"Rain, rain....go away!"

May 25, 2025

 This past week has been a bit of an endurance test. The last sunny day we had, was May 20. The weather has been unseasonably cool for this time of year, with rain, drizzle, rain, drizzle, ad infinitum. Last night, a few rays of sun broke through rifts in the heavy cloud cover late in the afternoon, followed by another heavy rain shower. This morning there are clear patches in the sky, but still lots of clouds, although it isn't the solid mass of clouds it has been. I'll empty the rain gauge when the sun finally emerges, but so far it is measuring over one and a half inches of rain, and the forecast now calls for thunderstorms this afternoon, but the temperature is slated to go up into more springlike temperatures. The temperature over the last few days has not even reached 10C (50F), and night temperatures have been just above freezing, with frost on the grass some mornings. 

We had some interesting colour in the morning sky on the 17th.

A bull moose with growing antlers ambled by a trail camera one night,

Bird Cam captured a shot of a Chickadee with a moustache of wool roving she had plucked from the ball. 

Some flowers that are blooming in the woods.

Rain drops on Fringed Polygala, or Gay Wings.

More raindrops on the first Starflower I found blooming,

an emerging Lady's Slipper orchid,

 and this morning, after the deer found it....

Jack in the Pulpits.

Canada Mayflower, budded and ready to bloom.
 

Violets, dandelions, clover and yarrow, which are all thriving in the crazily growing grass.

One garden job that did get done, in the rain, was mulching and protecting the brassica bed.

Everything is so wet. There won't be anything planted in the Field garden for some time, as one end was still too wet even before all this rain. The raised beds were prepped before the rain, and will dry out faster. Peas are looking good, onion sets are up, and seed onions that were raised in the cold frame have been separated and set out in a raised bed with no sign of transplant shock because of the rain and overcast skies.
With this cool weather, there is a noticeable slowing of the emergence of leaves on the trees, and a slowing down of all the plants growing in the bush. Blackflies disappeared, as did the mosquitoes, mostly. Once we get sunshine and warmth, those pests will be excessive. There is no happy medium, but the birds need food.....

Another pair of Bluebirds has shown up and taken possession of the nest box. The Lady Blue comes out to catch her breakfast each morning, sitting companionably on the T stakes around the yard with her mate, then returns to the box, where I assume she is incubating eggs. Mr. Blue hangs about the yard, perching on all the stakes that are within sight of the nest box, taking intermittent forays down to catch bugs. We'll know when the chicks hatch, as the activity of both birds will ramp up considerably.

 

A Barred owl perched in front of Bird Cam. It is unclear if it is eating something it has caught, or is preening it's toe feathers!

Listening to the birds....

May 17, 2025 

on a mild morning, earlier in the week, from the verandah.

Daylight is very, very dim at 4:30 AM, Whip-poor-will is still calling over to the west, a Barred owl made a final sign-off “who cooks for you?”, in the bush to the east. The Robins are definitely the earliest risers, and they are calling the world awake, starting practically in darkness, but by 6, they've eased off on their calling, as if it was their job to awaken the world and once the other birds pitch in, their job is done.

Gradually, other birds take up the task, notably the Wood thrush, Hermit thrush, the odd note from a Swainson's thrush, the sharp “zyou”calls from a Veery, newly arrived and not yet ready to make it's lovely, ethereal flutey calls. All of the thrushes, are definitely early risers.

Over all, on this mild morning, I can hear the steady trilling of toads all around, but they also ease off their calling as daylight grows. Song sparrow is making his rounds now, from a perch on favourite high branches around the clearing, to the top of the pyramidal cedar right in front of me. His introductory notes tell me to “pay attention!”, followed by notes of fluid happiness, his little beak pointing skyward. The proximity of his singing (less than 10ft, separated only by a screen), punctuates all the other songs around. He makes a few calls, then heads off to the next stop on his rounds. 

White-throated sparrows are adding their pure, clear notes. Ruffed Grouse did some drumming, and as daylight grows stronger, the trilling Chipping sparrow and melodious Rose-breasted grosbeak add their notes. Of to the southwest, not too far away, a Yellow-bellied sapsucker smacks out a couple of rapid bursts of tapping, as if not wanting to be left out. Ditto with the Blue jays, who let out the odd squawk, as if in protest to all the avian voices that have been added to their previous, relatively quiet existence. Now the vireos pitch in, Red-eyed and Blue headed, and then warblers, with various degrees of volume in their voices, and without the help of Merlin, (the screen flashing up bird after bird), very difficult for me to suss out each one. American Redstart, Chestnut-sided, Yellow, Yellow rump, Black and white, Blackburnian, Cape May, Nashville, American Redstart, and the steady “teacher, teacher, teacher” call of Oven birds. (Still awaiting the Mourning warbler, a summer regular here.)

Later in the morning, a pair of Catbirds were checking out the yard, calling from the crab apple tree beside the house, which seems to be a magnet for any variety of bird, perhaps because it's leaves are always the first of any tree around, to enrobe the tree and obscure the songsters. He then hid out in the lilac bush, sang his repertoire of calls, with the inevitable "mew" at the end, giving himself away. At one point he was perched right up on the tallest branch of the crab-apple tree, and I went upstairs to get a more 'eye-level' view.

Later still, in the morning, I was out preparing planting holes for baby trees, and heard the Great Crested Flycatcher for the first time this spring. Around noon, a Baltimore oriole arrived, a brilliant orange exclamation mark against the growing greenness, making a bee-line for the feeder, and contorting himself around it's hanging wire with the agility of a monkey.

There are at least 4 male Ruby-throated hummingbirds, jostling for supremacy at the feeder, their constant sparring leaving little time for more than a quick sip before the spats continue. There is at least one small female, who actually perches on the fake flower over a nectar orifice on the feeder as she sips. The tiny birds love to take refuge in the lilac bush, and there is a regular pendulum dance over the bush by one or another of the male birds. I'm sure the Hummers nest in there as well.

The female Tree swallow is busy collecting up bits of old, dry grass along the edge of the driveway, and ferrying them to the nest box while the male watches from nearby perches. She is tireless with her countless trips. The Bluebird pair seems to have moved on, after showing so much interest in the nest box. A Scarlet tanager calls from the bush around the edge. So many birds seem drawn to all the 'edge' habitat around our oasis in the bush.

 In other activities, I went morel hunting...

and found them just poking up through last fall's matted leaves. (The green leaves are tiny, new ones, just unfurled.)

We travelled south and visited a friend who's property happens to be in a beautiful deciduous bush where spring ephemerals  grow in abundance, as well as wild leeks, a 'must have' taste of spring for me. 

We found trilliums in full, fresh bloom.

Here and there was a bloom with a green stripe, which is caused by a bacterial parasite that inhibits the plant from producing healthy flowers and seeds.

 Here was a pretty tableau, tiny Mitrewort flowers beautifying a tree trunk with a supporting cast of leek leaves.

Back at home, my plum trees are blooming...

and tiny Red maple keys are hanging where all the blooms were earlier. A misty, soft morning with the early sun shining through the keys gave them a soft rosy glow.

Strawberries are blooming everywhere!

And a Barred Owl in the moonlight! (click on the picture to get a better look.)

 

And just this morning, as the apple blossoms start to really open, a small flight of Cedar Waxwings are here, flying in like a formation of little fighter jets to eat the apple blossoms, their sharp, elongated squeaks giving their location away up in the branches.

Of birds, and beasts and plants......

May 11, 2025

It has been a busy week, the clear sunny days ideal for outdoor work. Almost every night, there has been patchy frost, but the warmer night temperatures forecast for next week may mean the end of carting plants out and in each morning and evening. 

The frozen centre of my compost bins finally melted and I was able to get the winter accumulation shovelled and forked into one bin, layered with dry leaves and water. The compost thermometer jumped from 60F yesterday, to 80F this morning, so things are 'a-cookin'! It is a spring chore I always seem to dread, but once I get at it, it isn't half as bad as I expected...like a lot of things in life! A good sharp garden fork is indispensable. I'll be re-layering and mixing the pile back and forth each time the temperature peaks out and should have usable compost for planting the warm-weather crops once June arrives.

Yesterday I transplanted the brassicas out to bed #7,

bottomless ice cream tubs supporting the shade cloth, as the day was bright. They have been growing in a hot frame with the lid up for a couple of weeks, so are quite acclimated. Peas are poking up this morning, and they haven't been without a few glitches, as something dug up some of the seeds immediately after they were planted. Bad gardener had failed to install a shield of hardware cloth...

This morning, there are also footprints dimpled in the smooth soil in the end of the freshly disturbed brassica bed....

No doubt Mr. Fox's curiosity was aroused.

Yesterday morning, on returning from our bush walk, we were greeted with a zipping, buzzing Hummingbird, doing his thing over the lilac bush...so know at least one lady-bird has arrived. Let the Hummy entertainment commence!

The Rose-breasted grosbeaks have arrived, the first one announced his arrival by flying in and perching awkwardly on the pole holding the Hummingbird feeder, right in front of us one afternoon as we were reviving on the verandah from a day of yard work. He quickly fluttered off, his wings a mesmerizing psychedelic black and white blurr. Over the next few days, we have had up to 6 Rosies sitting in the tray feeder under the crab-apple tree, and now their melodious singing is heard all around the clearing, perhaps because the females have arrived as well. Quite a few White-throated sparrows are here, and have been for a while. They forage in the grass under the feeders. There seem to be a surfeit of the tan striped phase of the bird this year. I've only seen a couple of the white striped, who in my opinion, are much prettier, their colours so much more distinct. Oven birds, Chestnut-sided warblers and Hermit thrush are daily songsters heard from the edges of the clearing now, and back in the bush there are Black-throated blue and Black-throated green warblers adding their voices, as well as the soft buzzy sound of the Northern Parula warbler. Yesterday a Brown Thrasher made its presence known, it's thrilling repertoire coming out of the now leafing out crab-apple tree beside the house. A little later it hopped out of the lilac bush onto the drive and I was able to sneak out on the verandah, and get a good look. Thrashers were first heard on election day, as we stood waiting in line outside the voting booth at our rural polling place. Closer to the house, Chipping sparrows are trilling their 'come hither' songs, persistent Song Sparrows are calling from high perches, and the Whip-poor-wills are back to the 4;30 AM wake up call regime, sometimes right beneath the bedroom window. One morning I was re-awakened by a strange echoing 'brrrrrrsssst' that was coming from the roof over my head. We investigated and found a Northern Flicker up on the roof ladder, posturing and fanning his tail at his own reflection in the chimney, with a periodic burst of tapping on the roof ladder. Hubby climbed up and painted the shiny metal chimney with black spray paint to deter his persistence. I happened to be looking up when the bird returned and took this shot. He is turning away in puzzlement, and has since, thankfully, ceased and desisted.

The female Tree Swallow is diligently gathering nesting material and taking it into the nest box while the male guards the area from atop the adjacent clothesline pole.

(Not a good shot, but you get the gist.)
The Blue bird saga continues, with a small glitch. The female disappeared for a couple of days, and the male spent his time perching on all the stakes and posts around the clearing and calling. I was getting worried about what had happened, as I know that Bluebirds investigate any opening or hole for nesting possibilities, and worried that she was stuck somewhere. We once had one come down the shop chimney and a fluttering noise attracted Hubby to the glass-fronted stove door, where he released a soot covered bird out into the shop and then out the big doors. Hubby has since enclosed all the chimney tops with double chicken wire. Thankfully, this morning, both birds were sitting side by side on one of the T stakes we put around the yard, just for them and the Phoebes to use for bug-catching perches. A little later both birds were back investigating the bird house, raising my hopes again.

The woods are a-greening. Under every red maple tree is a red swathe of spent blooms, and on the branches are unfurling leaves and dangling baby maple keys. 

Expectations are high about finding morel and pheasant back mushrooms any day now, and I am on the hunt. Early in the week, stinging nettle shoots were harvested from the patch I am developing in a clearing back along a trail, and a pot of  delicious stinging nettle soup was made and enjoyed. That's a keeper! Asparagus are cut-able now, and this morning on a garden reconnoitre walk, found this guy in the patch.

Daffodils are making a cheery yellow statement, these guys,

and these.

It is a beautiful day, and I wish all the Mothers out there, a good one.

Happy Mother's Day.

The spring sequence of life marches on.....

 May 3, 2025

 So, if I could only understand 'bird'...perhaps then I'd know what the Blue-headed vireo was asking me this morning with it's spaced, questioning calls. Maybe the Ruby-crowned Kinglets understood, or the Black-throated green, and Yellow-rumped warblers or the Northern Waterthrush, who were also heard on our bush ramble this morning. It is such a delight to walk quietly around the trails, listening for all the new arrivals. Pretty sure I heard a Common Yellow-throat, a bird I learned as a child, and called it the 'Witchery bird', long before I knew it's name. It's call sounds like it is saying 'witchery, witchery', and it's appearance is far from common, with its black 'bandit' eye mask and yellow breast.

One night of very strong winds earlier in the week, I stood out on the verandah in the dark, the wind roaring, and could hear the periodic sound of branches breaking, but close by, the frogs still singing through the din ...so every walk around the trails of late, involves tossing off twigs and small branches. Hubby has been around with the chainsaw to clear off bigger obstructions. Mother Nature has been doing some very vigorous spring pruning. 

Today I picked up this stick, then paused to examine the soft jelly fungus and two varieties of lichen on the same branch, curiously beautiful.

In our clearing, a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird arrived Friday morning, blown in on warmer overnight breezes from the south. He was sipping nectar from the feeder we'd prepared in expectation of his arrival. We watched him make repeated visits as we ate our breakfast on the verandah, the only morning of the week that the temperature was reasonable enough to do so. The males are always first, and we'll definitely know when the females arrive, as the males begin their 'pendulum dancing', zipping back and forth in a pendulum arc, their wings a blur, and buzzing loudly, trying to impress the girls.

This morning, thrill of thrills, we spotted Mr. Bluebird sitting out on the hook that the Hummy feeder is hanging off of, and in the excitement, I forgot the water running into the sink for dishes and narrowly avoided disaster! He flew off to join his mate in inspecting the nest box situated about 80 yards to the west of the house. They both diligently checked it out, both of them inside at one time, at other times one would sit on the roof, peering over the edge while the other would go inside. They hung out and kept appearing sitting on the box, and on any stake or post around the clearing throughout the morning. It remains to be seen if the habitation met with their approval, and if they'll move in. If so, the telescope will be set up by the west window to keep an eye on proceedings.

The weather has varied pretty much all over the map this week. Days of warmth, days of wind, nights of strong wind, and nights of frost. We watch our wind vane....the cedar 'turtle log' floating in the pond, as it drifts with the wind, to the north or to the south end of the pond. It is the time of year one keeps a close eye on the thermometer, to see if plants can go out, or have to stay in, or stay out at night....Hardening off of the garden plants continues.

Recently I couldn't resist this...

and have harvested a delicious large oyster mushroom. I am hoping for another flush.

Yesterday, I was down gently patting the carpet of dead leaves over the lady slipper orchid patch in the bush behind the barn, feeling for shoots...and yes! The pale green shoots are up perhaps half an inch. I brushed the leaves back over them. Hazelnut shrubs have put out their tiny red blooms,

and Leatherwood shrubs are blooming.

The bush is still pretty barren looking, until you look up...at blooming Red maples,

and burgeoning pussy willows.

There is a green or red or yellow tinge in the tree tops as buds start to swell on different tree species. 

Rhubarb pie will soon be on the menu,

and I'm keeping a sharp eye on the asparagus patch, because....

They just poked through! Last year's stems have been left to deter the deer.

In the gardens, peas have been planted, as well as lettuce, spinach and radishes.

Look! first red trillium, looking a little tattered, and finally, this shot of a fat Robin in front of Bird Cam.