A new face at the feeder
For anyone operating a neighbourhood restaurant (or feeding station), the customers are a large part of the charm. Regular faces, at their regular tables (or perches). Few complaints, as long as the menu stays constant. Of course, once in a while there’s a new face.
Out come the questions: Who’s that? Is he going to be around for awhile? And when the visitor hits “rare; uncommon” status, the paparazzi appear. At the windows. Looking in/out the doorway. Today, among the usual gang, we spied a new face.
The first visit of a Red Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca iliaca), at the seed dispenser. Took us some effort to identify the “paint job”. Once the ID was certain, the announcement to other bird observers in the area (social media covers all the bases). Just for the fun of it, I kept my camera close by; I realized that I haven’t been capturing visual memories for some of the other, now common species. But, this is a first: something that others consider as unusual. Maybe we can learn some new science over the next few seasons.
I have to feel sorry for that poor man, in SK, that decided to burn off the old grass on trails beside his house. He figured that the snow cover would prevent an uncontrolled spread. All went well until the flames reached a historic rail trestle on the property, constructed in the “days of yore” with creosoted timbers. That stuff burns! He now has an ash pile, instead of a landmark. Not good; people remember stuff like that (and the international news coverage makes sure that A LOT of people will remember).
