The day commenced every bit as blah as yesterday.
A single White-crowned sparrow came to cheer me.
It probably had not yet spotted His Nibbs lurking.
This was just a transitory visit, after all.
Nibbs is not on its radar.
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Nibbs however was hardly a threat.
The indoor gang were getting over the shock of being told there will be NO MORE pre-breakfast treats !
At the patio door a face gazed in soulfully:
“You’re not going to punish me too are you?”
By the time I was dressed Nibbs was at the porch door looking hopeful and a large dish of something delicious was provided.
After which he came back to stare in again:
“I thought today I’d come in and talk to Sophia.”
(And scoff up leftovers. And a bit of kibble)
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Sophia was very cautiously polite. Unlike Tinkerbelle.
“I say, that Tabby of yours is a hot number isn’t she?”
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Now well-fed, Nibbs was no threat to my avian friends.
Which didn’t stop him looking.
After that great excitement I went to contemplate the hedge.
Not that I know the first thing about hedges, apart from the fact that birds sit in them and shit in them.
The heavy wet snow of last week all but uprooted it. With the snow gone, most things have reverted more or less to upright, but this bush was still listing heavily.
The upper part of the bush appears to have had a tremendous growth spurt and this was where the snow had settled. It is all now sitting in a big tangle on the side of the slope. Like a deflating parachute.
So I reached in and pulled a few of the old sturdy stalks free. They immediately stood straight and heaved a sigh of relief.
The Sparrows were even more grateful.
Having spotted a groundhog at the neighbour’s house, Grant went off to get carrots in anticipation of a reawakening under the aforementioned bush.
As of this morning, it has not occurred.
But at $5 a bag, carrots will be rationed this summer.
In spite of the gray start, we decided to go for a drive:
At the end of the road we startled some ducks.
What a handsome couple.
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We headed for Sushan and the Battenkill River.
Small things gave definition to the landscape.
Not yet in leaf, the trees are certainly busting!
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Many fields are waterlogged from recent snow melt.
A grackle showed off his splendid profile
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The sky was becoming interesting
.
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The Green Mountains of Vermont
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For now I am going to leave you with silhouettes.
We exited the car here and found interesting things.
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…..oh, don’t get too excited!
Thank you, Carolyn, for tonight’s treat; carrots, cats, birds, and also the sky and the trees!
Joanna
The white crowned sparrow looks quite comical, but don’t tell him I said so!
I can hardly wait for your exciting “things”.
Around here, they advertise ‘Horse Carrots’. Huge bags of them, sold very cheaply. They are not of the standard accepted by shops or supermarkets, so have to be sold off by farms or farm shops for feeding to pets or horses. Not sure if there is anything like that where you are, but $5 a bag for ‘Human carrots’ is expensive!
Best wishes, Pete.
All I can say about His Nibbs is that he’s an opportunist … and obviously knows how to play the game! And I love the handsome ducks – they are so beautiful. How different the world looks now after the snow has melted again. Ok, I’ll hang on to the beautiful silhouettes while waiting for the interesting things …
The ducks are gorgeous!