There is, indeed, rain. The rain torrents and abates. And does it again. We have had so many inches, it seems like summer around here. The sky has disappeared and there is only a low hanging slightly fuzzy light grey blanket above. And a darker grey sheet beneath. It is wet. Today might be the first since the rains started that I have seen no sun and no blue anywhere…
It was a day unlike any of the past three weeks – nothing new or surprising happened in the backyard. Bound to happen, of course. This is not to say there wasn’t a plentiful supply of the usual. But even for me there are only so many pictures I am willing to devote to remembering the ibis, or heron or egret that walked into the backyard. So, I went hunting…
It was freezing last night. In the morning, the grass was dotted with frozen sections. They looked like early fall snowflakes on the ground. I donned several layers of clothes and went outside, and sat on a cushion to wait for the backyard to come alive. I particularly wanted the otters, but they did not show. Yesterday’s exciting account is still not written. Soon. As I waited in the…
Early this morning the birds twittered, the squirrels chattered, and the water rocked the fallen leaves gently, gently. The little birds were active and noisy. The waders were missing: no egrets or herons, no ibises. Then the wind came. The bright blue sky amid the high light clouds swiftly overtaken by thick clouds, dark clouds. Then the birds were silent for a bit, the squirrels were motionless and all that…
In the backyard, across the water, there is a strip of land wide enough to act as an excellent buffer between this and the neighborhood next door. I would go exploring there but am afraid of Alligators! Alligators are abundant here, but they do something called brummation, which is a reduction in their metabolic activity. So, they disappear. The last one I saw was several weeks ago. Since I don’t…
Nature is conspiring to delight me. The person above is the Eastern Bluebird. This morning, a little brown bird which I believe to be the Eastern Phoebe, darted across the lawn. He took up residence in a tree outside the screen and stayed there. His coloring is such that I have difficulty photographing him well. These birds are really about an inch or two high, and of course are usually…
Today was cool and very windy. It excited the birds. One crow flew overhead like a wind surfer, riding the waves. As scavengers, they don’t have very admirable reputations, but obviously they perform very necessary services. (I often wonder what happens to alligators when they die!). Crows are quite smart, too, evidently. Some will leave gifts if you provide them food. The gratitude of crows. Today, the one impressed me…