Birds in the Backyard

The bird house was a gift from my sister. We have had it hanging from a tree in the backyard for a few months now. Until this week there were no visitors. I guess with spring coming the birds are back in our area again. It is nice to watch them. I don't know what kind of birds they are and to me it doesn't matter. I just want to give them a treat and try to keep the feral and outdoor neighborhood cats out of the yard. 

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

A Quiet Day

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a quiet one around here but it was nice. I had a couple phone calls and some birthday wishes from family and friends on Facebook. Even though DH was on a business trip I had some company. The morning was peaceful and beautiful and I posted some pictures on it on an album on Facebook. You can see that by clicking here.

Later in the day the elk came close to the house again so I spent more time with the camera in the sunshine. There are always birds around too. I see a lot of crows and magpies. Earlier in the spring I had a lot of robins around the house hunting for worms in the bark of the flower beds and around the trees. I have seen some mountain bluebirds too but these white ones, which are new to me, were chirping at me from the roof while I sat on the deck. I don't know what they are but if you do leave a comment please as I would love to know.

As I come out of the house I try to move slow and quiet so I don't spook the animals. Getting pictures of the south end of a running elk is not what I want. Being careful I still get looked over. When I see I am getting some attention I freeze so that I don't appear to be any kind of threat.

After awhile they seem to relax and just watch me now and then while they browse or lay down wait to get hungry again. You can see fast growing antlers covered in velvet on the males. What I keep hoping to spot are babies but they either hide them so well in the grasses I have not spotted any or there are no babies in the groups around our house even though a good part of the groups are female.

I suppose at every party, not that I go to many, there is always the rowdy, fun loving guest and I had one of those too. Below you see this elk splashing in the water. He did this for a couple minutes reminding me of a little boy jumping in puddles. He stopped and jumped over the fence into the field when a pickup truck drove by.

So I am 56 now. When I was a silly teenager folks in their 50's seemed to old and I guess that is normal. But 56 don't feel so bad and I suppose there are alternatives that are not so fun to think about.

That's How I Feel

I ran across this set of mugs today and the grumpy design made me smile. Does that seem wrong? That little bird shows just how I feel greeting a morning before I have had a couple cups of coffee.

What Happens?

This is what happens when your DH who obsesses about a green lawn puts down pounds and pounds of winter grass seed on the backyard. He seemed to act as if I should spend my day scaring them away. I would rather take their pictures. The lawn will be fine. I am sure of that.

On the Patio

We have a sign of spring on our patio. Each year that we have lived here in Arizona we have had a pair of nesting doves. They use the hanging pots on the patio for laying eggs. This year has been no exception. The eggs were laid sometime around Kaycee's spring break visit. We now have 2 babies being watched over by very attentive parents. Sneaking up on the pot when the parents are away for a short time we can see 2 little ones without any real feathers yet. It will be fun to watch them grow and fly for the first time in the coming days and weeks.