"Lavender Mist"

The Indigo Buntings are Troubled

While I was picking blueberries one morning of late... I was drawn away towards the south field by the Indigo Buntings calls of urgency. I found they were all in a flutter and calling out to one another. The bright blue male (diffracted sunlight) higher up in the pear tree (though distraught he could not resist the allure of the Seckel Pear's fragrance) and the duller stout female in the field below flitting here and there all unfeathered so to speak... she was upset. As I walk about the field, I notice a mole run out of the low growth of golden rod and asters, but there was something larger moving about the leafy terrain right behind it ... perhaps a weasel... a young fledging from a nest in a tangle... but five to fifteen feet above ground... might have flown the coop ... or maybe that slick weasel happened to sniff his or her way to a nest of the new brood and the Indigos were frantic to lead the creature away... then again I might have caused all that fuss of spit calling... I do so hate to take advantage of any distress my bird inhabitants may be under... but I did tarry there and allowed my shutter to flutter a bit. So here you may enjoy my findings... still not sure... an unsolved mystery of what all the fuss was about. For each day after the Indigo father sits high upon the tip of a gray birch and sings out into the garden air ... so all must be fair with the Indigos. I should be most lucky to happen upon their fledglings!

Blooming Friday

Echinacea is both healing in its beauty and its tinctures. Blueberries too are good for people and the birds, with all the antioxidants within their blue skins. The Cedar Waxwing is enjoying a blueberry before it is ripe! Enjoy other blooms from gardens the world over hosted by Katarina http://rosorochris.blogspot.com/

Tree Swallow Update

The Tree Swallows have flown away... babies fledged at about the same time I eyed the Broad-Winged Hawk most likely eyeing the flighty birds... I did watch them for a good while and it seems like the hawk found something else to tempt him/her. So the little ones have joined hundreds of other Tree Swallows and they are off to Cape Cod. They all left last week about the time I lost my hard drive and I nearly lost these images too! I was so happy to have seen the young swallows right before they fledged. The parents were so caring and finally gave up on dive-bombing me, so I did get these shots of the feeding and even one parent hammering on the box, when both babies were seen at the opening. I think the parent was trying to get them to fly! It must be so amazing for them getting up high enough to see out... the first sight after being down in the box all their short lives... then the first flight ... what an adventure! I miss their presence in the garden sky!