I'll be missing the Dark-eyed Juncoes, BUT... (Wednesday's Wisdom)

I'm starting out today's blog post by featuring a mini essay by E.B. White, which is the same way I began yesterday's post, albeit with a different one of his essays. I chose to use it because of his poignant observation of Dark-eyed juncoes, a bird type who is on my heart and in my heart, as they often are — especially at this time of year.

The first day of spring was celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere last week; and I (as I often do) felt a twinge of sadness, for the coming of spring means the sweet Dark-eyed Juncoes who visit the area where I live and who spend some of their time in my garden will soon be leaving, after all, they are snowbirds.

They only "hang out" here from late fall through VERY early spring. Two of them stoped by this past Monday to nestle in my containers of flora and nibble on seeds. One of them can be seen in the picture atop this entry, but they were not here long enough, nor were they close enough for me to get a decent photograph of them.

Thankfully I haver a number of images of them from bygone years during winter ...

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

... as well as early spring....

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

JUNCOES ARE INTRODUCED IN VOLUME 1

... which you may recognize from prior entries here on Blogger. And in terms of my not getting a decent picture of them the other day, I ought to heed the wisdom of E.B. White's aunt (which I've also mentioned here on Blogger) re a so-called missed opportunity; but I'll quote from the entry I've just referenced.

Saturday's Sequel (WINTER BACK YARD)

The mini essay, WINTER BACK YARD, which is posted atop this entry was evidently published in The New Yorker sixty-seven years ago today.

It's by E.B. White and, as you may recall, I've already featured this particular essay in bygone years here on Blogger. Because today marks the anniversary of its publication, and because I admire the written works of E.B. White; and because I adore the bird type known as dark-eyed juncoes, I'm posting the essay again.

I so agree with White that these birds "are beautifully turned-out little character(s) who look as though (they) are on (their) way to an afternoon wedding" — or any occasion where one usually dresses up.

A few pictures of a lone junco spending time in my rooftop garden can be seen directly below:

DARK-EYED JUNCOES ARE FEATURED IN "WIOB"

DARK-EYED JUNCOES ARE FEATURED IN "WIOB"

DARK-EYED JUNCOES ARE FEATURED IN "WIOB"

I'm not the only one who is impressed when dark-eyed juncoes visit my place.

Tuesday's Truths WK 26: Time to MOVE ON! (But Proceed With Caution)

Welcome to Week 25 of my Tuesday's Truths series here on Blogger! I wasn't able to publish an entry for this series last week (1-17-17) because of a malfunction in equipment that impacted my ability to work on-line. GRRR. And if another Tuesday truth be told, I got caught up in the frenzy of the then upcoming USA presidential inauguration (which took place on 1-20-2017). But time marches on!

Today, January 24th, 2017, marks the forty- first anniversary of my grandfather's death. He can be seen in the image atop this blog entry. I've been told that this was his confirmation picture, although I have no idea of when or where he was confirmed. Religion and/or going to church was not a topic of conversation I had with him.

Birds + The First Day of Spring 2019 (Wednesday's Wisdom)

The first day of Spring for year 2019 in this hemisphere will officially begin at 5:58 P.M. EDT, and a lot of people are like Earl (seen in the Mutts comic strip atop this entry) are very excited about birds returning to their area. I'll be glad to see avian creatures return too, but I confess that I'm a bit melancholy about what the onset of spring means re certain feathered friends who visit my rooftop garden.

Finding Joy During the Coronavirus Pandemic (Tuesday's Truths WK 169)

A #ClapBecauseWeCare Participant

Last night was the fifth night of the 7PM clapping/cheering nightly event (that has been dubbed #ClapBecauseWeCare) in NYC that is taking place to honor first responders and health care workers who are keeping New Yorkers as safe as possible during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many people participated but I only took one picture (featured atop this entry) as I can't clap and take pictures at the same time.

Lesson from a Junco

JUNCOES ARE IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

I haven't seen much of the bird variety known by the name Junco hyemalis (Dark-Eyed junco), this  winter season so I was thrilled when a couple of them showed up at my place the other day. One of them is featured within the photographs included in this blog post.

Another Surprise Visit Tuesday's Truths WK 167

MOCKINGBIRDS ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME THREE

Yesterday as part of due diligence re the authorities request for folks to stay in as much as possible in order to minimize the amount of people outside during this frightening Coronavirus spread, I was rewarded for my efforts as my garden was visited by a few bird varieties whom I could observe from my windows.

"... the dressiest of winter birds" (AND) "...beautifully turned-out little character(s)"

The image atop this entry is of a dark-eyed junco in my rooftop garden where he/she is alighting upon some of my kiwi vines' branches.

My first post for 2018.

Welcome to my first blog posting for 2018. Today is January first, and last night the figurine atop this entry rang in the new year. But he was hardly dressed for the occasion. It was ten degrees last night on New Year's Eve, and it is probably the first time in over seventeen years that I did not go to Central Park to watch portions of the Midnight Run and the annual fireworks display.

Instead, I rang in the new year with some friends at St. Bart's church in NYC, where "a concert to usher in the new year," was being offered.

Today (1-7) is a WHITE CHRISTMAS in NYC! (For Orthodox Christmas)

It's nearly two weeks since many folks that I know in NYC celebrated Christmas! We did not have  a white Christmas just like the ones we used to know — no matter how much we dreamt of them with every Christmas card we wrote! Now, almost two weeks later, we are having snow fall in the city, as evidenced by the following images of Christmas decor that is still in my urban garden which is on a rooftop in NYC!

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR MY BOOKS

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR MY BOOKS

As you can see, I still have my two Christmas trees standing in my garden. The first of the two images directly above features my exotic Christmas tree. It's a Canadian Palm tree that I featured in a prior entry here on Blogger. The second photo features my "normal" Christmas tree (located in the back-center of the image). This particular tree is for the birds! I say this because I decorated it with several bird feeders.

A Reminder from a Dark-eyed Junco (Wednesdy's Wisdom)

JUNCOES ARE IN "WORDS IN OUR "

Yesterday a dark-eyed junco spent part of his/her rainy afternoon in my rooftop garden, the presence of such a sweet-faced creature on a wet day prompted me to recall a recent visit from another junco (or perhaps this was the same one) who gave me some wisdom about letting go of painful encounters that often occur in life.

JUNCOES ARE IN "WORDS IN OUR 

JUNCOES ARE IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

Regular readers of this blog may know, Dark-eyed Juncoes are featured in my book three volume series, Words In Our Beak.

MY THREE VOLUME BOOK SERIES

As for today's "segment" of Wednesday's Wisdom, I invite you to re-read the aforementioned  blog entry, for the insights referenced (based on juncoes) there are ones we can never hear too often.

Dark-eyed Juncoes: A reason to not rush in springtime in a northeast garden.

Seventy years ago on this day March 24th, 1951, The New Yorker published, “WINTER BACKYARD,” an essay about one of my favorite bird types (the dark-eyed junco) by one of my favorite writers, E.B. White.

One Reason that "April is the cruelest month."

The sweet dark-eyed junco seen in the images atop this entry where the creature seems to be eyeing me from atop the ledge which surrounds my rooftop garden, is one of the reasons that I think the poet, T.S. Eliot, may have been correct in saying, "April is the cruelest month."

As you may know, dear reader, that particular line comes from Eliot's poem, The Waste Land, which I've referred to in bygone years in entries here on Blogger. And indeed, April can be cruel for those who live in the United States, as that's when taxes are due.

But for me, the main reason this month is cruel, at least in the area where I live (NYC), is that it is the month when the dark-eyed juncoes, after spending every day in my garden since the prior November, leave town, and do not return again until the following November.

The pictures posted above as well as the one directly below,

were taken on the first of April, which the last time I saw a junco at my place. Not a nice April Fool's joke — this bird type usually stays until the middle of the month, but I had a feeling based on their behavior that they might leave earlier than is their standard.

And even though they have returned in November (sometimes they even do so in late October), for the past four and a half years, I always have a fear that they won't survive their journey and I might not see them again! In any event, the reason I had a feeling that the juncoes were going to leave early this year is that they spent the last two days of March doing some serious flora-ing in my garden.

Some Feline Bird Watchers Have Lots to See!

There is a lot of bird watching to be be had from the vantage point of my rooftop garden but also from the vantage point of those whose apartment windows face our courtyard. No one knows this better than Snooze, the cat seen in the image at atop this entry.

Currently she lives in the building directly east of me and her window faces my garden as well a courtyard (Sadly Snooze is moving in a few days but I do have stories about her on my blog.)

At this time, Snooze is not the only one who spends her hours watching the avian creatures in our midst, there is another cat who lives in a building directly north of us (just across the courtyard).

Ground Hog Day: One Week Later

It's been one week since Groundhog Day; and, as you may know dear reader, on that day, the NYC creature, a groundhog named Staten Island Chuck, did not see his shadow! Hence, this fact meant that he predicted an early onset of spring; as seen in the You Tube video which is posted atop this blog entry.

However, on this one week anniversary of his early spring prediction, nine inches of snow fell in Central Park, which is near to where I live in my studio apartment. I have a terrace garden (on a rooftop) at my home, and, it is a place where I grow a variety of flora. It is also a place which is visited by an array of fauna.

The following images show how three of my bird feeders (one of them, a "wreath style" feeder is indicated by an orange arrow in the first image, which includes one of my "house-style" feeders...

THE STORIES IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK" ARE SET IN MY GARDEN

THE STORIES IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK" ARE SET IN MY GARDEN

... looked after the snowstorm. As you can see, it appears that my place received close to the same amount of snow as the nearby park. I'm very happy to report that the heavy snowfall did not deter birds from visiting my place, nor did it stop them from partaking in nourishment!

My Winter Storm Follow-UP is for the birds!

Yesterday was the day after the snow storm in NYC. I got up very early with the intention of making sure the bird feeders, as well as the bird saucers, that I have placed in my rooftop garden, were not covered with snow, and, that they had food in them.

I was especially on the look out to see if the American Robin, as well as the Northern mockingbird, who had dined here during the blizzard, returned. I was fairly sure that the European starlings, sparrows, house finches, blue jays, dark-eyed juncoes, and mourning doves, who had also visited my place during the storm, made it through the night; but I was not as confident about the robin's or the mockingbird's ability to survive the cold temperatures. Yet I was hopeful that they were able to do so. I replenished their saucers, and made sure that there were still suet cakes in the bird feeders. I also had my camera ready to take their pictures.

I was concentrating on my anticipation of their arrival, when I felt as if someone was watching me. I went to the window, and did not see anyone, or any creature; including European starlings, sparrows, house finches, blue jays, dark-eyed juncoes, or mourning doves; nor did I see the robin or the mockingbird; but I felt an intense stare upon me.

It was at that point when I noticed an unmistakable splash of vibrant red within the Ailanthus Trees (which are in the courtyard of the building where I live). Instantly I knew that the red had to belong to a cardinal! My camera's long lens confirmed my guess, and I took the photograph that is atop this blog entry, and as you can see, he did appear to be staring my way.

Thankfully I was able to take a few photos of him, besides the image atop this entry, a couple more can be seen directly below, and, as you can see he is very puffed up in an effort to withstand the bitter cold.

It has been quite some time since I've seen a cardinal in my immediate vicinity, although I have seen them in Central Park. As I mentioned in a recent post here on Blogger, the nearby construction has deterred cardinals from coming here, but I had gotten a quick glimpse of one in my garden, a little over a week ago. Unfortunately his stay was for such a brief moment that I missed a chance to get a photo-op of the brilliant red fellow!

In any event, when a chaplain that I am well aquatinted with, heard about that quick visit from the cardinal which I just spoke of, he told me that the presence of a cardinal at this time could be a sign.

He felt this way because the soft cover version of the digital book, Words In Our Beak Volume One,

that I wrote with Cam, is on the brink of being reproduced. I've hit a few snags with each of the production companies, but they are ones that can be remedied, in a relatively short amount of time — HOPEFULLY.

Meanwhile, I'm very grateful to report that the robin and the mocking bird weathered the bitter cold night after the storm, and came to nosh from a suet-basket in my garden during the afternoon hours (as seen below),

on the day I saw the cardinal in the tree tops!

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The non-hardcover version (or versions)  of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold. Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

Did juncoes inspire the article of clothing known as a cape?

It is very cold today The sweet-looking Dark-eyed junco (who visited my garden today and can be seen in the photo atop this entry) is a bird type that loves cold temps. Hence this creature's nickname of "snowbird" seemed to be using his feathers in a way that resembles the way humans wear a cape!

Distinguished by Juncoes

The photo atop this blog entry is of a dark-eyed junco. He is staring at the neighbors who live below me as he stands on a ledge which surrounds my garden that's located on a rooftop in NYC). 

Feed the Birds Day 2018

I've posted a You Tube video atop this entry in honor of one of today's (February 3rd) holidays, which  is known as Feed the Birds Day (according to Holiday Insights who states the following):

"Date When Celebrated: Always February 3: Help the wild birds in your backyard to survive the long, cold winter by feeding them. That's exactly why this special day was created. Mid and late winter are especially hard on all outdoor animals. By mid winter, food sources become scarcer and scarcer for the wild birds that over-winter in your backyard..."

I featured this quote from Holiday Insights along with the Mary Poppins film clip that's included here in my 2017 blog entry for Feed the Birds Day,

In terms of the many photographs of wild birds eating that I used in the aforementioned entry, most of them are different than the ones I am using today.

Tu B’Shevat 2021

Just four days ago on January 24th 2021, I published a blog post (where I included a copy of the snapshot above this entry) in which I discussed my maternal grandfather's apppreciation for trees, something I seem to have inherited.

Then last night I had a conversation with a neighbor (LS) about the recent vandalism which occurred in my building and my roof extension garden, I mentioned that a main concern I had experienced during that crime was for the birds who visit my place and who have enjoyed the trees that I have planted over the years.

Knowing my love for trees, LS kindly told me that Tu B’Sheva had begun at sunset then explained that it would end at sunset tonight (1-28-2021). She went on to say Tu B’Shevat (or the birthday of all fruit trees) is s a minor holiday.

My knowedge of many aspects of Jewish holidays is minimal, even though I have a somewhat famous paternal Jewish ancestor, Rosa Sonnenschein, whom I've written about on this blog and who is featured in the image below).

After I spoke with LS, I did some research. I learned (from a writer re Jewish learning who calls him/herself MJL) Tu B’Shevat's name "is Hebrew for the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat. In ancient times, Tu B’Shevat was merely a date on the calendar that helped Jewish farmers establish exactly when they should bring their fourth-year produce of fruit from recently planted trees to the Temple as first-fruit offerings." 

Now, honor of Tu B’Shevat, I will share photo-ops of birds enjoying the trees in my garden (during by gone years and at this present time).

I will also include photographs of them enjoying the Ailanthus Trees in the courtyard and trees. I will start with the trees that are no longer with me as a way of honoring their memory.