Bird list keeps getting longer!

I can certainly see why the Northern Cardinal is the State Bird of North Carolina! It is so far the most popular bird at the feeder, followed closely by the Carolina Chickadee. The cardinal is pictured here with a White-throated Sparrow (LOL at the beady little eyes!). My apologies for my slow-action camera... it needs fresh batteries.
So, to recap, let's review the birds I've seen so far:
      Northern Cardinal  (very common)     Blue Jay (c -vc)
      Carolina Chickadee  (vc)                       Tufted Titmouse  (common)  
      Mourning Dove  (vc)                             Northern Flicker  (c)
      White-throated Sparrow (vc)                Downy Woodpecker (c)
      Mockingbird (vc)

(did I remember them all?)

On Friday, I saw a big rufous (cinnamon brown) bird I believe to be a Brown Thrasher, and although my bird was a little shorter than the book says (Birds of Eastern North America, a photographic guide, P. Sterry and Brian E. Small, 2009) I didn't find a better match. American Robins joined the feeder-area list on Friday, January 06.

This morning, before I left for school, I put a cup of birdseed in the feeder and scattered some roasted peanuts under the pine tree. It had rained during the night, and I didn't take the time to dry out the dish on the ground there so I didn't put seed in the wet dish. Within minutes, an Eastern Towhee came to check out what the Cardinals were all excited about! I counted three pairs of Cardinals around the feeder, and two more pairs were in the front yard! Before I left, I saw a Purple Finch on top of the hanging feeder! HOORAY! I added two new birds to my list today!... and saw two more that I didn't have time to look up, although one was likely the female to the purple finch, and the other was a nose-to-beak view of a Carolina Chickadee and I was focusing on the black and dark gray throat and chest plumage instead of the distinctive head.

Oh! While I am writing this, a Carolina Wren has dropped by and is scouting around the edge of the workshed! How awesome is that!

American Robin (vc)          Purple Finch (c)          Eastern Towhee (c)
Brown Thrasher (c)           Carolina Wren (vc)          

and this little chick came close to me on the porch during the photo shoot before joining a Cardinal on the feeder:

That's all for now! I'm off to get fresh batteries and start on the pine cones! Happiness is in the little things! (whew! 14 species so far! and I'll bet there's a couple more brown speckled birds I didn't get a good look at yet that will be "new" for me!) Love it!

Gardening is an enjoyable chore!

The summer is winding down here in central North Carolina. (Boo! Hiss!) My poor little garden would have fared much better if I had planted a cactus bed instead of water-hogging squash and melons! LOL Alas, I managed to salvage two (count: 1, 2!) squash from my thirsty vine, and it looks like I may get two (again, t-w-o!) very small canteloupes. My carrots... well, let me tell you about planting carrots in Carolina clay!! First, I made a modified "square-foot" style garden: I raked out the alcove between the cement steps at the back porch and the cement stoop the HVAC sits on. Then I set a 2x6 plank to create a front edge and staked it so it wouldn't lean over. Next, I poured in prepared topsoil and organic humus (10 bags total), and used a shovel to dig it deep into the original surface... all that, LAST year!! Last year, I had a "cute" garden.

So, the carrots! Right! This year, after pulling out weeds and whatever, I sectioned off the square I'm planting carrots. I take a 10-inch screwdriver and stab it into the ground and wiggle it around to waller out a loose hole for the carrots to enjoy... I do this for every place I am planting a carrot (16 holes). Not only do I only get 1/3 germination from the carrots (I don't know what happens to seeds... I had to plant banana peppers THREE TIMES before even ONE came up!... happy for the one...), oh! Not only do I only get 5 carrots, but they are stumpy... like 'Thumbelina' variety! I am sure I planted Danvers Long, and created a nice deep space for them, and lightly set the seeds in the tops of these carefully prepared holes.... but this ol' Carolina clay pinched them off! ... OR, a second, less plausible explanation: I didn't water often enough during the drought, and while they survived, they never dug deep into the soil. AND... I am impatient and didn't want to wait another 6 weeks till the frost and see if they could fatten up (actually, girth is good, the length is lacking).

Okay, I admit I am impatient when it comes to gardening: my potato sacks are 1/4 (if that one is doing its magic. I haven't looked yet.), my radishes even bolted right out of the ground! Not a single bulb before flowering! Unbelievable! My tomatoes never sprouted, and my peppers/eggplants are MIA. BUT I DID GET: three dinners' worth of green beans!! and two dinners of spinach/mustard greens! And the greens are growing again now that the weather is cooling down!

Still, I am wondering... that was a lot of work this summer for 3 cans of green beans and a can of spinach! I will plant a bumper crop this week, but maybe... just maybe... I need a bigger garden?