Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Coffee Time #102. Spring Returns.
Good morning to everyone! Coffee’s ready, Muffin is anxiously waiting to greet all of you and spring has come back once more! Briefly anyway. More cold and a little snow is coming again beginning Sunday. But that could change, and right now it’s a beautiful spring morning. The robins are singing. The snow we had melted yesterday, except for a patch here and there in shady places. Those golden rays of sunshine are hitting the tops of the trees. Even the gulls as they soar around this morning are being touched with those rays of sunshine making them glow yellow instead of their usual white. Now if they would just stay still so I could get a picture of them like that.
I have a problem, when I look up I tend to lose my balance and fall. So if possible I like to lie down, or sit. But even sitting is no guarantee that I won’t fall. Sigh. Speaking of bears. Many of you commented on my being close to Bert when I took those pics that I showed yesterday. We were about 12 feet apart, as the chickadee flies, but my deck is high, and Bert was on a hill out back behind my apartment. He would have to go down a very steep rock hill, then across a narrow patch of grass and up my stairs to get at me. Bears have a hard time going down steep slopes, they have to go a bit slower than normal, due to being back end heavy.
I also had my door open so I could get in quick if necessary, not wide open or Muffin would get out, but open enough that I could push it open fast and get in. Plus I had my bear spray handy. So I’m not really taking chances, all safety considerations were in place. Right now it’s probably safer out there with Bert than it would be walking to the river and meeting a bear down there. It can make a person nervous sometimes. But hopefully I can make it to the river today and see if there is anything new down there. Providing the sun comes back. For some reason heavy clouds have moved in again.
I’m back. Sir Henry was here looking in the window, which means he wants some breakfast, so I took some food out to him. Turns out there were 4 other gulls waiting for food as well. More food goes out. Then Jasper showed up. So I fed him. I got some pics of him and Sir Henry, though not together. Pics are just not as good when it’s cloudy though. Jasper almost looked lonely. No other squirrels showed up yesterday or this morning. Skamper came yesterday while Jasper was here. Jasper didn’t even chip at him. Those two seem to be working together as a team to get rid of the other squirrels. So there’s no more fighting between these two. Kind of amazing really. Oh well. Have a wonderful day everyone and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Steve’s Bird Of The Day #55.
Hi everyone! Today’s bird is the “common raven” which is divided into 8 subspecies, the one in our area and most of Canada is the “northern raven”. This is also the largest of the group, weighs about 5 lbs (2.3 kg). It has a wingspan of 5 feet (150cm). They are also the largest songbird and are in the same family as crows, jays, magpies. Ravens are found in most any habitat and found all around the northern hemisphere. They live as far north as there is land for them to nest on. Both sexes build the nest but only the female incubates the eggs and the male brings her food. Usually 4 to 7 eggs are laid. Ravens will eat most anything, including plants if meat is scarce. They are sometimes mistaken for crows, but crows are only half the size. Ravens make a deep throated croaking sound. They are not easily scared by anything and are very intelligent birds. They are also important since they help to clean up dead animals along roads and in the forests, thus preventing the spread of disease. Generally though they are not a favorite bird for very many people, though it is an important bird for Indigenous people in many countries.
Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
