June is here and I'm loving it! Each day is a little bit longer than the one before and I'm usually outside enjoying the daylight as long as it lasts. I wish I could say that I've been enjoying the recent days watching the bluebirds and having occasional sightings of the deer, but it has been such a busy time that I've rarely been able to do so the last couple weeks. I blame the Henderson County baseball team for my lack of leisure time. Because they played so well this past season, they made it to Lexington for the state tournament played at Whitaker Bank Park. I attended Monday, Wednesday and Friday enjoying time with friends that I hadn't seen since before leaving Henderson over five years ago. It was wonderful catching up with them and their families and I wouldn't exchange it for bluebird watching. The team got beat in the semi-finals, so they were a couple games short of winning another state title, but I hope they make it back in the years to come as I have two young Colonels for whom to root. Go Jace and Tyler!!
We also had family visiting this past week as Mark's oldest brother, Rich and wife, Leslie, visited while in the state for a family funeral. It was great seeing them and we look forward to seeing them again in a couple weeks when we hope to see them and the rest of the Libby's at Mom and Dad's 65th Anniversary celebration. Should be a great time!
I'm continuing my country walks, usually getting in three five mile walks a week. The flowers and critters that I see provide me with many picture taking opportunities. I've got lots of iris, roses, peonies, wisteria, snapping turtle, lunar moth and many, many horses that have been my subjects.
Since my last post, we have discovered that our feisty mama doe has not one fawn in our yard, but two. They usually come out late and do their romping around in the grass while we're all sleeping. But, occasionally, we see them out or hiding in the tall grass of their "corner" of the yard. We try very hard to give them their space and keep the dogs from intruding on their turf. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to get a picture of them romping together before they make the leap over the fence in the weeks to come.
The bluebirds started laying eggs for their third brood right after the Memorial Day weekend. I was really looking forward to seeing the parents go back and forth feeding the nestlings in the box, but I'm afraid we will have to wait for another time, as all hell broke out here yesterday afternoon when I saw a snake wrapped around the top of the bluebird house, making a meal of the bluebird eggs. My first reaction was to yell, scream and throw big rocks up at him. This did nothing. My second reaction was to run up the hill to the garage to find something like a shovel. I found a paint roller on a pole. I pounded the top of the house with the roller, thus knocking him into the house. Not what I had planned. I then pulled the whole house on a pole out of the ground, leaning it over til he finally spilled out onto the ground and slithered beneath our rock wall. This was not going well at all!
I wanted to look into the birdhouse to see if there were any eggs left so I walked back up the hill to Mark's building and got a big step ladder. As I came back down the hill with the ladder, I noticed the snake was slithering up the pole toward the birdhouse. I ran, again with ladder, and used the bottom rung to knock him back to the ground. Back under the rockwall he went. There must be some eggs left for him to make a second attempt. I prepared to climb the step ladder but it didn't go so well. After just about taking me, the birdhouse with pole and the ladder out completely when the bottom sunk into the soft ground, I was able to reposition it and check what was inside.......one little blue egg in the nest. It was now my job to make sure he did NOT get this last little egg.
As all of this mayhem is taking place in my yard, the bluebird pair and their juvenile babies are flitting above trying to figure out what to do. At this point, I now know what to do. I go again to Mark's building, taking the ladder back. I choose my weapons, a garden rake and a shovel. I figure I just have to sit under the deck and watch and wait for my opportunity. When I see some movement, I check the binoculars and sure enough, he's making his move from atop the rockwall to the pole and begins his way up. However, this time before he even makes it to the snakeguard, apparently useless against a four foot snake, I use the garden rake and knock him to the ground and pin him down with it. Then, with the shovel, I am able to finish the job. I told him that he messed with the wrong bluebirder.
Once I know I've completed the kill, I run back up under the deck and watch the inevitable writhing and twisting while his body continues it's final struggle with death. I check once, from a distance, just to make sure, once all movement has ceased. I let Mark, who gets home hours later, dispose of him and put the weapons away. I'm just glad it's over, not my favorite chore, not at all. The bluebirds are still checking over the situation. They even land on the house, though they don't go in. I believe the one little egg is still in there, but the parents can't bring themselves to go back in the house to finish the job of sitting on it til it's hatched. It was a rough afternoon.
Today after my walk I spotted the deer and one of her fawns in the tall grass in their corner of the yard. I'm still seeing the bluebirds flying here and there from tree to yard to get insects. I don't think they've gone back in their birdhouse. Maybe Mark and I will take it down and put up a new one in a different spot and see what happens. It's still a beautiful day and the hummingbirds have been visiting their feeders. A pair of carolina wrens were checking out the area between the patio ceiling and deck above. It would be nice to have baby wrens. I hope you are enjoying the springtime wildlife in your area. Have a great day and stay safe. luv, Susan
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