animals — Page 13

Berries, Birds, Bugs & Books

July 16, 2016 at 9:50 am by Claudia

7-16 wildblackraspberries

We have a bumper crop of black raspberries this year. They grow wild all over the back forty. Some years, we’re busy and we forget to pick them, but this year we’ve been on top of it. Don went up there yesterday and came back with a bowlful.

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Oh my goodness! They are so good!

I managed to capture (digitally) this catbird in the birdbath this morning:

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You can see the water splashing as he dunks himself in the water over and over again. Catbirds are known for loving baths, but it’s been so hot here that we’ve had a constant line for a dip in the pool. I see finches, robins, catbirds and mourning doves. Finches are polite, they share the bath. Robins take up all of the pool space and don’t want to share. Catbirds are a little less territorial, but since their bath rituals are so exuberant, no one can get in there anyway. Mourning Doves, like the classy birds they are, sit on the edge of the bath for quite a while, then take a dip. Then they sit on the edge again and rest.

All of them are very careful; they check for any possible predators several times before they jump into the water. Then they check again when they hop up onto the rim.

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Post dip.

Birds, bunnies, groundhogs – often they’re all out there at the same time, just outside our window.

Speaking of creatures…

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What kind of bug do we think this guy is? I saw him on this coneflower the other day. The next day, he was on another coneflower. There was no damage that I could see. He is incredibly tiny (this was taken on Macro) and I’m fascinated by him.

As I said, it’s been very hot and humid here, so apart from watering the baby plants in the chicken wire fence garden and the memorial garden, adding water to the birdbath several times a day and watering the potted plants, I’ve stayed inside. I’ve been restless, though. I don’t do too well in humidity and I’m having trouble concentrating on anything for any length of time. I did finish my third Jo Nesbø mystery and I made a special trip to the bookstore to get the next one in the series. I’m reading them in chronological order.

He is a wonderful writer who hails from Norway and his protagonist, Harry Hole, is flawed and human and fascinating. These police procedurals are so well crafted! I recommend them highly. I knew of Nesbø, but hadn’t read any of his books until I overheard a conversation at The Mysterious Bookshop in Manhattan. A young woman who is a book blogger (I don’t know her name) was talking to another customer and she raved about this series, even going so far as to say it was her favorite series.

“Hmmmm,” I thought. “Perhaps I should check him out.” The Mysterious Bookshop conveniently shelves books in chronological order (but if you’re unsure, they are a fount of knowledge) so I grabbed the very first one and now I’m hooked.

I love those overheard conversations in bookshops. At The Mysterious Bookshop, they are often between staff and customers, with the staff recommending some author or another. I learn a lot that way.

Another hot one ahead.

Happy Saturday.

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Hijinks

June 18, 2016 at 9:51 am by Claudia

Late afternoon animal hijinks at the cottage.

Baby bunny was munching on the grass in the memorial garden.

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I have to shoot these pictures through our windows, so they are not the best quality. But oh, is this one a cutie.

I looked up and saw Henry slowly walking towards the shed and disappearing into the entrance to his home. And then about 5 minutes later, I saw a groundhog near the garden. I don’t think it was Henry because this one didn’t look quite as big, but I can’t be sure – Henry sightings have been few and far between this summer.

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Hmmm….what is he thinking, I wonder?

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And he’s going in.

Which prompted an opening of the front door on my part in an attempt to dissuade him from chomping on my garden. What he loves, I think, is the crown vetch that you can see everywhere in these photos. Crown vetch can be invasive and I regularly yank it when it threatens other plants in the garden.

But it also spills over the edges of the garden. So I don’t mind him eating it as long as he doesn’t decimate it – it comes back very quickly.

Nevertheless, I’m keeping my eye on him! I could see evidence that he’d been there before.

6-18 crownvetch

The crown vetch is in bloom at the moment and it’s quite beautiful. Remember yesterday’s post where I said I hadn’t seen very many bumblebees? Well, I did yesterday; apparently, they love these blooms.

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Don is really enjoying Instagram and is taking a lot of photos, so I gave him my old Canon to play around with. Early evening found us both outside taking pictures. He has a great eye.

Essential reading from yesterday’s New York Times. Absolutely essential.

Enjoy your weekend, my friends.

Happy Saturday.

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Flora and Fauna Update

June 16, 2016 at 8:34 am by Claudia

I’m afraid my posts are going to be rose-heavy for a while! The new roses from Martha are so beautiful and each new bloom is perfection. I deliberately purchased two pots with the roses already growing instead of bare root roses. I’ve also purchased bare root roses in the past, but this time I wanted to see some blooms quickly.

The At Last roses:

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And my Lady Elsie May bush started blooming. It’s in the front-of-the-house garden bed. Both that bush and the Julia Child bush were in such bad shape last summer, due to two brutal winters in a row, that I thought they were goners. I cut the dead wood back as best I could, then did another trim this spring. They’re sort of unattractive at the moment, a mixture of old and new growth, but they’re blooming!

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Huzzah!

I was outside yesterday, pulling weeds, watering the plants, filling the bird bath – which was the site of constant bathing and drinking activity yesterday. Non-stop. Even the bees and bugs were sipping the water. As I walked around the front of the property, the scent from the Catalpa tree blossoms kept wafting through the air. I don’t know if you’ve ever smelled a Catalpa blossom, but the scent is heavenly. The blooms are open on all the Catalpa trees around here – there are a lot of them in this neck of the woods. Heck, we have three Catalpas, but two of them are up in the wooded area of the property.

6-15 catalpablossoms

The blossoms are beautiful and delicate. Catalpas have big heart-shaped leaves.

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I sat on the glider and read for a while, listening to the bird song and watching the activity all over the property. It was very soothing, which was what I needed.

Critter update: I saw Henry the other day. I hadn’t seen him for weeks, but there he was, resting on the ramp that leads to the shed door.

Don spotted the baby fox a couple of days ago. Once again, he trotted across the street, causing cars to slow down and us to shoo him away from the street. Yesterday, I looked out the kitchen door and he was in our yard (he’s bigger now) so I opened the door. He looked up at me and ran around the back side of the shed.

This morning, my favorite Mourning Dove was in the new Memorial Garden bed, and two bunnies (Mom and baby) were chomping on the grass. The dove used to have a mate, but I haven’t seen the other dove this year, so he/she must have died. That makes me sad. I think my favorite bird is the Mourning Dove. In fact, I can hear her right now. The call is so beautiful (I love anything in a minor key) and they are so gentle. I see her at the birdbath every once in a while, too.

Don’s day on the set of Mr. Robot went well, but he was pretty exhausted by the time he got home last night. He is supposed to shoot two more episodes in the coming weeks.

And there you go.

Happy Thursday.

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Berries, Birds, Bugs & Books

Hijinks

Flora and Fauna Update

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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