All photos courtesy of Alison Trombly

A robin visits her birdbath.

By Mary Alice Murphy

The bird feeders stay busy when winter hits, too. Trying to keep them, especially the suet one, filled has meant keeping a close eye on when it's getting low.

We usually buy the high-energy suet blocks in a box of six, so we don't run out. I also occasionally buy an orange-flavored one, which some of the birds really like. It usually disappears pretty fast, in a day or two at the most.

I'm writing this on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. Winter has arrived.

I checked the rain gauge this morning after the overnight rainstorms, including a few claps of thunder. Did you hear them?

At that point this morning, the gauge was showing 1.7 inches. Too bad it wasn't snow, although we had a little bit that remained on colder surfaces, but didn't stick to the ground.

Here's hoping the higher elevations, especially the peaks of the mountains around Silver City gathered a good snow and up in the Gila National Forest built up some snowpack for future runoff, which is always valuable come spring.

The rain caused some flooding around the area, including near Deming, and closed the road just before you get into Cliff where Bear Creek runs across the road. Icy and snow-packed roads closed Highway 152 in part of the Black Range, too.

But you were waiting to hear about birds, weren't you?

We have juncos, towhees, and several varieties of woodpeckers. Not to mention sparrows and finches, and an occasional bridled titmouse and white-breasted nuthatch, both of which are among my favorites. Sometimes a group of bluebirds show up at the birdbath, when it's not frozen, and sometimes, when it is. I really get excited when a family of Gambel's quail comes to scrounge off the front patio the seeds the other birds have left.

I also enjoy the occasional sighting and hearing of a phainopepla, which I think looks like a black cardinal, but it is actually a silky flycatcher.

This brings me to why I started writing this column.

A photographer friend, Alison Trombly, sent me some beautiful bird photos the other day. She said she had a very clean window and a sunny day, so she took advantage of it to capture some lovely bird photographs. "The heated birdbath has given me such pleasure," she said.

Bluebirds, adult males and females and juveniles gather.

A gilded flicker takes advantage of unfrozen water

A red-naped sapsucker keeps an eye out.

A downy woodpecker sits on the edge of the birdbath

May your musings bring you beauty!