Ready for Residents

As is evident from earlier posts, I am a total nut when it comes to birds.. the outdoor kind. Not a fan of birds in cages.  I grew up watching and listening to sparrows, doves, cardinals, jays, mockingbirds, hummingbirds and more.  And I have carried that love.. instilled by my mother.. into adulthood and passed it on to at least one of my kids. Over the years we have watched birds build nests.. seen babies fly for the first time.. buried a few that the neighborhood cats or our dogs have gotten.. saved a hummer we were certain was dead.. and spent many hours watching with a Field Guide in our hand to id new to us birds.  So it is not surprise that our yard is geared towards birds. My sweet husband landscaped our back yard years ago and made certain we had flowering plants and plants that have berries to attract birds.. as well as bird baths, feeders and houses. And he even put my glider out in the midst of it so I could sit and take it all in. :-)  He is a good man!

We have had bluebird houses on the fence line for many years. Every February we clean them out and wait for the scouts to come exploring. We have watched the mama and papa bluebirds build the nest and even seen them going in and out to feed babies. They don't like to be watched... they are very covert.. I call them secret agent birds. Only once have I seen the babies fly.  I was outside doing laundry and heard a sound, turned around and there they were. It was one of the most precious things I have ever seen.

Several years ago some other kind of bird pecked at one of the houses and made the entrance hole larger.. which meant the bluebirds stopped using it.  Both houses were looking ratty and in need of repair or replacement. Then our neighbor decided it was time to replace the fence, so we had to remove the houses before it came down.  We decided this was a good opportunity for new ones.  Soon we learned that the carpenter where my husband works makes bluebird houses and we ordered up 2 new ones. He brought them in this week and hubs got right to hanging them up.  Here they are on the fence row..

and here is a close up...

I was sooo excited to see them there. But even more excited the next day when I saw Chickadees going in and out of one the next day!  Chickadees are one of my most favorite birds. Did some research and found that they will nest in Bluebird houses. Had no idea!!!

I have not seen them back there, but the following day I saw bluebirds checking out the new digs.

So hopefully we will see someone moving in soon. I have a small bowl full of thread scraps from sewing that I plan to toss out once I see nest building activity.  Would be fun to see bits of it in the nests around the yard.

As for the old houses, they are on a shelf in the carport.  This winter the wrens and sparrows used them to get out of the cold and rain.  We are expecting nests to be built in them this spring too. We have wrens in the carport somewhere every spring. They are too cute but sooo loud!

Hopefully I will be able to snap some photos of our winged friends... maybe even a shot of a bluebird!  That would be a coup!

What is that Noise?

A week or so ago, I was outside and I heard a rat-tat-tat. We have several River Birches in our yard that are old and in bad shape. They will probably be coming down in the next year or so, which makes me sad.  A woodpecker had discovered a damaged section and was having a blast.  I even caught a photo of him at work....

The next day, I was walking in the yard ago and was right under the tree when once again I heard his rat-tat-tat.  I looked up and there was the hole he had made earlier and sticking out of it.. his tail!  It was priceless!  That tail was moving in rhythm to his tapping. So much fun to watch. Then one of the pups heard someone speak in another yard and felt the need to make his presence known with a bark.  The tapping stopped and then Mr. Woodpecker popped his head out and looked all around before flying up into the safety of the higher branches.

I tried to get photos and videos, but it just wasn't to be. But I have great memories in my mind of watching a funny bird that day.  As I have started before, I love birds and the Lord has blessed us with many in our yard to entertain and delight us!

Yard Update

Thought I would share some photos to show where things are with the yard and all the flowers and such...

My husband plants a lot of the same plants each year.. plants we love like petunias and verbena..

 but he always enjoys adding something new to the mix. This years newbie is Agapanthus.. Lily of the Nile.  These plants grow sooo tall!  We have to whose blooms are just about to open that are easily 3 feet or more. We have 2 others (pictured below) that are not as tall and have nice open blooms.   I love the soft lavender / lilac color.

We have Asiatic Jasmine in our bed and I love it!  It has spread and filled in some bare spots and is so rich and lush with color. I really do love it!

And I shared earlier about our confederate jasmine. It continues to grow and bloom profusely!  Love it too!

When we planted these beds years ago, my husband's new discovery was Anthony Waterer Spirea.  We planted two and have enjoyed watching them grow and bloom with these bright pinky-purple flowers.

A few years later we planted a third... only to discover its blooms are white and a lighter purple.  We love them both.

As always I have herbs growing and yes, I use them in cooking!  In fact last weekend our son used some of the mint to make Blueberry-Mint-Lemonade.  I, for some reason, failed to snap a photo of the mint or the oregano... but here are the other 3 we have this year..

Isn't this thyme lovely.. so green!

Rosemary... one of my favorites!

Basil... ranks up there with Rosemary!  I use a bunch of both of these,

While out in the yard, I noticed the blue birds going in and out of the house.  Couldn't catch the Mr. but got a nice shot of the Mrs.

The day before these photos were taken we had some rain and wind.  Our River Birches always loose some twigs and such. A nice size limb fell that day. Mia had to investigate, but deemed it safe and went on to better things.  

Be Joy-filled!

Enjoying the Rain

It has been raining all day here today... some pretty heavy rain at times. But this afternoon it has tapered off to a steady slow rhythm that has enticed the birds to come out of their hiding places and play!  I wish I could video tape them. Their antics and singing is so fun!  I have seen a mockingbird splashing in a puddle... hubby saw a blue bird enjoying a break from nest watching to have a splash.  The cardinals are singing as loud as they can and getting what little food is left in the feeders. Of course the finches and sparrows and chickadees are flitting here and there. But the surprise for me came when I saw a male Rose Breasted Grosbeak on the bird feeder... and he didn't fly away as I ran in the house for the camera and then got as close as I could for a shot!  The rain and lack of sunshine don't make these these prettiest photo ever, but still... he was fun to watch.

He had a lady friend with him, but she was camera shy. After all it is raining, no doubt her feathers are a mess!  LOL!  

Thank you, Lord for birds!  

Feed the Birds..

In the movie Mary Poppins there is a lovely song that says "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag...." It is about a little old lady in the park called the bird lady who sells bags of crumbs for others to feed the pigeons.

Well I have no bags of crumbs to sell, I am not in a park and their are no pigeons here. .. and I am not an old lady .. yet!  But I do love birds and they find plenty of feed and water and even shelter in our yard.  Yes, there are 2 wild wiener dogs who live here. One has always ignored the birds.. the other use to always bark at them, but they ignored him.. so now he just occasionally raises his voice to them.

Living in the sunny south, we have a wide variety of birds year round. Some make their home here... some vacation here in winter.. some just pass through.  No matter. I love them all.

We have blue birds scouting around for a place to make their nest. We are once again advertising 2 lovely condos on our fence. They have recently been cleaned out and are close to the local pub which provides an all you can eat buffet 24 / 7 and plenty of water for drinking and bathing. I have no doubt a couple will snatch it up soon.

We also have cardinals.. these lovely red birds are my mother's favorite birds and so they hold a special place in my heart.  I recently got to watch a couple dining at one of our feeders and even got a few photos...

Here is the husband chatting with a little finch....

And here is the Mrs. waiting her turn...

Take some time to stop and watch the bird today.. they are fascinating creatures.  

Still Winter????

So technically it is still winter and while it is not unusual for us to have warm days .. really all year long down here!... we are definitely having a burst of Spring Fever!  The grass is growing and green (my fellas mowed for the first time this season today!)... buds are poppin' out on plants... flowers are blooming... birds are out looking for homes... I really am feeling like it is mid to late March not February.

I love the weather we are having ... everything is feeling fresh and new and at the same time wonderfully familiar...

Our winter pansies were basically dead... not any more! And yes, that hummingbird feeder is full as it the other one in our yard. The finches love to drink from them and we will probably have hummers here within a month.

The daylillies are waking up....

but the Iris' are ahead of them... 

It may be difficult to see the new growth on that Spirea, but check out that daisy.. yep that is a dead bloom which means some time in the last week we had an open bloom!  I hate that I missed it!

And look at the mint!  So green... and what a smell!

The Nandinas are still full of color and berries...

The neighbors plum is blooming and that bluebird house was cleaned out last week... just in time for the beautiful male I saw scouting it out today!  Cannot wait for the bluebirds to set up house... one of my favorite parts of Spring here...

And yes... despite the fact that it is February and still Winter as far as the calendar goes.. and actually still rather cool.. our Azaleas have decided they are ready to wake up and brighten our day!  One end of our house is covered with these bushes and they provide a lovely view from the breakfast room and kitchen.  

Some are saying that plants have been fooled into thinking it is Spring... I say God knew we needed the rebirth of Spring early this year.  A reminder of His grace and glory!

Makes me think of the hymn.... For the beauty of the earth.... For the glory of the skies...

Wrens!

My last post talked about my obsession with dachshunds... well one of my other obsessions is birds.. OUTSIDE birds. I am not a fan of birds inside in cages, but boy do I adore the ones out in our yard who flit here and there and sing, sing, sing!  My mom is a bird nut and no doubt passed the love of our feather friends on to me and I have done my best to pass it on to my kiddos.

We have a small covered patio right outside our back doors and we almost always have a wreath or basket hanging on the wall. Over the years we have had birds.. usually wrens.. nest there. We have watched the momma and daddy flit in and out building the nest and feeding the babies... we have listened to them chirp warnings and such to each other... heard the babies calling for food (boy can they get loud when they are hungry!)... and we are rather use to being dive bombed when we open the door to go outside. It has been a year or two since we have had a nest and I, for one, have been missing those little birdies. So I was super excited to see a nest being built recently and then to hear baby birds chirping away.  I kept wanting to grab a photo, but never seemed to have the time. Last night my husband... who is 6'5" and can peek in to the nest with ease!... said "You better snap a picture tomorrow.. these babies are about to fly the coop!"  So I grabbed a stool and my camera and snap a couple of shots today.  He is right... the bitty babies are not so small anymore.. no doubt they will be leaving soon... I am thinking before the weekend is out. I will miss them a bit... but it is time.  I think I will feel that way when my own nest is empty.  :-)