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

The birds must be hungry.  There is a flurry of activity outside our front window.  I did sprinkle some handfuls of birdseed on the snow earlier in the morning.  I have seen many mourning doves and slate covered junco feeding on the ground.

We are getting a steady stream of downy woodpeckers feeding on the suet placed by the trunk of the large pine tree.  I am still waiting for the entrance of the red bellied woodpecker.  I am always awed by its sight.

There are usually a few tufted titmouse at one time coming to and fro the feeder just outside the window.  They like the sunflower seed I put out for them.  Once in awhile I see a chickadee or a cardinal.  I love watching them.

Maybe, today I will see an unusual species.  You never know.  Today I will have more time to watch the birds.  It is snowing and there is no where else to go.

Tags: bird feeder, bird seed, bird-watching, birds, cardinal, chickadee, downy woodpecker, it is snowing, living room window, mourning dove, pine tree, red bellied woodpecker, slate covered junco, snow, snow covered ground, suet, sunflower seed, tufted titmouse, winter
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I find it interesting that sometimes for days I did not notice the birds that came to and fro feeding on my bird feeders viewed from my large living room window but sometimes I don’t.

And I know they have not stopped coming.  The sunflower seed in the bird feeder closest to my window keeps going down so I know there has been a steady stream of mostly tufted titmouse with an occasional chickadee and white breasted nuthatch feeding there.

To me it is interesting I do not always see what is right in front of me.  My mind is just elsewhere.  And how many other things do I not see which are happening in front of me because I am preoccupied?

All that is interesting to me.  I always wonder what am I missing every day because my thoughts are somewhere else…

Tags: bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, chickadee, living room window, my mind is elsewhere, my thoughts, preoccupied, right in front of me, sunflower seed, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
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There is a slight chill in the air.  I checked the weather forecast for the next six days and the temperature has dropped a few degrees.  Labor Day is less than two weeks away.  I know now that summer is on its way out.

There are other signs:  the hummingbirds who regularly visit my feeder have dwindled.  I think there is only one who regularly feeds on my nectar.  I can tell this only by noticing how quickly my nectar for them is going down.  The others must have started their long journey down south.

All of a sudden we no longer have to run the air conditioner in our office.  Last night for the first time for months covering myself with a sheet was not enough.  I had to get my blanket.

School is about to start.  I may have bought my last watermelon for the season.  The local peaches are almost gone.  Fall is coming.  And before I know it Thanksgiving will be here.  After Halloween.

Tags: air conditioner, autumn, bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, chill in the air, Fall, God, Halloween, hummingbird, Labor Day, migration, nectar, peaches, school, seasons, summer, summer is on its way out, thanksgiving, watermelon
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I keep looking at that two inch diameter bird nest laying on the ledge just outside my front door.  I am awed at how perfectly round the inside of it was.  It had to be a hummingbird nest.  I found it lying on the middle of the road, having fallen from an overhanging tree.

Two or three hummingbirds frequent my feeder outside my living room window.  And they, too, awe me as they come to and fro my feeder.  There are so many birds that I love watching.  The hummingbird is one particular one.

The hummingbirds come regularly to sip on the nectar I have prepared for them.  Every two or three days I have to refill the feeder.  I never get tired watching their antics.  Sometimes one will come too close to another and one will chase the other away.

When I view that little nest every day, I no longer take the hummingbird for granted.  The nest I keep on the ledge is a daily reminder of their wonderous creation.

Tags: bird feeder, bird nest, bird-watching, birds, God, hummingbirds, nectar, wonderous creation
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I have fallen in love with Central Pennsylvania especially the county I live in–Perry County.  It is God’s country if you allow me to be that presumptuous.  There is open space here.  Farms, valleys and two major rivers, the Susquehanna and the Juniata, lay here.

The ride up the Juniata valley on Route 322 literally takes my breath away:  it is so beautiful.  Closer to home, every time I drive into town I want to capture its beauty on film of the view offered from the hill of the Susquehanna River and its valley crisscrossed by various small islands.

I live on the edge of country.  From my window I watch the birds come to and fro my feeders.  I was thrilled yesterday when I saw an indigo bunting alight on the ground.

We have had bears raid our bird feeders several times.  In fact, this state is second in the nation for bear hunting.  The smallmouth bass fishing from the two Rivers is superb.  I never forgot my first trips up the Rivers on a airboat.  It was like entering a world I had no idea even existed.

There is so much beauty here and people who have lived here all their lives do not always fully appreciate it.  I do.  I grew up near NYC where there were not too many open spaces.

We are less than an hour away from Hershey and Harrisburg, maybe three hours from NYC and Baltimore.  It is the best of two worlds.  I do not take this beauty here for granted.  The neighboring counties are running out of land to build on.

I would like Perry County to remain in an unspoiled state as much as possible for the next generation and subsequent ones.  Perry County is a treasure I would like others to experience.

Tags: airboat, Baltimore, bears, beauty, bird feeder, bird-feeders, bird-watching, birds, country, edge of country, farms, fishing, God, God's country, Harrisburg, Hershey, indigo bunting, islands, Juniata River, New York City, next generation, Pennsylvania, Perry County, smallmouth bass, Susquehanna River, treasure, valley, valleys
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