Summer is in full bloom here at my little cottage on Mere Point. The edges of my yard now look like a jungle as everything green continues to grow. The heat and humidity are in full swing, but most of the time I catch a sea breeze here in the yard, and so we have been quite comfortable without air conditioning. Having two ceiling fans certainly does help, however.
June was a crazy, busy month and I have had little time to do anything in the yard. The front flower beds are bursting with roses and weeds! I don’t like to be outside in the heat and humidity, or when their are mosquitoes or black flies and I have had not time to even pay attention to things like flowerbeds. Maybe this week?
The bird feeders have become surprisingly quiet. I get a few House Finches, goldfinches and cardinals. The Black-capped Chickadees are still around, while I only see the titmice and nuthatches occasionally. However, Red-eyed Vireos are daily visitors and very vocal! I love to hear their voice drifting through the window. It is a cheerful sound. Still, it is an adjustment to go from 30 species a day to 15 if I’m lucky. Perhaps now I will get something done around here!
For awhile I had a family of crows waking me up every morning and crying all day long! The young crows would stand beneath the feeder making a plaintive cry, mouths open wide and begging for food. I watched as the adults picked seeds off the ground and placed it in the gullets of the wide-mouthed young. What a ruckus they made! On Sunday I observed a one parent crow fly up to my birdbath to get a drink. One of the young crows followed it up there and then I saw the parent dip its bill into the water and then put its beak into the young crow’s beak. Then the parent flew off and the young crow dipped its own bill into the water to drink! While they are still around, they have not been here all day long, which is a relief to my ears! What a noisy family!
Another change has been the sudden disappearance of blackbirds. Earlier in the spring and summer and I had Red-winged blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds and grackles galore in my yard. with the blackbirds around I was having to refill my feeders every other day. slowly but surely they have tapered off and now I am not seeing them at all, except for the occasional cowbird. As a result, I am spending way less money on bird seed now! My husband is thankful for THAT! he is such a good sport! I hope to get out and explore more of Maine now that the June madness is over. Perhaps we can settle down into some kind of rhythm of life. I just know that I love to be outside and I am trying to get out as much as I can before those cold winter winds blow my way again!
For those of you who are waiting, there are more posts about
Our Big New England Birding Adventure coming soon!
HI Kathie I hope you will be able to get outside soon.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I am outside all the time. I guess I gave the wrong impression. I don't like to go out and work outside when it is so humid and buggy. But evenings and mornings are usually pretty nice, though that is usually when the bugs come out! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks picturesque in Maine! I love the lilies and all the greenery. Enjoy your beautiful surroundings and birds. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane!
DeleteI envy all your beautiful flowers. And I will especially envy you during fall. I am all things fall. I am the smell of the pumpkin pie....my birthday cake. If holidays were to be celebrated, Halloween is the darkest and most exciting. The leaves turn colors and it is all bittersweet because I enjoy the emotions it brings.....the hatred towards the gray skies that will arrive and how they will cover the skies for months, the lack of the summer crowds, the solitude and memories........that ball of purple that will bloom is the sign that summer will begin to fade. Keep the heads on them as they dry up........this is a natural food for goldfinches. Watch them closely and you'll find other critters flying around them.
ReplyDeleteOh and no bugs! That's the best part of fall! Cool temps, no bugs.....it's a Scorpio's dream come true. But first you have to make it through July and ugh...August:) maybe it will get cooler during that month for you guys since you're more north. But I know in Wisconsin, it was muggy and hot with lots of nasty flies and mosquitoes:)
DeleteHey, maybe you just need to come back again!
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