Bird Watching 101

Ron and I decided to go bird LISTENING.  Yes, most people go bird WATCHING and we did that too but we took along our devices and tuned in on the Merlin App

We headed into Prince Edward County and went on roads that we have never been on before and found a National Wildlife Area.  They do lots of research on our feather friends by capturing, examining, tagging and releasing them.  They had two little birds there to show us and explain the process and then off they went back to their little flock.

We walked along the paths with our apps turned on, picking up a few new sounds to save to our life lists.  It was a beautiful area to walk.

We walked down one lane and were treated to beautiful butterflies gracefully swooping around us and landing on the flowers.  

Pictures don’t do them justice.  How did God think to create these amazing creatures and to know that they came from ugly caterpillars.  I was so hoping that one would land on me but I was not as enticing as the fragrant aromas along the way.

At the end of one of our little jaunts, a lighthouse stood bravely where it has been since 1881.  Although not in use anymore, it was surrounded by spectacular views.

Another path led us through a majestic looking forest.  Grass covered the path and the trees provided a canopy.  It was so peaceful as we strolled listening and looking.

We were careful to stay on the paths in order to avoid contact with poison ivy…we have had enough of that in our house over the past month.  

Anyone see a problem with this picture?

We left the sanctuary and drove through the Sandbanks Provincial Park.  It looked like summer was over with all of the empty parking lots.

After a couple of hours of exploring we decided it was lunch time.  One of our favourite places to go in the County is the  Waring House Restaurant. There are a few businesses on the property and one of them includes a Cookery School. You know that they want a good reputation for their school and the food has never disappointed us.

After a few more stops, we grabbed a coffee and headed for home.  Bird watching was something that I never really thought I would be doing.  My thoughts of this activity went back to the old show The Beverley Hillbillies. (You can watch the video by pressing the link.)  This morning I did not have the bird sight seeing uniform.  I only had my cell phone with the Merlin App.   Just like Miss Jane was always looking for Jethro…

I had my Ron.

So what do we do in retirement….just about everything!

I added a few new birds to my list so the day was productive.

Rain!

We have been home for just a few days and have been working to catch up.  I had cleaned out my vegetable garden before we left but hadn’t planted anything.  The weeds were super excited to have the time and space to grow.  It gave me a little anxiety just to look at it.

Ron trimmed and cut the grass and I dove into the gardens.  I weeded and weeded. I trimmed, pruned and cut things out and then we went shopping.  Walking through a nice nursery is always a little exciting for me.  I don’t have a green thumb like my dad and sisters but I like to try.  We collected soil, flowers, seed, plants and bark and then spent the afternoon making things look nice.  The finished work was worth the effort of working in the hot sun.

We also did some inside work too.  Being away for a month allows the dust to settle EVERYWHERE!  Now, it’s Friday and it’s raining.  

Rain is such a soothing thing for me.  We don’t get a lot in southern Alberta and when it comes, you can almost watch the grass pop in growth and colour.  The potted flowers and plants in the garden will soak in the natural watering.  The sprinkler just doesn’t work the same magic.

So, today with the house mostly clean and outside activity is hindered by the refreshing rain, I feel very relaxed.  

Let it rain!

My Robin Update

Ron and I have had a lot of enjoyment watching our little robin family.  It was exciting seeing the baby robins grow and Mama and Papa taking such good care of them.

Four little ones were crammed into the nest and soon Mama came only to feed them because there was no room for her to stay there anymore.  She and her faithful hubby made steady trips to the nest feeding these little starving things.

Last Wednesday one little bird was getting pretty brave, standing on the heads of his/her brothers/sisters.  It would flap its wings and we knew that our time of watching them would soon be over.

The next morning Ron noticed that this little one had flown or fallen to the ground and I was so happy to have been there to take some more pictures of this one gaining some independence.

It seemed to enjoy the space and freedom away from the nest and mama watched closely to try and keep her wee one from danger.

The parents job had just gotten harder.  It's so much easier when your kids are safe in your home but now she had three in the nest and one struggling for independence.

It was interesting to watch mama trying to keep this little one in the area that she wanted it to be.  Since I had to be away all day I took another picture of the ones safe in the nest.

I knew it wouldn't be long before the nest would be empty and it made me feel kind of sad.  Sure enough when Ron came home for lunch he texted me to let me know that the babies had moved out.  When I got home that evening I missed looking up and seeing their little heads look at me.


The next night Ron stepped out on the back deck and was interested in a fox running across the field.  I went to come out but was more interested in the baby robin that was sitting on the railing.  I felt like this one had come back to say goodbye and it even let me go and get the camera to take one more picture.

As it flew away I was happy to think that they were now flying and not bouncing on the ground being an easy target.


According to my research robins build a nest and can use it up to three times in the season for a new little family.  I'm hoping that this robin will come back and let me watch the whole process again but just in case she has moved on I decided to put the little nest up for rent.

Free to a loving, growing family who doesn't mind the paparazzi.