So, here we are at spring. The country is healing. About half of us are vaccinated. We are seeing friends and actually hugging them. We are emerging from our nests and joining humanity again--well, small, itty bitty pieces of humanity because baby steps. Have the birds noticed? Are they sad that once again clusters of human tribes are coming alive. Once again, cacophonous noise is rising from all our human engines. Once again, hazy air is smothering migration paths. Or, are they sad we are leaving them and going back to our insular human social lives? They actually connected with many of us for the first time over the past year. More of us noticed wildlife out our windows as we tired of social media and explored other life forms. I think our awareness of the backyard life has been good for us. It has made us all realize just how important it is to preserve our wildlife. And maybe some of the birds and typical backyard animals have met better representatives of our species. They always meet hunters, trappers, cars and planes. So they understand human danger. It's good they have see more of human decency. Spring always begins for me with activity of waterfowl and swans--who are an invasive species here but we still love them. Bubba and Louise have migrated back and visited for a treat. They are always shy at first, because they have to study me, make sure it's me. I suppose, just as ducks look all alike to humans, we all look alike to them. And over the years we change as we age, unlike the ducks. I have to be careful this year because the other ducks are competitive and territorial. Even Bubba's son has become violent. To take over the pond for their nesting, it looks like the drakes kill the female. I suspect this is what they do because once again some drakes are trying to kill Louise. I do not feed them at all since feeding would make it worse. Occasionally Bubba and Louise will sneak in and visit. I'll give them corn, then take it up before anyone else notices. Anyway, it's the beginning of nesting for everyone. The blue jays are busy but I see them around, sending alarms when Cooper's hawks fly over. I've not seen Hawthorne, the hawk, in quite a while and assume she is on her nest. Harold, the turkey, showed up a while looking for Lorene, but she hasn't been around but once and that was brief. Hopefully, the turkeys will make an appearance again and I can get more pictures of the babies. But this year, something seems different. A hesitancy. Less activity. I wonder if they all know humans are coming back. The air is thicker with our smells and noise. I just don't know. Anyway, tomorrow is publication day for my novel, DEAD FISH and What the Blue Jays Know. I hope you read it and I hope if you buy it, you'll stick with the book all the way to the end. The ending is important for the feel/theme of the book. I don't want this to be simply a funny book, I'd like it to inspire. OK.. So, below is a video of Bubba and Louise. After the video is a picture I captured of our gorgeous wood ducks.
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AuthorI like to write about people, animals, dogs. I enjoy ideas, good books about ideas, funny books about ideas, funny people who have ideas, advocates for people who don't have voices to express their ideas, and animals who have ideas we can't understand. Archives
November 2021
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