Neighbor's Out and About

Saturday, May 15, 2021

It's so nice to start seeing some of the things you only see until the temps start warming up. 

Mike, our neighbor across the street, is washing one of his three cars.

Deb, next door, is chasing an evil bunny around her yard to get it away from her hostas which it is in the process of obliterating. It's taken up residence under her deck. 

A robin has taken up residence in our yard and built a nest on one of our drain spouts. The eggs have hatched and Dale and I have seen her bring food to feed her babies. 

Bird Nest

November 19, 2016

Discovered this nest on the day of the first snowfall.

Blue Jays

I've always loved the bluejay. Too bad he has such and annoying call. They were quite the presence this year.

Red Breasted Robin

Been seein' a lot of these.

Blue Jay

Heard a blue jay just the other day before a rainstorm. It's been a while since I've heard that distinctive call.

The Cardinal

Have heard the cardinal a few times this season but can never see him. The above example is something I found in a second hand store yesterday while out and about with my friend Noel.

The Birds

Crows have been gathering en masse over the last few days and they've been cawing loudly. The photo shows Jim and Megan's backyard silver maple with a bunch of them. Our front yard silver maple had a good number as well. I took Athena out for a walk just before 5 p.m. and the skies and trees were so full it looked like something out of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. At times I'd look up and there were so many flying above that it reminded me of  the scene from The Wizard of Oz  when the flying monkeys are released.

Little Bird

This little one flew into the garage the other day just as I was about to close the door and didn't seem too anxious to leave as I approached to take a picture.  She flew out the next day. 

Norbert

I found a baby bird on our front walk yesterday that I assumed was pushed out of his nest.  His eyes were closed and he was writhing a little by moving his feet and what are supposed to become wings.  I named him Norbert.  I checked online to see if I could find some answers regarding the best way to handle the situation.  Birds that are somewhat closer to being able to fly have their feathers.  Their first attempts at flight will sometimes result in failure.  These birds are called fledglings.  The bird's parents will continue to tend to the fledgling.  It's an old wives tale that human scent on a baby bird will drive the mother away.  It is okay to put the fledgling back in the nest if it can be determined where the nest is.  A naked baby bird or a baby bird with no or few feathers is called a nestling.  The parents don't have a way to get it to the nest so it's okay to place it back in the nest.  If the nest can't be accessed it's okay to use a small plastic container with drainage holes and a lining of paper towels. eHow says: "Understand that the baby bird may have been pushed out of the nest by its siblings and could get pushed out again.  This is a natural behavior that allows only the strongest to survive and procreate."  Sadly, Norbert died this afternoon.

Uncommon Gardens

Yesterday Noel and I stopped by Uncommon Gardens. Since there's not much to put in the garden at this point I bought something else for the garden that I thought would look nice. I love birds. They remind me of my Baba.

The Birds

Dale and I sat on the porch last night and listened to the birds. They sounded beautiful.