They’re Back!

The boat-tailed grackles have returned from wherever they go in winter. Unlike the grackles I’ve run into up north, these fellows have a sweet song. They do not annoy. When I lived in western Wisconsin, I often wanted to shoot at them to make them go away, they were so noisy, sitting in the trees, screaming their heads off. Well, I have no gun, and I wouldn’t have done it anyway, but still, the thought was there on many an occasion.

This one was sitting in the dying fruit tree, singing his heart out. (Fruit trees live only so long, then they must be replaced.)

He remained there until I tossed out a handful of cereal flakes, at which point, he swooped down to eat. That’s what’s on his beak: food flakes. When the sun hits them just right, as it did in the photo above, their feathers are iridescent. In the photo below, the sun was behind him and he was standing in a way that didn’t catch the light, but I still think he’s a handsome bird. 

As I’ve already noted, the dragonflies are also back. I like the peaceful feel of this pic. There’s a wide strip of long grass between the lawn and lake, and it offers privacy and homes to a lot of wildlife.

I was sitting at R’s outdoor table and noticed the clouds’ reflection in the glass. To the left, you can see the outer edge of one of the islands. The island on the right is out of frame. This is the lake that feeds into my canal. No engines are allowed on it, but people do appear in canoes and kayaks once in a while. R has both, and he’s hoping to bring them down here after his next trip up north. That’s it for this week. I’m looking forward to a lazy weekend where I don’t plan to do much other than read and stream stuff on TV. After a year of solid work, I’m on vacation through April, and I intend to enjoy it fully.

Next week, I hope to take a couple of the day trips I have planned. I love visiting new places!