A Beautiful Sight

Last Monday, I met my friends at Earl's Lodge at Snowbasin Ski Resort for lunch before heading out to work off those calories by snowshoeing Maples Loop.  As we basked in the sun on the dining patio in mid 30º F temperatures, the sun was providing the show.  

It is a sun halo!  Halos are the sun shining through ice crystals in the air.  I had never seen on before!  Stunning sight!

Thanks for visiting My Mountain Green!

What? It Can't Be!

It's still very much Winter in My Mountain Green.  So, much to my surprise, this is what I see out my window on this snowy and grey morning! 

Mr. Squirrel makes his "Spring" debut a little early.   "Just great!", I thought to myself. You see, squirrels are not my favorite pests animals in the yard.

Yes, they are cute, but they eat my bird feeders out of house and home.  I really don't want to take all my feeders down since Winter is still so cold.  So for now, I will take down the feeder you can see as well as another one that is easy for the "pig" to climb upon to eat his fill.  

Hopefully he will soon move on to another neighbors house! One of my friends said that it was time to get out my slingshot.  My comment..."more like my .22"!  (Hey, what else would a Texas girl say?!)

Please note: no animals were harmed in this My Mountain Green post. Yet.  ;-)

Thanks for stopping by My Mountain Green.

Finally Got It!

Glancing out the front windows, something different catches my eye, "What is that?", I ask myself. (Yes, I said it out loud.) So I grab my bins which are always sitting on the window sill and try my best to keep up with this zippy little bird!

This tiny bird's first appearance at the suet feeder was in late December.  After many, many failed attempts to catch this fast-flickering, never stay in one spot, little thing, I finally got a shot (albeit not the best or focused clearly).  Now I have proof!

What is it you ask?  A Ruby-crowned Kinglet!  A new Yard Bird for My Mountain Green.

He is so small compared to the other birds nearby.

Patiently waits his turn with a House Finch (above) and a Black-capped Chickadee (below).

Sometimes he hovers like a hummingbird to feed from the bottom of the feeder if another finch is feeding above.  Persistent little thing for sure!

Hope you enjoy this tiny visitor to My Mountain Green as much as I!

Wintery Mix

January 2013 in My Mountain Green has been brutally cold and bone chilling with morning temperatures hovering at or below 0º F (-12ºF last Sunday morning) and daytime highs in the upper teens to mid 20ºs F.  Yet the wintery bitterness does not hinder the birds from completely draining the feeders!  

Here are some of the beggars birds in my yard this month:

Western Scrub Jay

Spotted Towhee 

(I think he is a little cold!  He is so puffed up, I had to do a double-take when I saw him!)

Evening Grosbeaks

(Female on left; Male on right.)

Black-capped Chickadee

House Finches

(12 in this photo, plus a Black-capped Chickadee.  I have had as many as 46!)

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker (female)

Northern Flicker (male)

Steller's Jay

Common Redpoll

(not so common in Utah, classified as rare, 

yet there has been a large influx this year with multiple sightings across the state)

 My Mountain Green Yard count in January is 16 species:

1. Downy Woodpecker

2. Northern Flicker

3. Steller's Jay

4. Western Scrub Jay

5. Black-billed Magpie

6. Black-capped Chickadee

7. Dark-eyed Junco

8. House Finch

9. Pine Siskin

10. American Goldfinch

11. Evening Grosbeak

12. Common Redpoll

13. Mountain Chickadee

14. Spotted Towhee

15. Eurasian Collared-Dove

16. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Thanks for visiting My Mountain Green!  Stay warm and toasty during these winter days!

Happy New Year!

From one little bird to another.....

American Goldfinch and House Finch

House Finch

Western Scrub Jay

Western Scrub Jay

Red Breasted Nuthatch

Here's wishing all my friends a Happy New Year!

  Looking forward to 2013 in My Mountain Green!

Pretty Bird, Angry Bird

Evening Grosbeak, a Winter bird for my part of Utah, is a strikingly beautiful bird which to me looks like an angry bird with a bright yellow uni-brow!  

First there was one......



Then a few more, even a female American Goldfinch...

How many do you see below?

Including the blurry one, I count 6!

On this gray, overcast day, the grosbeaks are eating me out of house and home. 

 Just a few more shots...

Pretty bird even though he does look angry!

As I am getting used to my new camera, these shots were the first ones taken and were on the auto setting.  Not sure that is the best setting for these photos, but it's a start for me. I'll figure it out eventually as I continue to play with the features.

Hope you enjoyed the Evening Grosbeaks.  Thanks for stopping by My Mountain Green.  

It Can't Be...Already!

As I look at my last blog post, I realize that some time has past. Plus the fact that yesterday, my friend, Kathie of Kathie' s Birds, pointed out to me Summer was over whether I liked it or not,  blooming cactus and leafy trees just did not cut it anymore!  It can't be.....I am not ready!  


Time has flown by for me, the seasons have changed too soon as well!  Fall was absolutely stunning, yet short and sweet.

Even a couple of visitors loved the aspens in my yard....






Winter decided he wants to display his full glory this year by showing up early.  Several significant snowfalls have blanketed the landscape already. 

Front Porch

Back yard patio & deck

Balcony view

Have a seat!

The Big Green Egg 

So stop on by for a bbq and a glass of wine on the patio!


To celebrate my birthday, my sweet husband gave me a  Canon PowerShot ELPH110HS.  So I hope to have better photos in future posts.  

It's time for me to embrace Winter and enjoy the beauty of My Mountain Green in its "white" palate.

Happy Thanksgiving!