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

Last night a hummingbird was looking for my nectar I usually put out for him/her. I spotted the bird alighting on a branch of the pine tree ten feet from where the feeder used to be. Since the bear tore that feeder down, I had not put any up, again. I felt so bad that I immediately made some more and filled my feeder for him and put it up again. Within fifteen minutes. I am hoping the hummingbird tries, again. I know it will take time for the hummingbirds to realize there is nectar there for them again. I felt so disheartened when a bear came in our yard twice and raided all our bird feeders. I felt helpless.

Tags: bird feeding, birds, discouraged by the bear who tore down all our bird feeders twice, hummingbirds, nectar, nectar for the hummingbirds, pine tree, ruby-throated hummingbird, the bear raids
Posted in animals, birds, local, nature, time | No Comments »

I was watching the robin swallow the five inch worm.  The bird could not do it right away.  It took a few tries before it completely swallowed the whole thing.  It was snowing and there was a large bare patch under the pine tree under which it dug up the worm.  Later on I saw another robin foraging under the tree.  They must have a hard time when it snows to do that.  This is another spring snow storm.

Tags: bare spot in the storm, birds, pine tree, robin, robins' hard time foraging in the snow, snow, snowing, spring, spring snow storm, worm
Posted in animals, birds, death, local, nature, seasons, time | No Comments »

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
Posted in beauty, birds, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, nature, time, wisdom | 2 Comments »

The Carolina wren was all I cared about today.  I viewed it again hopping back and forth searching for material on the ground suitable for its nest.  I usually do not get that close to one.

Yesterday I spotted the nest it was building for the first time.  It hidden by a large branch of our pine tree which was leaning again our house.  The last snow/ice storm had torn it down.

The nest was on a ledge.  Now I am going to keep an (???) it and the bird.  I was feeling really frustrated with the disorder of our house.  Watching for the wren was all I cared about today.

And this bird was out of my control.  The wren did not even know I existed.  And certainly was not interested in straightening up my house.  I just liked keeping an eye open for it.

Tags: bird nest, bird-watching, birds, Carolina wren, pine tree, wren
Posted in birds, local, nature, time | No Comments »

We have a large white pine tree outside our living room window.  Three large branches lay under it plus one small one.  The weight of the ice from the storm ripped them off the tree.  Today is the second morning after the freezing rain and there they lay.  I don’t want to keep them there.  Somehow I think it is bad karma to do so but the birds don’t mind:  they keep coming feeding on the sunflower seed I put out.  I still want to do something about it.

Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, freezing rain, icestorm, pine tree, sunflower seed, winter
Posted in birds, local, seasons, time | No Comments »

The storm left all the trees with a coat of ice.  This only happens once or twice a year.  The trees were beautiful as they glistened in the sunlight.  I glanced out my bedroom and the large mulberry tree was completely covered with ice.  Outside my large living room door (???) were three branches of my white pine snapped off by the weight of the ice.  It was a day to stay in and watch the birds come to the sunflower seed.  Things could be worse:  the whole town of Liverpool lost their electrical power in the storm.  We still had it.

Tags: beautiful, bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, ice, ice storm, mulberry tree, pine tree, sunflower seed, trees coated with ice
Posted in beauty, birds, local, nature, seasons, time | No Comments »

I saw my first robin of the year.  I was thrilled.  I was not looking for it.  It appeared under my large pine tree which I can view out of my living room window.  Now I know spring is on its way.  And now I will see if (???) how many I can spot today going into town.

Tags: bird-watching, birds, first robin of the year, pine tree, robin, spring, spring is on its way
Posted in birds, knowledge&learning, local, seasons, time | No Comments »

I noticed the small pine tree in the pot outside near the driveway.  It was only three inches tall.  I wanted to transplant it on my property–somewhere I would remember and see how big it grew.  And then remember how small it once was.

All trees were once seeds strewn in the wind.  This property bought by my wife almost thirty years ago was barren and now the bushes are gigantic and woods and grass and trees are all over.  The land surrounding the house is no longer bare.

I wanted to see how much time the Lord afforded me.  I wanted to observe this small pine growing up and see if I could remember when it was this small.  At the beginning of the twentieth century the United States was denuded of much of its forests.

And they grew back.  I wanted to see how much time I would have.  I want to watch this small tree grow tall.

Tags: bushes, forests, God, grass, how much time we have, my wife, our house, pine tree, the Lord, the wind, tree seeds, trees, twentieth century, United States, want to watch the small tree grow, woods
Posted in beauty, death, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, nature, seasons, time, wisdom | No Comments »

It is so easy to take God’s creatures for granted.  I have been feeding the birds since I moved here.  I remember how excited we were when we first put up the finch feeder and the first goldfinch appeared.

I never ever saw a tufted titmouse and now we get a steady stream of them every day.  Very seldom did I see downy woodpeckers until I placed a suet feeder near the trunk of the large pine tree which can be viewed outside our living room window.

I never saw the white-breasted nuthatch who has become a regular visitor to our yard.  It likes both the suet and the sunflower seed I put out.

And there are other visitors we get every day.  How easy does it become to become jaded.  And forget these are all creatures created from above and deserve our praise and wonder.

Somehow you need to restore this quality and see these birds again with true amazement.  How do you see things as if it was the first time?  I have no answers.

PS Thoreau in Walden said it much better:  ‘Nothing is greater than to have an expectation of the dawn which will never forsake you even in our soundest sleep.’  I am not sure whether this is an exact quote but it is close.

Tags: become jaded, created from above, downy woodpecker, expectation of the dawn, feeding birds, finch feeder, God's creatures, goldfinch, living room window, our yard, pine tree, praise and wonder, see as if it was the first time, suet feeder, sunflower seed, Thoreau, tufted titmouse, Walden, white-breasted nuthatch
Posted in balance, beauty, birds, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, love, nature, seasons, time, wisdom | No Comments »

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
Posted in animals, beauty, knowledge&learning, local, nature, seasons, time | No Comments »

The sky is dimly lit just before the dawn.  The birds are in song in full crescendo.  I am wondering when I will see the first chickadees, tufted titmouse and downy woodpeckers come to my feeders.

I am thinking about that Carolina wren that built a nest in the large pansy pot hanging from my garage door.  Yesterday before it became light I shined a flashlight into the nest–flushing the poor frightened bird who high tailed it for parts unknown–and peered into the nest spotting three tiny speckled eggs.  My wife reprimanded me for scaring the bird.  I will leave her alone now.  I want the mother to successfully raise its young and I do not want to scare it out of its wits further, possibly abandoning her eggs.

Two years in a row (the last two) an eastern phoebe built a nest just outside our front door on top of the right lamp but I guess there was too much traffic in and out the house so it abandoned the nest and raised its young somewhere else.

This year a pair of robins have built a nest in the right corner in the gigantic bush.  At least twice I looked inside it but I could not spot the nest.  A few times when I walked nearby I flushed one of them.  Two robins keep feeding under our large pine tree which is somewhat unusual.  Several time I saw a robin extract a worm from the earth, toss it above its head, then gobble it down.

I love to observe the natural world around me especially the birds that come to our four feeders.  I am expectantly waiting for the first hummingbirds to come to our two feeders I have set up for them.  One is hanging from the pine tree mentioned and the other is hanging close to the window.

According to my bird journal I have kept for over five years the first one usually appears the end of April.  It is the twenty-second of April so my eyes have been continually sweeping the area outside our large living room window.  It was over a month ago the local nature columnist reported someone spotted one passing the Mason Dixon line and they would be here any day.  I put out nectar immediately after that announcement.  Well I am still waiting to spot one and already had to replace the nectar I set up and clean the feeder immediately after I noticed black mold in the feeder.  I guess they must have turned around or taken an extended stay along the way.

Watching birds give me such pleasure.  The money I spend on feed for them is worth every cent.  I love observing their antics:  they are all different.  This has been a lifetime hobby.

Tags: April, bird eggs, bird journal, bird migration, bird nest, bird-feeders, bird-watching, birds, Carolina wren, chickadee, dawn, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, flower pot, God, hummingbirds, lifetime hobby, Mason Dixon line, my wife, nectar, pansy, pine tree, robins, sun comes up, tuftet titmouse, watching birds gives me pleasure
Posted in animals, balance, beauty, birds, flowers, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, nature, seasons, time | No Comments »