Spider solitaire

When things are slow at the Visitor’s Center, I end up playing way too much spider solitaire!  After getting everything set up for visitors, there’s not much else to do if no one stops in.  I only had one visitor for the first four hours, and he just wanted to ask if there was hunting on the refuge.  The answer is “NO.”  He turned right around and left.  Luckily, things were a little busier this afternoon.

Once my stint was over, I headed back to the rig and Emma and I went outside.  I noticed that the American goldfinches are getting into their breeding plumage.  Now they’re looking more like wild canaries. 

We took a walk down to the boat launch, and I found some more fiddleheads.  I guess I’m rather fascinated about how ferns seem to  unravel into their beauty.

Back at the ranch, the titmice were grabbing one seed at a time.  They then fly up into the live oak tree to crack the seed open.  That’s one reason I like titmice and chickadees.  They just don’t sit there, pig out, and throw the seeds they don’t want on the ground.  I have enough problems with the coons each night without birds throwing seeds on the ground.  Don’t know if I’ve mentioned that I take the feeders down each night just before sunset.  If I didn’t, the coons would wreck them all.  Let alone the possibility that the bear that passed through a few weeks ago might return and really play havoc with my feeders!

There is a male Northern cardinal that has set up a territory right around my site.  He sings so much that I’m shocked that he still has a voice left.  I’m hoping to find the nest that he and his mate are making.

Can you guess why Emma is so alert looking?  She’s one of the few dogs that I’ve owned that watches the skies and the trees. (I had to pretend I was taking a picture of a bird to get these shots)

Here’s the culprit.  Rodent and small mammal patrol is her life’s calling!  This little guy was just teasing her.  During the day, squirrels attack my feeders.  I just don’t understand why they want to chew the plastic.  It’s not necessary for them to get to the seeds.

 

I think there is a forecast for high winds tomorrow, but if that doesn’t pan out, I’m going to take another paddle down/up the bayou.

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy