birds and more birds

Just a  little update on the raven and the crow.
While I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, I suspect that having a hungry raven in the neighbourhood doesn't bode well for little crow nestlings.

Mr. Raven just appears to be rummaging through last year's hay that remained after baling.

There seems to be lots of little things to eat underneath for he has returned each day, morning and evening for an inspection.

He has very good eyesight and can often see me move behind my window. So he's good at gauging the crow dives and making himself big to keep the crow at bay.

The crow was determined this day and did several successions of double dives, looping down and up,

then down and up again.

How's a raven, minding his own business, to have a peaceful breakfast?

Again with the diving

and, oh dear, again.

The raven was getting very practised at returning to his foraging after each crow swoop

 

as he immediately gathered himself

but, really! This odd photo looks like the raven began to fly but it's probably a hop

Here he just ducks

I've kept these photos sequential, but you can tell by this edited amount that this business went on for a while

The raven was getting tired of the whole thing

and eventually gave up and flew off

All this drama and there's Muji behind me patiently waiting for breakfast.

I couldn't leave you with such a story without something more uplifting,

so I got out my trusty (?) camera, and headed out for the garden,

but not before taking another shot of this revamped vignette that I've changed since Monday.

Out the back door Forget-Me-Nots are blooming by the composter

New leaves on the Japanese maple are looking rather raggedy before they plump up,

rather like newborn birds, all scraggly

In back of the garage, Wally replanted the wandering Goji Berry bush that gave us a nice little crop last year, but needed an arbour out of harms way so we thought this might do.

Out by the back corner there are more forget-me-nots under the maples

I kept hearing birdsong rather close by

and was surprised to see this bold little song sparrow in the old wild rose vines

preening

and singing a merry melody

As I walked through the yard I found some white Forget-Me-Nots

under the white blossoms of the cherry tree

a starling sang to me

then more came and went

here is a happy foursome that can't wait to plunder the cherries as they do each year

I'm so tickle I caught one about to land, feet first. 

And that is all for now.

I keep hoping to have something creative to share with you soon.

til then

peace in our hearts

a tuesday in may

The rains of April have finally come, and this week is proving to be a soggy one.

But there is some respite from it all and certainly the valley is coming along in her spring regalia

It is a sweet middle time between bare branches and full dress code

One of our little spring gardens is blooming.

Wally calls this Mary and Joseph, a plant from his childhood

It blooms pink and blue and mixed pink and blue blossoms

Daffodils are always a treat

I love their frilly centres

and the Forget-Me-Nots are blooming!

That means no mowing of the lawn for at least another week

I'd forgotten that they start off pink, doing a reasonable job of faking a Mary and Joseph

And the Cherry tree!

The neighbour's cherry tree leans into our yard .

From this slant you can see the petals backlit by the morning sun

(and the other side of Forget-Me-Not Cabin) as we look to the east

I will always think of Leona and her wish to go to Japan in spring when the cherry blossoms bloom 

Looking down the hill at Wally's garden that he dug out on the last weekend of April

The little peach tree to the south side of it is loaded with blossoms

How will it ever stand the weight of this year's peaches? It looks like there will be 4 times as many peaches as last year when it bent almost to breaking

Looking back up the hill at the cherry tree.

Just below it is a flowering bush that I still don't know the name of, here it's blossoms still furled.

Alongside the south end of Forget-Me-Not Cabin the gopher or (Wally thought) a skunk has dug up a good chunk of lawn looking for grubs. The palettes that made the deer barrier have fallen over.

As I walk to the other side of the cabin, I spy the raven

He sees me too and ponders what to do

the solution

Not much later, in the front of the garage, two thirsty crows come to have a drink

One preens while the other walks off with what appears to be a leaf

drinking

It's moments like this when I have good vantage that I regret my puny camera

I try to bump out the shadows

I  try for a sepia effect

The crow appears to dance. Soon they're gone.

I come back to the kitchen table for an impromptu visit with Babu

who gives me meaningful looks as he requests some attention

plea-ea-ease?

Some table rubbing

and some monkeying around

some sniffing

and some more monkeying around

He manages to pull the placemat closer to him

to have a sniff

and a taste

I pull the placemat back but that doesn't faze

my earnest boy