I had to be away from home for about 11 days for "family duties"in
Massachusetts and Boston. It's great to get back to the peace, green lushness
and the BIRDS!!
In the last couple of days, the theme around here is young birds and family
life. I saw a family of turkeys driving on my return trip. The next morning, I
heard 2 crows making noises that I've certainly never heard before, and a
couple of seconds later 2 Red-shouldered hawks flew after them through the
dense locust forest. On my morning walk on Thursday, I saw a family of
woodcocks. The purple finch adults and young continue to come to the feeders.
Last Sunday, Tom saw the feathers of a young Yellow-bellied sapsucker , he
thinks the victim of an unidentified Coopers or Sharpie.
This morning I watched a family of Indigo Buntings, and saw an adult
Black-billed Cuckoo with caterpillar in its beak, remaining absolutely still in
a bittern-like pose for over 1/2 hour. I was about 8 ft. away from it. My dog
Haiku goes on my morning walks with me and I know he wonders why we keep
stopping. He actually is starting to look up into the trees! Both the Woodcock
and the Black-billed Cuckoo have no confirmed breeding records in Highland
County.
Patti
Patti Reum
Bear Mountain Farm and Wilderness Retreat
2599 Bear Mountain Rd.
Monterey, VA. 24465
www.mountain-retreat.com
