Sunday Muse

"How the waiting countryside thrills with joy
when Bluebird brings us the first word of returning spring. 
Reflecting heaven from his back and the ground from his breast,
he floats between sky and earth like the winged voice of hope."
- W. L. Dawson, Birds of Ohio, 1903

Spring Birds

Spring Birds, a photo by Sheeps and Peeps Farm on Flickr.

With summer just around the corner, we thought you might enjoy this look back at spring 'out our window'.

Sunday Muse

"True hope is swift and flies with swallows wings..."
~ Richard III, Act V, Scene II, William Shakespeare

Signs of Spring

"Spring has returned.

The earth is like a child that knows poems."

~Ranier Maria Rilke

Not quite sure if you can see it or not, but there is a slight hint of red in our mountains, a sure sign that spring is finally arriving.  Flocks of starlings are flying through, coltsfoot are blooming by the roadside, bluebirds are back at the nest boxes and maple tree buds are swelling. 

Weekly Top Shot

This little fledgling (tree sparrow?) baby bluebird somehow flew to the pickup tailgate during morning chores.  Then miraculously made it to a nearby tree. 

Joining The View From Right Here for Weekly Top Shot

solstice to solstice :: bare

bare

one lonely bare branch

the favorite hang out for crows

and the occasional hawk

caught in a sunbeam

between storms

response to week five of the thirteen weeks of summer

the solstice to solstice project at urban.prairie.forest

Weekly Top Shot

This young robin was busy turning leaves over looking for bugs and (I think) water... before pausing to give me the eye. 

joining The View From Right Here for Weekly Top Shot

Clean-Up Crew

Affectionately known as the Clean-Up Crew, this gang of sparrows waits quite impatiently while the ewes and lambs are fed.  When everyone has wandered away, it takes no time at all before the ground and feeders are once again very busy, but this time with fluttering wings and loud chirping.

(Please, don't forget to comment on Wednesday's - It's A Give-Away post!)

Bird Watching

Although a very busy weekend, it was almost impossible to ignore all the wild bird activity... 

a Purple Finch and its mate visiting the platform feeder outside the dishwashing window... 

a pair of Bluebirds guarding their territory in the late evening light...

some Barn Swallows took turns standing guard...

while others were waiting to be fed...

and not one... but two Pileated Woodpeckers treating us to a yard side visit.

While we were enjoying the glimpses of wild bird life between chores, Barncat Davita found it a challenge to get anywhere, moving at a very slow pace, crawling on her belly a few steps at a time while she was being dive-bombed alternately by Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows.  Apparently she has a very bad reputation in the bird world.  And then it was nearly impossible to ignore Barncat Spot's bizarre behavior, as she spent her entire Sunday afternoon on this rafter, obsessively watching one corner of the barn roof; a corner where, try as we might, we could find nothing to warrant all this attention.

You know... honestly... it's never dull around here.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.

A single photo - no words - capturing a single moment from the week

A simple, special extraordinary moment.

A moment to pause, savor and remember.

Participating with the SouleMama blog.

Closer to Spring

Slowly but surely we are inching closer to spring ~ the maple tree buds are swelling and  so are the daffodils.  The roadside wildflower coltsfoot are popping out and beginning to bloom.  The cardinals' springtime dance has begun ~ with first a glimpse... a glance... a flit... and a flutter.

In just one short week, it will be official... it will be spring!

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a single moment from the week
A simple, special extraordinary moment.
A moment to pause, savor and remember.
Participating with the SouleMama blog

Friday's Fences

We're pretty excited about the Return of the Robins around here...

Linking up with Life According to Jan and Jer for Friday's Fences

Kitchen Window Entertainment

Facing a sink full of last night's dishes is a whole lot easier and much more entertaining, when in the company of these little friends.  The flurry of activity, their song, their acrobatics at the sink window's platform feeder never fail to provide amusement.  Although they might make the whole process take just a little bit longer than really necessary, dishes are done with a smile on your face.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a single moment from the week.
A simple, special extraordinary moment.
A moment to pause, savor and remember.
Participating with the SouleMama blog

The Business of Barn Swallows

We have been so lucky to have a huge flock of barn swallows visiting the pastures every evening.  It is so pleasant to watch them swoop and glide through the paddocks eating hundreds of mosquitos, gnats, etc.  They gather on the roof line, and almost like synchronized swimmers, they dive off and go about their business vacuuming the bugs from the air.  In about an hour, they are done and fly off; only to reappear like clockwork the next evening.

Sunday Muse

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."

-- Maya Angelou

New Abode

The barn swallows have abandoned last year's nest. Perhaps because of the barncats' intense birdwatching activities last year, they have moved about 12 feet away. For about a week, the pair have been carefully engineering what will become their nestlings new abode.

They finished their work this weekend, and the new nest is complete with this fancy little guinea feather flag! We will be watching closely as the egg laying and then brooding will now begin in earnest.

Murder of Crows

The murder of crows gathers in small groups... watching... waiting... for what must seem to them to be the perfect moment.





One by one, they fly in... deliver a short hypnotic speech, then proceed to pick at the ice that has formed on the sheep's backs. Once loosened the ice is plucked from the sheep and carried off to the tree tops.
This has become a somewhat bizarre morning ritual, and has prompted the questions...
Are they thirsty? Hungry? Or could this peculiar behavior be caused by their fondness of dog food?

Sunday Muse

Stout-hearted bird,

When thy blithe note I heard

From out the wind-warped tree—

Chick-a-dee-dee--

There came to me
A sense of triumph, an exultant breath

Blown in the face of death.

For what are harsh and bitter circumstances

When the heart dances,

And pipes to rattling branch and icy lea
Chick-a-dee-dee!

Sing loud, sing loud,

Against that leaden cloud,

That draggeth drearily,

Chick-a-dee-dee.
Pour out thy free

Defiance to the sharpest winds that blow

And still increasing snow.

By courage, faith, and joy art thou attended,

And most befriended
By thine own heart, that bubbleth cheerily,

Chick-a-dee-dee!

"The Chickadee" by Ethelwyn Wetherald