The cats didn't come in when I called late last night. I wasn't surprised -- yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far. They waited until dawn broke drizzly and cool, and then Luna woke me by clawing her way up the window screen nearest my bed. Both kitties came running when I opened the door, all wet paws and hungry bellies. Now they sleep the afternoon away -- Luna in one of the sheepskin-lined baskets, Tango at the foot of my down-comforter-covered bed.
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I'll have to switch the comforter for a lighter bedspread soon. Today is gray and cool-ish, but yesterday was hot -- hot like summer. Hot enough that I drew the blinds and removed the storm window from the screen door. Last night I went to a thesis reading by two of my immensely talented classmates. Everywhere I looked, I saw sunburned people.
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On my way down the driveway to the reading, I witnessed a most unusual sight: a great blue heron perched atop the gate, sillhouetted against the hazy, late-afternoon sky. And me with my camera left at home. I can't imagine why it stopped here; there's no water nearby to speak of.
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I've been watching the starlings mating and nesting outside my big window. They gather up bundles of twigs and grasses in their beaks, then fly them up under the eaves of the old chicken coop. It's a regular starling apartment complex.
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Something has moved in under the chicken coop as well. I discovered a big mound of freshly excavated dirt a few days ago. I don't know what it is -- rabbit? Skunk? Badger? Fox? I wish I knew more about denning creatures.
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I've been seeing and hearing the northern flickers out and about, too, but am surprised and grateful that they haven't yet discovered my stovepipe this spring. Knock wood. (Ahem.)
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9 Comments:
It's not likely that you'd have a denning skunk, simply because you'd have smelled it before you saw the hole.
;-)
Oh, I smell them around here pretty often, and Tango got skunked a few months ago.
If you want to know what a rabbit den looks like check out some of Sara's flickr photos. We had them in Illinois and I think she has a couple good pictures of the den...and both times we had bunnies it looked the same.
The Great Blue Heron is my gardian bird. I always feel better when I see them!
Laura -- Can you show me where to find the pictures of the rabbit den? We definitely have bunnies here, but I think this might be a bigger pile of dirt than a rabbit would produce. I don't really know, though.
Mike -- That's cool. How did they become your guardian bird? Do they have them in DC? (Is that where you grew up?)
We have the flickers and herons around here everywhere, I love it :) My cats also spend the night outside, then come in and sleep the day away, it's precious to me :)
I used to work very hard to keep Tango in at night. I was worried, and still worry, about him getting eaten. But it was a tough battle, and I eventually gave in.
I had to check out the stovepipe post, for some reason the birds have started comming down mine. I have had two this year and they both lived because I am keeping the stove doors open.
Last year I had 25 birds and two bats enter that way. two of the birds and one of the bats died stirring up the old ashes.
Goodness, G., you might need a cover on your stovepipe. Mine has something that looks like a metal helmet with downward-facing vents.
That's what the woodpeckers love to perch and peck on -- it's LOUD!
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