random thoughts – Day 1,490 – (Monday) – feeling springish

Streamers.

The wildlife in the yard has been busy. On Saturday, signs of rebuilding efforts were spotted at the site of the mostly destroyed nest over the drainpipe. The winds and rain had left barely more than a little pile of what looked like mud, but on Saturday, long streamers of dried, dead, leaves swayed in the breeze. 

The building material for the repair efforts had come from the flower bed below, where it had been left for the winter. The negligence was partly due to the never-ending summer-fall rain impeding fall cleanup, which was further justified by a gardening article that said it’s better for yard critters to leave it all over the winter and until after some magical number of days after danger of frost or something like that. What hasn’t blown from the garden with the blustery, gusty winds of 2024 is still there, waiting for me or the birds to start yard cleanup. If I wait long enough, maybe the birds will take care of it all.

Also over the weekend, as I sat in the living room, there was a weird sound that sounded like it might be near the roof. It was different than the sounds made by the birds messing around in the open-top gutters outside the home office. It was more scratchy than the gutter sound. More rhythmic.

Getting busy at the doorframe.

It turned out to be a small-ish woodpecker going to town on the narrow wood strip between the vinyl siding and the metal frame of the storm door. I’ve heard them in the trees along the brook, but never getting busy on the wood on my house. 

I watched the bird for a few seconds as I set up my camera for a quick shot through the purple sheer curtain hanging in the office window. Then I rapped on the window and the bird flew away. 

Today featured the first sighting of Chuck, the resident woodchuck. He (or she, I can’t tell) emerged from under the shed and posed near the ramp, sniffing the air. There was a waddle around the yard, with pauses to eat blades of whatever tempting greenery is presently popping up in the yard. 

Chuck (Chuckina?) edged along the perimeter of the yard where it was shady, then returned to the shed to pose atop the stone edgers before dashing out the gate, taking a hairpin turn, and heading into the neighbor’s yard. Later, Chuck/Chuckina reappeared in the back yard, did another lap, then slithered between the pickets in the fence and  into the neighbor’s yard on the other side.

There have now been sightings of all the wildlife of The BungaLowell area. Brown bunny was spotted several times over the winter, the bird builders are back, the woodchuck is still around, the squirrels never leave. The neighborhood cats – the all white, the all black, the ginger, and the tabby – have all been spotted in the past month. It’s finally starting to feel like spring.