This morning I had the privilege of watching a big pileated
woodpecker hack away at the old cedar stump in the front yard, chips flying
everywhere, with frequent pauses to savor some tasty morsel that it had found. I’ve
never seen a bird express such obvious enjoyment of its meal! Almost
immediately the local crows decided it should not be in their territory, never
mind the fact that they had no interest in the stump as a food source. The
crows cawed and dive-bombed the woodpecker, and at one point a crow landed on
the stump and engaged in beak-to-beak combat with the woodpecker. The
woodpecker stood its ground, and the crow flew off to a nearby tree, watching
the woodpecker. Gradually a whole crowd of crows gathered around, and at that
point the woodpecker flew off into a tree where I think it has a nest.
With this first–hand nature observation and deletion of some spam comments from this blog, my summer break
from the university begins. No more classes or meetings until mid-August! What
a wonderful opportunity to work on perfume and other non-academic pursuits!
To kick things off, today is another random drawing sample giveaway – the
winner will receive at least 100 g of perfume samples along with a small bottle
of a celebrity perfume and some other miscellaneous items.
[Pileated woodpecker photos are mine]
Posts
Love the woodpecker pics! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter & I are avid birdwatchers. We have several woodpeckers who come visit.Recently I saved a chipmunk from drowning in one of our ponds.Hes stuck around &we watch him almost every day :)
Dixie, woodpeckers are always fun to watch! You're entered in the drawing.
DeleteToday at one of my client's garden I was working in the shrubbery and I suddenly realized I had cedar waxwings flapping all around me! I've only seen them once before; I'd forgotten how tiny they are.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, to my knowledge I've never seen a cedar waxwing. I thought they were big birds. You're entered in the drawing.
DeleteOur house overlooks a lake in the wetlands and every year at this time, we are invaded by turtles. They leave the lake looking for dry land to lay their eggs and our backyard is a major transit point. It drives the dog crazy because he thinks they're toys until they start moving again.
ReplyDeleteAnne, Wow, turtles! I'm glad they're alive and well. You're entered in the drawing.
DeleteCute pictures, I love birdwatching! Since we're all discussing nature here- I saw a momma opossum carrying 4-5 of her babies on her back the other day. It's such a sight to see. The little ones just hang on while mom waddles away. SO adorable!!
ReplyDeleteTarena, We get opossums in our back yard when the figs are ripe. They climb the tree and stuff themselves with the fruit. You're entered in the drawing.
DeleteIt's firefly season here! When the sun sets and it gets fully dark, they're out in force lighting up the sky. As a kid, I loved running through a field of blinking bugs and catching a few in a jar (which we, of course, released).
ReplyDeleteTriniti, we don't have fireflies here, and I miss them. You're in the drawing.
DeleteMaybe not obsereved but saved somebody...Two days ago I found hedgehog near to my house, he seemed to be very scared when we came with a car. I wrapped him in my blouse and took into save pleace far away from the street.
ReplyDeletePola, how kind of you to save the hedgehog! You're in the drawing.
DeleteMy backyard has a beautiful crabapple tree, i saw my first full flock of cedar waxwings eating the rembants of last years crop - looking up at this natural sight with a large patch of clear turquoise sky in the background, it looked like a great swatch of Degournay wallpaper in the sitting room of a grand French estate. (Also spotted my favourite bluejay vigorously defending its nest in the cedar tree against a pack of 4 black squirrels)
ReplyDeleteL June, today we had a war between the crows and the bluejays. Both are extremely aggressive. You're in the drawing.
DeleteToday was also a big day with the crows here. We woke to hear a murder of them on the roof clattering around and making a lot of noise. They all took off once we went outside to see what all the racket was about. The mystery remains...
ReplyDeletexrlsxa, I think all of the birds, including the crows, are raising babies right now and are touchy. Our crows often chase away hawks and eagles. You're in the drawing.
DeleteGreat woodpecker story and pics, Ellen. It's winter in my part of the world and this past week I noticed that the violet perfume from a patch of violets near my front porch is at its zenith first thing in the morning when there is a cold, heavy dew.
ReplyDeleteLise, It seems like winter in my part of the world, too, with the mini-monsoon! Violets are a wonderful part of spring and fall. You're in the drawing.
DeleteMy kids and I have been going to the neighborhood pool a lot, and someone's kitty has been hanging out at the pool as well! LOL He's drinking from the pool, lounging in a pool chair, and asking for belly rubs from EVERYONE! We've named him "Coppertone"...
ReplyDeleteJada, I hope there's not too much chlorine in the pool where the kitty is drinking. He sounds happy, though. You're in the drawing.
DeleteLove the pictures and that was a very entertaining story about the woodpecker and the crows. I would never have thought a woodpecker could fend off a crow! I don't really get to see anything like that here in the city.
ReplyDeleteNelle25, pileated woodpeckers are at least as big as crows, maybe bigger, so they can defend themselves. You're in the drawing.
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