A Happy Event

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

We are expecting in this household!

No, not me, silly, I am a bit long in the tooth for that and even if I were to have hormone treatment, some of my *bits* are not there now. Nor is my daughter in law, Kaiko expecting (as far as I know) and the girls are far too young!

No, the mother to be happens to be a wren! I first noticed a pair of wrens going backwards and forwards towards the kitchen roof. Then I noticed that they were collecting things from the ground. Leaves and twigs, sometimes as big as themselves.

Years ago, I bought these little pouches and nailed them under the overhang of the kitchen roof. No bird has ever taken the slightest bit of notice of either of them before until now, that is. It seems that this dwelling is a wren's version of a superior detatched home and isn't it Sod's law that we were about to take the kitchen roof off and now our plans will have to be put on hold? Wild birds nesting are protected in this country and we cannot move them. Nor would I want to. I am now going to have to Google for information on how long it takes for all this nesting, laying, sitting and fledging to take.

As most of you know, my blog mentor for photography is David Mcmahon from Authorblog and I know that if he visits this post he will not be impressed with these photos that seem to be blurred and not in good focus. The wren looks like a tiny dot under the nest but that is as far as I could zoom in. My camera is lacking in ability to catch moving birds and does not have the capacity to enlarge the tiny creature any further.

However when I saw this tiny pair of wrens, I rushed to get my camera and I had to take the photo through my not so clean window, in order not to disturb them by opening the back door which is right by the pouches.

My camera is a Pentax Optio and has served me very well for ordinary photos and long distance views and snapshots of people. However, the time has come for me to specialize a little more and I am wondering whether to get a Canon Powershot SD990 IS (USA) otherwise known as Digital IXS 980IS in Aus and UK. My son Sam has bought one of these and has taken some good shots of close up creatures that has really impressed me.

Or shall I update my Pentax with the new Optio S12 which has a more powerful and faster lens than my old one and it is cheaper than the Canon?

I would love to know what you all think and which way I should go. Do any of you amateur photographers have either of these cameras?

I wrote this post a few days ago and thought that I would leave it for Photostory Friday and do you know what has happened? The wrens have abandoned ship! Maybe they thought we were too close to their nests or maybe its the four cats next door, who might have had them for their tea. Anyway, whatever it is, we are not expecting anymore and I feel really sad!

Photostory Friday is hosted by Cicely and MamaGeek.

Half Hour Before Work!

I was busy cooking earlier when I saw butterflies through the kitchen window and I couldn't leave what I was doing.

Earlier, when the grand daughters needed me, I saw a wood pigeon having a bath in the bird bath. Two collared doves were sitting ridiculously  on the bird feeder stand, trying without success to find a way onto the sunflower seed container and the fat ball. That would have made the perfect snap.

Yesterday a squirrel ran along the back fence. However, if I were to open the back door, all wild life would panic and disappear.

I had half an hour to spare before work. I could have spent it blogging or I could have read the new book I was about to begin.

I decided to get my camera and to lie low in the garden. As usual, not a creature in sight. Just then, a butterfly fluttered over the hedge. Why didn't I have my camera open? It went further down the garden and landed on a flower! My perfect snap! This was further down the garden and I would need to scramble down the rockery and would probably risk breaking my neck as well as the camera. I went the long way round. It was sitting perfectly still on a flower. I took aim ........ Blast! It knew I wanted a picture and I'm sure it was laughing at me as it flittered back over the hedge. The birds were around as they were chattering in the trees but did not come into the garden.

I heard the dreaded clock chime the hour. I had to leave for work and marveled at just how quickly half an hour goes by.

I reluctantly left, and noticed there were bluebottles in the house because I had left the back door open!

I did take one picture while waiting for wild life in the garden though, as I got bored! I hope you don't mind a photo of my washing while you are waiting for my perfect photo of a butterfly on a flower!

The Yearly Sparrow Exodus

Well, here it comes again, The Big Garden Bird Watch organized by the RSPB and not an effing bird to be seen!

A month ago my tiny garden was heaving with birds & 30 sparrows at a time would come to my bird feeders, so tame that I could easily walk amongst them without them panicking. 

For some mysterious reason, probably only known to the birds themselves or to experts who devote all their time to studying birds, all the bird population does a flit just before the Big Garden Bird Watch. 

I suppose we are lucky to get birds to visit at all, living in the middle of a city. Our garden is less than 50ft long & only half as wide. We have a few high dense shrubs that the sparrows like to hide in, which is a good thing as we have had several visits from a sparrow hawk. We have patio, no lawns and lots of plants growing in tubs as well as a couple of tiny ponds.

Next door has half a dozen cats of assorted colours but the bird feeders are high up, away from moggy reach, so casualties are few and I don't ever put seed on the ground. I might have had more luck with a moggy watch!

So why do birds decide to leave the city in January, just before the Bird Watch? Maybe some one out there knows the reason.