Space for Rent!

It's not that unusual to see bluebirds hanging out in the yard or at the feeders.

....So I thought it was about time to put up a bluebird house that my Dad made for me.

I should probably tell you that he gave it to me in, I think, 2011.  But I had a newborn and no idea how or where to install the house.  Fast forward to early March of 2014.....and I realized I really wanted the bluebirds to nest in our yard.  I headed to my favorite bird store and was amazed to find that they sell a kit!  I even managed to install the birdhouse myself!  Notice the little blue feeder I bought so that I could try to entice the bluebirds with mealworms.

Within a few hours of putting the house up, the bluebirds found the mealworms and started feasting.  Much to my delight, they spent about a week checking out the house.  I'd walk out into the yard to find a bluebird hanging on the house with his/her head sticking in the hole (and I know I took a picture of just that but I now can't find it anywhere ~ I just spent 30 minutes looking through all my files!).

Well, much to my dismay, the bluebirds passed on my house.  I was so bummed.

But then....

.....a sweet little wren decided the house was just perfect!

I've been studying her ever since.  She stays very busy!  For the first week, I watched as she carried stick after stick after stick into the little hole.  It was truly fascinating!  The girls and I would sit chairs out on the lawn and drink juice and eat snacks as she worked.  I mean honestly....who needs TV?

One day, while the sweet wren was away looking for food, we opened the house. I couldn't believe my eyes.....

I don't know about you but I've never seen a nest like that before!

It took a little while but, within the last few days, I heard the first sound of babies calling out to their Mama.  The sweetest sounds.

Now Mama's on double and triple shift.  I've never seen ANYONE work that hard, except for maybe myself.  Ha!

Last night, I was so pleased to take the below photos after she captured a grasshopper. Those babies must have LOVED feasting on such a gourmet treat!

I'm so happy she came to live at our house!  

Am I a little disappointed that the bluebirds didn't choose to stay?  I can't lie, I am.

But then I go outside and watch this Mama hard at work.....and I listen to her beautiful song.....I try over and over again to take her picture.....and I realize that she is also a gift.  The sweet little wren makes this Mama incredibly happy.

I can't wait to meet her babies!

Thank you, Dad ~ the bluebird/wren house is truly one of my favorite gifts ever.....and it means so much to me that you built it yourself!  XOXO

Overprotected Kids Go "Wild"

In early April, we received the most recent issue of The Atlantic.  The cover story was one titled "The Overprotected Kid".  I couldn't break the magazine open quickly enough.  This is a topic I think about A LOT.....I know my kids don't have enough freedom and I worry how about how it will affect them in the long run.  Like most people my age, I had WAY more freedom than my own children.  My parents let me loose in the neighborhood and I was only called in for dinner or when it got dark.  

I LIVED in the woods and I am well aware that the amount of time I spent surrounded by nature shaped me in a HUGE way.  I played in the creek daily.  Didn't Mom & Dad worry I'd fall, hit my head on a rock and drown?  Weren't they concerned that some weirdo would walk into the woods and steal me?  What about the poison ivy and the snakes and my dirt-covered clothes and shoes?They never seemed worried.  Neither did the parents of my friends.  But letting me loose was one of the most fantastic gifts my parents could give me.  I have such beautiful memories of swinging over the creek on a long vine, building forts, chasing each other through the woods, perfecting our dam building....need I go on?  No one was looking over my shoulders.  Not one afternoon had a planned activity.  

I finished reading the article and I was upset.  But what could I do?  We don't live in an area where I can let my kids loose.  No way.  So what did I do?  I filled the girls' water bottles, packed a few snacks, jumped in the car with Clara, picked Sophie up from the bus stop and headed straight to a nature path near home.  When we got there, I told the girls to go and do whatever they wanted. You should have seen the way they looked at me!!!  It's so sad but they didn't even know what to do.  Go, walk in the woods, play in the creek, get dirty, find some bugs......these are the things I told them.  It took a while and there was some trepidation but they eventually took tentative first steps into the woods.  

And I have to admit that it wasn't easy for me.  These kids weren't raised in the woods.  I was nervous.  I followed them around from a distance as they ventured.  I tried to pretend like I wasn't paying attention to them (yeah right!).  A couple of times I even let them out of my sight (GASP!) but immediately panicked and called them back.  Still, I do get points for trying, right?  As they played and went "wild" (ha!), I took photos.

Of course Harry had to follow along and help protect the girls.

The girls played at this rotted log for about 1/2 an hour until a massive bug ran out and made Sophie jump a foot into the air.  She is not afraid of bugs so that just tells you something about the size and "scary factor" of this particular bug!

I kept going back for more pictures because, as you may remember, towhees are my favorite (sssshhhh, don't tell Harry!).

If I still did my Suburban Field Journal posts, I'd include this picture.  I love when we go somewhere in the suburbs and find a reminder that this used to be someone's large piece of property. Well, I shouldn't say I love it because it actually makes me sad.

My kids are still overprotected.  I want to be positive but I just don't think there's any way around that these days.  Even a laid back parent like me has a hard time letting go.  I will always search for opportunities to give the girls freedom to roam and explore.  Until I find them, I'm happy I had this lovely afternoon with two of my favorite people and I was glad to have a little of my own freedom to take some nature photos!  

The New Feeder

After my Bird Walk, I bought a new feeder.  Bugs, Nuts & Fruits.  

It's a large cylinder and it looks a little something like this....

Yum yum.

I was very curious how long it would take my birds to find it.  Would they like it?  Who would eat from it?

The sweet Chickadees found it first, within a few hours.  They dipped and dived and pecked at it for hours.

Then it was ON.  I don't think there's a single bird in our yard who has not feasted from this awesome concoction of treats!  I was happy I put it up right before the snow.  It was THE PLACE TO BE during those two days of heavy snow.  See for yourself!

After the Chickadees, my man Harry was the next to arrive.  He pretty much made it his mission to live next to this new feeder.  Without fail, if I looked out the window, he was sitting on the branch right above.  My friend Carissa was here for a while last week and she was amazed at how he stayed in that one place dipping down to get a snack every once in a while.

Then came the Blue Jays.....

There was a pair....one would snack and the other would hang out on a branch above, almost like he/she was on lookout duty!

Anyone recognize this next bird?  I have no idea what bird this is but he/she is a cutie!

Then came the Robins......and I was amazed....I've never seen them eat anything from a feeder.  They're ground feeders!  I'm assuming this was because of the snow!?!?

And, of course, the wren was there a lot.  He's one of the easiest birds to photograph because he's less skittish.

I didn't get any pictures of the other bird visitors but I can assure you there were plenty.  Even my sweet Towhees.

Anyway, thanks for indulging me.  I was so thankful to have the new feeder last week.  It was almost like a little project I had to keep me busy!  I just noticed this morning that the last piece of the feeder was eaten off this morning.  I'm hoping the bird store has another one in stock.  When I bought this one, it was the last one on the shelf.  And now I'm kind of addicted.....along with the birds!

NATURE in 2013

Each year I look forward to putting together my "Highlights" post.  As I went through last year's photos I realized I didn't want to do that post.  This year was NOT AWESOME (to use the famous words of Tia Jenny).  Even looking back through the photos was hard for me.  But, of course, there were nature photos GALORE.  Tons and tons of them.  It took forever but I went through ALL OF THEM and chose my favorites.  I'm displaying them here.  Some you've seen before and others I haven't shared yet.  I'd really LOVE to hear which is your favorite.

I can honestly say that the highlight of my entire year was getting my camera as a birthday present. I often wonder how I would have survived the year without it.  Every single one of these pictures was taken after April (all with the new camera).  Reviewing these I'm struck by the number of birds and butterflies.  At least half of these photos were taken right in my backyard.  How lucky am I?  And I couldn't stop thinking about how much I look forward to Spring.....when the birds become REALLY active again and all the baby birds come out.

I know which of these is my favorite, although it was exceptionally hard to choose.

Tell me, do you have a favorite nature photo from 2013?  If so, I'd love to see it!  And please don't forget to tell me which of these you like best!

Hope 2014 is off to a fabulous start!

XOXO