Playing for Time

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It was a wet spring and now summer’s here, with more rain in the long-range forecast. That’s a GOOD thing, as Eastern Kansas temps and humidity can turn on a dime and cook us right out of our flip-flops. With all the water, the trees and other vegetation are so green and dense we’re genuinely living in a forest and I have to wonder how many birds and other critters dwell here with us. It would be a big number. No dove couples have nested on our balcony yet this season, so when Kim mentioned putting out bird-food and water I was an instant fan. We’ve resisted in the past, thinking the mess might be too much but it’s turning out not to be an actual problem, and the entertainment is well worth a little extra sweeping up. It took less than 24 hours for word to get out that “There’s FOOD up there, guys! They even have black-oil sunflower seeds, c’mon!”

So now every day sees a fresh gathering of birds, from tiny to bigger/fatter/rounder/quieter. That would be the mourning doves, who’ve gravitated to us several spring seasons in a row, and who make for the best possible feathered renters. We still hope they’ll decide to move in and raise a clutch or two here this summer.

The small bird varieties, like house wrens, finches, sparrows, black & white warblers and others, are highly skittish and hard to photograph, although I have a plan: the next not-windy morning or evening we get, I’ll open the door wide and wait to capture a few shots when they come in for their regular feeding times in the morning and late afternoon. Otherwise, they sense every movement behind the glass and they’re gone in an instant. Until I can pull that off, here are a few stock photos for reference.

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At least twice now, we’ve had a brief visit from this guy, who’s delicate-looking and stunningly crimson.

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And then there’s THIS new friend who sits quietly on the balcony rail whenever he feels like it, and since he hasn’t harassed any of the littles or the sweet doves we’re happy to have him hang out with us. For those who don’t know, we live in the town that’s home to the KU Jayhawks, so his name is… yeah, Jay the Hawk. Rock Chalk!

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Our fascination with the world of birds may indicate that we’re growing old and soft. Not a bad thing at all, but it feels more like THIS:

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” …where the earth is respected, and where life is valued above all else.”

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