Monday, December 20, 2010

Birds Love Crabapples

From In the Garden
As I sit at my computer desk to work play on the computer I am easily distracted by what is going on outside my window. Even though the weather is frightful the birds delight me with their antics and resilience in the freezing cold weather. One tree in particular is a favorite tree amongst the birds and just happens to be close by. It is the crabapple tree I planted in 2003. This crabapple is not the greatest for looks but the crabapple fruit must taste mighty fine to all the birds in my neighborhood because they flock to the tree regularly to sample the fine fruits. On this day a pair of male cardinals were busy eating, though I was only able to capture one in this photo. The red cardinal sure looks at home and stands out against the snow. Such a lovely sight to see the birds enjoying the crabapples....


in the garden....


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
 
In the Garden

29 comments:

  1. The Northern Cardinals red is a welcome sight in the cold brown gardens during winter.

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  2. It looks GORGEOUS!!!! It makes me experience your moment.... hugs))))

    Happy Celebrations!!!!

    Ash....
    (http://hastkala-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  3. Oh, what a pretty bird to see on this frozen morning AND last week to get things done! I wish we'd have a cardnial, it's rumored we have a female. Time to try orange wedges again. Happy Monday.

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  4. Cardinals and snow together. It's just made for photos!!

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  5. Good morning all! As I sit here and type I see a pair of cardinals eating those crabapples. So joyful! I hope everyone has a great day and is getting ready for Christmas. Hard to believe it is only a few days away! Take those turkeys out of the freezer now.

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  6. Hey there! We had a few visitors of our own this morning - several hundred black birds (grackles) in the backyard - but it only took them a few minutes to see that I didn't have any crabapples, and they were on their way!

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  7. My crabapple has lost all its fruit - mostly to the birds - by early October! Great to watch the avian antics.

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  8. What a beautiful sight! It should be framed and enjoyed year 'round!

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  9. Great photo Tina. I also enjoy my bird station outside my window by the computer.

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  10. Love those Cardinals especially in the winter as they stand out in the evergreens! I spotted a small flock of sparrows drop down into the backyard to nibble on something. I can only assume seed from the gumball pods from the Sweet Gum Trees. Then we spotted a huge (100 if not more) flock of Red-winged Black Birds in a yard up the street from us. Am glad they did not find my feeders as they would have cleaned them out. I can only assume they were on their way somewhere as they looked restless with their fluttering manners....

    Burrrr, it is cold out there this morning… Time to make some fudge. My last try at it flopped as it was too soft. Going to give it a second go…

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  11. We enjoy coffee every morning watching the birds feed. (or chasing hawks!) :)
    It's going to be in the low 70's here today--can you believe it. Think I would rather have snow this time of year..but this is Texas!

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  12. Tina, I too had a crabapple planted right out in front of my office window. It would attract cardinals all winter long. Cardinals, snow and red berries are a match made in heaven.My crabapple is gone, but the cardinals still come, but only to the back yard now.

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  13. Hi its Sweetpea I wanted to say that I really love that picture it looks like it would be in some book. Have a merry Christmas. (Catherine's daughter)

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  14. As always, what's not pretty to us is perfect to birds. Nice to see birds keep coming....

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  15. Jen, Whew! Close call on those grackles-they sure can clean you out fast.

    Janet, Those were some hungry birds to clean you out so fast. These crabapples seem to hang around all winter. Love it!

    Rebecca, Thanks so much:)

    Mom, You also have a station of birds inside-so delightful! All is well with Brian.

    Skeeter I would SO love to see that many red wings! We rarely see them here but they are in Indiana. That's the first time I ever saw one. They are so pretty!

    Linda, Lucky you! It's definitely winter here. I sure hope that hawk does its hunting elsewhere-and soon!

    GWGT, It should be a requirement we all have crabapples outside our windows I think? It is such a pretty tree though it has its moments. The birds are ever so delightful for us to watch in it!

    Sweetpea, I knew right away who it was! I got a kick out of you commenting! So sweet of you! I wish you, the Littlest Gardener and your Mom and Dad Happy Holidays too! I know it will be super for you all!

    Bangchik, Gotta love those birds in the wintertime here-it's about our only pleasure and one we can do from inside-yeah!

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  16. Nice shot, tina!
    The red bird is really pretty!!
    And the snow is beautiful too!
    I'm afraid we don't have cardinals.

    Have a merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

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  17. Glad you have some time to sit back and enjoy nature Tina. Happy Holidays!!! :)

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  18. I bet the Cardinals are happy to have the crabapples right now. Don't you love having something that attracts birds right outside the window? Then you can work and bird watch at the same time.

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  19. What a gorgeous photo. I've never seen a Cardinal. It looks very Christmassy. Merry Christmas Tina, I've enjoyed reading your blog and I look forward to coming back next year.

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  20. Sapphire, Happy Holidays to you!

    Same to you Racquel!

    Yes indeed Catherine-I'm always at a window here in my home. Watching and wishing I could be outside.

    Melanie, Ditto! I sometimes take cardinals for granted and am surprised you and parts of the world don't have them. Never really thought about that. They are lovely winter birds but live here year round.

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  21. Oh, you are making me so excited for when my 'Purple Rain' crabapples mature enough to have fruit and attract birds. What a fun picture. Have a wonderful holiday!

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  22. It looks like you have some happy birds!

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  23. Tina, I though you should know there is problem with your link on Blotanical. Your post can not be picked.

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  24. VW, You too! And hugs come from Tennessee. I did not realize you had started your blog around the same time as mine. It has been a pleasure talking with you and watching your stunning garden grow and evolve over the years. Don't worry, that crabapple will grow fast.

    Dave, Fat and happy guys. Just got back from my walking trail and I was noticing the itty bitty birds and chipmunks. Ha! Can't find those kinds here at Tiger Gardens. They eat well!

    GWGT, Carolyn told me that on Blotanical but it is not a big deal. Stuart is revamping things and I've noticed too many times to count that the same thing (someone else's profile shows up on the pick instead of me then you can't pick it) happens on many other blogs. My feed is working because I pinged it but I believe it is a Blotanical issue. I'm not sure if many folks realize it though. I wish Stuart would post something about it. Many people who don't pick may not realize there is a problem then maybe wonder why their posts don't get picked. I rarely check my posts so I don't worry about it too much. I enjoy Blotanical for looking at everyone else's. In fact, I need to head there now. Thanks again though!

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  25. If I were a beautiful cardinal, looks like fine dining to me! Happy Holidays, Tina :)

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  26. It's always satisfying to see the birds filling up at the natural "feeders." I need to find a Florida equivalent of the crabapple. The birds eat hearty during the summer on my blueberries and plums, but there are no wintertime goodies for them besides seed in the feeder.

    Merry Christmas to all of you at In the Garden!

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  27. I think this tree has regretably been termed old-fashioned, which is a shame because they are so beautiful in flower and fruit, plus the birds love them as your post shows.

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  28. The birds have a feast on all our crabapples, but the white crab is their favorite because it's positively loaded with berries every winter. Of all the birds, the cardinal is my favorite--they just really stand out against the stark white landscape in winter.

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  29. Most birds we see here, especially during the winter, are brown or grey. Pretty vibrant ones always find warmer climates to roost. :)

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