Thursday April 23, 2009.  I wrote this yesterday as I sat out on the yard.  it was such a serene scene that I wanted to share it with you.   I’m sitting herein the shade of the mulberry, next to the loquat tree in the back yard.  The loquats are gone now, the last ones taken by the squirrels and birds last week.  There”s a new batch of ripe mulberries on the tree, and I imagine the little wrens that come along about 5pm will descend upon them and pick the tree clean.  I am armed closeby and with my Peterson Eastern Birds Field Guide at hand.  I want to see exactly what kind of birds this crew is.  The squirrels are already used to me and YinYang, who sits close by in the shade of the mulberry tree.  She’s too fat and lazy to chase , but she likes being where the action is.

I am loving that it is almost May and the weather is still mild.  There’s a plane overhead, heading south and leaving long white trails in the air.  I can hear the neighbors somewhere behind me playing in the pool, and the child welcoming Daddy home with “I’ve been waiting all day to tell you something.”  And “here boy, come here, boy” to the dog.  I can hear the bamboo swishing even though I’m in the backyard and it’s in the front.  The bamboo is very tall and the wind makes great sounds as it moves through it.  It’s pretty windy today, so the oaks and palms in the east woods are doing their dance, a tall, dark moving canopy.  Yin Yang is facing towards the trail where the brown bunny was seen hopping on the other morning early.  She doesn’t forget easily.  she is now in the optimum spot to watch the bunny trail, the mulberry tree, and the bush where the cardinals’ nest is.  Izzy is asleep in the firepit area, watching only the backs of his eyelids.  My protector.

Butterflies, I’ve got the big yellow ones, the cloudless sulphers, and the orange and black monarches.  I see the container herb garden drank about a gallon of water today.  Dragonflies, several dragonflies.  Squirrels running west to east along the utility wire, which runs conveniently through the mulberry and loquat trees. Fast food for those squirrels on the run.  Spanish Needle in bloom, those little white and yellow daisy looking weeds?  The bumbly bees love them and it makes a good honey.  I hear the papa cardinal talking.  I think he’s telling his mate he’s got some seeds for her.  She’s saying “do it, then talk about it”.

I spent a good part of the day working in the yard.  By Facebook, I kept everyone up to date on the Spring 2009 HatchWatch.  I wrote: Mama cardinal is on the nest – maybe today is the day – Ah! 2 female cardinals at the birdbath@!! Lemme sneak to the back and, if mama is one of them, I get to see inside the nest. Be right back.

False alarm. Mama is still on the nest. I just put out their black oil sunflower seeds and put down some chicken for the kitties inside. Make them too lazy to wanna birdwatch… Eating carcass makes me feel lazy, too.

Mama cardinal has not left the nest all day. The eggs are ready to hatch surely by now.  It is Day 17 since I saw the first egg on April 5.

Mama cardinal has been sitting in the nest in an odd position the last half hour. I think there is a baby hatched. She is taller in the nest and looking into it now, whereas before she was on the nest looking around at the yard.

Mama cardinal is off the nest. Two of the eggs have hatched. We’re all parents! Remember, it takes a village…

Mama and papa cardinal calling back and forth to each other and feeding the new hatchlings. Kitties are inside. Sunflower seeds are down in the far side of yard, to keep the night critters away from the nest. I’m so excited!

I’ll keep you posted.

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