It’s Easter Break and I’m at my computer at home instead of
at work this morning. That means I get to look out the window at our bird
feeders, which I just filled about five minutes ago. I love our yard. The
activity is nonstop. In the past few minutes I’ve counted 30 indigo buntings, a
beautiful little blue bird about sparrow size, 5 blue jays, 5 doves, 3
cardinals, 2 brown thrashers, 2 red bellied woodpeckers, 1 red headed
woodpecker, and 6 squirrels. There’ll be a lot more doves, cardinals, and
squirrels across the day.
Last night we had our usual posse of raccoons. At one point
after Lana had thrown out the scraps I heard something fall over on the back
porch and went to look. A coon was up on the railing and walked right up to the
glass back door and peered in while I was standing there. A little later I saw
a possum in the yard.
I grew up in the country, of course, and have seen a lot of
critters in my life. I think I’m enjoying them more now than I ever did before,
though. I’ve spent most of my life either daydreaming or working. And whenever
I’m doing either of those things, I do them in an intensely immersed state that
doesn’t allow for many distractions. Finally now, in my fifth decade, I’m
starting to look up occasionally from whatever has my attention at the moment
and just watch the life around me. I owe
Lana for a lot of this. She’s taught me quite a bit about just experiencing
without having to analyze. It’s rather a joy.
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Lana sounds like my wife. She knows how to stop and notice the little things and everything around us. I'm still working on that.
ReplyDeleteAnd you have some brave racoons in your neighborhood.
Yup, all the birds are coming by now, even with the sudden frosty temperatures.
ReplyDeleteThe heron rookery (heronry) down the street is getting rather booked, too.
My wife saw our woodchuck, but I haven't spotted it yet.
I do wonder when I'm driving along the highway and I spot a big ol' hawk perched in a tree, how many other drivers zip by without even noticing.
I think it might be common to enjoy a great many things more later in life. At least, it's working out that way for me if only because the ebbing of some of the more intense passions has left attention for the humbler ones.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for that kind of spring to hit Connecticut.
ReplyDeleteAlex, the coons are well used to us by now and don't see us as much threats. The new babies will get right up close to us after a while.
ReplyDeletePaul, Quite a few hawks in our neighborhood too. We had one hit a bird in our back yard and land there to eat it once.
Snowbrush, that's probably true, about the ebbing of some passions allowing more time to reflect on other things.
G.B., hope you get it soon
Sounds like a great place. I've been up early in the morning often ans watch a small group of deer, a buck and a half dozen does, troop across the back yard, running occasionally, to a creek running through the corner of the property.
ReplyDeleteThis post is a joy! First of all, it's simply and well written. It says much about life, maturity, and also tells me that someone that I'm fond of is smelling the roses. Good for you, Charles
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=
You have an awesome yard. I'd love to have a yard like that, if at least one of us could drive and we weren't pretty much required to live in the middle of civilization. Civilization is great, but it does have its drawbacks. Seattle has more small, winding wild spaces in the city than most cities its size do, but that's still not the same as having a dozen species of bird and several species of wild mammal wander through your yard regularly. Cool stuff.
ReplyDeleteAngie
I've become (for lack of a better phrase at hand) a bird-watcher over the last ten years. Yesterday, a whole slew of yellow finches landed. And in the middle of them a red cardinal staked a claim. Colorful beauty only nature can provide.
ReplyDeletethere is so much life around us...its important we maintain that connection....our yard is alive as well...i spent a bit of time yesterday just sitting out in it...we get coons every once in a while...def deer and possums....
ReplyDeleteFine post and great comments about taking time off-line. I am color blind and thus handicapped for bird watching, but I am always hearing them here in the desert--and enjoying the quail and roadrunners, which are hard to miss. A cactus wren is carrying on outside right now.
ReplyDeleteRandy, we've seen several deer around the house, and one that came down the road in front of our house, but I have yet to see one in the backyard.
ReplyDeleteCloudia, thankee. Looking out at the birds again today.
Angie, it is a nice, nice thing indeed.
David Cranmer, a few weeks back we had a load of goldfinches in the yard, although most had not yet gotten their really bright yellow plumage.
Brian, we've see a gray fox a few times but not in a good while.
Ron, we have a nesting pair of Carolina wrens. They are loud!
We spend time watching our mini-zoo of bunnies, quail, doves, and coyotes, and occasional wild geese, woodpeckers, grackles, etc. We watched while two doves made a nest on a brick pillar of our garage and hatched two young ones. Fun stuff, Charles.
ReplyDeleteHere's to Joy in all its many forms ~!
ReplyDeleteOscar, the most babies we've seen have been wrens. They nest like twice a year
ReplyDeleteErik, amen brother.
That is a very good trait to have.
ReplyDeleteWe have skunks, possums, stray cats, raccoons, and even ducks landing in the backyard - and we live in the city. :) Having surprise visitors is always neat, as long as I see Pepe Le Pew before I surprise him. :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoying the moment for what it brings keeps one in a state of joy and relaxation.
ReplyDeleteI often see birds out my window, though they tend to be sparrows, the odd robin, pigeons, and sometimes lake gulls that swoop down scattering those that came to eat the seed I've put out. A walk down to the creek reveals mallards, Canada Geese, the odd red-tailed hawk, and once in a while a fox, a coyote, a rabbit, or a raccoon,
Riot kitty, yes it is.
ReplyDeleteBernard, I haven't seen any skunks around here. I'm sure they are around. Animals have had to learn to adjust to human cities for sure and are all over the place in them.
Barbara, there is a creek not far behind our house but the woods is far to thick to walk through easily.
Happy Easter, Charles.
ReplyDeleteWe get some of those, the squirrels steal seed and suet we put out for the birds, we get no possums or deer, we have a lot of birds and we enjoy watching them. We like the Northern Flickers, Stellar Jays and Spotted Towhees the best I guess, but what we have the most of are Black Capped Chickadees.
Charles, sometime back I read about Abita Springs and was surprised to learn that it is a lovely town with a population of less than 3,000, so you're practically living with nature as one can see from the many birds and squirrels in your yard.
ReplyDeleteRichard, we also have chickadees. Love their calls.
ReplyDeletePrashant, Abita springs is definitely a pretty nice little town. I'm glad to call it home.
This sort of wildlife would be a big adjustment for me. And I bet the sort of wildlife a few blocks away might be an adjustment for you.
ReplyDeleteCharles-Cheers to Lana for helping you to stop and enjoy the small things. I have a raccoon that looks in my patio window too! Also, a big red cardinal that we call Mr. C.
ReplyDelete