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Catching up with the birdies on the hill

April 29, 2008|Jean Brody

This column is sort of a hodge-podge of catching up on things concerning birds on the hill. I told you about the nest on my front veranda. Well, the daddy wren finished up the nest to his satisfaction and then carried his wife over the threshhold where she promptly laid some precious eggs. Now her days and nights are filled with sitting quietly on the eggs in her nest home. I see daddy flying in and out for short visits and sometimes he stays there so she can go out and socialize a little. I don't know how long one must sit on one's eggs before they hatch into tiny wren babies but I will tell you the minute I see heads bobbing up and down inside the nest. I keep binoculars by the bedroom window overlooking the nest so I will know.

My friend Anita e-mailed me to share what she saw in her backyard. There was a pair of beautiful red cardinals, the male much brighter and bigger than the female but he wasn't just handsome. He was attentive and caring. Of course, I think he was courting his lady but, no matter the reason, he impressed Anita and me. He found a morsel of food on the ground, picked it up in his beak, flew to his lady friend and sweetly fed it to her. I mean, she opened her little mouth and he fed her! Now isn't that the neatest thing! I wouldn't doubt if if he won her little bird heart right then and there. He even did it once more.

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I told you that the squirrels were swinging on the bird feeders, scattering the seeds all over and ultimately breaking them, so I bought a squirrel feeder! Well, it is so cute that I have taken lots of pictures of it. We have two baby squirrels now I have named Mutt and Jeff. Mutt discovered the squirrel feeder first, but wasn't quite sure how to eat out of it so he simply climbed inside of it. He would take a nut or a seed in his mouth and then turn around where he could eat AND be a look-out at the same time. After he ate one, back he'd go all the way into the feeder, get another bite, and turn around to face outward while he ate it. Later that day I looked out the window and there were two of them holding a seed in their paws while facing out. It was too cute to see Mutt and Jeff, happy as can be, both in the feeder with their little heads sticking out. When I grabbed the camera to take their picture through the window, they saw me. Their little beady black eyes opened wide as they began fussing at me. You never heard such a bawling out as they gave me, making it quite clear they did not like to be photographed while they ate. I took it anyway but then left them to eat in peace.

Our back and side acres truly are like a park now. From early dawn until dark it is filled with all these different birds and squirrels, wild turkeys and even deer. I like to think we have created a safe haven for all God's creatures.

The view from the hill is wondrous.

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