). All the birds and animals were out today:
‣ Three baby robins that hardly fit together in their nest clamoring for attention in the honeysuckle trellis by the gate
‣ House sparrow babies in the birdhouse
‣ House wren babies in the gourd birdhouse with the almost incessant trilling of the male
‣ Another House wren male enticing females to come inspect his nests
‣ Robins bathing in the rice paddies
‣ Robins and Grackles tossing leaves and mulch around hunting for worms and hopefully slugs/snails
‣ Tufted Titmouse successfully hunting down some bug from the apricot tree
‣ Chipmunks cavorting
‣ Squirrels racing through the trees
‣ Robins trying to steal our strawberries,
‣ Mole rusting under the leaf mulch right in front of me
‣ Mama Rabbit making a nest under the Serviceberry tree
‣ Grackles chasing off a Turkey vulture overhead
‣ Calls of crows in the sky, strangely reminding me of Ood song (Dr. Who ref.)
Added to these a faint sound that I felt I should recognize but couldn't place -- finally spotted the first Ruby Throated Hummingbird of the year (a male too!) hovering all over the Scarlet Trumpet Honeysuckle in full bloom right outside the Family Room window. I'm thrilled because usually I don't see them until July, and first ones tends to be a juvie or a female.
That Mama Rabbit -- I found her in my New Sunflower& House: She'd found a gap under the gate fence panel. I was so mad, thinking she was eating the sunflower or corn seedlings I chased her out and secured all the fences. Later I saw her gathering grass, not eating, and realized she was making a nest -- watched her take her bundle to the base of the Serviceberry tree. Next she was in my potato patch, gathering up the straw I'd put over the sprouting potato leaves to protect from frost last night. I was afraid she'd bite off the potato leaves in the process, so I decided to give her some hay (I thought hay would be better than straw), [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21761]but my hay bale was good and spoiled (Yeah!)[/url]. Instead, I got her a flake from the straw stored to keep from getting moldy and left it on the ground near her nest.
