Caught in the Act...Nature Update

Every morning one of the first things I do while I'm stumbling through the house, making my way to the coffee maker, is open the blinds. This morning, as I raised the blinds on the landing, I noticed a lot of activity at the bird feeders. Not only were there birds, but I actually caught two rabbits munching on my burning bush. This is the first time I've actually caught them in my yard.

Momentarily I forget the coffee and grab the camera instead. Not wanting to startle them, I started quietly and slowly taking pictures from inside the house.

Then I slowly crept outside and of course they immediately started hopping away.

This one hunkered down for a few seconds for a photo-op and then quickly scampered into the neighbor's thick hedge of shrubs.


This is the same burning bush they nearly destroyed during the winter, chewing it within inches of the ground. I was shocked that it actually grew some branches this spring and looked like it might survive. Now they are attacking it again. I let Lilly outside after the rabbits were out of the yard. I was sitting on the swing and she was beside me. I notice she was sniffing and had become very alert and focused on something, I turned around and spotted the rabbit again. About that time Lily took off after the rabbit and chased it away. Hopefully, that scared it and maybe, just maybe it will stay away.

I put some peanuts out and it wasn't too long before the blue jays came. This one wasn't too sure about me being outside and was hesitant at first.

It was making an awful racket too.

After several minutes of screeching and squawking, it started gathering the peanuts. They don't take time to eat them, they hoard them, going back and forth gathering and hiding, until all of the peanuts are gone.

There were quite a few birds here this morning, the robins, doves, chickadees, grackles, cardinals, and sparrows. I also saw a great blue heron flying over head, and a hawk giving chase.

"George" is still taking up residence in the five winter sowing containers that remain to be planted. Today he is in the foxglove.

The pill bugs are still eating my plants and I've yet to discover anything that works. I've tried the grapefruit, and they do like it, but the minute you remove it they scamper like crazy and are very difficult to smash. I was hoping they would be all neatly clustered inside the grapefruit and I could remove the grapefruit and all the bugs would be inside. That isn't the case, they cover the ground underneath the grapefruit. Same with the newspaper. They love the wet newspaper and will collect underneath it, not on it, and when you lift it they scamper. Smashing bugs is not exactly my favorite gardening task. YUCKY!

It was about 70 degrees this morning, perfect weather for sitting outside and observing the creatures who are making Robin's Nesting Place their home. Unfortunately, not all of them are welcome guest.