Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Birds and The Dude

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Daddy Robin, ever vigilant, constantly tracking our movements. Even when one of us is on the porch, he flies over to the big maple to keep an eye on us. Bless him.

And he needs to keep vigilant because there are babies! I mowed a bit yesterday and as I was unlocking the shed –  the nest is just to the left of the door – I quickly took a peek and I could see the top of little feathery heads, moving back and forth. There are at least two of them, maybe three. Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

(I took this photo from far away, with my telephoto lens.) He was in a tree near the shed. Watching me.

This morning we saw the groundhog, a chipmunk, and – of course – Daddy Robin.

I mowed as quickly as possible yesterday because I was mowing the corral and the area of grass to the left of the shed. I had just discovered the babies and I didn’t want to prolong any parental stress. So I tackled the area near the shed first and moved further and further away from them – until I had to wheel the lawnmower back into the shed, but I did that very quickly.

The Dude.

Ever laid back and zen, he just hangs out and enjoys the view. He is our role model.

Today is take it easy day. Mowing outside is always tiring, mostly because of my allergies. Pollen is crazy right now and I’m allergic to grass pollen. But I really like mowing and I’m not about to give it up. It’s so satisfying! It’s also great exercise.

It’s another beautiful day. I find myself longing for a little rain, but it looks like we won’t have any for a while. Ants have appeared in our kitchen, looking for water. This happens every spring, but if it’s especially dry, they become more of a problem.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Puzzle and a Bird Nest Question

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It’s coming along. I’m in the tedious part of this puzzle; trying to figure out where the leaf pieces go. Once I get those in, along with the blue background, I’ll work on the edges. This is the kind of puzzle where, if I figure out where 5 pieces go during a session, I’m thrilled.

I just heard a Carolina wren calling from our maple tree. Soon enough his/her partner appeared. And they perched right outside the birdhouse. I think one went in. Now, I’m wondering: we haven’t got around to neatening up the nest that was turned on end when the squirrel knocked the little trailer out of position last year. That’s an awkward sentence, but I hope you get the idea. We were going to attempt to do that this week. When the squirrel incident occurred last spring, they never came back. Do we mess with it? Should we clean it out? Or should we just leave it? Last year they started adding materials to what was already there from the previous spring. Then, once the nest tipped a bit – even though we righted it – they didn’t come back. They’re perfectly capable of pushing everything back down and adding material.

I’ve googled this and some birds come back to the same place and add to their previous nests and some don’t. The jury is out on Carolina wrens. Some sites say yes, they’ll come back, and some say no. I do know that the male will show his mate 3 or 4 options. She picks the nesting site in the end. They left very quickly after they had briefly checked out the birdhouse. But it is perfect for them, and safe.

Any thoughts? I’d sure like to have them back this year.

Thank goodness, it appears to be sunny out there. Yesterday was gray and messy and downright depressing. Hopefully, more of the snow will melt and we can say goodbye to the slush on our driveway.

Petra: this is the wig that Katie arrived in. I like the braids, but the back of the wig is sort of messy. I still have it and I suspect I’ll use it again at some point. I did undo the braids and it looked cute, but it was too thin and wispy. Wigs slip, even with a silicone wig cap in place. So, every time I pose her, I have to tweak the wig a bit. What she really needs is a scalp which is attached to the face plates. But I haven’t found one I like yet.

Okay. Don has to tape an audition and I suspect he’s waiting for me to finish this post, as I read all the lines that aren’t his.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

A Nest Duplex

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The robin’s nest that I removed (and put back) turns out to be two nests, one built on the other. They’re completely attached and the whole thing is a marvel. This nest is “nestled” in the climbing hydrangea on the shed.

It was not at all easy to get it back in there, but I think I did it. I’ll check on it today. But, back to the nests, here’s another view:

Extraordinary. How do they do it? Beautifully constructed, neat, tight as a drum. A nest duplex.

The nest would sometimes slip down in the branches, which is why – I think – the other nest is in a different position.

Gorgeous day today – I think it’s time to do a little mowing.

We stayed up way too late last night watching the season final of Stranger Things. Unbelievable! We had made a vow to stop halfway through and finish it off tonight, but it was so gripping that we quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen.

Now we have to find something new to watch.

I’m just about finished with my puzzle. I’ll take a picture of it when I’m done. Another one is arriving today. I guess I’ve become an all-seasons puzzle solver! It’s my Zen.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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