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| Nuthatch was here daily and would not give up his spot for anything! |
Today I am excited about many things. Things I cannot really talk about yet, at least not here. Soon though. One thing I can talk about is I saw my first robin today! Every year, those birds make my day, the first time I see them. I heard them singing in the forest across the wood in the evening last night. Music to my ears! I tried to get a picture of one today, but still not close enough to my deck. I can't walk out in the yard or on the paths yet, still too muddy. The return of the robins and the other birds who leave for the winter is a sign to me, that winter weather is over or almost. It means soon we will have our windows and doors open. The grass will be green and I will be foraging for wild foods. New life will be all around. It is the time of the year I love.
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| Chickadees constantly here! |
For some unknown (to me) reason, the wild birds that have came here every winter since we moved in, 1999, stopped coming here. It was like they had a meeting and we have a bird ban on our house and yard. None of the chickadees. I can't believe it those little traitors! They have always came right to me. I would be feeding them and they were so close I could have touched one. I didn't though. I became attached to the birds that I fed. Not only chickadees, but I had three different woodpeckers and I really loved those guys. One of them even started coming to my living room window and door to get my attention that they needed more food on the deck. He knew I was in here on my computer.
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| I love the 3 woodpeckers! |
The blue jays, there are three, would come down to the rail of deck and take as much of the food as they could in one mouthful. It was funny to watch. They especially liked if I put out pieces of my homemade pumpkin bread. The woodpeckers' favorite was a cat food can of grease from meat, like pork, bacon , beef, etc. They would just sit there eating it. Always looking around, above them like afraid something would attack them. They were every day feeders, like the chickadees and the nuthatch.
Three Blue Jays also visited me daily!
I am not sure what has happened here at Peaceful Forest, unless it was that my husband took down most of the big trees around our homestead. He was afraid of them coming down in a storm and hitting our house, barn, shed, truck or horses. So he took them down in these last few years. Not sure if that was what would make the birds leave and never return. They are out in the forest, around here, just are not coming to the deck anymore. The robins though are back and have been in the yard. Normally we did not have any of them eating on our deck but last year, this one particular robin, started coming right up onto our deck.
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| This robin is the only one that comes to the deck like this. |
Copyright © 2018 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2018 Kathleen G.
Lupole
, and to my surprise here is what I saw. He didn't seem to mind my camera's flash in his face. He chirped a bit to us. I was afraid something would get him during the night. I was hopeful his parents would find him. I looked around and there were no birds around.
was still there. Indeed, he was. Then he flew to the tall weeds in front of the barn and perched on one. I was worried, as my cats had to come out of the house soon. And I knew he'd never survive if he couldn't fly high when they came out. I reached to touch his soft baby feathers. Oh, he did not like that!
. Many do not survive. Everyone wants to kill them, even other birds. I hope this little guy survives.
all planted so our food starts growing. It is not that difficult to work outside in the garden. All I hear is the birds singing. They are loud too. The robins even follow us around, hoping to catch a worm where we have just dug.
blossoms were awesome too, but now they are all gone. Soon the elderberry bushes will be in blossoms too. Oh I do love this time of year so!
are coming in good too. I like watching the berry form on the plant. Every day making a little more change. Till the day I go out and find red strawberries or unless.........the birds have gotten to them before me! Oh dear! It is always a struggle with them over the berries and grapes. Elderberries, they always try to get before I think they are ripe. Last year they did. There are so many through out the state forest here, that I shoo them away from mine. Not too harshly though, as I would never chase the birds away from Peaceful Forest for good.
