Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evolving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Rules For the rest of the Site also accessible on the sidebar.
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The new day of a New Year starts much as any other day. Winter in full swing in the Northern parts, a beautiful cover of snow. I am feeding more birds this year than I have seen in 40 years, big healthy flocks of BlueJays and Mourning Doves, finches yellow and purple, juncos, woodpeckers, nuthatches, red and white breasted. Just another morning of putting out seeds, they watch me from high up, "here she comes!", they call to one another, and then, here they come. If life is a circle, it is a shame that we must age through each turn. But, we do. I know a new day is coming, but I don't know what a new day will bring, let alone a New Year. I hope everyone here will have a good New Year filled with hope and new beginnings, but remember, some things do not change with time, either, nor do they age. No Jesus, no Peace, is one of those things that remain solid, if you have the Peace of the Lord, may it sustain you through exterior news and sensations, but as the Lord has promised us in Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" . God in Christ also reminds us that we must stay awake: Matthew 24:42 & Mark 13:35-37: "Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep . It is an annual renewal to HIS word that keeps our minds pondering on these things, and on our purpose, to be at peace while remaining alert. Have a Happy New Year of our Lord in 2026. And remember to keep your bird feeders filled, it will give you hours of delight.
We started feeding birds about 10 years ago and have seen a really good variety after moving only about 15 miles north of where we used to live. My favorite one, that I haven't seen in over a year, is the rose-breasted grosbeak. When I first saw one, I thought somebody's pet bird escaped :)
They are gorgeous, I thought it was a giant purple finch when I first saw them! I have a lot of the evening grossbeaks, but the "RBGB" is rare for me too, I have only seen them about a dozen times in 40 years! I live up near the border in Vermont.The nature pages I follow predicted large flocks from Canada north of here to show up earlier and in larger numbers, due to the wildfires in Quebec, they lost a lot of seed sources. Well, they are all here thinning my purse.
We went from feeding a cat to feeding the birds :) (our cat of 19 years had to be put down two years ago) We had a pair of the RBGBs a couple years ago, saw at least one of their children, but haven't seen any in more than a year. I think they are so classy looking :) We also get those piliated woodpeckers that look like terradactyls :) among several smaller woodpeckers and all those finchy birds. I once saw about a dozen blue jays outside our house!
"The new day of a New Year starts much as any other day. Winter in full swing in the Northern parts, a beautiful cover of snow. I am feeding more birds this year than I have seen in 40 years, big healthy flocks of BlueJays and Mourning Doves, finches yellow and purple, juncos, woodpeckers, nuthatches, red and white breasted. Just another morning of putting out seeds, they watch me from high up, "here she comes!", they call to one another, and then, here they come"
...lovely prose...
...I love our birds...
...their antics around the feeders...
... gives me the courage to face the winter's worst...
"And remember to keep your bird feeders filled, it will give you hours of delight."
...and a heated water source...
...winter is a time of drought for the winged ones...
...carry on Pilgrim...