To market
I’ve done this before. Sad. Everything “tastes like chicken” doesn’t seem so humorous. There were stacks of crates on a truck headed to? Meat or eggs? Either way it’s an awful way to be treated. Point A to Point B, maximize space and profit. Humanitarian treatment doesn’t apply to non-humans? Oh boy! I would almost be a vegetarian. Mostly, you go along happily until it’s in your face. Blissful ignorance. We do that a lot. It’s sad for me to say. Today, I’m thinking about it again.
Squirrels gotta eat too
We bought a squirrel proof bird feeder. It cost $$. Why don’t I want to feed squirrels too? I would have bought a squirrel feeder. The feeder was squirrel free until today. And it works. There is a cage that closes over the holes when the squirrel’s weight is on it. The squirrel was getting something, but not an entire meal. Seeds spilled. Some, including the squirrel buddy, chose the easier way to go, on the deck. At least in this exchange the birds get a higher percentage on the deal.
Squirrel
I got squirrels. Look on YouTube. There are hilarious videos of ways to combat squirrels at the feeder. The poor birds? Hey! Squirrels gotta eat too! …unless your wife thinks squirrels are furry rats. You can see two feeders. The first was like a buffet. The squirrels were putting on weight! The second, a cheap plastic, device was so flimsy it was destroyed in a day. The squirrels destroyed it in a day! Destroyed! In a day! So, I broke down. …. Birds gotta eat. The new feeder has stopped the squirrels. So, there’s no pic. Ha ha. No squirrels. There’s/that’s not a pic.
Hummingbird
This ain’t easy. It’s darned hard to catch a hummingbird. I got one decent shot in a dozen tries. Lucky. As I said it ain’t easy.
Flight time
Our barn swallows reached maturity. They will soon be gone. Four hatchlings flew about and landed on our chair. Three lined up as if they were in their nest. The other was independent. Somehow, they were nonplussed by my presence. No one flitted away. I just slowly walked forward and got my close-ups. Thanks guys. I hope to see you in the neighborhood again. When we returned later I could see more than four birds swooping about. It seems that siblings and family have made our house their home.
Ready to fly
This group of barn swallow babies grew up overnight. They had a great steady diet of worms and are about to fall out of the nest. There’s simply no room left. I shall miss them. Fly away! Be safe! Come again and raise babies of your own.
Cardinal
The bird flashed by my peripheral vision. Nice! It stayed still long enough for about two shots. It’s fascinating that the plumage is not more noticeable. But even the male blends right in to the foliage. Colleen doesn’t believe it. It does seem that the plumage of the cardinal changes with the season.
Baby
There are osprey nests all along the road. We stopped to view the parents and their newborn. How nice! I see one parent or another, but rarely the offspring. Lucky! We didn’t see the little one the next day.
Return, return
So, the first batch of swallows hatched and left in early July. Another pair came back and hatched a new brood. Wow! Yay! We now have more than a few swooping birds around our balcony. I don’t see another nest. I wonder if the whole extended family will remain close by?
Barn swallows
They came back. A pair of swallows made a nest last year. I have posted before on the earlier set. Now the parents returned to hatch a new brood. Lucky us. This time everyone got big and flew the nest without incident. Last year one little fellow fell and was rescued and taken to the bird rescue people. They were gone so quickly I hardly had a chance to get any images.
