Prison With a View

It's pretty silly, I suppose, to be trapped in one's house by a turkey, 

but more than once lately, that's what has happened here.  

To the east of the house a gobbler will appear over the brow of the hill, 

often by the old leaning tree, his tail fanned into a perfect arch, 

his feathers displaying their iridescent sheen in the sunlight.  

He takes mincing steps, 

his eyes trained on the hens for whom his display is intended, 

and who, as usual, ignore him.  

We watch, fascinated again by the scene we've witnessed so often. 

Sooner or later, however, one has to leave the house.  

It might be easy to slip out the back. 

Well no, actually, the deer are browsing on the west side of the house, 

and we'd hate to disturb them.

So, up goes the garage door; there's a gobble, then strong wing flaps.

The turkeys clear the trees sail away.

They'll be back soon enough,

amazing us with their beauty.

and in the meantime, we're going to revel in our brief freedom.

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday
and Weekly Top Shot

Spring Gold

After a colorless winter,

 the earth heaves a sigh of relief;

  its breath rustles feathers, spins wildflowers into a dance, and stirs the dogwoods.

A chickadee examines a home in the dogwood tree;

  What could be nicer than a curtain of lacy white?

Gold finches, so drab in the winter,

have put their down jackets in mothballs,

 and now bid for attention as the males molt into their breeding colors...

and animate the forest with their brilliance.

There is gold in these hills,

not the kind of gold that many seek,

but warm and animated.

Who could ask for more?






Linking with Weekly Top Shot

Name Calling

Isn't it nice when someone knows your name?

Occasionally, when Don is entering his office, a friend will pull up,

 power down the car window, and call out his name.  

The other day, as he arrived at work, he heard a voice he didn't recognize calling, 

"Don, Don!".  It sounded like someone in distress.  

Don looked around the parking lot quickly, but didn't see anyone, 

until, glancing at a nearby fence he saw the source of the mystery. 

A mockingbird was perched there, calling his name.

Trying to be the helpful, friendly guy he always is, 

Don inquired, "Is there something I can do for you?  

The bird, apparently deciding there had been enough small talk, took wing. 

"Was it something I said?" Don asked, but the only reply was a distant call...

"Don! Don!"

Linking with

Wild Bird Wednesday

Camera Critters

Weekly Top Shot

Anticipation

From my vantage point at the kitchen window this morning, I watch a small feather as it hangs over the front porch, then floats out over the yard, catching an updraft, and drifts toward the sky.  I wonder idly if it was from a Carolina wren.  They've been out of sight the last couple of days after some intensive nest building last week.

The site the birds have chosen is one they have used before, an old fishing creel, hanging from a pillar on the front porch, clearly visible from the window over our kitchen sink.  The top of the basket has a Carolina-wren sized hole, which makes a perfect entrance for those little bundles of energy.  This year, they've decorated it with dried flowers.

Both of the birds were involved in the building project. They flitted from the bricks to the woodpile,  which was only a short hop from their home site.

Last year, the two of them started in on this nest, and it was derailed by the titmice, but the way the wrens were going at it last week, it looked like they had put all of that behind them.

I've told myself that I wasn't going to count my wrens before they hatched this year.  Still, I catch myself figuring; the incubation period is 12-16 days, and the young leave the nest 12-14 days after they are hatched.  It's possible, if everything goes well, that we could see fledglings, at the earliest, on April 29th.

In the meantime, I need to reign in my expectations and be grateful for each day's wonders, like the little feather floating up to the sky, destination unknown.

Linking with Rurality Blog Hop,
Wild Bird Wednesday
and Texture Tuesday