Val Dumond

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Nature Rocks!
by Val Dumond
©2007

My friends think I've gone goofy! But there are a few who know what I mean when I talk about my "experiences with nature" (to put it gently). Let me tell you about them (my family is tired of hearing my nature stories!).

First of all, I have squirrels in my backyard that keep me in a tizzy. Besides re-locating many of my spring bulbs, they strip my cherry tree and my hazel nut tree before I get out there to indulge myself. Actually, they force me to buy more cherry/nut ice cream! I love the leader of the gang who brings juicy bulbs up on my deck and sits there eyeing me while gobbling up my bulbs - right in front of my face!

Then there are the birds. You see, I have trees in my yard, contrary to the neighbors who keep cutting theirs down (two more fell this week). I have seen some extraordinary birds out there - including a flock of visiting yellow tanagers! The regular inhabitants run the gamut from the darling little chickadees and humming birds to the madly cawing blackbirds. I have a blue jay family and a couple of robins in my 'hood.

But a few days ago, I thought I was seeing things (maybe I was). There is a family of red-headed woodpeckers that lives down the alley - huge birds with beautiful coloring. I've invited them to nest in my trees, but they prefer the other site for some reason. Well, when I saw this bright flash of color the other day on a large bird, I thought it was my red-headed friend. Then I looked closer and there was definitely a flash of blue. An orange breast and blue feathers - looked like a bluebird to me! It flew off almost immediately, but then I saw its partner - another bird with blue feathers, but with a white belly. Since I'm not an ornithologist, I may never be sure, but you can bet I'm keeping my binoculars close!

But now for the piéce de resistance - the latest encounter with nature in my yard. My favorite landscaper was re-building my raised garden bed when he spied a mouse - just a little one. He called me and I went out, guessing that the whole bed was home to a growing family of the critters. Immediately, I saw one little mouse peek out between the rocks, then disappear. Later in the day, my landscaper reported that there didn't seem to be any other mousies in that bed. Who knows, maybe they went underground. The whole thing is strange in that I have seen grass snakes slithering around between the rocks in previous years. Could a mouse actually devour a grass snake?

Ah, sweet mysteries of life! And all in my backyard. What's in yours?

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