The weather this past weekend was one of January days I live for. A sun and cloud mix, breezy, temperatures in the low 70’s…Just the type of days most of the world would call great in spring or summer that we only get in late fall and winter. We were grand-kid free for most of the weekend, so we really didn’t get out and enjoy it as much as we might. We actually spent most of our time unpacking and putting out (and up) the last few boxes that had been sitting scattered around the house.
What made the weekend so special for me though was my sighting of the first Bluebirds of the year. We were sitting on the back porch while two of our grandkids played. There were a number of flocks flying around the backyard. A couple of hundred doves were wheeling around before settling back in the bare limbs in the woods out back. A small flock of tree swallows would take their turn in the parade. There were a few sparrows sitting in the trees watching the show. Then off by the apple tree (with ripening apples) was a flash of orange-red breast. I thought at first it was the robins I had seen out back a couple of weeks before. Then the bird began fluttering at the ground…Not robin behavior.
When I looked closer I noticed the birds were not as large as robins. I grabbed the glasses off the bookshelf beside the door. Sure enough…Bluebirds. Four blue and rust colored birds playing around our apple tree. Happiness has returned to our yard. What a great way to start a new year.
I had been planning on putting up a couple of nest boxes for this year. I guess I need to get busy on that. There, ordered from Amazon…I should be able to put them up this week.
Weather Note
Any thoughts I may have entertained about going out a doing anything today has been put on hold by the weather. At 1am last night the first round of artillery plowed past my house. Since dawn, row after row of storms have passed by my office window. Right now another larger mass of rain is beginning to threaten with it’s rumbles and grumbles as night begins to fall…at 10:45 am.
Related articles
- More on Eastern Bluebirds (bobzeller.wordpress.com)
- Marcia Davis: Birds constantly explore for nest and roost cavities (knoxnews.com)
- Gre(v)en(ts): Creating Bluebird Real Estate (fthats.wordpress.com)
Well, the weather got to my place at 1:45! I was trying to remember the last time I’ve experienced such lightning and thunder. I couldn’t remember. We’re at 2.69″ now – more in Houston, it seems.
I didn’t realize we have bluebirds here. I always enjoyed them at my aunt’s in Kansas City. I don’t have a good environment for songbirds and such – we’re more into pelicans, herons and seagulls here – but the goldfinches always enjoy the seed pods on the crepe myrtle, and the monk parakeets will come by to finish the little dates on the palms.
It’s 3:30pm and a light rain is still falling. I keep meaning to replace my old rain gauge but this past year it hasn’t been a priority.
We had our first Bluebirds here last year. Until then I had only seen one once before in my life…and that was almost 30 years ago in Pasadena.
I was walking the bayou behind our place on Sunday and spotted a heron and an egret. Seagulls are pretty common around here too for some reason. They seem to love the parking lots.