![\"\"](\"http:\/\/mtnmacaw.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/02\/raining-soon.jpg\" "\\"raining-soon\\"")
<\/a>Gray skies make for very little in the way of solar gain. And it is raining again today.<\/p><\/div>\n
The hillsides directly across from us have very little snow left.\u00a0 And if the temperatures continue this warm for the next week, as predicted, our driveway may have large areas of gravel showing through under the ice.\u00a0 That will be neat!<\/p>\n
<\/a>This really does look more like March than mid February.<\/p><\/div>\n
We could still get a large snowfall, but the chances are dwindling and migrating birds are coming back.\u00a0 Yesterday we went for a walk by the river and heard flocks of Canada Geese flying, saw a small flock of ducks bombing around over the river.\u00a0 I heard a Saw-whet Owl calling early in the morning, very close to the house.<\/p>\n
Yesterday we had a\u00a0 fairly sizeable flock of Pine Siskins visiting the feeders.\u00a0 They look like mobile dry leaves decorating the bare branches of bushes in front of the house.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Flighty little things, I didn't dare go out on the porch to take their picture, and it looks a little fuzzy through the sliding glass doors.<\/p><\/div>\n
They are such pretty little birds when you get a close look at them, with a lot of variation in the amount of yellow in their plummage.<\/p>\n
<\/a>This one has quite a bit of yellow on the back and above the tail.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>A pretty profile; the conical shaped beak marks these guys as seed-eaters.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Their steaked sides are great camoflauge when they are in dry grass, a favorite feeding spot.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Non-migratory, the flocks range over a pretty wide area in the winter, searching for food.<\/p><\/div>\n
Only 69 days until our first hummingbird is due to return.\u00a0 That’s not very long in the grand scheme of things.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Last Sunday I made pancakes for breakfast.<\/p><\/div>\n
It has been warm enough that the cookstove is enough heat for the house until evening, and it is nice to take advantage of this by using our cast iron griddle for cooking.<\/p>\n