Carolina in my mind

James Taylor says it best... "In my mind I'm going to Carolina - can't you see the sunshine, can't you feel the moonshine?" Well, I'm sure that's what our new backyard guest is thinking - someone is just a little out of their comfort zone in my book.

This morning I peered out the back window and a glimmer of cinnamon caught my eye. Now - mind you, I was on the phone with my mother and she was talking and I grabbed my camera, ran to the bathroom window - cradling the cell phone to my ear with my shoulder and balancing the ol' 50D to snap some pics to try to figure out what it was. Sure enough - a Carolina Wren. It's funny how back when I used to feed the birds I used to wonder why I never had a wren around. We have everything else - right down to brown creepers. I always expected to see a House Wren, in the summer - trying to take over one of my birdhouses. Not a Carolina Wren in the middle of winter poking around in my backyard.

Yes mom - I WAS listening. You and I are just alike - see a bird and drop everything to see what it is. You're lucky I didn't throw the phone on the floor.

So a little later on I noticed that he was hanging out in the space under my gas grill, no doubt looking for bugs that totally don't exist. He hopped all over my back deck and appears to be hanging out around my lawnmower pig pile on the treeline. I guess I'll have to invest in some mealworms if I want him to hang around. He'll be happy to know the temps will be 'warm' - in the 40's next week.