Countryside

A quiet road and a warm
morning in June.


On this side of the bridge,
we come upon a lovely scene:
a mini oasis flanked by
tall stands of evergreen trees.

Our senses are acutely attuned
to the immense peace
of this roadside glade with angled creek

and carpet of bright green vegetation.
We catch birdsong on the air,
get dizzy watching the butterflies chase
one another and search out
the buzzing bees as they go
from flower to flower at our feet.

On the way back to town and home
we see three deer grazing,

flicking away the mosquitoes.

Another sight grabs our attention,
and we stop once more to watch
Robin fly down to the weeds
in the ditch and come back with a meal.

At Home

What a gorgeous day it has been! There was a bit of a breeze blowing, but it was very warm in the sun.

I like the mornings best. The birds are active in the trees and shrubs and on the ground - twittering, peeping and singing their songs. It's a nice time to be outdoors. I took all the bird pictures between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. (please click on pictures to enlarge)

Resident Crow in spruce tree.

A very fine, intelligent bird.

So nice to have the Robin

back in the neighbourhood. Caroling.
The Dark-eyed Junco is welcome

in my garden anytime. This picture
shows some of the Junco's white outer tail
feathers. Musical trill.


White-crowned Sparrow
Those black and white stripes
really stand out. Pretty whistling notes.

This tangled looking willow is a
popular perching spot for
many of the songbirds.
It's without leaves right now, but
the birds aren't concerned.

Later, in the afternoon, I was in my garden weeding one of the raised beds when I realized my dog wasn't anywhere around. She had found the snakes on the other side of the house and was sitting at the edge of the hill just watching, fascinated by them.

These are the first garter snakes I've seen this year.

I know many people have an aversion to snakes. At one time I did too, but I've gotten used to these harmless garter snakes being here. I see them more in the spring than at any other time - they like to come out of hiding to be in the sun. I'll take more pictures and do another post entirely on the timid garter snakes.

Enjoy your weekend! I'll be out in the kitchen garden singing my own song.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robins

It is a very blustery, cool day. I saw at least twenty robins
in a flock near an open field. Also saw my first two bluebirds
of the season, but they were too quick for me to take a picture.
See previous post for the "first robin" picture.


back view

on a rock

two in the ditch

on fence post

home tweet home

on a hillside

A favourite old children's poem

What the Robin Told the Wind

The wind told the grasses,
And the grasses told the trees.
The trees told the bushes,
And the bushes told the bees.
The bees told the robin,
And the robin sang out clear,
Wake up! Wake up!
Spring is here!