A Most Welcome Sight (the Sequel)

This post is a sequel to the one just prior, about our local snow "storm".

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All traces of snow are past.

I took a walk in a t-shirt this afternoon.

The fountain's water is once again gurgling over the rocks so our backyard deer

are returning there and to the birdbath for evening drinks.

I don't think they realize it is meant to be a BIRD bath,

but I'm not going to say anything.

Here's our attentive mama deer and one of her twins.

The fawns' spots are gone

and in only a few months they will be the "big" brother and sister.

Please notice the bluebird house in this picture because...

One of the trees in our yard was adorned with several of these beauties the other morning!

While living in New York, we coveted these little bluebirds for years and had several nesting boxes available but usually the tree swallows filled them with their families instead.

That wasn't a bad thing since those busy swallows eat tons of mosquitoes.

But still we longed for the bluebirds and eventually a couple stayed

and raised their brood of 5.

After we moved, the bluebirds returned and my friend and neighbor kept me informed of their health and well being (the birds', that is).

Alas, our yard is also home to a very bossy and irritable mocking bird.

This annoying creature has chased off early spring bluebirds for several years.

But, I rejoiced to see a feisty bluebird come and stay last spring. He wooed his fair bride with bugs and such while she tentatively checked out our house. I empathized with her mate as we nervously awaited her decision.

Was it big enough? Did the door face the right view?

It took her days to make up her mind and I had chewed off all my nails

in the waiting and watching.

But, in the end, she decided to stay and set up housekeeping.

We soon learned why this particular little male bluebird didn't get "ruffled" by that

miserable mocking bird. He, himself, was quite

a stubborn little bird with a big attitude.

Every morning he started banging on our windows at first light.

See him hanging on the screen on our bedroom window?

He perched on this little wind chime and flew over and over

into the window, smashing his beak into the glass pane.

We understood that he was fighting his reflection, but my oh my, this went on for many days and both Jack and I, as well as the little bird, ended up with headaches from this carrying on.

Eventually he gave up or "won", I don't know which, but he stopped the knocking.

The mocking bird left him alone and Papa bluebird now put his energies into providing for his healthy family of baby birds.

It was wonderful to have them flying around in our yard.

So, seeing 8 bluebirds in the tree the other morning filled me with joy!

Maybe it is the whole family of last year stopping by

to check out the old homestead.

I can imagine the parents telling the children, "Now, that branch over there

was were you first flew alone..." and such.

I'm crossing all my fingers in hopes that one of them chooses to stay.