Ramblings and webcomics from LeEMS
Over a year ago, now, something was killing things in our back yard. Two Muscovy ducks, a turtle, and a blue jay were left to spread their putrefying gasses over the garden. In an effort to catch the killer, we got a trail camera and mounted ’round the pillar of an old, broken, bird bath. As far as we know, the killer has not returned. We have had no more back yard deaths, and we have never caught whateveritis on camera. We know there are foxes in the area, and our back yard is not secured from wandering dogs… In the meantime, I get very much enjoyment seeing what the camera does manage to photograph. Night shots are informative, but not necessarily clear photography. Here are some birds.
Can you see him? This redbellied woodpecker is one of two that I’ve seen around that largish hole in the branch. He was playing hide and seek with me, so this is as good a picture as I could manage. I think they may be nesting in that branch. Fingers crossed that the branch holds up for as long as they need it…it looks pretty dead.
I do because I am listening to Noisli.
Long ago, I used to listen to language learning lessons while doing my daily work. Then, the daily work started demanding a little more of my cognitive abilities and I switched to listening to music. Now, I can only manage chamber music in the background because excess input, along with all the other stuff I’m staring at-reading-writing-adding, breaks my head.
My initial method for bringing a little serenity to my desk environment was to make sure my desktop backgrounds were all simple and expansive nature, like a field of flowers or the interlacing branches of a tree. I can’t remember where I read about it first, but this article: “How Nature Resets Our Minds and Bodies” explains how looking on nature alleviates stress and focuses attention. I also don’t know if the photographic projections of nature on my computer screen are any real type of stand in; time will tell.
In addition to the visuals, I have added some ambient nature noises to my day. Noisli is my number one right now, but I have also scoped out the nature sounds at ambient-mixer and the simplicity of iSerenity.
One early morning, after it had been raining quite a bit, we drove by a puddle and two stocky little birds flew out of it. It happened so fast, but I was sure they were owls.
Months later, early in the morning, we were stopped by a dopy looking little Eastern Screech Owl, sitting motionless on the road and blinking blearily at the headlights. He flew away eventually.
I know there are owls in Florida; I’ve listened to them at night. But they are an unseen thing. This is not the case in my new neighborhood.
Living on a lake in Florida has turned me into a bird watcher. I mean, the things are everywhere…on cars, in parking lots, crossing the road during heavy traffic. I don’t need a lake, but having a lake means I get to see birds I wouldn’t normally. Like this stork who weathered a downpour in our back yard.
So, fair warning, this is probably one of many backyard snaps to come.
My bird, Baby, has gone crazy with the Spring Fever. She is laying eggs, attacking passers by, and generally being insane.
Poor Baby.
Poor, poor baby-less Baby bird.