Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

Summer feels like it is done.  September is in a few days.  It is wet and cold–the fringe of the hurricane Irene.  Central Pennsylvania did not get hit hard.  I realized I was cold in my shorts and tee shirt.  It was time to put long pants on as well as long sleeved shirts.  I won’t put away my shorts (away???) yet but it won’t be long until they are stored away for another year.  We still have some hummingbirds coming to our feeder but not as many.  Autumn is around the bend.

Tags: August, autumn, bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, hummingbirds, hurricane Irene, long pants, long sleeved shirt, seasons, September, shorts, summer, tee shirt, wet and cold weather
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Soon the hummingbirds will stop coming to my feeder.  And will take the long journey south.  I never know when I see the last one of the season but I will keep nectar out for a few more weeks for any stragglers.  The “passing” of the hummingbirds is another sign the warm weather is out and the cold temperatures are on their way.  I can become too used to their sight and they have to go away for me again to marvel at this creation of God.  It will be April, again, before they come back.  And I will await their arrival.

Tags: April, bird feeder, bird migration, bird-watching, birds, cold temperatures, creation of God, God, hummingbirds, long journey south, nectar, seasons, warm weather
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The hummingbirds that come to my feeder never fail to amaze me.  There is a steady stream of them.  The other day I actually saw two feeding at the same time.  There is such diversity in nature.  Take birds for example.  There are all sizes and all are colored differently.  Woodpeckers and nuthatches hug the trunk of our large pine tree and seldom can be seen on the ground.  The cardinals feed very warily on the ground and come in pairs.  And occasionally there is a surprise like an indigo bunting or some other bird I usually don’t see.  I keep a bird journal and note unusual visitors.  All I do is make sure the feeders are always filled and from my large living room window watch the parade of birds come and go all day.

Tags: bird feeder, bird journal, bird-watching, birds, cardinal, diversity in nature, God, hummingbird, indigo bunting, large window, nuthatches, pine tree, watch the birds come and go, woodpecker
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The hummingbird was feisty.  Despite at least an half a dozen bees who were hovering over the feeder, it was determined to sip nectar.  Its rear feathers expanded fan-like in an aggressive motion in response to the “invaders” to its personal space.  It was determined to get its share of sugar water.  I watched this scene from my large living room window with a bit of fascination.  The hummingbird would not be deterred by the swarming bees.  It was going to get its drink anyway.

Tags: bees, bird feeder, bird feeding, birds, feathers, hummingbird, hummingbird was feisty, large window, nectar, sugar water, swarming bees, watched from my window
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I keep looking at the hummingbird feeder viewed from my living room window.  I never know when one is going to come.  Last week I saw three at one time jostling for position to sip the nectar.  The same weekend my wife saw five at one time.  That means at least five hummingbirds know where the feeder is.  I love watching them hover over the feeder.  They are amazing.  Sometimes you might see two feeding at one time.  They are very protective of their space.  All I do is make sure they have nectar and they keep coming.  I am really privileged I can watch them from my living room window.  All you have to do is recognize the diverse variety of birds and thank the Maker for the display.  And that is just birds.  A very small part of His kingdom.  It is as if He had nothing better to do but create birds.  For His enjoyment and ours.

Tags: bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, create birds, enjoyment, for His enjoyment, for our enjoyment, God, His kingdom, hummingbird feeder, hummingbirds, living room window, my wife, nectar, thank the Maker
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The spring has arrived.  Everything has become green.  Most of the deciduous trees the leaves have come out although there are some late bloomers.  Some trees are only budding.  Spring is almost at the halfway mark.  And there are occasional days where it has skipped the season and went straight into summer but then it becomes cooler again and we know it is still spring.  I inspect my garden every day to see the next bloom of the year.  And then share the discovery with my Other.  Spring is the season of discoveries.  And I always like sharing the latest.  The hummingbird arrived on Easter only last week.  This time my wife spotted the bird first.  I love watching them sip nectar from our feeder.  And fend off other hummingbirds who invade their territory.

Tags: bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, bloom, budding, deciduous trees, Easter, everything green, garden, God, hummingbird, leaves, my wife, nectar, season of discoveries, seasons, spring, spring has arrived, summer, trees
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My wife saw the first hummingbird of the season come to our feeder.  She tried to get my attention but I did not see the bird.  Now I have my eyes stationed on the feeder which is only two feet from our front living room window.  I expect to see another any minute.  To think the hummingbird flew thousands of miles to get here and also remembered the location of this feeder.

Tags: bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, first hummingbird of the year, flew thousands of miles, hummingbird, living room window, my wife, seasons
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It was cold, wet and rainy today.  I watched the many birds come to our feeders:  titmouse, cardinals, goldfinch and others.  The weather did not dismay them.  There was a steady stream of them.  It was one of those days I wanted to go back to sleep.  Or if anything else see a movie.  I really did not want to go too far.  And thank God for the heat and shelter.  Maybe, I will read that book I set aside.  It certainly was a good day to bury oneself in a book.

Tags: bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, cardinal, go back to sleep, goldfinch, rain, rainy day, read a book, see a movie, shelter, thank God, titmouse, weather
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There was a blanket of white when I got up.  It was a dusting–maybe an inch.  Through the back kitchen window I saw the ground and trees were completely white.  I immediately put some sunflower seed on my platform bird feeder and I am watching a brilliant red cardinal partaking of his meal.  This was the first snowfall of the season.  December and January have been mild so far–thirties and forties most of the time.  There has been no deep, extended “arctic” freeze so far.  I was delighted to see the snow.

Tags: arctic freeze, bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, blanket of white snow, cardinal, December, dusting of snow, first snowfall, January, kitchen window, snow, sunflower seed, winter
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All of a sudden I did not want to spend much time inside. I stepped out side and it was warm and sunny and not even an hint of a breeze. I was refilling my bird feeder with sunflower seed.

It was a perfect Autumn day. I told Lynelle about it and urged her to go out. I wanted to do whatever I had to do inside and quickly to experience this beautiful day. I don’t know how many of these “gifts” would come along. I was not taking anything for granted.

Tags: autumn, beautiful day, bird feeder, bird feeding, birds, not taking the day for granted, sunflower seed, warm and sunny day
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Nothing extraordinary happened yet a series of events followed.  And they all mattered.  I was depressed.  I did not know why but I got my body moving and focused on things outside of me.

I did mundane things like feeding our dogs and cats and filling their water bowls.  I stepped out of the house briefly and realized it was an absolutely gorgeous day in January–forty-four degrees and I wanted to spend part of the day outside.

I scattered sunflower seed and regular bird seed on the ground.  I filled one bird feeder with sunflower seed.  I know I will stare out my living window and watch the antics of the birds during the day.

I did other tasks like taking out the trash.  The discovery of my new mittens which I had misplaced brought a smile to my face.  I reminded myself we had dinner in the refrigerator.  I made a pot roast last night and there was still plenty left over.

I was still depressed but I was physically moving which was a good thing.  Sometimes you just don’t know exactly why you are depressed but I know it will end.  I did not give in to it.  That was the important thing.  I don’t always understand my moods.

Tags: bird feeder, bird feeding, bird seed, bird-watching, birds, depressed, depression, depression will end, don't give in to depression, feed the cats, feed the dogs, fill the animals' water bowls, focus on things outside yourself, get your body moving, go outside, gorgeous day, January, leftovers, living room window, mundate things, my moods, new mittens, outside the house, pot roast, sunflower seed, take out the trash
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I was thrilled:  all of a sudden I saw five goldfinch at once, most of them on our finch feeder we keep nyger seed in.  There was also one house finch.  I always get mixed up between purple and house finches.  I believe the purple finch is bigger.

It was one chilly day and I made sure there was plenty of seed on the ground for the birds to feed on.  I saw the red bellied woodpecker come several times to our suet.

There was a period when the bird did not make an appearance for several months.  Now every day I see it.  I know the pickings must be slim for the birds.  The ground is still snow covered.

Tags: bird feeder, bird seed, bird-watching, birds, chilly day, finch feeder, goldfinch, house finch, nyger seed, purple finch, red bellied woodpecker, seed on the ground, snow covered ground, suet, winter
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