Perhaps he was being held in detention, under house arrest?
His Nibbs was notable by his absence these last few days, so I’d put some “worry vibes” into the ether.
Sure enough, this morning as we had breakfast we heard a familiar cry, though it seemed subdued.
In the boy came, with his brow furrowed.
.
“Feeling a shade out-of-focus” he said
The lad could not settle, could not decide whether to be here or there.
He ate everything in sight and went back out, back in, back out, back in…
Maybe he was looking for…who could he be looking for?
.
This is a fun-loving cat.
Today, the woes of the world are upon him.
.
Strangely, it’s not just him. The world has gone quiet.
“Quiet? Is it?”
The groundhogs are impervious to such subtleties, solely focused on filling their bellies.
.
Toby agreed something had changed.
He had managed 5 whole minutes of un-interrupted meditation.
.
“We noticed too!”
“What you think, Zoomer?”
“Haven’t got time to think!”
.
Indeed not. There has been a chipmunk population explosion.
They are everywhere!
“I’s why we need more nuts, missus!”
.
“Well I can tell you what’s different!”
said Mrs Sparrow, watching me attempt to take photographs through a screened window.
(not very successfully)
.
“The Thrashers brought their babies out.”
.
It was the first time we’d seen Thrasher fledglings, being fed on the porch.
.
Then, as I washed dishes:
A Grackle fledgling.
Managing quite nicely on his own.
The penny finally dropped.
A semblance of peace had returned!
.
The frenzied feeding of Starling fledglings has ceased.
Oh, they are still around. They have formed up their own flock but they have graduated to the next level of Starlinghood.
Hood being the operative word.
.
In the absence of all that shrieking and scrabbling, the more docile birds have felt it safe to allow their young to make an appearance.
They are all so undemanding by contrast!
Like this juvenile Mourning Dove.
.
But I think the squirrels have declared a time-out as well.
First thing, I throw nuts out on the patio which are always gone in a flash. Today after breakfast, they were mostly untouched.
This is something I had never noticed before, but perhaps I hadn’t been paying attention…
.
Ever since moving here, periodically there have been squirrel-free days, as if they have all gone to a retreat, or more probably a union meeting.
No doubt to talk strategy.
Thank you, Carolyn, for today’s entertainment!
Joanna
What fun with all your critters.
We definitely have a shift change here although there are still the odd few juvenile starlings who think they should still be fed.
It’s good to see His Nibbs again – I missed him in your posts too. And you’re right, it almost seems as if a kind of peace has descended on your land – everyone busy with his/her own thing … like mostly eating. I hope the union meeting went well – wonder what kind of decisions were made there 🙂.
On the hottest days, I always see a huge drop in birds feeding in our garden. I just presume it is because nature is providing insecys and berries, farmers are providing growing crops, and my meagre offerings are second-best.
Best wishes, Pete.