Sunday, April 26, 2009

Birding While Gardening

Time to relax after a weekend of weeding perennials, prepping vegetable gardens, and spreading 3+ yards of compost. It was way too hot -- 90 degrees on Saturday and 80 degrees today - and the black flies were swarming. Despite the weather we dug, hoed, and pushed the wheelbarrow around, with one eye and ear to the trees and sky.

Saturday morning a red-shouldered hawk soared over the wetland behind our house, calling loud and clear, keeyuur keeyuur, keeyuur. A solitary vireo (now known as a blue-headed vireo -- I still don't like that name), called slowly and sweetly from the woods across the road, here I am, in the tree, see you.... A red-tailed hawk soared silently over the wetland. In the afternoon a broad-winged hawk's high, thin whistle caught our attention as it flew overhead and landed in a neighbor's tree. Today, a turkey vulture rode the thermals.

Our reward at the end of today was to look out at the yard and see all the beds ready for seeding and new growth. Time to plant the sugar snap peas, arugula, and cilantro.

To top it off, we found a tiny, quarter-sized painted turtle hatchling crossing the yard. Perhaps disturbed from its nest in one of our garden beds, where it spent the winter, and ready (we hope) to find the wetland.


I placed him back enroute, but a little closer, to the wetland.

1 comment:

  1. Nothing like newly turned and prepared beds, all ready for planting. Unless the weeds beat you to it, as they did with me!

    ReplyDelete

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