Friday, September 19, 2014

Morning Notes

1. Dawn 9-19-14 Dawn on Mere Point 9-19-2014

It isn’t often that I am up this early in the morning and you would think that with this morning’s chill I would want to snuggle back under my covers and stay in my nice warm bed. But for some reason my mind is awake and alert and I want to enjoy the dawn. A sickle moon hangs in a cold indigo sky; a few stars still sparkle in the ever lightening dawn. Though I can see my husband’s breath as he walk to this car to leave for work, we do not have the frost here near the coast that I know probably blankets much of the rest of the state. With a morning temp of only 36 degrees Fahrenheit I have turned the heat on for the second time this week. As I look out my window at the morning sky, a warm square of light spills from the kitchen window over the charcoal colored lawn. I always like this contrast of warm light and cold darkness. It is a fleeting moment as the day wakes up.

2. morning light 9-19-14 When I knew the cold was coming yesterday, I set about taking out screens and shutting storm windows. While most modern houses do know have to go through this fall activity anymore, here on the coast of Maine in this old house it is still a necessary process. I could leave the screens in and just shut the storm windows, but they would block the winter sunlight that streams in and warms the house on sunny days. With all the possible gray days ahead, I want as much sunlight in this cottage as possible!

The bird activity is changing once again in my yard. It’s been rather quiet here the past couple of days. Cooper’s Hawks have returned to hunt my feeders with one perched on the wires directly over the feeder on Saturday. Then, two days ago I found a bunch of feathers underneath the yew tree and one of my smaller feeders knocked to the ground. You do not have to be Sherlock Homes to deduce this story! Last night as I was driving home from my day-long errands to town I saw a lone nighthawk flittering across the sky as I drove south on Mere Point Road. Soon there will be the sound of Canada Geese winging their way overhead. It is time to put away the summer clothes and get out the winter ones. I wore long pants for the first time on Sunday and it suddenly occurred to me that I wore shorts for the last time last week. It’s always easy to remember the “firsts” in life, but we don’t always know when something will be “the last time.”

If you haven’t noticed, I have been trying to get caught up on my blogging, so I hope to write my final post about Birding with Cynthia today. More birds are happening all the time and I hope to get out and explore some new birding spots before the snow flies around here! I got a new hair cut and color yesterday while I was in town doing errands. And now it’s time for breakfast! I hope you come back later in the day to see what we saw on Pine Point Beach in Scarborough!

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 Update 9:40 AM: The sun is up now and I have already seen a Common Yellowthroat and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the yard this morning, along with the finches, blue jays, titmice, and cardinals. I do not think the hummingbirds will be around much longer. I noticed that last night's chill has started to wilt the spotted jewel weed they are feeding on.

3. breakfast 9-19-14

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.