Snowy Owl

  

The Snowy Owl is such a beautiful bird. And since last year was so mild I don't think he was around. He usually likes to perch on top of a fence post but yesterday he was visiting and sitting in my tree for a while.  Unfortunately I did not capture a video of his flight, which is so graceful, but here's a little video of him sitting in my tree.

Many birds like this tree, which stands alone beside the driveway.  Here's a photo of another type of winter bird - not sure exactly of the species. They look like blossoms on the tree as they rest in the branches. These little birds fly in flocks of about 30-80 birds.  They are very quiet and quick and sometimes I only realize they are flying overhead when their shadows flutter past.  I see their little footprints all over the snowbanks along the road.  They also love to feed off of the seeds from the tansy plants which still have their tops above the snow drifts in my fields.

I finished the next quarter of my puzzle and am happy that eventually I found all the pieces after my naughty kitties played with them nightly.  My search for the missing pieces had me moving furniture and appliances, and even digging through a vacuum bag, which is where I found the second last piece. Two weeks later I finally found the last piece.  It appeared as suddenly as it disappeared and I'm not sure where it had been hiding. I forgot to take a photo before gluing paper to the backside so in this photo it is in sections ready for storage.

Brie and Remy met a chicken.  I have Raya inside for a bit as she needs a little TLC.  Here is their first peek at Rayna.  It may be a learning curve for Brie and Remy when they meet Duke.  I have no doubt that Remy will steer clear of him but Brie tends to just charge in without caring about consequences.