Saturday, February 02, 2008

Cavities are YUMMY

To start off, the Mama GHOW is not going anywhere...Day three of a 30 to 33 day incubation.
GHO Day 3
I promise that I won't bore you every day with pictures of the owl doing nothing. Today was the first day I looked at her with sunlight shining down.

A quick walk along the "legal" trail around the gravel pits:
I really shouldn't walk this trail anymore. It is so frustrating to see a million little specks out of the water and having no idea what they are:

Too far to tell ducks
Canvasbacks? Redheads? A pied-billed grebe? Who knows.

Robin
A flock of robins scurried about, kicking up the leaves on this 42 degree day. It's nice to see robins...gets ya thinking about Spring.
Ever notice that a flock of robins working the underbrush sounds like a person walking in the woods? Creeped me out a bit.

Yummy cavities
Look at those cavities! Yummy. I love holey, chewed-up trees. You never know what could be inside.
Another yummy cavity
Note to self: Check these holes in the Spring for screech owls or woodpeckers. Or chickadees. Or titmice.
Super yummy cavity
This one, I could have put my hand into...I didn't, of course. But I might have to start carrying a mirror, to peer into these deliciously dark cavities.

Speaking of nest cavities....
One of our pine trees has finally died!
Dead pine
The one in the middle...The nasty dry summer must have done it in.

Yes, I am happy about a dead tree in the yard. We have plenty of native trees:
Cedars, maples, oak, sycamores, walnut...but I really hate our non-native pines. Yeah, they provide shelter for the birds, etc. But I wish the previous owners had thought about being NATIVE.
I have been waiting for one of the trees to kick the bucket so we can watch it support more life in its dead branches than can live in it while alive. That was a very awkward sentence, but I think you know what I mean.
Bugs, birds, fungus...I'm so glad it's dead!
This is one of those things to NOT do to help wildlife....DON'T cut down your dead trees!
85 bird species in North America are cavity-nesters. Do your share! Be lazy and leave it alone!

Tomorrow: Spaghetti with the Swami and Swamette at the Yurt!

3 comments:

NatureWoman said...

You're the best Susan, always educating us!
Have fun at the Yurt! And tell Swami to post something. I need some humor!

Mary said...

OK! Let the trees die, except the ones we planted!

Amy said...

I'm with you, let dead trees stand (unless they pose a hazard). Great pics of the GHO's ear tufts! How sweet! I'm going to have to learn more about nest buckets. I never heard of them until now. And good idea about carrying a mirror to help see into those nest cavities!