Spring Delayed - Cold Dining Out

The temperature is down this evening, a clear rose-colored sky tinges the tops of the bare trees to the south of our house. A variety of flowering tree buds are nearly ready to come out - we saw one ornamental cherry in full bloom on Bay Ridge Avenue - but the rest 

National Geographic Illustrations

seem to be in a holding pattern waiting for warmer days. Here is a sampling of a few kinds of  birds that are having an early evening meal before the lights go out for the night. The National Geographic Backyard Bird Identifier is a nice, easy-to-access Web site, and can be found by clicking here. The illustrations are first class - the ones found in the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America - Fifth Edition. A video showing the craft of a National Geographic illustrator/writer Jonathan Alderfer can be watched after clicking here - a great talent.