A Gardener's Diary

(Cover photo of peacock taken in Kyoto Garden, London)

Now, to more local feathered friends.

These birds come to the yard and pond in early spring and beyond and just bring joy to the yard. Most were happy to pose!

Look at these plump drakes,

After the Mallards come the Wood Ducks. Here is a pair that stick close together,

The male Pheasants, or “Charlies”, as I call them, are always spectacular in color.

Loud and raucous, imposing in size, is the Sand Hill Crane.

Of course, when we think of lumbering birds, we can’t forget the Wild Turkey. Also imposing in size yet somewhat unremarkable on a daily basis, when the male “plumps up” for the ladies, he cuts a dashing figure.

As the song birds move back North as Spring progresses, the Yellow-rumped Warblers come to the yard in droves. Here is one of about a dozen adult breeding warblers flitting happily from branch to branch in my yet-to-bloom honey locust.

The blue streak of the Eastern Bluebird can never be missed. A sure sign that Spring has sprung. Soon he’ll be navigating between nesting boxes, competing with the Barn Swallows as to which box belongs to whom.

Speaking of blue, we cannot forget the Blue Jay. Here he is in his speckled cape, grabbing one of his favorite foods.

Of course, with all these birds in the yard, predators will stalk, warning cries will ring on the wind, and the yard becomes a ghost town. This Cooper’s Hawk is a frequent visitor and I can do nothing about it.

Let’s end with a very lovely, serene scene. A silhouette of a pair of Geese during a sunset.

I hope you enjoyed this Spring runway edition.

#mallards #woodducks #pheasants #sandhillcrane #wildturkey #yellowrumpedwarbler #easternbluebird #bluejays #coopershawk #canadiangeese