Bird Magic, and its almost Strawberry season!

June 17, 2025 

Apparently the Blue bird nest box was not empty! The Bluebird parents were still going into the box with food for a few days after the male had called the young ones out. We watched the adults exiting with what we call 'poop packets', flying away and dropping them away from the nest. The 'poop packets' are white fecal sacs that the young deposit for the parents to dispose of. We figure there was a least one late hatchling.

One morning, earlier in the week, on heading out the back door, Hubby called me to say the Tree Swallows were fledging. There were more than two swallows swooping and chittering around the yard, and not fighting. The sounds are different if it is a territory dispute, as are the airborne acrobatics they employ to shoo away interlopers. One of the little guys lit on the top of the clothesline pole, a perfect small edition of it's parents. The nest remained somewhat active for a few days, but now is quiet....until I heard a Bluebird calling from up there...our bird or another?? A female joined him sitting up on the box. Tree Swallows are usually 'one and done' when it comes to nesting, but Bluebirds will have more than one clutch in a season. Perhaps they are thinking of taking over that nest box? The hole is slightly smaller than that on the Bluebird box. Sure hope no one gets stuck!

Last night at dusk, the Whip-poor-wills were very vocal. One flew in and landed right on the top rock of the front step.

Hubby walked slowly and quietly out through the screen door onto the verandah and over to stand looking down on the bird through the screen door above the step. The birds are very, very loud at close proximity, and one wonders how they notice predators, as they do maintain their song for several moments in one position before moving on.

Things are really drying out now, as we haven't had any rain since June 4. There is some in the forecast for the near future, and I sure hope it materializes, as I've begun to water the gardens. Everything I've planted so far, has shown itself, and we have gone from the 'not enough' greens stage, to the 'too much' greens stage.

Broccoli are starting to head up, safely under their net cover,

and yesterday the cucumbers were up enough that I got their leaf mulch down.

The bottomless plastic tubs keeps the mulch at bay until the plants are larger. The idea was to have the peas (up the middle) produce and be done before the cucumbers get into serious production. We'll see how that works. The next bed over has tomatoes and a couple of eggplants, and you can see the healthy garlic plants in the next one over from that. The far end of the foreground bed has peppers under shade cloth. They have not enjoyed this stretch of cool weather, and are somewhat pale and stagnant in their growth. 

The red poppies are starting to open by the flagpole,

as are the iris, this one a wild Blue Flag, 

and peony buds are getting fat.

The perennial bed is mulched.

There has been some repositioning, addition and removal of plants, and it is still very much a work in progress. 

It is almost strawberry season, and I spent a fun morning in my sewing/craft room making a couple of these strawberry-shaped, re-usable bags.

And this is the real thing, almost there!

Some kitchen time resulted in a couple of batches of cookie pucks in the freezer for later fresh-baked treats. Someone in this household appreciates cookies, and this way we can bake off a half dozen at a time in the toaster oven, out on the verandah, and have fresh cookies, when the days get hot. 

We had to make a journey south last week, and stopped at Furnace Falls on the Burnt River for a break. 

 This Northern Water snake was on the rocks below the falls.

It was a cool breezy day, but the rocks would have absorbed some warmth for it to enjoy. 

Just a random bush shot of a cinnamon fern with its fertile frond.