Robins and Eagles and Sleet, OH MY!

It's just so weird for me to see huge numbers of robins in JANUARY. They're hanging out here at the apartment complex today.

THIS is where the robins that leave Chicagoland for the winter come for the winter, it seems!

It's just so odd to step outside at this time of year and hear them.

We went to Arcadia Lake today and spotted two bald eagles. Awesome.

It was only the hearty few that were out there today, though, as it is 34 degrees, and sleeting. The driving wind makes sure you feel EVERY ice pellet as it hits you. Ow.

But Dave said he had never seen a bald eagle before today, so it was well worth it. We went last January, too, but did not see any.

Came home with a bird feeder from Home Depot, set that up in hopes of attracting some sparrows and juncos to our porch in the cold weather. Last year, we attracted them by strewing bird seed on the pavement. We thought a feeder might do a better job, and we know it will be less messy. I hope we can invite some feathered ones here to hang out with us again! It's such a delight to watch them through the window.

There are flurries in the air right now, but the real snow (that might actually accumulate up to a whole INCH) and ice is supposed to come in a bit heavier tomorrow, and then it's supposed to be actually bitter cold on Tuesday.

Not the version of bitter cold that I first heard on local radio last year, when a radio news guy referred to 30 degrees as "bitter." No, this will be what I consider actual bitter cold....it will supposedly only be 5 above when I leave for work on Tuesday.

But the ground is still warm, so whatever falls out of the sky is likely to melt anyway. Let's hope.