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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, April 2, 2011

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.

_MG_0170Once 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.  Smile

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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)

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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

21 comments:

  1. I heard the "rubber ducks" announcing the arrival of goldfinch today.

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  2. Judy,

    I have so much admiration for you on so many levels. I know you worked hard throughout your life and career to be where you are now and that's a big part of what makes you such an inspiration. I don't comment often but I always enjoy your blog.

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  3. Were you a professional photographer at some point? Your pics amaze me...so precise & clear -- on every post!

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  4. I will soon be having the same problems as you with our birdfeeders. Squirrels are the bad guys. I find Grackles are particularly bad at sitting on a feeder & swooshing the birdseed out of the feeders onto the ground. I would never hurt one but I have to tell you that I have had some pretty nasty thoughts about them at times.

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  5. Have you ever picked fiddleheads and cooked them? One spring when we were back in Vermont and Maine, people had them in bags out on the roads in front of their homes for sale. We weren't RVing at the time so didn't have a way to cook them, but I don't really think it would be something I'd enjoy....

    beautiful photo's as usual!

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  6. I always enjoy your pictures and tonight was no exception. Emma looks so intent, but I guess she needs to be in her job as Rodent Patroller Extraordinaire! I know squirrels are a pain and destructive to bird feeders, but I still enjoy their antics and their cute little faces!

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  7. I hate to admit it, but I put out nuts for the squirrels. It started with a box of mixed nuts that went a bit stale after Christmas, and now I but unsalted peanuts for them at the bird feed store!

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  8. Incredible picture of the Cardinal. They are my favorite bird. How lucky you are that he's watching over you and treating you to his song!

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  9. Emma watching the skies? Of course she does: "like mother, like dog"!!

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  10. I loved watching the chickadees when I lived in NC. They were so polite - would sit patiently and wait their turn, then take their one seed to a nearby branch to crack it, then get in the line again for another one. No fighting or jostling for position.

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  11. I love hand feeding the chickadees and then watch them take their morsel to a branch and peck away at it.
    I have gone through more feeders thanks to the squirrels chewing them to bits...I shake my fist!! LOL The only trouble I have with the coons is the mess they make in my pond!!

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  12. I'm loving your pictures. I'm so looking forward to green landscape again and colorful flowers!!! Enough of this brown desert.

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  13. I'm hoping you find the cardinal nest. The papa sure is a pretty one.

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  14. nice shot of Emma!!..she is sitting so pretty!!..thanks to the squirrel!!

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  15. Great bird pictures. The ones of Emma are priceless. I saw what I am pretty sure was a rufus hummingbird yesterday, but didn't get a picture. It was a coppery brown color.

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  16. One thing we don't get up here is the Titmice...We had them all over Texas. We haven't seen any Goldfinches yet ,but the Purple ones are thick...Hey Judy...any thoughts on when to put up a Purple Martin house here in Illinois...I mid April too soon??

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  17. I can relate to the squirrels and raccoons raiding the feeders. In our S&B home they were a problem and the deer would also play with the feeders until they would knock them down . At first I thought it was coons but the big hoof prints below the feeder gave the true culprits away. I actually watched one morning as a doe kept hitting it with her nose like it was a game. It was actually pretty funny to watch.

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  18. Love your description of the ferns unraveling into their beauty.

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  19. What a beautiful pic of Emma. She could be a dog model!
    Our little guys go crazy when they see a fuzzy tailed rodent!

    Travel Safe

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  20. meowmomma said...
    Have you ever picked fiddleheads and cooked them?.. I don't really think it would be something I'd enjoy.

    I was visiting in Maine and my host picked some fiddleheads in the nearby woods. Sauteed in some butter - they were delicious. Would love to have some more right now.

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