped Chickadee 14

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 6

Bushtit 1

Bewick's Wren 4

American Robin 7

European Starling 2

Dark-eyed Junco 24

Day 4

gull species 2

Steller's Jay 2

American Crow 4

Black-capped Chickadee 6

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 5

Red-breasted Nuthatch 2

American Robin 5

European Starling 7

Townsend's Warbler 1

Dark-eyed Junco 24

We spent about 1 and a half to 2 hours total each day counting birds.

I think seeing the Townsend's Warbler was one of my favorites. It is a beautiful bird and it stayed in our yard for awhile on the suet feeder and resting in the shrubs.

For all the results you can look at the Great Backyard Bird Count. It is broken down into many categories and was fun to see how many bird species were counted in our city and state. We'll definitely participate again next year.

Please hurry spring, I'm getting impatient!

I've been looking back through photos trying to remember what spring will be looking like in my garden.  There are lots of green sprouts showing, but still I feel impatient to see full plants out in my gardens.  My sister and I laughed when I told her it was supposed to be 50 degrees this week.  We thought it was pretty funny to be excited about 50 degrees.  That doesn't really sound warm, but compared with the 30's and 40's it does.  I want to feel warm sun.  I want to pick bouquets from my own yard.  I want to need to water plants.  Any increase in temperature is welcome, even if it's not really that much. 

So, I thought I would remind myself of what spring looks like by looking at photos from last spring in the garden.  Of course I have made some changes since the pictures were taken, but overall this is how it will look in just a couple of months.  The pictures were taken late April, that's when the Pink Flowering Dogwood starts blooming.  There are peonies, daylilies, columbines, veronica, phlox and more that will bloom here.

This angle is looking from the front side of the same bed at the very end.  The neighbors leave the hanging baskets up year round and usually not much is growing in them.  Luckily from inside the yard they aren't too noticeable.  The lilac 'Ludwig Spaeth' and butterfly bush grow large enough to block them.  The foxgloves at the front have been reseeding in this area since we moved in.  They are just the common purple and white ones, but they get very tall and look very pretty.  Sedum 'Autumn Joy', 'Moonbeam' coreopsis and red valerian are some of the perennials in this area.

Here this bed was kind of a blank slate.  The water garden has been moved elsewhere.  This area now has roses, iris and phlox.  It gets mostly shade, but the front third gets a lot of sun making it a difficult area to plan.  I tend to like a lot of more old fashioned cottage type plants and shrubs.  There are two hydrangeas in the back.  One is a Nikko Blue, the other was a florist hydrangea that was a gift from my husband.  I planted it and it took off, it gets beautiful dark pink flowers.  I think I have a hydrangea addiction.  I have so many different types in my garden and still find more I want!  

This is a view looking from the top of the pond down the pathway.  You can see the clematis armandii in bloom as well as my favorite Pink Flowering currant.  White bleeding hearts are in front of the birdbath.  The hostas, ferns and astillbes haven't made their appearance yet.  I also planted chelone (turtlehead) for a late season bloomer.  

 I think just knowing this is only about 2 months away I can continue waiting and planning and organizing for spring!   

February Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Well it's the 15th of the month and that means it Garden Bloggers Bloom Day as proclaimed by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.   Please visit her blog to find many other garden blogs with flowers in bloom.  

Last month was my first month to participate and I was just sure I would have more blooming now.  My winter daphne buds have frozen in time, they still haven't finished opening.  The camellia buds are just about to burst.  Maybe next month's bloom day they will be ready to show.

So, for now here is what I found:

The Lenten Rose hellebores are still blooming.  They started about a month ago.  These are an unnamed variety.  I bought these many years ago, before I knew how many varieties there were.  They are doing great in an almost completely shaded area.  In the summer I give them a little extra water, otherwise they are pretty self sufficient.  They were droopy this morning, we had frost last night so they weren't quite their perky selves.

The Corsican hellebores are starting to open as well.  I have several of these in my garden, all were seedlings from a friend.  They are various sizes, but the biggest and happiest seem to be in sunnier areas.

Lots of primroses, these are newer ones recently planted.  The returning primroses often are eaten by the slugs as they try to bloom.  

The pulmonaria is blooming with more buds just about to open.  I've found seedlings near by and a few in other places in the garden.  I'd love if they would spread around.  Their foliage looks good almost year round.  I think these are the Roy Davidson variety.   They actually are doing quite well under a rhododendron and a cedar tree.  They seem to like extra water, and so I definitely have to give them extra in the summer.  

 

Pansies are a little droopy, but still they are pretty.

The sarcococca has lots of little fragrant white flowers showing.  Their berries are still hanging on.  They are pretty slow growers, but I don't mind.

I know some of these pictures aren't the best quality, but it was cold out there!  Lots of birds were out and the sky was blue.  

With so much sprouting and beginning to show signs of life I'm just sure that next month I'll have lots to share!