Do You Warble?

This past weekend was our Victoria Day long weekend.  It has become traditional to open the cottages up this weekend, and a lot of people refer to it as May Two-Four weekend, referring to the beer that will be consumed rather than the date of May 24.  We don't have a cottage, so no need to hit the highway with throngs of others to air out the cottage and see what damage Old Man Winter has done to it.  I imagine there were some unexpected surprises in cottage country after all that snow we received this past winter.

I visited my dear old (so old!) dad on Saturday, and visited a nice park on the lakeshore.  He can barely walk now, and he toddled over to a bench with cane in one hand and our arms linked to save him falling.  He's one stubborn man, and like he always used to quote to us "there's no fool like an old fool".  If he would agree to the use of a wheelchair, a more adventurous visit to the park awaits him.  "Don't make me into an invalid!" he barks, so we resort to the canes and the wobbly shuffle which will carry him 20 feet if he's lucky.  We look at the lake.  We watch cormorants fly by in V-formation.  We comment on the lack of people at the park (which I thought was good, and he thought was a shame).  We eat the bananas he grabbed from the café bar at his retirement home, "One for you and one for me".  It isn't the best of days between us, but it ended on a positive note.

Back at home, after the long tedious drive, I always feel so exhausted now.  Maybe it's age.  Maybe it's stress.  Maybe it's just the horrible drive trying to stay out of the way of those drivers who will forever drive at speed trying to be first in line.  I went to my bedroom to lie down, and went to open the window to let in some fresh air.  A sudden flash of orangey red caught my eye in our "stinky bush" just outside my bedroom window.  We don't know what the name of this bush is, but the flowers absolutely stink! and it has forever been the "stinky bush" to my family.  Even the leaves stink in the fall.  But back to the orangey-red flash!  It was a warbler!  My little rest was forgotten, and I grabbed my camera and headed out to the patio instead.  I took over 200 photos (thank goodness for digital, eh!), and most of them looked like this ...

Lots of green stinky bush leaves and branches with just a smidgeon of bird.  See that pretty warbler in there?  The warblers never sat still for more than a second it seemed as they flitted every which way catching tiny bugs, and they're so tiny I could barely get the camera to focus on them. 

Eventually, I got lucky, or else the little warblers took pity on me and sat still and in full view, and I was able to get some very decent shots.  I had my bird book handy, my binoculars and the camera ... oh, and tea! ... to help me identify these birds that I'm not all that familiar with.  My weekend was perfect, as I watched these very active little beauties flit around eating all the bugs that are so prevalent right now.  They're not biting bugs, but there are clouds of them to inhale when you walk into a dark corner or out your front door.  The warblers loved them!!  They had a feast all weekend long.  Where are the nice shots you ask?  Well, say no more, and enjoy ...



American Redstart



Blackburnian Warbler



Blackburnian Warbler ... warbling!



Blackburnian Warbler ... he's hitting a high note here

 

Myrtle Warbler



Myrtle Warbler

Male Chestnut-Sided Warbler ... I like how he's nicely camouflaged here ... and also his grumpy face

 

Chestnut-Sided Warbler ... catching a bug!

Chestnut-Sided Warbler

Female Chestnut-Sided Warbler ... I love all the markings on her back

Female Chestnut-Sided Warbler ... love, love, love!!!

 

Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird taking a rest in the redbud tree

Nashville Warbler who would not come out in the open, and this was the best shot I got of him

 I hope you enjoyed the photos.  The last photo of the female Chestnut-Sided Warbler is my favourite.  This little sweetheart sat in a mock orange bush right beside me and allowed me to go crazy with the camera.  She is so tiny!!  Maybe two inches long in the body ... and you can't beat her for utter cuteness!

 

These miniature beauties graced us with their presence for the entire long weekend.  Now they seem to have all moved on again in their migration to more northern woods.  I also saw a Least Flycatcher too, but his photos didn't turn out.  A great birding adventure for me, and I didn't even have to leave the comfort of my home!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Wendy

 

 

The Old Green Gate

Every morning I take a walk through our neighbourhood.  It's not a very interesting neighbourhood, and it's trapped on three sides by major roads/highways, so I don't often venture past those roads.  Within these boundaries there is a road called Powell Road.  Where I grew up the name Powell was quite prominent in the area.  There was a family owned horse farm just up the road from my home, and there were a couple of generations of Powells living on the farm.  So when I moved to this town, the name Powell struck a chord with me, and I liked walking along the road because there were no sidewalks on that road, just a gravel shoulder and a ditch.  It reminded me of walking along the country roads where I grew up, and I missed those roads (and still do). 

Many of the houses along Powell Road were once small bungalows, some quite old.  They too reminded me of days gone by when big families lived in small quarters.  You made do.  You shared bedrooms.  I always shared a bedroom until one of my sisters moved out.  Sadly, most of these little bungalows are being replaced by large modern homes.  People move in, tear down the bungalow, rip up ancient trees, build a house that barely fits on the lot, and then a year or two later, move out again.  After living here 19 years, there are only a few of the original bungalows left.  There's nothing really spectacular about them, they just elicit a sort of warmth and honesty about them. 

This old gate is the entrance to the backyard of one such bungalow.  The yard is bordered by a tall cedar hedge, and you can't see anything in the backyard.  The house sits on a corner, and the gate is on the side of the yard.  I just love the look of it.  It takes me back to when I was very small when this sort of gate was often seen.  Nothing fancy, but it did the job.  The kids could get a bit of money if they painted their dad's fence or gate.  "Paint the fence, and I'll give you a nickel for every board you paint". 

It doesn't look like this gate has been opened in quite a few years.  Even though it's a tall gate, it doesn't seem to be saying "Keep Out" ... its time-softened weathering seems to say "remember when".

Thanks for stopping by

Wendy

Ten Random Things

Right, so I'm jumping on the band wagon today and am doing this fun thing of Ten Random Things about Me!!  I don't know who started this trick, but I first saw it on Knitsofacto where Annie shared some randoms about herself a while back.  Today I read Amy's list on Love Made My Home, and felt inspired to do this with some free time I had this afternoon.  Here we go ...

1.  We don't do a lot of travelling (not by choice, but funds), but my husband and I took our two kids on a Mediterranean cruise two years ago visiting Spain, France, Croatia & Italy.  We were celebrating us both turning 50, our 25th wedding anniversary, our daughter heading off to university and our son graduating elementary school!!  We booked our cruise far in advance, and when the cruise lines offered discounts for last minute travelers, we got to upgrade our suite to one with a balcony (rather than just a port window).  I felt like a star for two weeks, and sat out on the balcony every morning & evening ... is there anything more luxurious than waving to people on shore as you sail out to sea?  I just loved being on the ship and pulling into port at 5:00 am when a town was just waking up.  I loved the entire experience actually and hope to travel to Europe again!

Male Red-winged Blackbird

2.  I don't have a middle name, nor do my sisters, although my brother got both of my grandfathers' names.  Sometimes I wish I had a different name than Wendy.  One of my college profs said I looked like a "Wendy", and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

3.  I like my tea & coffee "hotter than the sun" with no sugar.  Once it stops scalding my mouth, it's not as enjoyable.  The first time I had an espresso was in Taormina, Sicily (cruise in #1) with a view of Mt. Etna in the distance.  Quite fitting I thought.  I don't think I'll ever have coffee as good as Italian coffee ... seriously.

4.  Early morning is my favourite time of the day.  In the summertime I get up extra early, make a hot tea and sit on the patio with my pup.  We listen to the birds singing and enjoy the peacefulness as the sun rises.  I do the same thing when we go camping ... it's how I spotted a moose walking through our campground one morning (camping, not at my house ... I wish!!).

Hermit Thrush passing through ;)

5.  My only true collections are bird feathers and rocks.  I collect little rocks wherever I go.  I have some from Mt. Etna and Pompeii now too, which are special.  I also like to find little bits of lost items in Algonquin Park ... railroad spikes from the disused railroad, hinges found in the forest(?), a trail marker that had fallen into the water on my favourite trail (Mizzi Lake Trail).  I have made little displays of my rocks, which I will show sometime ... that'll be a whole rockin' post ;)

6.  I never watch TV.  I keep up with the news on my laptop, but I sometimes feel out of the loop when people talk about their favourite shows or funny commercials.  Now I buy DVDs of shows if it looks like something I'll enjoy.  That's how I watched "Downton Abbey".

Female Red-winged Blackbird

7.  My daughter's boyfriend thinks I have an accent?!  He's not the first person to tell me this.  Everyone knows that Canadians don't have accents.  I say it's my country twang which I inherited from my mother.  Her brother and my brother both have the same affliction ;)

8.  My husband was the only boy I ever dated.  We've been married for 25 years and together for 30, so I guess that was ok.

9.  I want to live close to my children when they leave home.  I hope they don't live in distant places!  Although I enjoyed living a little distance away from my parents, the drive back and forth between our homes was (and still is) taxing .  My husband's parents live 4 hours away.  We rarely see them, and they didn't get to see our kids grow up.  I think that's a real shame.

Common Grackle

10.  I like to tease my kids with expressions I used to say as a kid ... "No Guff!!" and "Gee Whiz!"  They tell me to shut up (but it still makes them laugh).

Bonus! 11.  My eyes are grey/green with flecks of yellow, although a lot of people think they're brown.  They were blue until I was about 7 or 8, but then started to change.  My English high school teacher called them "mish mash".  I didn't like the description.  Oddly enough my dog had two blue eyes when he was a puppy, but then one changed to a tan colour and one remained blue.  Lots of people ask if he's blind.

L: Mourning Dove (photo taken by my son), R-top: White Capped Sparrow, R-bottom:  Hermit Thrush

Double Bonus!! 12.  I love living in Canada.  I used to wish I lived out in British Columbia because of the beautiful forests and mountains there.  Now my brother lives there, so I've been out there quite a few times.  When I was young, my BFF's family invited me to their cottage not far from Algonquin Park here in Ontario.  I fell in love with that area, and since then have enjoyed life in Ontario so much more.  I grew up in the countryside just below the Niagara Escarpment back when a little town called Milton was just that ... a little town ... with a few dirt roads outside of the main drag.  We spent many, many days trail riding with our horse along the Bruce Trail with our friends, and hiking and exploring caves in the limestone that is the escarpment.  My husband has always liked the idea of wintering in Arizona, but it doesn't thrill me at all, and I tell him to have a nice time.  I never want to leave this beautiful area, although my biggest wish is to move back to the country, surrounded by heavy forests with lots of rocks!!

I hope these things were random enough to keep your interest till the end, and thanks so much for stopping by today.

Wendy

Cody, Smudge, Squirrel