 There it is. Yes, you have it. Spring IS official. A pair of robins has culminated their union and a nest has been built in the tree right outside my window. This picture was taken from my computer chair through the window. A dirty window, I must add. I darkened the image a bit so you couldn't tell. The nest is clear and if you notice the little bulge above the nest that is the robin seeing if the nest is comfy enough yet. Now if the house sparrows, grackles and squirrels will leave them alone we'll have baby robins again this year. Last year the robins were foiled in their child rearing attempt because of said ruffians. So, I'm hoping that these two will be strong enough to withstand any barrages of bullying tactics aimed at dislodging them from the tree. Hang in there, Robs.
The maple trees are in full foliage now. The mulberries, sycamores and black walnut trees are hurrying to catch up. In another blink of an eye, they will be fully canopied. We already have shade from the box elder hitting our deck. The tulips are nodding their last and soon to bloom are the irises and daylilies. Gotta love all these stair stepping shows of color. I've seen lilac bushes in full glory. That's what I need to plant in our yard. A lilac bush. We've got a couple of white blooms on the strawberry plants. That's very nice to see.
I've been able to start telling them apart. The medium-sized one with the more longish and more golden tail is Skeeter. He comes around a lot all evening long to see what he might have missed on his first foray through the yard. So, as expected, as soon as it got dark, here comes Skeeter. He isn't alarmed at our quiet talk and crackling fire. The smaller one, who I think is his sibling, huddled over by the fence hole that they come through and watched him and us. She's Skitter because she's more skittish. I don't think she got even one bite last night. But she might have. And then along came the bigger one that we've nicknamed Skooter. I think that's the mamma of the other two. She came around for the last year with two little ones in tow. Looks like they are still palling around but Mamma lets them know she's still in charge and gets first dibs on everything. Skeeter obeys but in a split second he's back beside her making sure he gets something before she scarfs it all down.
Needless to say, Addy was pretty fascinated. It was her first time seeing live raccoons. That's Skeeter getting close to Addy. I think he smelled the hot dog she was eating. Be kind to the raccoons. They are very intelligent even though they can be pesky because they get into your trash cans. They aren't rampant with rabies here in Ohio like everyone thinks. There hasn't been a documented case of rabies in a raccoon for decades here. Be gentle with all nature's critters. You might as well be. It will enrich your soul. And they are entertaining to watch. |
We had a fire in our fire pit last night and we were treated to the sight of the three raccoons coming to forage. I had laid a nice trail of banana slices and week-old ham out for them plus a couple of marshmallows placed strategically close to us. I don't put out very many sweets. I'd rather see them getting more nutritious stuff but the marshmallows will bring them in close. A side note here: if you are going to feed them any kibble on a regular basis, it is better to give them dog food; dog food has more of the nutrition that they need.
