Ice Storm

We've been under a winter storm warning for the past 24 hours.  It's been much worse in our area than originally expected.  This morning Mike put out my new shelf feeder.  Within five minutes it was mobbed with goldfinches.

Pine siskin on the suet.  At any one time there have been up to about 60 goldfinches at the feeders, with about half a dozen siskins mixed in.

So icy on the round feeder that I don't see how any of the birds ate from it.  But a few got through.

 This is the wire perch that they like so much.  Not much sitting on it this morning.

After the goldfinches and siskins move out, the rest of the birds come in.  I saw the red spot on the ruby-crowned kinglet's head for the first time yesterday afternoon.  Carolina wrens, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, white-breasted and brown nuthatches, pine warblers - just mobbing the feeders.  And today, while I was filling the feeders, a rufous-sided towhee even came out for a look.  It didn't seem afraid of me at all.

They are going to eat me out of house and home.