This week

::A rare sunny evening perfect to catch the light off the riverbank- as the falcon shrieks overhead.
:: Canada Geese- one of my favorite birds- nesting on the islands of cliffs- a very safe place for chicks
:: A Mallard nest in the lone patch of standing summer savory in the garden- not a very safe place I'm afraid- only two eggs left at last count- I'm almost afraid to look today- the girls will be very upset not to have ducklings in the garden
:: An awesomely typical N face
:: Wicked pinstriping on an old safe- good inspiration
:: Snowcap beans to pretty to plant without a picture
:: The first Johnny Jump up (aka Heartsease), quickly plucked and smelled.
:: Good Mother Stallard Beans ( I think)
:: Tree Planting- each year we've been getting a few trees and they've mostly died which is so so disappointing- this year we went all out and spent money to get good quality trees- a whole orchard worth- 6 apples, 2 hazelnuts, a pear, grapes, arctic kiwi, a couple of roses- hopefully we fare better with these ones- the quality seems much improved.
:: N has been starting to use my camera- I thought these ones of her legs were charming because they so capture those moments of figuring it out- lots of 'pant shots'- but pretty good for a 4 yr old with macro setting- those sweet little feet!

Kids in the Garden: String for the Birds

It's the Spring Equinox today- and we like to mark these days a little bit at least, bring the seasons into our life in a real way- and teach the kids to be a bit conscious of it at the very least. It's a cool thing that the days and night change in our part of the world, and I think we should notice it, if not celebrate it. I suppose they change in most parts of the world- except the equator- and that's always in our discussions of why we could never move to Hawaii- we like the fact that the days are shorter in winter and longer in summer*.

Anyways we decided to mark today with a little tribute to the birds- a basket full of soft nesting materials, which they can use to build nests- fitting for the first day of spring I think.

Step 1: Gather supplies- yarn, string, hair, thin strips of cloth, all cut 4 to 6 inches in length. Cat hair, dust bunnies, soft batting, and roving are all good too.

 Step 2: Prepare all the materials, talk about how the birds will pick things up, how wide do the kids think the fabric needs to be- how big do the clumps of stuffing should be.

Step 3: Stuff it into the basket- I used an empty free hanging Suet basket- though I think you could also just hang a bunch of stuff from a tree- loosely tied around the middle. My basket was 4 dollars though and we'll use it again and again.

Step 4: Hang the basket from the trees outside and watch the birds build nests- you can probably identify some of the string if you happen to see it in nests later in the summer.

I think we'll probably have this basket hanging for a while before it sees too much use. It's still too cold here for Robins- but once they come they'll use tons of nest building supplies. It's still a nice way to mark the Spring Equinox though. Here are some links related to birds and nest monitoring- Project Nest Watch, BioKids, Birds Nest Safari- Highlights


* We just learned the other night that originally clocks in England made the hours longer during a winters night, and shorter during a summer night- that's how they figured it out- so the sun would always set and rise at the same time- but the hours were not a consistent amount of time. Midnight in January would just drag on and on eh?


Linking this post up to Green Thumb Thursday over at Little mountain Haven- if you're stopping by from there leave a note in the comments- I'd love to hear from you!

In the Sun, Briefly

N on a bird stakeout

 These photos from a very short outside visit to the back trees to feed the birds. Record cold this year, I think it was only -35 with the windchill that day- so warm enough to go outside-for short periods- 7 minutes actually, before I called it because I could feel my cheeks freezing, and it took me 15 minutes to get the three of us bundled up! This is our little bird feeding spot, we can see them close up from the living room windows, and we usually have chickadees, siskins, goldfinches, nuthatches, and a family of woodpeckers- who steal the show.

It's a terribly calm place to sit- sheltered from the winter wind by low hanging boughs, with your back up against the trunk of a spruce- a baby nestled into your lap. If everyone is quiet enough- (not too often) you can watch the birds close up- and the air is filled with 'cheep-cheeping', and beating wings.

Joining in at My Little Home and Garden for Sunlit Sunday.

Lark Sparrows

the patch of Swiss chard that they have made into their home- from the top
it's quite well camouflaged

These Lark Sparrows have made a home out in our Swiss chard- a few weeks ago we were startled by the mama flying out as we went close to it, and looked in to see three tiny eggs! we were very surprised and N was totally delighted. We left them to their own devices and sure enough a few weeks after we first spotted them we were surprised to see the dad and the mom both fly out from the nest pretending to be injured- a sure sign of hatchlings.  They stayed close by while we checked out the babes, and we were happy to see two little ones, looking for food. They are pretty well hidden, and N wanted to do something for them so we put out a little bird bath in a patch of flowers nearby, and have so far convinced her to leave them alone. They are growing really well- and quickly. we're looking forward to seeing these grow. Even though it may put off our Swiss chard harvest!

Mourning Dove

This is one little painting destined for the farmer's market. The sunshine has washed out the colours a bit- there's a lot of pinks and blues and yellows going on in there. Also there is an iridescent polka dot pattern in the background- which you can only see in certain light- it was made using pearlescent medium then washed over with layers of acrylic- pretty neat stuff.

I love mourning doves- they were one of the first birds to 'welcome' us out here, and despite their sad coo-ing (I think that's where they get their name- it sounds a bit like an owl- only with a little more longing) they're really beautiful birds. Unfortunately they're also appropriate for our family right now- many of whom are coping with some grief, or impending grief- My heart goes out to them- however 'expected' the loss of a parent is- I think it's still un-unexpectedly hard.