Fat is the order of the day with the birds and the cold weather. This hairy woodpecker was getting the suet while the gettin' was good.
Soup has been a popular menu item with the dip in temperature. I was so excited, I found a stewing hen at the grocery store (those are getting harder to find)--now that makes a flavorful broth! It's in the pot right now. It's night and day between the difference of using one of those "young fryers" compared to an old stewing hen. If you've never tried making soup with an old hen, give it shot, you'll be amazed.
My banding class was canceled yesterday since it was far too cold to be safe for trapping birds. So, rather than bringing you photos of banded birds, I'll pass along some announcements from the blog inbox. For those who have been coming to Birds and Beers (the next on is February 28) you may be familiar with Wild Ones and Sue who talks about landscaping your yard for birds. Well, Wild Ones is having their 7th Annual Spring Exposition Through the Eyes of Nature: The Birds’ View of Landscaping Saturday, February 23, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm at the Radisson Hotel Roseville. So, if you're in Minnesota and want to landscape more for birds, check it out.
And my buddy Steve Moore emailed that he is starting his own bird podcast called Birdwatch Radio. He was at Bird Watch America while I was there and interviewed a bunch of my friends.
I got an exciting email from the Potholes and Prairie Bird Festival in North Dakota full of fun stuff. One being that my buddy Kate Fitzmeier from Eagle Optics will be there--she is a party looking for a place to happen (I'm also going to see her at the Detroit Lakes Festival too--WHOOT). She and Bill Thompson III will be doing a Bird Watching For Beginners in North Dakota that will cover things like the difference between bird families and species, two terms often used when bird watchers try to identify a bird, bird identification short cuts and tips, how bird, behavior can help with bird identification, how to recognize birds by their songs, making your own “life list” by keeping notes and records of the birds you see how to join bird clubs, take field trips, and attend bird festivals nationwide. Should be a good time.