We saw an Eastern Cottontail crossing the street on our midday walk. It was so fast! Bunnies are nocturnal so this one must have insomnia. Interesting factoid: a bunny can look both ways without turning their head.
I Spy: Bunny
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Tag Archives: observation
I Spy: Clocks
I saw a neighbor’s lawn that was covered with dandelion seed thingies.
Confession time… I don’t know the names for anything and always look them up. These thingies are called blowballs or clocks. So there you go. This neighbor is either very sad to have a lawn like this or very happy if he likes to make wishes or likes dandelions in his salad.
I Spy: Fox
I drive down the same streets all the time as probably most moms do. I go to the school and back, the grocery store, my sister’s house, and the library. That is about it. It can get pretty boring so when I see something new or different I get all excited and want to share! Of course it would be dangerous to snap a picture while driving and it isn’t always practical to pull over so I am going to turn it into a mini series of illustrated posts from memory… I Spy (my observations from behind the wheel).
I saw this fox yesterday…
First he was in a yard and when I passed he walked into the street and stared back at me. Others have seen foxes around here but I never have.
Foxes appear in lots of children’s books. One of my favorites is One Fine Day, a folktale retold by Nonny Hogrogian with Caldecott winning illustrations. This fox gets his tail cut of for stealing. Read the book to find out how he gets it back!
Do you see foxes? What is your favorite fox story? Please share!
Nesting
I see this nest when I drop my daughter off at school in the morning. I originally thought it was a crows nest because I first saw it in the fall and there were crows in it. Now I know after a year and a half of making my drop that it is actually an Osprey nest and the Osprey evict the loitering crows every spring. This grand spot is on top of an old school. The school I went to in fact. After years of being abandoned and neglected it is now under construction and being turned into apartments. A couple weeks ago I noticed the nest was gone after a new roof appeared. I was wondering what the Osprey would do and sure enough they rebuild! That is their spot after all.
Can you spot the House Sparrows hanging out on the nest? Are they groupies?
Tall and Small
TALL
small
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We are seeing new color high and low. Are you noticing signs of spring too?
Feeding Birds
We have been feeding the birds and it is a lot of fun! Imagine that. You’d think we were the first people to ever come up with the idea! I bought a bag of mixed seeds this summer for making feeders. The feeders we made were from plastic bottles and we hung them in the trees. That was fun but then we forgot to refill them and the birds kind of ruined them by pecking through the plastic to get at the last of the seeds. Now we are just spreading out the seeds on the deck railing so we can watch the birds (and the squirrels) from our dining room. It is more fun because more birds come and we get a better view of them from the comfort of our heated home. I also cleaned the slider inside and out and the photos I took are nice and sharp! Here, take a look!
Cardinal Continue reading
A Berry Good Day
We have been noticing lots of berries lately especially now that the leaves are leaving! Want help identifying some of them? Check out this fun field guide…
Alien Communicator
It is not hard to imagine cellphone towers as part of a science fiction movie set. Can you imagine how it and other technologies of today would look to someone time traveling from a hundred years ago? They would probably think we were trying to communicate with aliens. Or maybe that is what they ARE doing. Next time you make a call be careful what you say because maybe Martians are listening in!
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Linked up at Frankly My Dear. Check it out!
Animals Eating: Squirrel Edition
I have discovered I like watching critters eat.
Anyone know what this squirrel is eating? It looks like a bulb of some sort. I saw him devour one, climb down, and return to the same spot with a new one. Did you notice how much the branch was swaying in the wind? I think I would get queasy trying to eat up there!
Video set to “Di Dicki Do Dum” by the Wiggles; this squirrel is a big Wiggles fan!
Sparrow Preening
A Song Sparrow preening this morning (in slow motion)…
Preening is a very common bird behavior. They do it for a variety of reasons including to remove parasites and align feathers for optimum flight. I feel itchy just watching! Depending on the bird they may do it after a water or dust bath and may also be spreading an oil or power which waterproofs their feathers. I think it is impressive just in terms of balance!
What do you do to get ready in the morning?