You readers know I often open my “notes” with a few words about birds. Given this upside downtime, we may find ourselves looking to forms of familiarity, consistency, and beauty. All the more reason to stick with birds who, as with the rest of Nature, seem to go about their daily business the same as… Continued
Sunshine! At least today, with purple finches singing from the bare aspen limbs. Owls fill the night and on cue today, I heard the first red-wing blackbirds along the lower marsh. Yes, it makes one think of spring, even those of us who love winter. An on and off winter it has been here in… Continued
Chickadees and finches have returned to the backyard bringing along their cheer through a week or more of intermittent “ice fog”, that has layered the Rendezvous as we nudge up against Winter Solstice. As I jot these notes, talk is of the first real storm of the season? Bringing our first substantial snow and hopefully… Continued
A more succinct November eve I can not imagine as I write these notes. The barren land and empty trees; the sharp light and golden grass; the deep and tangy smell of rotted earth all sanctify one of my favorite of months. You’ve all heard it here before, yet just returning from a walk below… Continued
Indeed, summer weather held off a long while this year. As we close out August here the temperature has just now hit the 90’s for two straight days! But only two. And so far, we are grateful for mostly clear, no-smoke skies. Phew! Lots of tinder now, however, so we are ever watchful. Still and… Continued
It’s been a busy month here at Bluebird. All the young birds have fledged, even the natty little house wrens that seem to always take up a nesting spot on the porch rafters of, well, our house! Right above where I sip my morning cup as the sun works its way up the back of… Continued
Two months have come and gone since my last Notes. As has Summer Solstice. Time waits for no one, truth to tell. Country living with the rain and birds and wind, or in the city where traffic and morning commute sets the rhythm – it seems to make little difference insofar as the pace of… Continued
Spring! Sort of. Truth to tell, the birds all seem to think spring is here though April has come along begrudgingly. I’ve begun the seasonal habit of taking coffee on the south porch as opposed to fireside, to better hear and see what really is going on. From this perch I’ve been listening to both… Continued
The mercury is finally above 20 and Spring Equinox is here. Alas, the birds are the reminder that daylight grows and, true enough, daytime now runs 6 to 6. Ahh, the bird…. What a wacky winter for birds. I know this has been the “Farmer Notes” theme season-long but I can’t help myself! We had… Continued
The New Year is barely a month old and one can already feel time slipping away! How can this be? To use one of my daughters once upon a time go-to lines when frustrated as a child: “Not Fair.” Well, I suppose fairness is as an objective assumption as any, yet it just doesn’t seem… Continued