California Quail Again

I know I just wrote about them but last year my cat caught one of the little babies and my son grabbed it away. The flock had scattered but he tracked them down and returned the baby to them and I guess they decided that our yard was safe. 

I have a pile of branches for them to hide in and under, water and a garden to dust bathe in (usually right where the seeds are sprouting). So this spring a whole flock moved in. In the morning around 5 when it starts to get light out I can hear them getting restless as they wake up under my bedroom window. Small noises and tiny footprints sounds running across my roof and finally the daddy or grandpa would make his signature call and the whole flock would move out. 

 I'd see them off and on throughout the day but when evening comes and the sun's heat is leaving I try to go out to my garden but they always arrive at the same time and protested as if I were not supposed to be there. Ifill up their bath and water the garden, all the while they are scolding me and fussing about under the branches, trees and flowers. 

 Through the summer they managed to raise large family of about 8 chicks twice and I certainly never had any bugs or pests in my garden. I did however have a large patch that nothing could grow in as they all took their dust baths nightly. 

 It was a very hot dry summer. We were 2 months without rain but I kept my yard fairly well watered and always had water in their bowl for them and I believe that was why they decided to stay and maybe the kindness of my son returning their chick also helped. They don't seem to migrate in winter so I'm sure I'll see them around and hopefully it won't be too cold or snowy.

Original Watercolor California Quail Family Grapes Poster
by countrymousestudio

House Sparrows are that Common Cute Little Brown Bird

Yes, I realize that many people don't like sparrows. They take over birdhouses and feeders, chase away other birds, and can be downright pesky. I used to agree.

That changed when I found myself in a strange town with a lot of time to kill—and this was back before cell phones gave us endless ways to fill an empty afternoon.

I would go out for lunch, and there they were. They accompanied me on walks around town. There was always one or two hopping between parked vehicles, darting under tables and chairs, or simply keeping a watchful eye on whatever was going on.

The secret, I discovered, is to stop and actually watch them.

Sparrows are some of the most cheerful little creatures you can encounter. Well… except for a Golden Retriever.

We quickly became friends. I started saving my crumbs for them, and they seemed to know it. If I ate my lunch in the car, they would sit on the hood and wait. If I ate at a table, they happily hopped around my feet and chairs, chirping their sweet little songs as if they were part of the lunch party.

And the longer I watched, the more I began to notice something else.

Sparrows seemed to have surprisingly human-like relationships with one another. They bickered, flirted, showed off, followed each other around, got annoyed, made up, and occasionally seemed to have absolutely no idea what the other one was talking about.

Of course, back then I had no way of proving any of this. Today, everyone has a phone, and suddenly we have an endless supply of photographs and videos showing that perhaps I wasn't imagining it after all.

So, after spending all that time watching these little birds, I've come to see them quite differently.

Here are a few of my observations about the surprisingly entertaining world of sparrows…

I had so much fun that I made them into cards

Everyday Sparrow Greeting Cards: Gentle Humor
by Country Mouse Studio

Birthday Card from the Group

Most of these cards are humorous and lighthearted. They are perfect to purchase just in case you find out that coworker is having a birthday. You can get everyone to sign it. The collection has 35 different cards but more are being continuously added.

From the Group, From All of Us Birthday Cards
by Country Mouse Studio

New Friend - Stellar Jay

 Prior to moving here I had never met a Stellar Jay.  I had a few run-ins with a Blue Jay who thought I shouldn't be feeding the squirrel, chickadees or anyone but him.  He let me know whenever anything came near HIS birdfeeder and then proceeded to chase them off.  Even the squirrel relented.

I knew Stellar Jays were in this area but it wasn't until the peanuts started appearing everywhere I realized something was up.  They were hidden in my plant pots, behind deck furniture, in the garden, on tree branches and everywhere you can think of.  We had squirrels so I assumed it was them.

One day I went out to the garden and something shrieked at me.  I looked up at my very first Stellar Jay.  How could anything that beautiful have such a shockinly annoying shriek. It took a few visits for me to realize it was protecting a nest in my Cedar tree.  It was also taking peanut hand outs from one of my neighbors and stashing them in my yard.

I keep fresh water out because it is very much a desert if not watered so I get many different kinds of birds and animals so she was welcome.

Over the next few weeks I got to know her routine and we put up with each other then once the babies were gone I never saw them again.  

This year I've been home more and doing more gardening and bird watching.  They must have chosen another spot to nest in because they weren't around until about a month ago.  Then the peanuts started appearing again so I purchased my own bag and left out a handful every day.

My daughter came to visit and we were sitting out in the yard when I saw the shadow swoop over my head.  First came the shriek then two more.  She was right above my head so I went in and got some peanuts.  I set them out by the water and she came immediately to grab some.

When she took her first one she zipped up the tree and said, "caw, caw, caw." just like a crow.  So she's bilingual apparently.   I told her she wasn't a crow and she flew away carrying her peanut.  She tried to stash it in a tree but it kept falling and by the time she got back to the peanuts another Stellar Jay was there.  The two began shrieking at each other and flying at each other like an attack.  I picked up the peanuts and separated them so they could each get some.  They'd continued their battle in the tree for awhile but their shrieking allerted some Magpies and a whole family came to see what was going on.

It turned into quite a brawl so we just left.  I'm not sure who won but I know the Magpies don't really like peanuts in the shell, I think they were just bored and looking for trouble.

The whole point of this story is that the Stellar Jay is bilingual and whenever I feed it peanuts, it speaks in Crow language and says."Caw, caw"  Those Corvids are way smarter than we think.

https://www.zazzle.com/two_watercolor_stellar_jay_birds_forest_trees_acrylic_print-256010034106014843

Raccoons Again

The town I grew up in did not have raccoons. I always wished they had however if I'd know them I probably wouldn't have. You'd be hard pressed to find an animal more difficult to control. 

 In the 34 years I've lived in this province I have met more raccoons than I can remember. They always seem to find me. We have families that come and go over the years but this year we are down to one young one and is he smart. 

 The first time I met him I watering along the fence line. He came trudging by about a foot and half from me, head down like he was tired after a long day's work. He spotted me, looked over and just kept walking along. 

 I was surprized he was so unafraid of me. A couple days later early afternoon I went out to put something in my garbage can and there he was. Not bothered by me at all. I yelled for him to go, waved my arms to shoo him out of my yard. He looked at me like I was crazy and sauntered away. 

 They're not usually that unafraid and not usually out in the daytime but someone forgot to tell this guy.

 A couple days later my son was in his room. His patio door was open as it was quite hot out and his cat had just been in and out eating. My son heard a noise thinking the cat was back in but when he turned around there was the raccoon. He was quick enough to think of his phone and got this video.  That's the cat's Temptations treats.  He's doing thing in a room with two people watching him.

 

Golden Retriever Dogs

I was completely unprepared for my first Golden Retriever Dog. I was looking for a dog, was unsure of what breed I really wanted and just kept my mind open to whatever came along. I picked up the newspaper one day and there was an ad for a Golden Retriever Dog. 

 I contacted the owner and he said,"If you want her she's yours just come and pick her up." When I got there he told me that although his place was in the country his yard was not fenced and the dog just wouldn't stay home. 

 She was probably a year old, full of energy and joy. We lived in a cabin at a lake and so she would have a large yard, also unfenced. Brina short for Sabrina was a joyful, wonderful dog. She was sweet, kind and always happy just like the expression on her face. Even her challenges were taken on joyfully.

 However the neighbours soon discovered that whenever she went out and we assumed she was in our yard playing with out other dog, she wasn't. All summer long she stole their bathing suits that were drying on their deck rail and then in winter she stole their skis. Anything left in their yard was fair game as far as she was concerned but she was, after all, a retriever so it was impossible to get angry at her.

 She is the inspiration behind the watercolor painting of a Golden Retriever.

Golden Retriever Dog Pet Gifts & Gear
by Country Mouse Studio

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