{Robins Stripped our American Holly - Ilex Opaca}

Usually we manage to keep the berries on our American Holly Ilex Opaca tree till February when flocks of Cedar Waxwings come and strip the entire tree in a couple of days. But this year things went different and quite unexpected. On Thursday I did make photos from our heavy Holly berry crop. On Saturday, hundreds of Robins did land in our American Holly tree and feasted on the thick berries. Sunday at breakfast time I noticed the tree was BARE. It is very hard to capture those birds on camera, while they keep flying and landing and eating... We've tried that with the Cedar Waxwings before but they move constantly. Below post you find a link to a Youtube video with Robins in action.

So I can only show you the yield before and the bare tree after the invasion.

Well, what would we do if we were a bird? 

Probably feast on them too!

This tree is at the corner of our Veranda, you can see the top of the house behind it.

They were great for Christmas time and almost all of January...

The tree in the back ground is our Live Oak tree so from our Veranda window we at least see year round GREEN!

There already were lots of spills from the 'Bird Cafetaria'... The ground is covered with them.

Love the Kidney Weed or Dichondra Repens that is growing instead of grass, as that too is evergreen!

BARE, except for that one on the left... 

We never had this American Holly tree stripped that early.

IF the Cedar Waxwings do come; they will cry!

Do you have such an American Holly tree, still loaded with berries in your yard?

Related link:

American Holly (Ilex opaca)

Robins feed on Holly tree berries Youtube video

{Travel with me to Southeastern Europe & Blog Award}

From the very talented Anavi, from: Pletionica.blogspot.com I did receive another Blog Award. Thank you ever so much dear Anavi and it is a pleasure to mention you here. So let's travel to her country...

Source

As many of you know by now, I worked together with my husband and partner Pieter, in Italy where we lived outside of Venice. Our household belongings all came in through the Italian port of Trieste on the border of Slovenia and close to Croatia. Anavi is from Croatia, so you have an idea now where that is located. We did drive with our manager, Dr. Gigi Bagnasco, to Trieste, in order to pick up our cars at the harbor and driving them home. We imported all our belongings to Italy at that time, from Pennsylvania, USA to Italy and later back over land to The Netherlands via Rotterdam to Charleston, South Carolina/USA...

Working in Italy I had many harvesters that came from former Yugoslavia, so I actually worked with many of them. They spoke some Italian and I mastered Italian fluently at that time, still can read and understand it with ease but it takes more time for speaking and writing it. 

This is the Premio (Italian for Award)  that I got from Anavi.

A lot of young bloggers have no idea about the hardships in this world, far worse than what some are facing here in the USA. Growing up in a war-torn country is no fun and the outlook for the future is most times very dim. No chance for education, no chance for realizing almost any dreams.

It is with pleasure that I have seen more sewing, knitting and crocheting all around the world; that is a great come back to living more frugal (or shabby as it is now called...). 

Please do me a favor and visit Anavi's Pletionica.blogspot.com and scroll down to see what this young lady is able to make with her crochet hook!

Also on Facebook you find: Pletionica and you can make me happy if you like this girl!

We CAN CROSS BORDERS and pass some LOVE!

Let's do it and learn from one another.

Thank you all; wherever you are ♥

I like to pass this blog award on to:

Jagoda from LifeisShabby.blogspot.com from Slovenia

Susan from AvaGracesCloset.blogspot.com who lives in Canada but speaks still Croatian and Slovenian

{Cotoneaster Lacteus | Colorful Berries for the Birds in Winter}

• Wintertime is the hardest period for birds to find food enough to feed on. 
• We have lots of provisions for the many bird varieties that live on our property. 
• After all, it is not for nothing that in August of 1997, we did receive Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate; see link of post below. 
• That's why we also planted a huge shrub of Cotoneaster Lacteus or Pyracantha.

• Colorful Berries for the Birds

• Plenty of Cotoneaster Lacteus Berries to feast on for the birds... Shrub is also called 'Fire Thorn'...
• By the way, these berries are poisonous for humans!

• This is still only part of the entire shrub; it is huge. 
• Pine needles are hanging everywhere as there is a tall pine tree nearby.

• As printed in Southern Living magazine, listing several birds that feast on the Cotoneaster or Pyracantha. Here it are mainly the robins and the cedar waxwings that strip them in almost a day. See more links below with further info. 

• Do you have special berry producing shrubs for your birds in winter?

Related links:

{Birdie Berries in our Wood Garden} previous post by me
{Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate from August 1997} previous post by me
Winter Ruby Red Berries from Southern Living Magazine with the above section: Do it for the Birds...
What a Bee Wants – Cotoneaster showing how early in the year the blossoms benefit the Bees.
Robins eating Cotoneaster berries in a day Youtube video showing Robins eat Cotoneaster berries in SC
Robins eating berries photo showing the Robins eating Cotoneaster berries
Cedar Waxwings eating berries feasting on the Pyracantha (fire thorn) in Dutch 'vuur doorn'... click previous & next image also for spectacular photos!
Northern Mockingbird pair - sharing Pyracantha berries Youtube video