Cardinals

Cardinals have built a nest in a bush just outside our front door. They fly away in fear every time I open the front door. But I really scared them when I was cleaning a bay window that overlooks the nest. They were chirping at me and flying all around, even though I was inside. Birds do not understand glass.

Kingfisher

Our Kingfisher is back. I love watching him dive into the pond and come up with small fish. He is an amazing fisher. I really enjoy hearing his unique twittering.

Robins

The robins have shifted their nest to the other side of our yard. I saw two robins this morning who were fighting. I think we humans always forget that conflict and competition are all part of the natural world, which is why it's part of our natures.

Snowy Egret

The snowy white egret has come back. I love watching it land, deliberately stalk fish in the pond and soar back into the air. Yesterday it slowly walked the edge of the dam intently eying the water. This morning I watched it swoop in and take off again. So majestic.

Greed and the Great Blue Heron

Our great blue heron stalked the fish in our pond and caught the biggest one possible -- 12" long and 4" wide. That heron was a bit too greedy. He tried arranging it in his beak so that he could swallow it, all to no avail. Then, he finally got tired of holding the fish and set it down. It was flopping all over, so he stabbed it with his beak and took a drink of water. Then, he picked it up again and worked on trying to swallow it.

Later, I found the dead fish on the ground. I'm going to bury it in my garden to help my vegetables grow. That's an old Indian-Native American trick.

The lesson from this is -- don't be greedy.

Backyard Bird Happenings

It's spring, and the birds in my Connecticut backyard are very busy. We have a pond, which attracts all sorts of great birds. I just saw an osprey dive in and fly away with a fish.

Please post your bird sightings.