The nursery

This nest was hard to spot in my pear tree near the county road fronting my small two acre property... but I knew there was a nest there somewhere 'cause a robin had fled when I walked by with Bliss and Spirit a couple of mornings ago.

I snuck back, there she was - darn - I didn't have my camera!

But one day I will - catch her on the nest that is.

This mum had her beak in the air and  pretended she was part of the tree or the nest - I could hardly see her... soon the eggs will hatch - and I'll take a ladder over and try to get a snap of the babies as well.

The bluebirds are feeding frantically - one after the other flying to the next box, darting inside and then off again to catch another bug.  Soon the babies will be big enough that the parents won't fit in the box with them, and feeding will be done from the opening.

This wee property has been a nursery all spring. There were nine successful tree swallow nestings in the boxes - I have 13 boxes up including an owl box which starlings have inhabited to provide young for the past two or three springs. There are two sets of robins around - (haven't discovered the other nest yet), a bunch of grackles, a few hummingbirds - their nests are impossible to find, a pair of flycatchers, a family of bluejays, several goldfinches along with a pair of ovenbirds, about 14 European sparrows who live here year round and several red-winged blackbirds, bronze-headed cowbirds, bobolinks, American tree sparrows and the list goes on. Again this morning I heard the raucous cries of  two ravens who were being bombarded by the little flying armada.

I'm beginning to think I need to invest in a camera with a long lens so I can catch them and share their antics - bluejay battles, grackle squabbles and the ever-persistent darting of the hummers as well as the airial antics of the ravens as they try to defend themselves. Yesterday I watched a glorious redtail circling lazily in the sky ignoring the shrikes of crows warning the neighbourhood that a marauder was overhead.

And now the frogs have begun to arrive in the pond... there were two that survived the winter and yesterday there were five. Not from nesting but they must hear the water from the little pipe that shoots it into the air to drop back down in a curtain and a small waterfall. Or they smell it... however it happens they suddenly arrive and I know it's summer

Time to pick up my field glasses and go watch today's passing parade.

Enjoy your day!

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