Slim Pickings

 Winter has buried me in! For nearly a month, I can never leave the house without having to shovel or snow-blow a long and wide driveway! It sure takes the fun out of going out. Once again this morning there is about an 8 inch drift of fluffy snow waiting for me, so here I sit in the warmth of my office avoiding the chore.

When I have made the effort to clear the way, there aren't many birds to see. I have checked the typically "birdy" locations only to find very few little critters hopping around. I even trudged through the deep snow in White Hills and was only rewarded with one Song Sparrow and this blazing orange-headed Golden-crowned Kinglet. I think he is as perturbed as I am about all of the cold weather, high winds and deep snow. As I look at the long-range forecast, I'm not holding out much hope for my traditional January 1st bird hunt around town. Yet, I continue to hope we soon get a break in the weather so that we can enjoy the few birds that are around.