A few more shots of the flicker who has been coming

to my suet feeder. When it was finished with the suet

it began eating snow I assume for the moisture this

despite the fact there was a heated birdbath next to the

feeders. Then it rooted through the leaf litter, I suspect

it was looking for bugs.The number of magpies increased

and the flicker left. I did not get a good photo but I noticed

one magpie having found some shelled peanuts did not

gulp them down like a jay but held them against the ground

with it's feet and broke them like a small bird with sunflower

seeds.

"The trees, along their bare limbs,

contemplate green.

A flicker, rising, flashes rust and white

before vanishing into stillness,

and raked leaves crumble imperceptibly

to dirt."

                   Winter into Spring

                            Lynn Ungar