Tag Archives: birds

For bird nerds.

 

If you don’t spend countless hours staring out the window with camera in hand to see if a new bird has shown up at the horrendously expensive buffet of seeds, nuts and suet you arrange on what used to be your laundry pole?

Feel free to skip this post.

 

e12c8c416a368f7edd344c0e893dda50

 

But birders will get it.

The other day I spotted a Red Bellied Woodpecker. They used to be relatively rare in Maine and all the field guides say they shouldn’t come any farther north than Massachusetts… yet here they are.

Trying to get an unobstructed shot of one proved a bit more difficult.

 

IMG_0375

 

Juvenile starlings are notorious photo bombers.

 

IMG_0373

 

Almost…

 

fe3aaac5185df54c9a3f743756ad4068

 

Finally.

 

IMG_0377

 

An even rarer spotting was this Scarlet Tanager.

 

IMG_0329

 

They’re usually forest dwellers and our place is pretty open.

 

IMG_0341

 

So I was tickled pink when this little beauty showed up.

 

IMG_0345

 

Or red, as the case may be.

That’s the wonderful thing about bird watching, you never know what you’ll see.

 

61293941_1311906188974544_8205695548684534421_n

 

By now our Baltimore Orioles are usually long gone, but this year I bought a feeder that houses grape jelly so they seem to be sticking around.

 

IMG_0369

 

These two made me laugh.

They seemed to be squaring off for an orange eating contest.

 

IMG_0370

 

Granted it doesn’t provide the same excitement of hot dog eating contests…

 

 

But there’s also less chance of projectile vomit…

So that’s a plus.

 

IMG_0372

 

Bird watching… there’s never a dull moment.

Alright, I lie. There are plenty of excruciatingly dull moments, but when something special does happen?

You smile.

 

Wild Kingdom… the River edition.

 

It’s not just the woodchucks who show up for a nosh at Casa River.

 

IMG_4997

 

We have a beautiful pair of foxes who are denning down in our woods.

 

lnkbv

 

Hey now… I’m sharing the sights and sounds of my backyard.

Please be respectful.

 

IMG_5001

 

Early morning shots through a wet window are a little blurred.

 

514da3b75f97c

 

This is sharper.

 

 

 

Then there are the daily seed raiders…

 

IMG_5035

 

This not pregnant anymore doe just dropped her fawn in the woods 2 houses down and is late in blowing her winter coat.

Of course if we had this type of deer, our seeds would be safe.

 

Pudu

 

But if we had these?

We might not be.

 

deer

 

Yikes!

 

 

 

And do you remember the Catbird nest with it’s bright blue eggs?

 

IMG_4878

 

Well….

 

IMG_5024

 

New life is popping there too.

 

1p21tt

 

Although momma Catbird doesn’t like it when I photograph her babies. Turn up your volume to hear her cry.

 

 

 

And then there’s this fellow…. who I stumbled on by accident and took one quick out of focus shot of before I hightailed it inside.

 

IMG_4963

 

At least I wasn’t looking at the business end.

 

 

 

 

We will prevail….

 

Time for our annual battle with the flowering quince.

My husband hates trimming this bush. Hates it with a passion.

 

IMG_4705

 

The monster is covered in thorns and not easily tamed. Cutting a path through uncharted Amazon rain forest while being chased by pygmies with poisonous darts might actually be preferable.

Every year we do it, and every year he grumbles.

This year he suggested using the chain saw.

But I had visions of this:

 

 

And managed to dissuade him.

I started with the electric hedge trimmer…

 

IMG_4876

 

And managed to cut smaller branches away from the house.

 

IMG_4882

 

Then the husband brought the ladder and the muscle.

Quince bushes are hard wood, and mature ones like ours fight back.

I was tempted to suggest something like this:

 

 

 

But managed to hold my tongue.

While he was angrily hacking away at that, I moved over to the also out of control Burning Bushes.

 

IMG_4873

 

These turn a vibrant red in the fall and are much easier to trim.

But I didn’t get very far because hidden in between them and the boxwood? I found a catbird’s nest.

 

 

oCIBLhs

 

No, not that kind.

 

IMG_4878

 

This kind.

 

IMG_4881

 

And I scared the poor mother right off it.

(Worry not, she’s back.)

 

IMG_4911

 

Avoiding the nest meant the bushes are still large, but at least you can see the windows now. The top half anyway.

As for the quince…

 

IMG_4884

 

My idea of a neatly shaped shrub differs greatly from the husband’s …

But he had a sharp implement in his hands and I figured I shouldn’t push the issue.

 

fat-ass-with-a-machete_o_1134483

 

Yes, dear.

It looks fine.

 

 

They’re a wee bit confused.

 

I put birdseed out for the birds….

 

IMG_0257

 

Which the deer eat.

 

IMG_0258

 

I put apples out for the deer….

 

IMG_0247

 

Which the woodchucks eat.

 

IMG_0250

 

Granted, they’re cute as all get out when they do…

 

IMG_0253

 

But do they have to eat the deer grain as well?

 

IMG_0238

 

Sometimes they climb right in the bowl and polish it off.

Which leads the deer to eat…

 

IMG_0256

 

It’s a vicious circle.

And proves that our backyard creatures are a little confused.

Like this Baltimore Oriole….

 

IMG_0337

 

Who tries to drink from the hummingbird feeder.

 

IMG_0339

 

Yes, you.

 

IMG_0340

 

The owner of this house spends a small fortune keeping you in fresh oranges and grape jelly…. don’t get greedy.

Of course….

This guy?

 

IMG_5451

 

Eats whatever…

 

IMG_5427

 

And whoever he wants.

 

 

 

Throwing some questions out into the universe.

 

Why is it that….

Every time you’re in a rush to get out the door?

Great Aunt Trudy will call and want to regale you with detailed stories of her piles.

If I didn’t want to hear about them the last 3 times we spoke? Chances are I really don’t want to hear about them when I’m 10 minutes late for an appointment.

 

h1CCB7416

 

Why is it that

Every time I cut my hand in the kitchen?

I’m in danger of bleeding out because I can’t get the damned Bandaid package open with one hand.

Seriously, WTH?

 

 

Why is it that

Even though I’m a font of useless knowledge, I let my friends down last week when I couldn’t come up with the winning answer in a trivia game tie breaker at my local bar?

 

2nd-place-is-only-the-first-loser

 

But, come on.

Did you know that the original name for the Google search engine was…

BackRub?

No… I didn’t think so.

 

 

Why is it that…

Every time I take the time to wash and wax my car?

It either rains, or a flock of pigeons who’ve just eaten at Chipolte follow me home.

 

801d5fe8ca3502290edcb4b12ad7a5b4

 

Why is it that….

Every time I think I have absolutely nothing to blog about?

I always manage to come up with something ridiculous.

 

 

You’re welcome.

 

A modern fairy tale.

 

Once upon a time there was a Princess.

We shall call her….

River.

 

IMG_E4666

 

(River has been called a lot of things in her day, but never a Princess.

So if you’re calling?

Make it loud.)

 

im-a-fucking-princess

 

Princess River loves her flowers. She plants them whenever and wherever she can.

And since the Princess lives in a kingdom that’s covered by snow and ice half of the year?

 

3a14c772a5c6a751acd91086e8c9402a

 

She takes her plantings seriously.

 

My-Hat-Is-A-Flower-Ur-Argument-Is-Invalid-Funny-Meme-Picture

 

When she first moved into her castle, she toiled long and hard until she had the biggest and most beautiful garden bed in the land.

In early summer it sprouted stunning displays of Lupine….

 

IMG_0266 (2)

 

And myriads of other riotous, colorful blooms all season long.

 

IMG_0087 (2)

 

Princess River was content.

 

IMG_0084 (2)

 

This went on for many happy years until her husband, the evil Prince, started mowing in close proximity to the bed. He also mowed in the wrong direction.

Bad Prince.

Bad!

She asked him to be more careful.

She pleaded with him to go the other way.

But month after month the dastardly toad blew grass clippings in to her carefully tended flower garden.

 

29u3rfhe

 

(You do.

And I shall…)

The Princess weeded, she turned the soil, she mulched….  but to no avail.

After a year or two, the grass took over.

 

IMG_4683

 

It choked all Princess River’s lovely flowers to death.

 

IMG_4684

 

Princess River was not happy.

She had to leave the castle and hump 12 bags of mulch across the moat.

 

IMG_4686

 

She had to wack down all her blooms, rake up the dead bodies, reset the brick border, lay weed block paper, re-mulch and reset the pavers that anchored the Royal Bath of Birds.

The sky darkened. The wind blew.

It started to rain.

And she ran out of mulch.

 

IMG_4688

 

(Mathematical coverage formulas were never her strong suit.)

Princess River had to abandon her project when a deluge of biblical proportion battered her royal self.

 

 

 

She will be victorious…. someday.

Until then she will slowly plot her revenge upon the evil Prince and his heinous grass cutting machines.

She will plan carefully.

The punishment must fit the crime.

 

 

 

 

Orange in da house!

 

Okay, technically…. outside the house.

 

IMG_0284

 

But I spotted a few of these beauties the other day…

 

Img_2541

 

And realized it was time to get the Baltimore Oriole feeder out.

20 minutes later…. after tearing the utility  (read – I don’t know where else to put all this crap)  closet apart, I remembered a raccoon had broken last year’s feeder trying to drink the nectar and I never replaced it.

 

yes-thats-rightfill

 

May in Maine means Orioles.

It also means there’s not a feeder to be had within 500 miles. We northerners are starved for color after a long white winter and take our bird feeding seriously.

Jeff Bezos to the rescue.

 

bezos

 

Good thing I don’t use Alexa.

 

IMG_0276

 

2 days later Amazon Prime came through with an interesting new triple threat feeder.

 

IMG_0280

 

A flat dish for nectar.

 

IMG_0291

 

Spikes for holding orange halves.

 

IMG_0282

 

And 4 reservoirs for grape jelly.

I’d never done the jelly before, but Holy Hell!  They love it.

Welch’s….

 

SAMSUNG

 

Giving birds diabetes since 1923.

 

Fat-bird-Meme

Good news, bad news.

 

Good news?

Our visiting Kestrel is back…

 

IMG_0179

 

And he brought a friend…

 

IMG_0167

 

(Apologies for the photo quality, I was at the utter limits of my zoom lens)

 

IMG_0171

 

They’re such pretty little things, and I enjoyed watching them fly around the yard all morning.

Until I heard a thump…

And looked out the window.

 

IMG_4516

 

Yeah.

 

 

Not for the dove anyway.

 

IMG_4518

 

Kestrels will be Kestrels.

 

IMG_4521

 

But it would have been nice if he’d finished his meal and not left me the pieces and parts clean up detail…

 

IMG_4522

 

As well as a blood stained lawn.

Okay, granted… it could be worse.

 

viezo5tf9ck21

 

But still….

 

 

 

 

If you fill it, they will come.

 

We watch the birds here at Casa River.

 

IMG_4330

 

Lots and lots of birds.

We also feed the birds.

Which brings all manner of beasts to our backyard to eat what falls on the ground…

On any given day you can see woodchucks, chipmunks, skunks, raccoons, squirrels, and fox.

 

IMG_4476

 

 

During the cold winter months, the birds eat me out of house and home.

I fill and fill and fill those feeders but their appetites seem to know no bounds.

But lately….

I’ve noticed the seed levels were dropping at an alarming rate.

In mere hours multiple feeders were stripped clean.

 

 

Ah.

That explains it.

(Photos and video taken 2 weeks ago. Even Maine is greening up by now.)

Air mail for bird nerds.

 

I love living in the country….

Because you never know who will drop by.

Or deliver the mail.

 

IMG_0153

 

The other day?

 

IMG_0151

 

It was this little beauty.

 

IMG_0154

 

An American Kestrel.

We have many birds of prey fly over head…. Bald Eagles, Red Tail Hawks, Golden Eagles, Ospreys .

 

C_X-13AWAAAh3OS

 

We have a Sharp Shinned Hawk who plucks mourning doves off our bird feeders.

 

bc968909fed5cbaa84344d6801f5caff

 

Yes, even the ones in disguise.

We have a Barred Owl who perches on our deck railing waiting for mice to scurry by.

 

92e3cb9006d64d55548366d9ccb0b176

 

But this Kestrel is the first one I’ve seen on our property in the 18 years we’ve lived here.

For bird lovers like us?

It’s a beautiful thing.

 

wejidf