Tea In the Garden

At 4 o'clock, the birds, ants, spiders, beetles, deer, marmots and bears are invited to tea in the garden.  The porcupines, coyotes, lynx and raccoons prefer night caps.

 

Annette Pollok Pottery

Columbine Gone Wild

Over the last decade, the seeds of plants gone wild have filled the gaps in my tame garden; they add random grace and beauty in unexpected ways.  What a lovely idea - wild, untamed thoughts most certainly can add the same grace and beauty to everyday logical musings. 

 



The Invitation

It is wonderful to have an Airedale in the family who reminds me to play every day!  Pretty hard to resist!

 

Gemini

 

Not Alone on the Journey

Canada Geese at Kin Beach

With silent signals and graceful co-ordination, this family targets a destination.
They manifest the power of togetherness. 

 

(This post is dedicated to Loreen and Bob.)







Pondering the Multiple Layers of Communication

Fully curious, my camera eye watches two Canada Goose goslings communicate soundlessly.  My mind takes over marvelling at the multiple layers of communication between humans, between animals and between the two.  Head tilt, neck position, eyes, mouth, nose, beak, body, shoulders, ears, tail, hands, paws, hair/fur/feathers,... all get into the act.  Come to think of it, words play an insignificant role in the grand scheme of communication.

 

The photo was taken with my new Olympus E-M5 at Kin Beach.

 

Clear Whistles and Buzzy Trills

The White-Crowned Sparrow

 

Outside our kitchen window, flocks of White-crowned Sparrows are adding music to the bright green of spring.  However, their lovely songs are just a cover-up for their greedy hunger and aggressive chasing away of our resident birds.  Our guess is that they have arrived from California and are fueling up for the next leg of their journey to Alaska where they will pair up, build nests, either on the ground or in shrubs, and lay eggs.  Fortunately, spring brings lots of food for our resident birds; they are on the fringes biding their time until the flocks of sparrows eat their fill and continue on.

 

Photo taken with my new Olympus E-M5

Here is an interesting tidbit:

 

"The song of the White-crowned Sparrow is one of the most-studied sounds in all of animal behavior. Different subspecies across the country sing clearly different songs, but they’re all recognizable by the sweet, whistling introduction, a succession of jumbled whistles, and a buzz or trill near the end. Songs last 2-3 seconds. Females sing only rarely" (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/white-crowned_sparrow/sounds).