Let it snow

Here is my little backyard after the 5th worst snow storm in the Chicago area.  We received over 20 inches of snow.  They are predicting a bit more still to come.
I have shoveled a path so I can continue to feed my birds.  Right now I have Junco's, Sparrows, and Mourning Dove's.  I love to sit and watch which birds come to visit.

This sparrow found a way to bet the seeds.

Yesterday I took a drive along the Fox River to check for Bald Eagles.
I was so fascinated seeing what was on the river, that I was out for over 4 hours.  Some of the places I sat and watched, others I stayed a little while, then moved on and eventually came back to check again.  Each time there were different birds.
These are Golden-eyes, both males and females.  They dive for food and floated down the river.

At another site I sat and watched for over an hour.
Thank heaven for digital cameras.  I took almost 600 pictures, and then delete most as they aren't what I wanted.  You know lots of branches and no birds.
The male Cardinals were very cooperative for posing.

The Black-capped Chickadees are tiny. Needless to say you have to do a good job on cropping to get some good shots.
Some birds, don't always photograph very well.  I  had fun taking their pictures.

Several Blue Jay's showed up.  Usually you can hear them, but this day, silent.

This Jay was on guard.

My camera has a feature of  rapid pictures.  You just hold the button down and it continues to take pictures.  The flight of the Red-bellied Woodpecker was one of those.   There were several frames of just branches. This was a surprise, and a great one.

Peek-a-boo!

Two Cardinals conversing about the weather.

Another Blue Jay and female Cardinal.

Female Cardinal
At the park where I was watching these birds, someone had put bird seed out on a bench.
There was lots of activity back and forth. So many of the birds were willing to pose.

On my way back home I stopped at another spot on the river and saw this Bald Eagle.
This was one of  7 Bald Eagles I saw during my birding adventure.  The eagles were in all stages of growth.  It takes about three years for a Bald Eagle to reach maturity. There are several "cams" on the Internet that you can watch.

Hope everyone is having a great day.
Mary