Saturday Sky, Save the Bluebirds, and Sleeping Dog

This was the eastern sky on our 10 am dog walk.

If I had not already heard the weather forecast, I might have imagined the sun breaking through the clouds for a sunny day.

The battle was brief. The clouds won. It was a cold, gray day with some snow in the afternoon. We're expecting more snow tomorrow and Monday.


Bluebirds have been using the nestboxes for night time shelter from the wind and cold.

One dawn last week I saw four fly out of one box as the dogs and I approached. (Yes, I felt terrible that we were the cause of them going out into the world before they were ready. We're trying to remember to walk a different route in the morning.)

What do they eat in the winter time? They are bug eaters and never show up at the feeders near the house. I can't imagine where they're finding food.

These bluebirds are my babies and I want them to make it through the winter, so today I bought a meal worm feeder and 500 mealworms. We hung the feeder in a favorite bluebird gathering tree about 15 feet from the nest box where I'm guessing most of them were hatched. I also bought some wonderful smelling seed mixed with dried fruit to scatter around the feeder edges.

Those white splotches visible in the upper part of the picture is the snow coming down.


Nap time.

Pappy knows what to do after a snowy walk on a cold, gray winter day.