Wren nest

The wrens are at it again. Such persistent nesters. Motivated. Creative. Some of you might remember a few wren posts that I did a while back. You can read about there here and here.

I don’t know that I can call this a problem, maybe it is more like a situation. Brought on be me.

We leave the back screen porch doors propped open for the cats to come and go. See what I mean, all brought on my me. This time they have abandoned the idea of nesting in potted plants out on the screen porch. They really put some thought into this one. They know I will kick them out of the potted plants. The funny thing is that would not have been a big deal at this time. All the plants that are left on the porch are all dead and since I still haven’t moved many of them outside that would have been a safe place to nest.

No, this time they picked a baseball hat that is hanging on a hat/coat rack on the screen porch. I use it for things like my headlamp for grilling, a visor I wear outside when it is sunny, the ear muffs that I wear for hearing protection when I mow the lawn or use the chain saw, a rain jacket to use when I go outside to manage the rainwater tanks when it is raining, a huge bundle of drying cilantro including coriander seeds, and a nice camouflage baseball hat that clearly didn’t get worn enough or there would be no nest built in it.

It really is a perfect spot.  She and her mate have built an impressive little nest there using the inside of the ball hat and the arm of the hat rack that comes right up under it. The nesting female has a clear view to both outside doors to see who is coming and going. Ingenuity and good construction all that way.

I was telling a friend about the unique nesting spot and she requested a photo. I wasn’t sure if the nest was in use, so I inched my way closer to it, got the camera up there for a good shot and out shoots mama-wren. Man, she was really hidden in there. Now that she was off the nest, I turned on the flash and could clearly see the eggs. Yup. She is staying, I told it was alright.

The next interesting phase of this plan will be when the chicks are starting to fall out of the nest, how they will get outside! I guess I need to clear the way below, after all, I think the coriander seeds are dry by now! Another thing I need to think about is the cats.

Our cats are real wimps. One of them won’t even go out on the screen porch right now because she has been watching the wren activity (“oh no, there is something moving around out there and I don’t know what it is.”) One of the cats goes in and out all day, but he doesn’t seem to pay attention (well, that is what I am calling it – he is old and really can’t see or hear that much anymore.)

These wrens are really motivated.

Have you have any nesting birds in unique places?

UPDATE: This morning (14 July) when I headed out the back door I head tiny baby birds talking. The wren eggs have hatched. Without getting too close, I can see 4 tiny heads sticking up and screaming for food.

Sincerely, Emily

 

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Plains

Hi All,

When I found out that this week was where we would get to explore the concept of “plains” I had a lot of trouble finding images to support my post. Serendipity Farm, and indeed Tasmania, isn’t flat. It’s hilly at the least and downright mountainous at the worst but flat plains are significant by the absence in our neck of the woods. I managed to find 2 photos that Steve and I took on our daily walks with our dogs Bezial and Earl. The first is of a dirt road that we decided to explore one day as a most welcome variation to our usual well pounded walkways and the second is of Auld Kirk Road, the road that runs along the front of our property…

The dogs love walking on country roads

The road that runs past Serendipity Farm

I then had to renegotiate “plain” in my head…from this point in the post on, plain isn’t quite to do with level areas of the earths surface…this first image is of one of the lawned areas around the house. This is a gorgeous little native Tasmanian “Superb Fairy Wren” male who was dancing about looking for insects…he is just “plain showing off”…

Pretty little wren on the lawn

Next I wanted to share this little rainwater tank that a good friend loaned us because he insisted that we needed to be drinking rain water for our health…lots of level surfaces here and just “plain generous”…

Lots of straight lines but not a lot of plains…

As a vegan I eat some strange and unusual foods in order to make sure that I get enough variation in my diet and I found this packet of shrivelled green things in one of my cupboards…all I can say is thank goodness for “plain English!”…

Seaweed!

A vegan meal that goes to show that just because I only eat plant based food doesn’t mean I have to go without…just “plain stubborn” when it comes to ensuring that I get fed well I guess…

Burger anyone?

When Steve moved to Australia from the U.K. his Greek friend Chris gave him this Greek eye because he was “plain superstitious”…

A Greek superstition called Mati where this eye is placed at your door to prevent the envy of others from cursing you

My daughters bought me a lovely friand pan along with lots of other lovely foodie goodies this year for mothers day, they are just “plain wonderful”. Here are some of the first batch of friand’s that I made with it and I made my own almond flour to make them…

Delicious dense little almond meal friand

Here is proof that Steve is just “plain clever” when it comes to sorting out the problems that I hurl at him. I don’t use this little gas stovetop in winter as Brunhilda, our 4 oven wood burning stove is constantly on and we have no need for it so to give me a bit more bench top space Steve designed this stovetop cover

Steve’s clever fix for my desire to have more bench space

Steve picked this bunch of daffodils from the garden here on Serendipity Farm. They are just “plain beautiful”…

I love daffodils, they are the first sign of spring on Serendipity Farm and are out all over the place at the moment

I hate having to throw away perfectly good sourdough starter that is excess to our needs and so I started drying it out in my dehydrator and powdering it to give it a longer shelf life and to share with anyone who would like some…”plain frugality”…

I am very proud to be living a frugal lifestyle

Here are some of the mushrooms that we let grow in our bags of mushroom compost that we bought to use as mulch in our vegetable garden last year. If you are clever (and we are) you can get lots more mushrooms out of these bags. We collected an incredible amount of free mushrooms before it was tipped out and used as mulch…”plain permaculture in action”…

Little button mushrooms. If you leave them a week they end up to be the size of saucers

Lastly here is one of Steve and my cakey creations made with homemade sponge cakes with our free range eggs this one is just “plain delicious”…

Anyone for cake?

See you all next Monday. No idea what I will be posting about but you can be sure it won’t be “normal” 😉

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The wrens are at it

It feels like spring in South Texas. My apple tree has some buds appearing, one of the peach trees has it leaves almost opening up, and the wrens are sneaking into the back screen porch to build nests. I am up and moving around, so I need to take a walk around the back yard (with my camera) and check out the other trees to see what they are doing. The day time temperatures have been warm, and at time downright hot. The night time temps have hardly dipped at all (although a few nights ago it was 45F – yes I know that is a heatwave for many of you. I grew up in Minnesota so I understand that when you have been in a deep-freeze and the thermometer rises to 30, your jackets start coming off and you roll down the windows in your car.

Perfect wren nesting area

The past 3 days I have walked out into the screen porch and found wrens out their building nests (yes, in the screen porch.) I can’t get too upset, after all, I leave the back screen doors wide open, well, not actually wide open but blocked open for the cats to come and go during the day. So the wrens should know that there is a difference. Wide open would mean they were invited to come in and build. Just blocked open means, no not you, just the cats. However, I guess blocked open wide enough for a cat to get through (9″) is really wide open for a wren, isn’t it?! Dang it, I just lost my own argument.

With all this Spring-like weather the birds are active and singing their songs. The trees are right out there with them, showing their buds. That reads spring to me.  For me, I am way behind in where I should be for this time of year. I have no seeds started, and even though I would like to, it will not be happening this  year. That just makes me down right frustrated, but I need to calm down and go with the flow. And the flow this year, at this time, means I need to take care of myself, and it means no seeds started or yard-doings of any kind. I am finding that I am very good at walking around the backyard with my husband (when I can catch him at home during daylight hours – gosh that is challenging!) and point at things that need to be watered, moved, done, etc. In fact, I even found a bamboo stick back there to use as a pointer, then there is no way he can’t  see what I am pointing at (no bending over for the girl.)  The “water that”, “what?”, “that”, “which one” thing has been solved. I know can point with the bamboo stick, right down to the plant.

The wrens are certainly entertaining to watch (as long as I am not chasing them out of the screen porch.) They are happy singing and busy working. Me, I am just standing still watching and listening. Maybe this surgery is a big huge message for me to slow down and watch and observe. I have a hard time sitting still. Normally, while I work outside, I do sit and watch what is happening around me.  I enjoy listening to the birds and watching them, I just never expected to have to sit and watch them while the world went by.

By the end of March I can start to re-join my real world, with limitations. Limitations! UGH! I am grateful to be here. I am grateful to be able to watch the birds. I am grateful to be able to watch the trees and the bud and leaf out.

I am glad that I have the wrens around. They keep moving ahead, building next, planning for the spring.

Are you on track for your spring chores?

Sincerely, Emily

You can see what else I am up to over at Sincerely, Emily. The topics are varied, as I jump around from gardening to sewing to making bread or lotion and many things in between.

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