10 Days Before Christmas 10 Days Before Christmas

Living just 5 miles from the Vermont border , winter comes early to Cambridge, NY. We almost always have a white Christmas, but this year we're having an Ice Christmas. 1.5 inches coated the area on Friday as temperatures dropped into the single digits. I'm sure it sounds awful to all the Californians, but the ice and light combine to make a magical kingdom outside my office door.

This apple tree is the waiting area of the miriad of birds that come to my various feeders. All the usual suspects are in attendance, black capped chickadees, titmouse, cardinals, nuthatches, finches (purple and house) but nothing can match the wonder and variety of woodpeckers that stop by.

Bird watching entertains both me and my two cats. After local skiing and being able to snow shoeing right out my back door, watching the birds is one of the reasons I love living in Cambridge (especially in the winter).

One of the visiting woodpeckers is this male downy. He usually comes in the morning and afternoon. In between, a hairy woodpecker, northern flicker, and on occasion a redheaded stop in. The large pileated stays away, but I hear his pecking in the woods.

What sort of wildlife roams in your neck of the woods?