Yard birds report

It is a delightful season for us. All the birds and bees are in mating mode. I love the songs. Each day the leaf buds get a little bigger. We'll lose our sunsets, but nature unfurls.

Phoebe is proudly atop the purple pencil. It's a great vantage point. They should hatch in a couple of days.

Here is Momma phoebe. Tucked in the nest in the corner. We had ice on the bird bath Monday morning. 

The lilac tree is budding up, and the rose-breasted grosbeak was bug hunting. Bless their hearts.

You can see why so many bird counts should be done in May. They are breeding, singing in top form, and you can see them between the leaves.

Merlin is giving me some valuable information. 

It helps to know what to look for. This is a pair of Yellow-rumped Warblers. They were off in the distance, in the birch trees out back. Even with a zoom lens, it was tricky. This is the male.

The female was nearby. Hard to see her, but she is in the upper right. of the photo. Trust me! They are well-camouflaged.

I have found a bird new to me. 'Lifer' for someone who volunteers in hospice work just doesn't sound right to me! 

 Cinnamon and I were out front and I heard a bird. Next we had a towhee who visited. Merlin told me what it was. I am always dubious!

 

 It came to the bird feeder, but was shy! 

Also heard: Common Yellowthroat!

This bird eludes me. It looked more like a green heron on my iPhone. I wondered if it was a mistake, but it is a small one. I looked it up!

👂Listen, because there is no way I could spot it! 

Yay, SPRING!

Trip to Ottawa: the birthday celebration!

 Aster turns 16 today. We brought some surprises on Sunday when we visited after the concert.  

These require some explanation! Grampa didn't know what the emoji meant. I explained when it arrived, and we all thought it just a hoot. "Holy 💩 I'm 16! " 

Next present was a kit to grow greens. She has a green thumb and grows several plants.  I've sent the same package to our kids in Vancouver for their birthdays. What do you find that is new for people who have everything?! 

Also, I gifted her a pair of earrings we'd bought at a local artisan's show. They kept sliding off the cardboard. I wrapped it in a piece of lace I found. This came from her dress I'd made back in the day, 2014. I am surprised how fast the years went. Faster than when I noticed in my own children. You turn around and they are writing their G1 driver's licence, or going to university!

We said our good byes, and toddled on home.

We joked about height, and she stood on tip toes. 

I wrote Aster a poem!

It is such an epic stage of life for us. We've been so involved with the kids with Gramma Camps, and having them over for week-long visits. Having Jordan off in his own apartment in Kingston really helps it hit home. I am verklempt! 

Crumbly Acres Blossoms

Wow, what a change in temperatures. It is just 2 ℃ Wednesday morning.  It was up to 24℃ Wednesday afternoon. Today (Thursday) it was below zero and the bird bath froze. (Yes, I unplugged the heater!) I'm almost afraid to go out and check them.

Lenten Lily

daffodils

A porcupine ambled across the backyard, coming up from the gully to feed on weeds.

Tuesday, April 29th, the storm passed over.

We did some good work, cleaning out the garage. The oak leaves were everywhere. It rather overwhelmed me mentally, but I asked Joe for help. It's such a big job. I decided to give myself permission to just do one side, in a manageable goal. We have a pile ready to go to the dump. I think we should wait until I clean out the shed. 

periwinkle

The trees are in blossom. The grass is very green.

We were headed into town for COVID boosters. This was the windy day. This kind passenger leapt out of the car and moved the recycling bin off the road. Good for her!

The tulips are coming along.

The daffodils have popped up. These were planted in 2023.

YAY SPRING!

Deer and bunny

 Here we go! It's a chilly one, again. Yes, -14℃! 

That said, knowing the importance of outdoor play, I toddled down to the trailcam. I had my booklet with me, as the settings were quite wrong! I had over 800 images. Either it both too quick a trigger, plus a 1-minute delay in the trigger. 

This just makes me laugh! It could have been a great photo.

Indoor play, I redid my sun. 

The amaryllis and paperwhites have been planted. 

The sunset was glorious from the front deck. Now, I could have run down the driveway, except it was pretty cold.  There are days when I wish we had a second floor, or a tower!

This was through the bathroom window, including the screen! And the satellite antenna. Not so bad.

We had Labbit the cottontail visit. They have to be cold and hungry!

   

 We had deer visit, as well. They nibble on dead garden plants.

 

The big news in Ottawa is that the Rideau Canal will be open for skating on Saturday. This is early, even for a 'normal' year. That's how cold it's been. It didn't open long (10 days?) last year. The year before it did not open at all. We've been calling it Waterlude, rather than the February Winterlude Festival.