When my girls give me flowers, it's touching and sweet. I don't need roses. Lorelei giving me this weed is just as moving as if it were an expensive bouquet. She thinks it's great, so I do too.
I have not-so-secretly been hoping that one of our trees would die so we could get some natural cavities for birds to nest in. (Screech owls, woodpeckers, I'm not picky) And it seems that I won't have to wait long for that dead tree. This pine in our back yard, one of those that subdivision planners put in to block the view of the neighbors, is on its way out. I don't know one pine tree from another, but I bet that the pines around our house aren't native, so it's no big loss, and a really big gain for the birdies. I have noticed over the 6 years we have lived here that pines around the house, ours and across the street, seem to catch whatever it is that is killing them off, they turn yellow or red and die all in the same year. I can't wait!
Fried frogs' legs, anyone?
There ya go, Boomer! That's a smile worth waiting for!
It is so gratifying to see this dog play. "Come on, Nellie! Don't let the new guy show you up!"
Anyone heard of the Big Sit?
Check out this link to a video by Sharon (aka Birdchick) and Bill Stitler, with Bill Thompson III (aka Mr. Julie Zickefoose) and learn all you never knew about the birding world's most sedentary event!
8 comments:
Yay! A big Boomer smile - he's soooo handsome! I love his froggy legs - how cute! Lorelei is a sweetie pie!
Yeah Boomer! Smile, baby, smile!!!
Short of wishing death on your pine trees, have you considered a nest box for woodpeckers and owls?
Pine trees make for good cover, you know.
We have a screech owl box, but no screech owls, yet. Although I do hear them sometimes in the cemetery across the street, so there's hope.
Laura:
LOL
We have other pines around, and I don't want ALL of them to go.
I have considered a nest box for the screech owls, but they like edge and the edge of the woods near us belongs to someone else.
Susan,
Hate to break it to you, but your tree isn't dying. This time of year most pines drop some needles (sometimes Lots of needles). If it was the ends of the branches yellowing, at other times of the year, then it would be a concern. But it looks like the tree's tips are still green. That's probably a healthy tree that did lots of growing this year.
But the good news is that Eastern White Pine makes a fine home for hawks and owls to nest (yes, when it grows some more). But it is one of the fastest growing pines around.
And think of all that great mulch that it is about to shed for you.
Heather
Wayne, PA
I am planning to sit in the backyard and watch birds on Sunday. I was going to be sedentary anyway as it's been a helacious week so this is a great excuse. I think I'll treat the birds to a cocoanut too. I don't don't know what my chickadees will make of a coconut but I bet the Jays will have fun with it! Just gotta keep the squirrels at bay.
Look into giving Nellie some glucosamine regularly. It does wonders for Rosie and keeps her off the painkilling stuff almost all the time. It lubricates the joints and then the arthritis doesn't hurt them as much and doesn't get worse as quickly.
I may not know my HOSPs but I do know about old arthritic dogs! :)
Heather,
You are probably right. But in defense of my hopes for a dying tree, some of ours and the neighbors have had trees that looked like this, and by winter were totally dead. And the yellow is at the end of the branches. The green is on the inside.
llm:
I will be looking into glucosamine for Nellie. I hate to think of her on painkillers all the time. But her form of osteoarthritis is spurring and glucosamine may not help her. I will check with the vet.
Love dem Boston froglegs
Froglegs what I love to eat
Better than chicken meat
Owwwwooooooo
Bacon is in hog heaven with the Big Sit coming. He is practicing his pogo jumping and lip kissing
Post a Comment