A study in blues and greys

Blue jays and a female hairy woodpecker ate like birds at our feeders today. The blue jays are especially crafty. One pecks from above and makes a mess while another cleans up below. A pair of chickadees were flitting around and we only saw the tail end of a new arrival with a white belly [...]

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The big picture

Loki spends a lot of time sitting on the windowsills and basking in the sun.  He is actually not all that interested in the birds at the feeder and in fact the crows and blue jays scare him away.  We’ve had some lovely snow and the birds spend a lot of time at the feeders.  [...]

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Love is in the air

It’s finally spring in the Adirondacks. We have had plenty of April showers, in fact it has rained all May. The grass needed mowing and the birds are going wild. There are all sorts of feathered visitors at our feeders. Not so much the bird bath but maybe they are waiting for summer warmth. We [...]

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Adjusting to the sun’s southern exposure

I’m reminded of the differences between home and Australia daily.  No huntsmen spiders or tiger snakes is one of them.  Instead, I hear coyotes howling when I am in the hot tub and wonder what their plans are.  The night sky is different.  Orion is not a saucepan but is once again a sword bearing [...]

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My head is still in the clouds

I can’t believe we’ve been home a month already. We’ve been busy organizing and getting reacquainted with family, friends and our lovely home in the mountains. . I made my first batch of cream cheese from a batch of yogurt that I heated too high and killed all that good bacteria. It was delicious on [...]

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House hunting and foraging

Not us, the birds. We are comfortably settling in at home and are adjusting to a life among people again. I am very happy to get to spend time with my family and to become reacquainted with friends. The birds, however, are just moving in. A pair of blue birds checked out all the bird [...]

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The flight of the sailboats

I saw this boat in the cove yesterday and the water and its shadow were so clear it seemed airborne. As more boats arrived, the dance of the sailboats at anchorage began. Initially two were anchored. Another arrived and dropped its anchor, perhaps a little too close to a boat already there. They hauled the [...]

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Nothing like a good wallaby wrangle to start the day

The local wallaby population has been gradually increasing and this morning we had the chance to shoo a few out. First we open the driveway gate then position ourselves so we head them in the direction of the gate. We managed to get four of seven out. I feel like a shepherd or I guess [...]

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