An auspicious day for the Bluebird family

June 8, 2025 

This morning, I was out and about, checking the gardens for any overnight incursions, and newly sprouted things, when I heard Papa Bluebird start calling from a perch up in the crab apple tree. The Bluebird pair have been quietly busy, feeding the brood in the nest box, going in and out regularly, from early morning to evening. We watch them using all the T post perches around the yard, as bug ambush spots. As soon as I heard him calling, I knew that he was calling the nestlings out. Sure enough, between the telescope aimed at the nest box and binoculars, we managed to catch sight of at least three fledglings taking their maiden flight from the box, bulletting out in a straight trajectory. Suddenly, the nest box on the pole has taken on a lonesome, look, sitting over there on the side of the yard, empty again. 

An Eastern Phoebe is calling and fluttering up under the eaves of the verandah, trying to entice a female to join him as he has found an ideal nest site. A pyramidal cedar out front, has a Chipping sparrow nest in it. The Chippers have hatched and daily the ruckus they raise every time a parent arrives with food, gets louder. 

Having rain in the forecast a few days ago, gave me incentive to get the seeds for beans, squash and cucumbers in the ground. That worked perfectly, as an half inch of rain did materialize as promised. The weather has not been the best for warm weather crops. A cool spell earlier in the week had me covering the tomato and pepper plants for a couple of nights. There may have been just a hint of frost on low laying areas one morning, but so far, so good. Pretty much everything is in the ground now, with spaces left for later plantings of beans, carrots and rutabagas. The broccoli and cabbage are growing gangbusters under their protective netting.

The year marches inexorably on, trees are mostly fully leafed out, and from them, the wind is launching millions of little tree seed keys. They spiral down, whirligiging through the air, glistening in the sunlight.  

Spring blooms are moving from bloom to seed, and early summer plants are starting to bloom. One favourite old timey plant I love, is Lemon lily, the aroma so reminiscent of times past. (Do you see the little spider in there?)

Peony and poppy buds are swelling, and their blooms will soon be dancing in the summer breezes. 

Its Time to cut some Thyme for drying. 

Around the pond, wild lupines are blooming.

In the grass, here and there, little pricks of blue...one of my favourites...Blue-eyed grass.

When I dug out the strawberry bed, I stuck plants randomly here and there. The Here and There plants are doing much better than the runners rooted in the Strawberry tower!!

Perhaps we'll get a taste if the chipmunks don't find them.

We've been expecting to see new deer fawns on the trail camera pictures, and sure enough, sometime over the past week, this one came by, following her mom.

On Bird Cam, an American Goldfinch possibly pulling tufts of wool roving out of the ball?

A Chipping sparrow..

And maybe....a Chestnut-sided warbler???

There seems to be dozens of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies around this spring. They love the lilac and chive blooms.

Lots of Bumblers are loving the chives as well.

Finally, a trail camera shot of our morning serenader...

the glowing eye on the bird perched on that rock, belongs to a Whip-poor-will.