Birds life

daily haiku

thunderstorms and rain
unfamiliar bird appears
a gift from the storm?

Spring is slow, cool, and rainy here on the hill. Over the weekend the sun was out and we had lovely days. "Sitting outside weather," I thought - but no such luck; the wind battered the hill for 2 days at 20-40 mph. Everything that was not tied down rattled and clanked, but amazingly, I did not find any damage. This has been followed by thunderstorms and rain. The roads are sloppy and the days are dismal.

However the bird life is entertaining me. The bluebird in the photos above is nesting under the eaves. Mrs Bluebird gets out to stretch her legs and wings now and then, but since I don't hear any little cheeps as yet, she is still keeping the eggs warm most of the time. Their nest is above the ceiling to the left of my computer, and as the chicks get larger they create quite a racket upon the arrival of grubs and insects - delightful to hear.

Goldfinches and purple finches are around, along with lark sparrows, robins, and chickadees. This morning I had a special treat. As I drew open the bedroom curtains I saw a small black bird with orange/red chest and bars on wing and tail. A first. It took a while but I finally found it at http://www.whatbird.com/ a great site for finding unkown birds. It was an American Redstart - I have not seen it here before - what a treat. So spring may not be cooperating with me, but the birds are holding down the fort!