This crazy weather we've been having is playing havoc with much of the wildlife on our property. Three days ago the high was in the upper 50's, today it's in the lower 90's. We've had nearly non-stop rain for what seems like months. I had been monitoring one of our bluebird boxes in the east prairie grass field. Last week I checked it and found some young bluebirds in the nest. I hadn't noticed the parents around the box at all lately, but given all the rain we had been having I hadn't been walking the edges of the fields as much as usual. This evening, armed with my new Kodak playsport, I headed over to the bluebird box. I wanted to get some video of the young bluebirds. The young were dead and covered with ants. I cleaned out the nest box and washed it down. Hopefully the pair will start over.
We've got a pair of doves that like to nest in the clematis that's on one of the arbors. They're down to just one nestling left. I took out the dead ones yesterday. Three pairs of barn swallows are busy building nests on top of our shutters.
Smooth penstemon is in bloom in the fields and the hummingbirds are busy with it.
Lorrie and I spent the weekend playing catch-up in the landscaping beads. We're still behind.
