Nesting

Oriole's nest in the silver maple, the fat buds will get a shock in a day or so
when it turns cold again.

Recently I walked around the property and noticed a number of things I don't usually see with the leaves out full on all the trees and bushes, spring, summer and fall.

Right beside the church is a huge silver maple. Way up high I spotted this large something hanging down. It finally dawned on me it was an oriole nest. There had been several orioles hanging about this past summer and I guess they decided it was a great place to start a family. There are after all, apple trees and other blooming shrubs nearby for nectar, and lots of flowers and seeds around since I usually have one or two feeders out all year and a garden that blooms despite the little care I give it.

No idea what this nest is - robin? Finch? Starling? no there's too much grass.

So then we walked around the pasture and I saw another nest up in a wild apple tree. I haven't a clue what kind of bird built this. In this image it looks as if there is a hole in the side so maybe it's another oriole nest or? Who knows, but it's kind of neat that birds use the trees as well as the swallows and blue birds using the nest boxes, don't you think? On checking the internet (what a useful tool this is) it seems this might be an American Goldfinch nest.

This one is a mystery, we arrived back in the yard between the deck and the drive shed, and beside the pond I looked down and saw this wee thing. It was quite tiny - perhaps hummers used it. I can see it's got spruce needles in it and there is no question it fell out of that tree and landed on the dying chrysanthemums by my feet. But that it was anchored up in the tree amazes me.

Perhaps the squirrel that was around, set it free.

In any case, it set me thinking. I've always wanted to make this place a sanctuary of some sort for birds and small animals. At one time I had horses and they grazed the pasture down, but now, it's a place for birds and critters to roam, make nests and enjoy some forms of freedom from ploughs and hay binds. Not that I begrudge the farmers their land. It's just I think sometimes we take it all and we need to leave a bit for the wildlife so that it can survive too.

Just thinking about that... what do you think?