The Wrong Box

I have been looking in the wrong box.

Since spotting the male bluebird a week or so ago, I have periodically checked the nestboxes.  Their favorite one was empty, as was the one in the far corner of the property, the one mid-way that is mounted to the telephone pole, and the one closest to the house near the end of (what I call) the meadow.

I have since seen him with the female.  Today, I don't a shot of the pair sitting in the dogwood--the male obscured by branches, unfortunately.

After seeing them, I went out to check the nestbox mounted to the telephone pole.  I thought it was the only one I had forgotten to clean out from last year.  When I opened it, I saw what seemed to be a completed nest!  I am glad I realized it was fresh.

I stuck my phone inside near the roof and blindly took some pictures.   Sure enough, not only was it fresh, but it already had four eggs in it!  One more to go! :)

Brains and Brawn

A little brawn and a little brains goes a long way.  Luckily, I have just a bit of each.  :)

Back in January, while creating a terraced path, I started to uncover a huge rock.  It is a welcome addition to my pond/waterfall project.   However, it was in the ground pretty deep.   I dug it out little by little when the ground thawed in January and again in February.   Still I left it in the ground.  I guess I imagined reinjuring my back and not being able to complete the path or any other projects.

Today, although I didn't plan too,I got it out of the ground!  😁

Aside from using an iron bar and the power of a fulcrum, I used my body weight to lift it out of the ground...and filled the hole in one side to have a flat surface to flip it into, then I filled the other side, flipped it end over end and out if the way...until I am ready to move it to the pond. 

Exposing my Pride and Joy

I love boulders.

We were fortunate enough to have some very large rocks (and dare I say at least two that qualify as boulders) on our property.  It was actually one of the selling points (at least for me) when Jeff and I bought this place.

One, in particular, is HUGE.  For years now, I have found myself calling it "my pride and joy".   Early on, maybe our first few years here, Jeff made the brilliant suggestion to dig out some of the soil around it, to expose more of it--since I liked it so much...and the top part was had only several inches showing above the soil line.  Excellent suggestion.

At that time, I did expose more of it along the top.  Yesterday, as so often happens as I meander around the property, I found myself digging out part of the lower portion--and, in the process leveling off the slope below it.  It is not obviously terraced, but perhaps terracing is a fair description...although the goal was to expose more of the boulder.

I cleared out the soil in one spot where I could get under the rock.  Hopefully, I created a spot for a critter to use in some fashion. 

When I was finished, apparently I only dropped the soil level about 6 inches.  Doing much more would have looked odd and messed with the path as round it.

Six inches is enough to show more rock once the wildflowers grow up. I planted:

golden ragwort (Packera aurea)
Greek valerian (Polemonium reptans L.)
wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
white violets

....and, I replanted the asters that were already there among the weeds.

I plan to add others that are appropriate to that area.  Columbine comes to mind.  Last year, I actually sprinkled seeds in the cracks and crevices of the boulder (and maybe added a seedling).  Many years before, I added a starter of some fern kindly shared by a friend.

It is time I begin to showcase this beauty.   :)

Bluebird Sighting

The other day, I thought I caught a flash of blue when I saw a bird flying to a bush.  The distance and lighting made it difficult to be sure, but yesterday, there was no mistaking it--a male bluebird.

Despite him letting me get somewhat close, I still didn't get the best shots.  There should be ample time for that when they start nesting.

It definitely seems like spring now! :)

Results of Winter Sowing

This blog is the closest thing I have to a gardening journal.   Way back in February, as I have done for years now, I sowed most of the seeds I had collected.  I never got around to posting.

 In April, they began to germinate.  I never posted.

Most years, I end up planting a few of the plugs out into the yard...then other chores started to take precedence...then the heat of summer sets in--not ideal for planting.  Normally, in the fall, I end up planting the stunted plugs.

This year, I had hoped to get them planted out in the yard when there is plenty of rain predicted.  This week's forecast was supposed to be three days of rain...but then that changed.  Rain is still coming, but not as originally predicted--and my schedule didn't allow for getting things planted in the meadow--BUT, today, I did take the time to do something I have not done in years past.  I potted them up to larger sized pots.  This is what nurseries do.  I am hopeful that, even if I do wait until fall, the plants should be much more robust.

I condensed them...but, I am still hoping to divide each pot into four or five plants when I do put them in the ground.

It's an improvement.

An Unexpected Surprise...

For the past two weeks or so, I had been checking my nestboxes periodically--but mostly just their favorite and the new one that I saw a pair checking out.  On occasion, I would look in two others.  It seems to me, I only looked at the one in the far corner once (the path there had become overgrown last year). 

Today, I checked it out, and noticed what I thought was an old nest from last year that I forgot to clean out.  Looking inside and seeing some eggs still had me thinking that it was an unsuccessful clutch from last year, but, when I  put my phone in and took pictures, I realized the eggs were blue...and newly laid--the bluebirds are back!  :)

Seeing no nest-building over the past two weeks had me prepared for my first year without bluebirds.  I'm happy that does not seem to be the case.

Robin

Although robins are quite common, and I rarely get too excited about them except maybe in the spring (although they are very welcome), over the years, I've noticed in a couple of photographs I've taken of them, that they can seem quite stately. 

They are a welcome sight after our long winter.  I am happy that they are comfortable around human habitation, and, although still a little wary, they often give me a chance to take some nice photos of them.

More Frequent Visitors

I don't recall squirrels being frequent visitors to our property.  Sure, I would see them occasionally, but, this year, they seem to have taken up residence.  Fine by me. :)

I enjoyed their antics earlier this year as winter was coming to a close, but spring was taking way too much long to break free from winter's grasp.  They have offered me a few opportunities for photos, but often these occur through a pane of glass.  I was fortunate today, to get these shots after spotting this little guy from the path through my "would be woods".

These are probably the best shots I've ever gotten of squirrels.  I love the profile picture with him coming down the tree trunk (a black walnut tree just a bit over the property line in the field behind our place.

He let me take several shots of him in different poses, before looking right at me (in the last pic) as if to say, "what are you looking at?" then taking off, apparently tired of the game.

Chipmunk

After an exceptionally long winter--a delayed spring, it is so nice to see so many critters out and about.  I am seeing more squirrels this year than I think  I've seen in the past.  A chipmunk or two have always been around...and it was nice to spot one again.  I'm guessing, he spotted me taking pictures of him through the window.

Latest Visitor

A northern flicker has been showing up in our yard recently.  While sitting in my new favorite spot (along a path I cleared last weekend along the wooded slope), I spotted him again, this time flying into the neighbors tree to perch a while before going back to foraging on the ground.

I wish the shots were clearer, but I like the look of the lichen covered trees in the background, the foreground branches, and the fact that you can see both his red, patch, black patch, and yellow tail feathers.

Officially Back

The other day, I was thinking that the bluebirds had yet to make an appearance.  As always seems to happen this time of year, I begin to wonder if I will have a year without them nesting.  Luckily, they have nested in our yard since our first year here when I put up the nestboxes.  Not having seen them, I decided to open their favorite nestbox, half-heartedly hoping for a strand or two of grass...some sign that they might be around.  I was surprised and thrilled to see a partially built nest...at least half-way done, I'd say.

Still, I had yet to see them or get a photo.  Until today. :)

They are officially back!

Prime Real Estate

Today, I spotted the male perched atop their favorite house again.  When I grabbed the camera and zoomed in, I noticed that the female was inside with her head peeking out through the hole.  I was pleased.  ~smile~  Although they built their nest in March, I checked a few days ago and saw no eggs.  This is a good sign.

I went outside (beautiful day, sunny and in the 60s) to get some better shots.  As I was walking out into the field (I can't wait to be able to call it a meadow once I've established native grasses and wildflowers)...I spotted another returned visitor--four of them actually; the tree swallows have returned as well.  They were soaring and diving around the open space above our property.  I figured they were house hunting and just enjoying the spring weather and the feelings it brings. :)  Normally, they choose two other nestboxes from the five or six I've put up...but, today, I realized that they had their eye on the house that the bluebirds have already built their nest in.  I'm not happy.

I expect the bluebirds to win the standoff--but, I've never really noticed them competing before.  I hope it doesn't get ugly.

(Pictures to follow--I'm having trouble uploading them at the moment.)

Cheerful Sight

After weeks of unseasonably warm weather and what looked like a very early spring, temperatures plummeted and we got an inch or so of snow this weekend.  Although I was used to working out in the yard in 60-70 degree weather, I still got out and did a lot this past weekend...but what I want to share now are some of the photographs I got of birds in the snow.  Something that seemed to be lacking most of the winter.

I was thrilled to be out with camera in hand, and take shot after shot of the small flock of goldfinches perched in the largest dogwood in our front yard.  This dogwood has served me well (and wildlife well also)...I still recall fondly the various species that came in the fall for the berries.  What attracted the goldfinches here was many handy perches as they came for the black oil sunflower seeds I'd put out.

You've Got to be Kidding Me

First, I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted anything here!  Second, after a long stretch of unseasonably warm weather (which I got very used to), things have gone unseasonable in the other direction; the temperatures went below freezing over night--into the 20s!  We had snow today--not that it lasted.

The last time I put off posting was on April Fools' Day--another day we got snow! (...and I wasn't happy about that either--even though it didn't last either.  (I searched for the April snow pictures, but didn't find them.  I doesn't matter--the purpose of this post it to start me posting again anyway.)

Some flurries this morning and ...

...hail this afternoon.  Okay, I confess, both pics are of hail.
I slept in this morning...and it is hard to take pictures of snow!

  

I have to get past the idea that everything must be kept in chronological order--that has kept me from posting all sorts of things...until I post what had happened prior to it.

So, later (I'm a procrastinator, remember), I will post some highlights of that past several (plus) months.