Monday, April 28, 2008

The Joys of Birdwatching

A Robin's Nest in our Yard
"Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom." - Benjaman Franklin

I am fortunate to live where there is so much beauty in nature. Gazing out at the tranquil river in our backyard has such a calming and peaceful effect on me. I like to sit quietly and listen to the different birds singing their joyful songs, and watch for them as they fly about, looking for food. I get so excited when I spy a bird that's different from the usual varities that I'm used to seeing, and usually have a bird guide handy so I can try to identify them.

While taking my little puggies out for their 'potty' last Thursday, I noticed a robin's nest in the pine tree in our front yard. The poor mother robin flitted out from the nest and flew to a nearby tree, where she kept a close watch on me and kept singing a loud 'scolding' song. I carefully moved the branches of the pine tree to discover her nest. I was careful not to touch anything close to the nest, but I did look in to discover 1 bright blue egg in it. It's fun to watch the progress in the nest now. On Friday I found that there were 2 eggs in it, and Saturday the nest was holding 3 beautiful blue eggs. Yesterday there was no change, and I haven't checked yet today.

A Little Finch on our Deck

We've also had some cute little raspberry-colored finches that have been landing on the railing of our deck, so yesterday I put up 2 finch feeders for them. It didn't take long at all before those pretty little birds found the feeders. There were 2 of the yellow finches that showed up, but the majority of the time, you'll find at least 4 of the little reddish ones there. These are a few photos of the little finches taken about an hour after the feeders were put up.

Another Finch Arrives on the Deck

I'm glad the feeders are up, because now we can watch them from our kitchen table. Mugsy (our portly pug) likes to watch them too. He lays in front of the patio doors with his chin resting on the bottom of the glass, and makes a big fuss when he sees them land. Hopefully he won't scare them away with all his yipping.