|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We've been observing our hummingbirds for a few weeks now and we've come to a surprising conclusion: They're lazy.
Honest. Never seen a lazy hummingbird before - don't know what to make of it. We see them sitting on the feeders,
on branches, on lines. In over 90 combined years of living, the dockmaster and I can't recall a single previous instance
when we saw a hummingbird at rest. I'm thinking maybe they're tired from their northward migration and will perk up later,
but maybe, just maybe, they've adopted the slower, more laid back coastal lifestyle.
May 2, 2003
I had a bit of a sleepless night Tuesday, and so I was up rambling about the place a bit later than usual
when I noticed tiny lights flickering in the marsh. I'm pretty sure those tiny luminescent orbs were early fireflies, but
I'd like to think they were something a tad more intriguing - maybe swamp gas or marsh fairies. Earthly or unearthly, they were enchanting.
May 7, 2003
We show you photos of Broadcreek all the time, but I really wish we could let you listen to
the Boonedocks, and, we can, if I ever get those boxes of cables sorted and stored. It's those first few
hours each morning when the creek wakes up that I love so much. The predawn quiet is almost eerie, broken
only now and then by lonely trills from birds in the marsh. As the sun ascends, a crescendo of avian
songsters fills the quiet. Fish slap water. A buzzing in the air announces bees and hummingbirds.
Motorboats thrum in the distance. Lines slap masts. Squirrels rustle through the understory. Frogs croak and
dogs bark. Geese cry and gulls laugh. Swallows swoosh around the piers. From every quarter,
voices join in morning song, even from the dockmaster's quarters where a feline quintet warbles and sighs,
wishing they could get to the source of all that noise.
May 9, 2003
I have a new best friend. I watched out my window this morning as a little controversy developed
between a rabbit and squirrel out by the pansy bed. The rabbit quickly gained temporary control of the side yard. Next
thing I know, he's in the strip of new grass just chomping away. I'm thinking he's decimating the grass, but, on closer
viewing, it turns out he's eating green brier! He can stay forever, as far as I'm concerned - I'll even show him
where the lettuce is growing, if he'll just keep eating those vines.
May 10, 2003
It's spring, as they say, when a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love; and, so it was for Scruffy,
the foundling fish house kitten who grew into a handsome adolescent with a great deal of the Maine Coon in him. Off he went
Tuesday for a visit with the doc, and back he came Wednesday, just a shadow of the man he was before.
May 15, 2003
Hummingbird wars have broken out at the Boonedocks - they are an intriguing, perplexing spectacle.
Territory and all that, but, really, there's an endless supply of nectar, so what's the big deal about sharing? Plus,
there's that collateral damage problem...get too near the feeders and you can expect to be targeted. In other bird news
today, a nest has appeared in a tree close to the east dock. We see mom's tail feathers and sometimes a beak, but mostly
she stays put. We're not yet sure what kind of hatchlings will eventually emerge. We'll keep you posted.
May 20, 2003
When you see squirrels chasing each other up and down trees or flying from tree to tree,
it's pretty easy to forget that they are, after all, just bushy-tailed, albeit cute, rodents. We remember
this quickly enough, though, when one (or two or three or a dozen) get into something they shouldn't - like
bird feeders, bird nests, attics, gardens...and on and on and on. Last Friday, though, I have to admit that
I was really kind of touched by the sight of a mama squirrel shepherding her three little ones out of a
strong, sudden downpour. I glanced out the window and saw a huge furry mass loping through the yard. At first
I thought it was the world's largest squirrel - or worse - but on closer inspection it turned out to be mama
with three babies shoulder-to-shoulder at her tail. She quickly led them through the yard and up the dead
"woodpecker tree" to a hole near the very top. Unfortunately for mama, it turns out that the hole was really
only big enough for the babies. (photo) Proving that even rodents
can be good mothers, she "hung out" in the hole with her babies until the rain let up and then, thoroughly
soaked, found more suitable shelter. Or, I could be indulging in sentimentality - it'll probably turn out to
be just another rodent deception, like being cute, designed to tug at my heart strings. Darned squirrels probably
like getting wet.
May 25, 2003
Hard to believe another month is nearly gone. Time flies at the Boonedocks, despite
a somewhat slower lifestyle. With spring in full swing now and summer nearly here, we have a pretty
good idea of what's what around the property. Some trees that worried me finally budded out and are coming
on strong now. Some others have failed to do anything, a few on their last laps had to be "managed," but, oh well, that's just
firewood for next year. We've installed a dozen or so perennial beds, some raised, some with bulbs, and some
just now starting to pop with seedlings. It's the five-year plan - we don't expect everything to be exactly
pretty or full this year, but next year ought to be quite colorful and a decade from now, well, if the hurricanes
don't get everything, it should be spectacular. If the weather holds over the weekend, a large raised veggie bed and
five more perennial beds will go in. We have, however, designated a few spots as "forever wild," and plan to just
let the native plants do what they will in those areas, only venturing in to manage fallen trees or clear nuisance
vines. Walking around the property and looking at the new plantings is just one reminder of what makes our little
part of Broad Creek so wonderful - you see, about half those plants came from a neighbor's garden. And, it's not just
plants - we've been welcomed to the area with bottles of wine, bread, and impromptu invitations to join
neighbors for cocktails. We, on the other hand,
have been terrible! We've had so much to do, we hardly get away from the place or make reciprocations. So, all in all,
while I love the spring and look forward to the summer, I'll be glad when fall arrives and there's a bit less to
do so we can relax and enjoy the autumn colors and finally get around to initiating visits with our neighbors. By winter,
we'll probably be the human equivalent of nuisance vines...
May 29, 2003
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pfairco Publications, Ltd.
All rights reserved � 2002
site design by Voice Pro, Inc.