Hooting Owls and CaaCaaing Crows

Retiring Baby Boomers have taken up bird watching in a big way.  This I have been told.  While usually I like to buck the trend this is one hobby I seem to be developing rapidly and it is with a real thrill that I can tell you I now know that I have a supsucker woodpecker in my yard.  All these years I have been shaking in my boots, afraid that I was going to get punished to the fullest extent of the law because I thought I had a pine tree with that horrid pest, the pine beetle.  I had that tree from a mere little sucker twig and now it waves bravely well above my roof line and I was terrified that I had somehow gotten the disease.  What a relief to discover that the signs on the tree are evidence of a supsucker; while not good it is not going to kill the tree and better yet, it won’t destroy other trees.

The other day I was startled while brushing my teeth in seeing a huge goose in  my mirror.  Looking outdoors i discovered that I currently have a nesting pair in my yard, thanks to my fishpond and Mom putting lots of delectable waste in the compost pile.  They were enjoying the leftover corn on the cob that morning.  Now I just have to worry about them biting my butt when they get territorial.  I can picture Mom and I running towards the house with our hands protecting those ample rear ends.  What a way to get a workout.

I have a wide range of birds around my place, magpies, crows, woodpeckers, sparrows, swallows, brown thrasher, flickers, pheasants, partridge, geese, ducks, owls, hawks, finches of various kinds, yellow headed blackbird, grackles, and the ever present robin.  Last year we were thrilled to see a hummingbird in our bougainvillea vine and I understand from my sister and Mom that it returned this spring.  What I have yet to see is a blue bird.  A winter project for my brother will be to build me some blue bird houses that we can set up along our fence line next spring. 

Appreciating nature by sharing it with birds is priceless.  Waking up to bird song is one of my favorite summer pleasures. 

My cup runneth over.