A Peaceful Blue Jay

A Peaceful Blue Jay

It was early morning. The feeders, while usually covered with hungry birds, were empty except for one visitor – a Blue Jay. It was unusual to see a single jay without a mate. Jays mate for life and are particularly social creatures. But perhaps this bird was young and had not found its mate yet, though they mate early, usually when they are about one year old.

As I watched, I noticed there was something different about the bird. This jay wasn’t calling out or imitating other birds’ calls. It wasn’t jiggling around on the feeder as it generally does. Its crest was resting flat against its head instead of being up and spiky; the crest will extend upward when a jay is agitated or on alert for some reason. The bird seemed to be enjoying a rare moment of quiet. I stood at the window while it continued eating, half expecting a crop of other jays to join in. It didn’t happen. When the jay finished its meal, it took off, leaving the feeder swinging after its departure.

The funny thing was that although I was excited to see it, I could sense the bird’s peaceful state. And why not? We can tune into other people’s energy, know when they are happy or sad, angry or joyful, even when they aren’t doing anything specific. It’s etched on the face and radiates outward. We can feel a dog’s emotions, respond to our pet cat’s restlessness. Why shouldn’t we be receptive  to other creatures' energy as well?

Later in the morning, the feeders were crowded with finches and cardinals and yes, Blue Jays. Everything was aflutter then, not peaceful at all. I was glad that the Blue Jay had a calm start to its day and thankful that I was able to share it.

For a full description of Blue Jay life and behavior:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/blue_jay/lifehistory

Mating behavior of the Blue Jay:

http://www.birdhouses101.com/blue-jay-mating.asp

Is It Spring Yet?

Is It Spring Yet?

The poor squirrel, huddled in the bush, no doubt confused by the latest weather. It’s confusing for all of us. We had about 3-4 inches of snow today while down in the D.C. area, there was 8 inches on the ground. Isn’t that south of New Jersey? New York, which is north of us, didn’t have any.

On March 20th it will officially be Spring. It may not feel like it to us yet but the flowers know. Daffodils are beginning to peek out of the ground.  Snowdrops, crocuses, hyacinths, forsythia, snapdragons, camellias all welcome the early spring. Time to think about the garden.

As the snow melts, I venture into the backyard to see which plants have survived the winter. The pachysandra have defied the ice onslaught. Our dappled willows are starting to put out foliage and the azaleas have hints of green under the latest coating of white.

Mother Nature has her own timetable, taking in the amount of light as well as the temperature. We do, too. Some people have seasonal affective disorder, being particularly sensitive to the shortened light of winter. Many of us have said this year, “I’m ready for Spring!” The warmer weather and the brighter days tend to cheer us up. The brightly colored flowers help bring a lift to the spirit.

Ah, Spring. It’s almost here. Enjoy!

A list of flowers that grow all through Spring:

http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/A_List_of_Spring_Flowers

Seasons can affect how we feel:

http://www.mindpub.com/art027.htm

Winter Is Getting Warmer - Really

Winter Is Getting Warmer - Really

Even though we officially have to wait until March 20^th there is evidence of Spring all over. New leaves are sprouting on my azaleas. The lilac bushes have impatient buds on all the branches. I see robins hopping around the neighborhood pecking at the saturated ground for worms. Clumps of ice are slowly melting, revealing things that have been hidden for months. Practically everyone I know says the same thing: I’m ready for winter to be over.

We aren’t the only ones yearning for Spring. Ducks have had it hard this year. They migrate to find food and nesting places, both of which become difficult to find when there is an excess of snow and ice. The robins that have returned, until this week, were pecking away at the snow, trying to get underneath to find food. Geese were spotted making nests on mounds of snow and skidding on the underlying ice. It has been some winter.

And yet, the earth has had a warm year. In some areas, it has been an unseasonably warm winter. The earth has been setting records in the past dozen years. As temperatures rise, ice melts.  Polar bears are losing their ice environment. Islands have flooded. The oceans have risen. It is a self-perpetuating cycle: as temperatures rise, carbon dioxide increases and as CO2 increases, temperatures rise. It’s a complicated situation to understand, especially after an extended period of snow. So I went to NASA’s website for kids to help make sense of it all: http://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-change-evidence/

I wonder if the definition of our seasons will be changing in the future and what is our part in that change? It’s not something to sluff off because it isn’t only the ducks and geese and polar bears that are affected, it’s us, too. 

Some late-season weather statistics:

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/record-late-season-snowfalls

Waterfowl react to seasonal changes, too:

http://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-biology/understanding-waterfowl-cross-seasonal-effects?poe=mostRecent

The Beauty of the Unexpected

The Beauty of the Unexpected

I love to find joyful surprises during the day. This morning, one of them came in the form of a grackle on the feeders. The sun was shining on its feathers, bringing out the iridescence that is not always visible. It was as beautiful as it was unexpected.

Usually, grackles are not my favorite birds. They can be problematic around the normal backyard birds. They come in large flocks that scare off the smaller birds and they decimate the seeds in the feeders. I often shoo them off, watching them flutter into the trees where they wait for me to forget about them and then they return to continue feeding. And when they appear in vast numbers along their migration paths, they can pose health problems, damage crops, and create quite a mess.

In an ordinary backyard, however, there are ways to minimize their presence. Choosing feeders that discourage them is one way. A feeder with a cylinder wrapped inside a cage pretty much keeps them out. But it doesn’t mean that they won’t hang around for a while, munching on seeds thrown out by the other birds. They are also very observant, so if you don’t mind waving at them through the window several times they may eventually take off. And they do migrate so sooner or later they’ll be gone, leaving the feeders to the regulars.

Even though I often chase them away, I do appreciate these big black, yet colorful birds. They are native to North America, have a yearly presence, and shake me out of the winter doldrums with their beauty. They also remind me not to make judgments based solely on appearance, whether about birds or situations or people, because you never know when the unexpected can help you to see things differently and sometimes with joy.

If the grackles are getting piggy, try these techniques:

http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/getting-started/coping-with-grackles/ 

Foggy Day

Foggy Day

Some ground was finally beginning to show through the snow on Friday after being blanketed in white for days. But then irony took over. The ground was visible but the sky was not. Heavy fog was everywhere.

We could hear birds chirping but they didn’t seem to be flying anywhere. Birds can fly in fog but prefer not to as they can become disoriented. These geese landed within the confines of a local school, the flock choosing to hunker down and take a rest until the fog lifted.

Birds are not the only ones who can get disoriented; people, too, find fog confusing. Going across the Ben Franklin Bridge to Philadelphia was an experience in caution. Where was the car ahead of us? Where were the lanes? It was hard to think we still on the bridge because we couldn’t see the cables. 

It was beautiful, in its own, soft way. All things blended. There were no hard lines to anything. The road, the buildings along the way, the people on the streets, all were fairy-like. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see someone sprout wings and take off into the clouds. Sometimes it’s nice to have that sense of fantasy to gentle a day, especially after a snow-shoveling marathon.

 

What causes fog?

 http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_fog.htm

Be safe when driving in fog:

http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/drivingsafety/drivingsafetytips/fog.html

Hidden and Revealed

Hidden and Revealed

I was driving down a neighboring street the other day and saw a couple of trees that made me stop the car and pull over to contemplate them. There were no leaves on their branches (rightfully so in this season) and it was too early for them to flower but there was a sense of life about them from nests that spoke of birds and eggs and life cycles that usually are hidden from ordinary sight. Such private things, now revealed. It felt like I was peeking at something sacred.

I didn’t know which birds had built them, if it was one species or a mixture; we have many different birds calling our area home. We have squirrels that make nests in our backyard maple and white pine trees, though these nests didn’t seem large enough for them. Will the birds come back to the same nests in Spring or will these start to fall apart, offering their twigs for new nests and new life?

So much of life is hidden; flowers within buds, plants concealed in seeds, babies inside bodies. Eventually the impetus of nature reveals them and the world gets to see the beauty that was harbored there. An idea is hidden until someone speaks it or acts upon it and allows others to see it. This duality has an energy that speaks of movement, of progression, of growth. In it, like with the change of seasons, is a sense of anticipation that animates life.

When we come upon something that we hadn’t seen before or understood or perhaps even considered, it opens us to a broader dimension of existence. It helps us to stop in our everyday tracks and pay attention. And it may even bring a feeling of gratitude for having been there at the right moment to discover something more of ourselves.

Which birds reuse their nests? Join the conversation:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97112338.tip.html

Keeping Warm in Winter

Keeping Warm in Winter

How can a body keep warm on these frigid days? Birds fluff up their feathers. Rabbits puff up their fur. Squirrels, besides running around like crazy, find inventive ways to garner heat. This one found a bit of warmth atop our woodpile. He spread himself (herself?) over the dark-colored bark in the mid-afternoon sun when it would be the warmest. Whatever works…

Staying warm has been a challenge for people, too, this winter. I stuff myself into layers of clothing before venturing out the door. I wear mittens instead of gloves to keep the heat of my hands concentrated. Even indoors, a fleece is my friend.

There have been lots of communities, which translates into hundreds of thousands of people, that have been stranded without heat at various times this season, due to iced power lines. Ice increases the weight on the lines, which can cause them to break. It also strains tree branches that then can snap off onto power lines. This year Pennsylvania was hit particularly hard by ice storms and some households still do not have power.

So, how does one keep warm during freezing times?  Here are a few suggestions that might help.

How to keep warm outside:

http://theweek.com/article/index/254754/how-to-keep-warm-outside-5-science-based-tips

How to keep your house warm:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24757144

How to survive a power shortage:

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/how-to-survive-an-ice-storm-po/20680035