Monday, May 16, 2022

Chickadees Moved In!

 

A very silly pair of Chickadees was spotted. with the male attempting to peck a hole BELOW a low windowsill (about 8" from the ground!).  He kept coming back and didn't give up.  PhD*Son tells me it's a courtship ritual that Chickadees peck holes seeking a nest cavity, and even clean out old bird boxes.  Apparently they hadn't found the right place yet, especially as there is no place for a cavity behind that shingle, but he pecked the hole anyway.  So Wil brought home a cedar bird house for them.  In less than 24 hours, they were bringing nest material to it!  I'm very happy it's Chickadees, as they won't be bothered by our comings and goings.  I keep the nearby birdbath full and they recognise me as Seed Lady anyway.

12 comments:

  1. Hallo all! Big thunderstorms here. I hope you are all faring okay. Seems strange to see no messages by this late in the day. Are you okay, Alan??

    Thinking of you, puddle and Cat. If either of you are still reading the blog, please send me a quick email or something.

    Everybody take care.

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    1. All OK here, but it is beginning to feel like Summer. 89F today, predicted to be in the 90's for the next ten days at least.

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  2. So, on the laptop the site does not want the Google account. Anyway, I learned the other day that "invasive" species is an AG department designation for any plants hat do not generate monetary revenue for anyone. I decided to do an inventory of the invasives in my yard and came up with 16. Our cypress tree does not count because we rescued him from a ditch that the highway people were going to dig out.

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    1. Invasive species are a true concern. They are usually non-native plants introduced by people who brought the plant(s) from somewhere else. (Humans have done this with birds and animals as well.) Introducing non-natives means the natives don't have as much of what they need. Sometimes the introduced plant or animal has no natural enemy in the area and takes over. It's not a ruse. I am certain of this, as my son is a wildlife biologist and has had to deal with the mess it all makes.

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    2. Earthworms are an invasive species in North (and I suppose South) America; introduced in the root balls of fruit trees brought from Europe. Before them, the leaf litter in the forests was much thicker because it was not broken down by said critters.
      ---Alan

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  3. Just checking in. No real news here.

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    1. Thanks for checking in, Bill. I have sent a message to Alan, hoping all's well.

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  4. Just checking in also. Had a busy day, really tired, still not done working.

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    1. Thank you, Susan! I'm glad you're still ticking...! And I hope you get some rest soon.
      Say a little prayer for me. Tomorrow I lay out the quilt top again to ascertain why it's just a tad wonky.

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  5. Hannah, I finally have a minute to embellish the story of the General Store...

    The video missed the best part about the store. Lil and Jerry Desso ran the store for more than two decades, and most locals still refer to it as "Desso's." They were the heart of the town...from hard working people grabbing coffee and a donut on the way to work (Wil) to children stopping in after school, their store was a true community center. They let even little kids put something on layaway and pay 25 cents or whatever each week until it was paid for, instilling values and honestly keeping little secrets about what Sally was buying for Mom's birthday and so on. Every senior got a graduation card with money in it. Every needy family got secret Christmas gifts. All the regulars (like us) got a tin of cookie or chocolates at Christmas. Whatever you might need, they had it. And at Christmas they opened the back room as a Christmas gift shop. They had Santa come to talk with children. Always set luminaries around the town green on Christmas Eve. They housed the red fire phone and got the word to the town volunteers, then stayed up and cooked meals for the firefighters and folks who'd had the fire. I could go on and on. When we first moved to town, we rented a house from a couple who were both physicians and were headed to California for a year of special training. They brought us to Desso's, introduced us to Lil and said they were sure that since we now knew about Desso's we'd be just fine. They were so right! We even had one of the post office boxes at Desso's. Golden years.

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