After a gray and rainy weekend the sun is shining in Sycamore Canyon today. The storm caused the birds to flock to my feeders, but with the return of the sun they have returned to the desert for the most part. I find my feeders full in the mornings and evenings but during the middle of the day the ripening desert is offering her bounty to the birds once again.
Blue skies and frequent rain are causing the desert to bloom, as well as my own yard. I see penstemmon in blossom along the roadside…
…and Mexican hat blossoming in my own garden. But the storms have taken their toll on my faithful ballerina sculpture.
In the three years that I have lived here my cast iron ballerina has held up my hummingbird feeders for birds and bats alike but,
on Friday night her wooden base rotted through and she toppled over with a thud! The hummingbird feeders fell with her splashing sweet nectar all over the bricks. We hosed off the nectar and moved the ballerina under the covered patio to protect her from further harm. However, this left me with no dry place to hang my hummingbird feeders. I have discovered the hummingbirds love to get out of the sun or the rain to feed, so on Saturday Gus and I took a trip to the hardware store where we bought an inexpensive shepherd’s hook which I jammed into a large flower pot under the covered patio until repairs can be made to the ballerina.
As for Dawn and I, we are not done birding yet. I hope to join her in Patagonia for more bird watching later on this week (that is, if she can get unstuck!). Then, it’s off to Kentucky to visit my new granddaughter and her parents. We will be in a hurry driving on our way out, but we will take our time returning and bird our way back. Part of our trip will involve driving down to Alabama to see friends and possibly bird with a new birder I have met named Matt. I have never birded in either of these state or the ones we will travel through on our way. I am so excited about the birding adventures ahead for Gus and I, but I am especially excited about seeing my newest grandchild and my son.
While we are gone my oldest son has graciously offered to stay at our house and take care of our pets. Hopefully I can coax him into feeding the birds for me while I am gone!
Taking this trip will radically alter my eBird lists, so here are my current standings for the month of February 2010:
| Life list: 370 species | Year List: 127 species | Month: 92 |
| AZ Life List: 236 | AZ Year List: 127 | Feb: 92 |
| Pima Co. Species seen: 221 | Year Species: 113 | Feb: 78 |
| Santa Cruz Co. 150 species | Year: 60 species | Feb: 51 |
| Pinal Co. 88 species | Year: 4 species | Feb: 0 species |
| Checklists submitted Life: 1714 | Year: 191 checklists | Feb: 107 |
And that’s…
My World Tuesday!
16 comments:
Your garden looks lovely Kathie, such pretty photos. Sorry about your ballerina. She looks lovely too. Your trip back east sounds like an exciting one to see your new grandchild and other friends.
Denise, thank you! I hope to find a way to fix the ballerina without using a wooden base. I have had her for almost 10 years now!
Lovely garden, Kathie, and I know the birds appreciate you! I do hope you have a wonderful trip! Enjoy your new grandchild, your son and visits with friends! Sounds like fun! Love the ballerina!
Sylvia
You are an awesome eBirder! I hope you get a few life birds in KY. Like you commented on my blog, it is fun to be a a birdy area and track what comes and goes each year. At times you feel you can set your clock by the birds. And when the come or don't come when they are supposed to, it is always fascinating.
aloha,
this are very scenic photos of your garden, you captured some beautiful shots and experiences of your area...thanks for sharing
noel
nice to have the sun- I love watching the birds in my back yard
Howdee Kathie,
Bummer about your Ballerina..maybe you can put her in a pot with rocks around it..or soil and plant flowers around...
I love that photo of us!!!! Makes me smile a big smile!
Lovely lovely garden and bird feeders are so enjoyable. I am so glad to hear you say that the desert flowers are beginning to bloom. I am planning to get down to Anza Borrego next weekend and hoping they will be showing their pretty faces!
I hope you find a way to save the ballerina!
Sylvia, thank you. I love my ballerina and miss seeing her out my window!
Avimor, I see you are the top eBirder in all of Idaho! Good for you. I see you even logged in one species for Butte County! Hardly anyone is counting birds in that county at the moment! I hope to add to the knowledge of birds in Kentucky when I go. No one has counted birds in the county my son lives in so far this year either!
Noel, thank you for stopping by!
Marcia, if Joyisyourgoal the birds ought to help you get there! They give me so much joy!
Dawn, I really like that photo too and it was so nice of your hubbie to take it for me!
Carolyn Ford, Where is Anza Borrega? Mexico I assume? I WILL find a way to save my ballerina. I am thinking a cement base is in order. I will have to do some investigating and see what I can come up with. As for the garden, there is still work to be done but the birds don't seem to mind. I do not use any pesticides in my yard so they can safely hunt for insects.
Kathie dear friend, you are a wonder, you have captured my soul, I do not sing these wonders that God shows me into being, I just give them a voice and photographed form since I have been so very blessed to have my eyes opened to their beauty.
Thank you so very much for thinking of me with so much kindness.
May you have a wonderful trip with birds flocking around you to keep your shutter very busy.
Loads of love, Arija
Kathie how I wish that I could spend my next two months observing and delighting in the Spring flowers coming alive in your desert!I'll miss not having the opportunity to meet you in person..oh well I have next year.
Loved seeing the hummer feeding!Your ballerina is lovely.
Enjoy your new grandaughter!
That is quite some list Kathie.
The Mexican Hat is quite beautiful.
This is a nice post, Kathie. I enjoyed all the pictures and all the words. I sometimes miss Arizona and the desert country but it has changed, I am told, so much since I was last there in 1952, that they don't think I would like it.
Your hard working ballerina is resting. She is so cute you must fix her, the birds and bats will really miss her.
My goodness, what a busy, exciting world you have! I love the photos of your garden and look forward to the ballerina's return to work. :)
Post a Comment