Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds didn't come into my life until I moved to a home that had a hummingbird feeder. After settling in to my new surroundings, I walked out onto the front deck and saw the feeder hanging there and thought, "I may as well give it a try".

This was before the internet and Google with its instant access to information so I had to wait until I went to the library to find a recipe for the food.

I filled the feeder then forgot it for spring was arriving, gardens needed tending and lawns needed mowing. I don't remember how much time passed but enough for me to completely forget about the feeder, as it hung high above my clothesline and out of my line of sight.

After hanging my second towel on the line, I reached into my basket for another and heard a loud whirring sound next to my ear. The hummingbirds had found the feeder and from that day on they visited regularly.

What amazed me was their lack of fear. They would zip by, inches from my head, oblivious to me or my actions unless I got in the way of them and their feeder. This continued throughout the summer and I learned to love them, their bravery and their determination.

They are a wonderful bit of nature that are easy for us to enjoy

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Magpies Again

Yesterday was a beautiful warm day. It was a nice break and reminder that spring will one day return. On my way to work in the morning, I have to pass a gate that requires me to input a code. That meant I had to roll down my window and in doing so I heard a group of Magpies chattering.

What a beautiful sight! A frost covered birch tree with 10 Magpies. It looked like a Christmas card. Guess I'll have to find time to paint that one. That's the only problem with life, it interferes with the painting of it.

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California Quail

When I first moved to the Okanagan Valley, I kept hearing a comical "woo hoo" sound. It was such a silly sound, that I had to find out what it was. I asked but amazingly couldn't find anyone that knew or even noticed.

One day, while out walking, I heard the sound again and was determined to find it, so I followed the sound. Sitting on a post, overlooking the yard was a chubby, little bird with a feather curling straight up and out of his forehead. I had heard of quail before and even had seen pictures of them before but never really paid attention, until I saw them up close.

It didn't take long to realize that this fellow sitting on the post was a guard for the flock feeding in the grass down below him. Apparently, local orchard owners imported them to eat the bugs and they do an excellent job and their numbers have been increasing until now, they roam in flocks everywhere.

California Quail have become an everyday sighting for me now. They are not hard to find in this area, especially in the spring, when the chicks are out feeding. The guard male "woo hoo's" almost constantly and between that and his silly plume he always brings a smile.

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Gray Jay, Whiskey Jack

Having been raised in the north, I heard stories of the Gray Jay, a jay that was so friendly it would steal food off your table. It's also known as the Camp Robber.   Whiskey Jack, it's other name, originates from the Cree word wiiskachaan.

The first time I saw it I was alerted by a soft whistle I hadn't heard before. When I finally found the source of the sound, there was the Gray Jay.

It's hard to describe them. They glide down from the trees so silently you don't know they're coming, they don't shriek like the Blue Jays, they're not agressive or scrappy. They are big, gray, soft, fluffy, friendly, quiet birds that inspire a sense of awe when they stop by to sneak a bit of your food. You are so amazed by their presence, that you don't even mind, in fact you'll gladly hand it over just for another appearance.

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Seagulls

If you have ever lived near Seagulls you will know how vocal they can be and because I lived beside a huge river, seagulls were part of every summer day.

They called when the wind whipped up the waves revealing new food, when someone plowed or tilled the soil, when it looked like rain and whenever it looked like someone was eating.

They knew what a food package looked like or perhaps they could smell it, I don't know but somehow they always appeared and waited for french fries at a fast food place or bread crumbs at a picnic.

When I moved to the city,in a different province, although there are three lakes surrounding it, the lack of food keeps their numbers to a minimum so I really missed them.

I was very happy one day when I finally heard a flock calling. I looked up sure enough they were following children in a playground. I began to keep an eye out for them and noticed that they knew when recess and lunch hour at school was. The moment the kids got out the seagulls arrived. They circled the children calling out as if begging. On one block we have two schools and a little corner store where the kids make a daily trek for goodies. The seagulls follow faithfully there and back but the moment the breaks are over and the kids disappear so do the seagulls.

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