There's been lots of activity at the bird feeder with our little cold snap--temps approached freezing a couple of mornings. Mostly the same characters as before, but I figured out that the woodpeckers I'd seen before were all downy woodpeckers, no hairys (hairies?). I discovered this when the red-bellied woodpecker showed up. It's about the size of the hairy, and the birds I'd seen before were much smaller.

There might have been a purple finch today, but it might also have been another house finch. Couldn't get a look at the key ID point to tell...

And in related news, Fish has discovered the prime bird-watching to be had from the breakfast counter. He knows it's forbidden and will jump down if he hears me coming (but sometimes is too entranced to hear me), but this doesn't stop him from coming back. So this afternoon I bought a squirrel feeder and attached it to an oak tree right outside the utility room windows, so he can sit on the laundry counter (allowed) and watch squirrels. Here's hoping the squirrels find the feeder attractive (it may be a little wobbly, as I cobbled together a hanger from wire loops around the tree to avoid putting screws or nails into the bark), and that Fish finds that at least as interesting as the bird feeder. It's a good bit closer to the window, which ought to help.