-
Brown Thrasher In The Birdbath
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). An elusive bird that most often is found in dense bushes, brushing its long beak back and forth in leaf litter searching for a meal of insects. Most frequently I see Brown Thrashers while blueberries are just ripening. And timing was just perfect today. Many bushes with berries turning from soft…
-
Soon
From blossoms in April, To green berries in May, To oodles in June, That become all sorts of play. Gets the attention of Towhees, And attracts Cedar Waxwings. They’ll fill up the freezer, And keep us fed all winter. While making our yard busy with nature. What could be better. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like…
-
Watching The Blueberry Crop
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) Eastern Towhees are here in the mountains of central Virginia year round. Their diet is primarily insects, seeds and berries and during the summer they tend, of course, to eat more insects. True bugs, beetles, ants, caterpillars, moths, millipedes, spiders and snails are all on the menu. But there’s something special…
-
Brown Thrasher
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). Quite the handsome bird. It makes me think of a Roadrunner with its very long tail and long curved bill. They’re here during their breeding season but are year round in the deeper Southeast. The feeders here at my cabin don’t tempt them, not even the suet, but they love my…
-
It’s Blueberry Season
An abundance of blueberries on the bushes keeping me busy. Picking them before the birds get them. I don’t mind sharing them though. There’s plenty!
-
Silver-spotted Skipper
Silver-spotted Skippers (Epargyreus clarus) are thoroughly enjoying collecting the nectar and pollen from blueberry blooms. In the upper left corner of this photo you can see little blueberries just beginning their growth.
-
Blueberry Pie
Special occasions call for special things to happen in the kitchen. That’s why there’s blueberry pie just out of the oven. For dessert after dinner tonight. I make my crust from scratch. I think I could make the crust in my sleep. It’s very simple, very easy. For me anyway. Here’s the recipe. Pie Crust…
-
Blueberries
I’m watching both the progress the blueberry blooms are making as well as the calendar. Watching the blossoms grow and mature. Watching the weeks go by on the calendar. Right now in early April there are only tight buds on the many bushes. And it’s hard to say since this is weather related and as…
-
Cedar Waxwings, Part 2
At my cabin there are so many blueberry bushes. So many, if I had to guess, that guess would be maybe twelve mature bushes. Maybe. By the Fourth of July every year my freezer is filled with quart sized bags of berries to provide muffins, pies, pancakes, toppings for ice cream, scones and more pies.…
-
In Praise of Blueberries
In my yard I’ve got a good number of mature blueberry bushes. Twelve? Fourteen? Enough that I can stock my freezer with loads of quarts of luscious berries to last throughout the year. And the birds? They’re welcome to their share. I love that the berries entice them. Of the birds that come to enjoy…