Monday, June 21, 2010

Gratitude

I am having the best time watching a robin family that built a nest under my deck.  My friend David Lindquist is an avid birdwatcher and he's been asking for pictures.  So here are a few I shot this morning.  Pretty good considering I was in my office, way back from the window:



There are two babies in the nest - but one is the totally dominant pain in the behiney:



I think Mom or Dad has had just about enough:



Here's the family:



Pretty amazing, huh?  We take so much that goes on around us for granted.  Try not to do that this summer.  Take some time to appreciate all the beauty around us.  Life is resilient, but also fragile.  (Think oil spill.)

I'm just thankful I'm getting to see these little guys.  I find myself keeping an eye out for predators and hoping one of the numskulls doesn't fall out of the nest.  Nature's always putting on a show for us - are you watching?
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5 comments:

  1. David R. LindquistJune 22, 2010 at 6:48 AM

    Very good photography -- and sensitively done!

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  2. Kris, in New EnglandJune 22, 2010 at 8:24 AM

    Oh yeah, I'm watching. Our yard is a virtual nature preserve - filled with birds and their babies plus a bunch of furry critters. We love just sitting quietly in our back deck, watching the hummingbirds flit back & forth, or the Rose Breasted Grosbeak land on a trellis right in front of us, or my beloved Bluebirds investigating one of the nesting boxes on the property. So special - it does make you slow down.

    If you and your friend love to watch birds - check out these Peregrine Falcons. They have nested on a ledge of the building I work in for about 10 years now. There are 3 chicks this year...though they are nearly at fledge-size so you don't see them much anymore. But in that website are 2 links - FalCam1 and FalCam2 - these are still images of the nest box and ledge that are refreshed every 5 minutes.

    So Denise - how is the hip?

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  3. Denise RyanJune 22, 2010 at 9:34 AM

    Thanks, David! And Kris - thanks for the link - sounds cool! And your backyard sounds fab! Hip is doing good - go to see my surgeon for my 6 month check-up in a couple of weeks. Still have some stiffness on some days. How about you? How's the "good" one?

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  4. Kris, in New EnglandJune 22, 2010 at 7:05 PM

    Denise - my bionic hip continues to amaze me. My other hip continues to let me know that it's no longer fully functional. I see my surgeon in September for another round of x-rays on it, to measure the progress of the degeneration since last summer. Then we make some decisions from there.

    I suspect I'll be THR-bound again in about 2-3 years.

    How about you?

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  5. Denise RyanJune 22, 2010 at 9:55 PM

    Argh! My non-bionic hip has been doing great - but you know how that goes! I'm sure I'll have to get that one done too, but who knows when. We'll have to go on a chocolate adventure before (or after to celebrate) you get the second one done!

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