the Grabers: Birds don't "stay at home"

We may all be having to "stay-at-home" by order of the governor of our state, but the birds have no reason to pay any mind to it.

I saw a hawk sitting on my purple martin house one day!

Fly away, Mr. Hawk! Leave my birdies alone!

"He's gone, Mildred! We are safe!"

The next day, another hawk was in the birch tree. But luckily, he had to fly elsewhere for his dinner.

A "hawk" cloud

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are at the pond and just recently decided to make a nest at the little creek behind our home. They have discovered the seeds that drop from the bird feeder and so I have left some purposely on the ground for them.

I love Mrs. Mallard's blue markings! There they go, waddling back to the creek.

As I was walking around our pond with my walking partner, we saw a great blue heron looking for dinner.

As we walked by, he decided we were too close so he flew to the other side of the pond.

The sidewalk came to the other side too, so we were interrupting his fishing. Sorry, Mr. Heron!

When walking along the river downtown, we saw this Greater Yellowlegs sandpiper. Migrating up north to Canada. Yup, paying no attention to any order to stay at home!

Early one morning, out of my dining room window I saw 3 white egrets at the pond. I was still in pajamas, or I'd have gone out to get closer. Last year, they came to the creek behind our house. Maybe they will yet.

They are working on a new pond to the south of our house that has been added to our development and that pond overflows under the street to this creek that then flows into the pond in our back yard. I like to call it a creek, although I suppose it could be called a "ditch". But that doesn't sound as nice as "creek". There are lots of frogs in this creek we can hear croaking in the evening. I LOVE that sound!

This was last year.

The pussy willows were taken out, but hopefully they will grow back? I can only hope.

Hi, Mr. Robin! The male has a brighter marking on its breast and the female's feathers look more washed out is what I have read. So I think this is a male.

Wait a minute, Mr. Squirrel. Do you think you are a bird? (He could NOT figure out how to get the bird food.)

Mr. Chickadee knows how to slip right into that bird feeder. It keeps the bigger birds out, like blackbirds and grackles....and squirrels! (I say Mr. Chickadee, but it is hard to tell the difference between a male and female. The male has a bigger black bib, but they flit about so fast and there weren't a pair here.)