A Tale of Two Loves

  This is a Brown Headed Nuthatch.

They are tiny, very fast and Squeaky!

In fact, they sound like a baby's or a dog's
squeaky toy!

They have been around on and off for a few
years now.

One year they branch they were nesting in came down in a storm.  They have held a special place in my heart ever since!

  I was SO happy to see this the other day--->

Both the male and female were excavating
the cavity.

I can't tell them apart, but there were two of them
doing the work, taking turns.

Acrobatic and adorable. Squeaking while they worked.

  Doing what Nuthatches do, hanging upside down and excavating a nest cavity with their tiny little beaks.  Spitting sawdust chunks everywhere!














  And then along came THIS guy!--->

He saw a perfect place to build his nest cavity
by enlarging an already started hole!

He is a Red Bellied Woodpecker and is at least three times the size of my Nutty little friends.

  But HOW could you be mad at this sweet face?

He began calling for a mate to come and join him in his Tree Palace.

There has been a female hanging around all winter.

I hope they don't pass like two ships in the night.

And so he waits.  And calls to her, and waits some more.







 Nature is funny that way.

It's hard to know who to route for.

I just love them all.

~Naturegirl55

A Rainbow of Precious Gems

How rich we are! How fortunate and blessed!

To be endowed with the opportunity to revel in the opulence and silky, sultriness of a warm Summer afternoon. 

Breathe deeply the warm scents of cedar and pine in the richly woven fabric of the woods. They glow with beams of amber light as the golden sunset fades.

What joy bursts forth from the heart when rare flying jewels come by to be admired and treasured!

A rainbow of precious gems are ours to savor.  A wealth of beauty
right before our eyes!

How prosperous is a life flush with these luxuries to appreciate,
to cherish.  Be grateful.

Enchanted

     A spell comes over me as I enter through the garden arch.  The trumpet vine is allowed to grow through the top of the trellis intentionally so that a commensurate bow is required.  This in deference to the Life/lives of those who dwell within.
     The tinkling of chimes and the rustling of the breeze through leaves of all shades begin to set the scene.  What new colors have bloomed since last I passed this way?  Who has hatched, emerged, began life in this garden?  Tweets and chirps, whistles and caws accompany me as I make my way through my enchanted wonderland.
     A friendly bunny greets me with soft half closed eyes as a precocious little catbird swoops in dressed in his finest grey suit and black cap.  The swish of his wings so close would have startled me if I weren't already under Mother Nature's spell.
     Enchanted.  Grinning like the Cheshire Cat of Alice in Wonderland fame I drift through the grass and boughs, listening, observing, taking it all in.  The scent of rosemary rises up, wafting through the moisture laden morning air.  Further along the heady perfume of pink Mimosa tree puffs intoxicates me and lifts the Spirit even more.
     The sweet Summer sunshine is drawing dappled patterns of light and shade upon the glistening dewdrops of a morning lawn.  Bewitched by the movement and flow of leafy shadows and the warmth of this day my awareness shifts to a butterfly sipping on Bee Balm and then the mating song of a romantic cardinal.
     Insects launch from the old stump wafting upward in a cloud of gossamer wings to become breakfast for the Purple Martins and Barn Swallows performing aerial acrobatics above.  Diving through the sky, closer and closer to me dozens of winged wonders delight in the feast, never even coming near to colliding.  Some force keeps them safe.  Perhaps they are enjoying enchantment as well.
     I know there are Faeries dancing on the dandelions.  I can feel the gaze of Elfin beings from the dark recesses of the meditation area though I cannot see either of them.  Yet.
     What magick enlivens this place?  Is there some vortex of energy swirling through the ethers and focusing here?  Perhaps it is the continuing ever-present stream of consciousness that passes from generation to generation, the continuity of all Life.  Birds, blooms, insects, shrubs, animals and unseen beings too, feel it and rejoice in it.  For now, I think I will join them.      

Bird-sonalities

    Only if you really observe Nature as closely as I do will you notice that birds have personalities.   Mostly "birds of a feather really do stick together" in that each species seems to have a certain way of operating.
     Mourning Doves (yes, that's mourning, not "morning" because of their sad whistling song) are a particularly interesting lot.  They are fierce as babys or "immature" birds and will fight off any and all challenging adults at the food bowl.  That is despite their reputation as lovey doves, which I believe they have earned for another reason.
     They are perhaps the most prolific of backyard birds in the reproduction area and will produce two or three nests per season.  It is always the more colorful males you see chasing and bullying the females from early February, right thru til September.  They are quite colorful, although good camouflage makes us see them as drab brown.  Their legs and feet are hot pink, wedgewood blue on the top of their heads with a matching eye ring, and shiny metallic gold and pink decorations on the sides of their necks.  Perhaps that's what makes them irresistable to the ladies!
     They have to be plentiful because Doves are the preferred menu item for hawks, unfortunately for them, due to their plumpness.
     Grackles are rude.  They have great survival skills... just chase everyone away from the seeds and they are yours!  They are loud, travel in gangs and have longer sharp beaks.  Also very prolific, perhaps because of their brashness, but less desirable to preditors because of their mob mentality.  Who wants to get in the middle of that!  They are also the ones who you frequently see dive-bombing a hawk, crows or Osprey in mid air while pecking them on the head.  They are useful to other birds in that way like the mafia is useful in keeping other thugs out of their district!
     Starlings hang with the grackles.  They are disguise artists and look like different birds in the Winter than they do in the Summer.  They are also rude, pushy and will eat anything, particularly if you have provided it with love for another species!  In two seconds, your Woodpecker's suet will be gone!  They seem to have an insatiable hunger.  As youngins they have a particularly annoying squeal that never stops!  They also come in mobs and when they swoop in and join the Grackles the sound of their wingbeats is a loud whoosh!  Starlings make a cackling series of snapping, crackling sounds like someone shuffling a deck of cards along with some pretty talented whistling.  When they leave with the other blackbirds, they darken the sky with their minions.
     Redwing Blackbirds are more loners.  The males will join the pack of blackbirds, if they have nothing better to do, but they are more the family type.  They spend most of their time fetching food for their females on nests, and their young, although they have been known to have more than one family at a time.  Scandalous!  They are also loud, gregarious birds, but beautiful and not at all annoying- unless you count that ear piercing two note whistle!
     Friendly Brown Headed Cowbirds on the other hand have not a care in the world.  They will fly with the notorious Blackbird Gang, but only because they know where all the best food courts are.  BHCBs are so carefree because all they have to do is mate and go back to having fun!  Females pirate other birds' nests, meaning that they watch other species building their nests and when the time is right, they sneak in and deposit the orphaned eggs for some other poor unsuspecting bird to raise.  Usually it is a Song Sparrow's nest here and since Cowbird babies are almost as large as Sparrow Moms, I have observed a comical, but sad scenario many times. 
     Lets pick another color...  Blue's good!  It is said to calm your mood and that is sure true if you like laughing so hard you're exhausted.  I once witnessed a bunch of Blue Jays in a bare tree (which is rare, usually they are seen in pairs or alone).  It was like some kind of crazy carnival ride!  There was bobbing and squealing and jiggling and giggling.  Ok, the giggling was me, but Blue Jays have a sense of humor!  They are very smart and will steal things, especially shiny ones and fly off with them to who knows where, as if we could follow.  I saw a playful jay swipe a ticket right out of hand of a girl waiting on a line!  And then there was the time three Blue Jays turned the tables on a Coopers hawk and were harrassing and poking at him/her high up in a tree.  They seemed to be enjoying the reversal of roles since it was not nesting season and there were no babies to protect.
     Speaking of cheeky behavior, Cedar Waxwings, those caring, community-minded citizens travel in small flocks.  Waxwings will pass a berry all the way down a line of birds to make sure the ones on the end get fed.  Awww...
     Mockingbirds are mimics of other birds, as you may know, but if you listen to their recital, you might hear car alarm sounds or other noises they pick up in their individual neighborhoods!
     Catbirds will watch you as much as you watch them.  The curious birds will quietly sit and observe you in your garden, moving only to get a closer view of you.  And as you may know, I have a particular Catbird friend who has come to trust me and will eat jelly out of a tiny bowl in my hand.  His wife is more skittish, but still friendly.  Their personalities seem to be sweet.
     Ok, one more and then I gotta go!  Chickadees, are fearless!  Their tiny size doesn't stop them from eating out of your hand once they're used to you, or mixing it up with the big kids.  They are quick little suckers, so they are not afraid of hawks and Crows as they can easily outfly them.  They also "wear their hearts on their sleeves" so to speak.  I say this because they are always making some sound that sounds appropriate to whatever they are doing at the time, and they have loads of songs, tweets and individual notes!  Happy, busy even plaintiff or like a sad cry.
     There are gazillions more species (well, lots anyway) and I will do my best to psychoanalyze them for you as I discover their individual and species-wide Bird-sonalities!

There's a Lot Going On Out There!

 Ospreys and vultures are all part of the culture
in the peaceful confines of my yard.

 When I'm feeling low, I know just where to go,
to the quiet repose of the yard.

 There's a graceful Blue Heron, in my piece of Heaven
in the stream that defines the backyard.

 He fishes at will, using just his sharp bill
like a spear as he stabs at them hard.


I sit with the birds, not a harsh word is heard,
just whistles and peeps and the wind.

 They don't care if I cry or just sit and sigh
they've forgiven me all of my sins.

 My social network, each have a quirk,
be it feather, scale, fur, shell or fin.

 In the morning or eve, I can laugh, sing or grieve,
no matter, I'll still fit right in.


 Blue Jays have nested, time and care they've invested
fighting crows off,  protecting their eggs.

 Turtles are sunning, I can hear the geese coming,
like a rowdy teen party with kegs!

 Tiny Bullet the Bunny, shoots by -very funny
as he tries out his brand new fast legs.

 Like a step back in time, and the words that I rhyme
of a simpler life, this scene begs.


 I'll always advise... "just go outside",
when your feeling a touch of the blues.

 Some they will drink, in the depths they still sink,
and some buy a new pair of shoes.

 Still others deny, while their whole life goes by,
wasting time having a snooze.

 For me its the trees, flowers and bees,
bugs, frogs and snakes are my muse.


 If you're feeling forlorn, take the bull by the horns
and go visit the chattering throng.

 Investigate spaces; dark, cool, shady places
where humans don't seem to belong.

 Follow the sounds, put your phone down!
You'll discover the Chickadee's song.

 And whatever you do, be apart of the "crew".
Your Spirit will lift before long.







 .

Explosion of Life

     Can't you just feel it in the air?  The buzz, the excitement of a brand new season of growth, birth, multiplication and possibilities is a whisper no more.  A chance for birds and beetles to procreate and secure their survival!  Buds and pods, eggs and cocoons, nuts and seeds all waiting for just the right moment.
     Bunnies and baby squirrels, tiny oppossums and raccoons all wait in their respective nests, huddled against the still chilly nights with their brothers and sisters.  Some are hairless and with no warm blankies to draw up against the windy and sometimes rainy elements.
     Some are early bloomers and some are early risers, but all are programmed with Nature's perfect timing.  Little alarm clocks are going off all across the yard and field,  silent to us humans but loud and clear to those with places to go, mates to woo, and important things to do, pollinate, hatch and discover.
     The flowers are all a-buzz, birds are all a-twitter, trees are all a-pouffe of powdery pollen. When I see that the Purple Martins have returned and I hear the familiar sound of wearing car brakes (the tseet-tseet-tseet of my pair of Blackpoll Warblers) then I know it's on!  Cabbage White Butterflies are the first to begin their fluttering dance.  The final piece in the puzzle is the intoxicating fragrance of wild roses wafting along the stream bed out back.
     As the season proceeds, more and more of our familiar Summer residents arrive.  Marge the Muskrat waddles around with mouthfuls of grass for her underground burrows.  Berry bearing trees fill with comical and exotic looking Cedar Waxwings as new bird songs fill the sweet blossom-perfumed air.  The first baby duckling has officially made his or her appearance and the three Robin hatchlings are bursting out of the mud nest already.
     Twitters, tweets and trills are a cacaphony of Spring music to accompany the swaying whoosh of breezes in the tree-zes.  :)  Birds are in an animated state of nest building, territory defending and nestling feeding.  And... in the cool evening dusk, as the frenzy of activity begins to subside, the treefrog and cricket orchestra commences.
     Take it in.  Find the fragrance in the air and follow it to discover it's origin.  Listen to the peeps and croaks and see from whence they emanate.  Tis the season of awakening for them and delicious discovery for us! 
     The Chrysalis of Spring has burst spilling feathers and petals, berries and leaflets, gossamer wings and raindrops down blessing the desolate Winter ravaged earth.  Enjoy the rapture of newness and let your senses soar!

A Game of Cat and Mouse

Silently waiting until it is safe,
I am a traveller, a vagabond, a waif.

Hidden from view and just out of sight,
I am vigilantly awaiting my flight.

When the moment arrives that I know from within
Or I peer through the branches and witness my kin

Already venturing forth from their lairs;
At long last again I may feast, if I dare!

For me this adventure is the order of things.
It is my independence and why I have wings.

The game of the preditor stalking its prey,
Keeps me stealthfully trav'ling along on my way.

The freedom I feel when escaping the hawk
Is worth cloaking in caverns and worth being stalked.

And so I'm content. In my stillness I wait.
Seasons pass quickly for me and my mate.

Life is always presenting new challenges here,
New food source, new preditors, even a new year.

With ages of Wisdom within me installed...
To the Great Tree in Heaven when I am called.