Tag: birds

Not a Cicada in Sight

This cicada is from my garden in May of 2021.

Now that school is out for the summer I had a chance to start some much needed work outside on Saturday and again this morning.

I had been previously reading about an anticipated double brood of cicadas emerging in my area this summer. I must report that as of today I have seen no cicadas nor have I seen any evidence of them.

What I have seen is an over abundance of birds, so possibly they have been taking care of the cicadas removal.

 

Today I had my first thought of hiring some help. Normally I have done most of the work myself with some help from my husband. Neither of us is getting any younger. Our daughter cannot help us.

I used to go all day working out in the garden. Now I have to pace myself. The weather early this morning was surprisingly not bad, and even an occasional breeze would cool me down.

The water lilies have been blooming since early May. I made the mistake of putting in another water plant that has been somewhat invasive within the pond. I cut most all the stalks down a week or two ago. The birds are absolutely loving the pond in its current state because it allows them to take baths inside the pond. The pumps are still running and algae is under control. I was going to treat the pond last week when I saw dozens of tadpoles swimming around, so I decided to wait.

I won’t continue my report because I need to get back outside to continue the work of restoration. If the cicadas do ever show up, I will report back.

A Young Blue Jay

The Blue Jay is rather big for a backyard bird.
Its vibrant blue stands out and draws attention.
They love the peanuts and will come close to retrieve them.
They can be rather loud and raucous.
This summer they have been tame compared to the grackles.
Several of them, possibly a family or two have been visiting regularly.
They all have been unusually polite...so far.
The squirrels have been the bravest and most persistent.

I have three favorite coffee mugs. One is a blue jay, 
one is a dragonfly,
and the 3rd is a hummingbird. I think I need to find a squirrel mug.
Today I saw my first hummingbird for the summer of '23.
It came close to the kitchen window to make sure I noticed it had arrived.
I don't put out the sugar water until I see the first one.
The red flower feeder is clean and ready to be filled