Bumblebees find new home, my chickadee birdhouse!

This was a lot of fun to make, I had never tried to edit a video before, but this was a prime opportunity to do so. I also have a photo of mine, on the Seattle times nature blog, and I will post that link if I can remember where I put it.

Our trip to Europe was rather uneventful bird-wise, altho I was able to get lots of good looks at all different plumages of male Ruffs, in Sweden, in a marshy area of the Black River valley, I think that is what it is called.
I will post more later. A Lazuli Bunting was in my yard this morning, and a male Tanager is visiting quite a bit, now that my waterfall is working, I think it will be much better.

All I can really think about is my toothache, something that happened in Germany. There IS such a thing as crusty bread that is just too hard!!!

A Moment With A Swallowtail Butterfly

A couple of weeks ago, while working in my flower beds, I noticed this beautiful Swallowtail on these pink flowers. Not a color scheme I would have picked, but this Butterfly stayed for quite a while on this patch of flowers, and I think, drank nectar from every one of them. I just found a dead Swallowtail in the nasturtiums yesterday afternoon, and remembered this photo. I should have taken more, as I have had nice numbers of butterflies this year, much more than what is normal. I attribute all my wonderful wildlife to the fact we have been organic gardeners now for over two seasons, and everything is flourishing, including the aphids; bringing an ample supply to birds and predatory insects.
If you click onto the photo, you get a bigger version, and can see the droplets of water on the flower petals, as well as spider webbing below and to the right of the butterfly.

The Lonely Grosbeak, ever chirpingWinter update, organic gardening

I guess she just could not leave the free food behind. She has been alone several days now, and sits all alone, sometimes surrounded by starling fledglings (I wish I had a high powered BB gun, and was a straight shooter)

She sits at the one feeder that has a few sunflowers left in it, and chirps, waiting for her knight in shining armor to come and rescue her. But they have all left, and she just sits, eats a bit, calls, and flies around.

I don't think she is injured, but there may be something wrong. I have in the past, had a pair of Evening Grosbeaks stick around for a while, but they never stay to nest.

Yesterday, I found the male Hairy feeding one of his young. It is cute to watch the babies poke about, trying to figure this thing out, imitating the parents behavior.

The Red Breasted Nuthatches have 3 young that I have seen, humorous to watch a baby the same size as the parent begging for food. It reminds me of my teenagers. When I would come home from the grocery store, I could barely get the food put away, before it started disappearing.
I was able to find another Vine Maple, for only $12 at the grocery store, it is going to replace a plant that the bees have loved, but seems to have suffered due to the bad winter. It is in the Rose of Sharon family, and gets huge and dies back every year, I am going to move it to a non-essential area, in hopes that it recovers and continues to take care of the bees that are so attracted to it.

I have many many honey bees this year, all over the cotoneaster, and in various places of the natural garden. The Weeping Birch in the back, which has been my main supplier of aphids, has started a cycle again. Last year was the healthiest it had been since I can remember, and very few aphids, and hardly a Lady Bug in sight.
This year, the aphids have rebounded, and small wasps and other predatory insects have started hanging around again. The birds love this tree. Altho it has had several years when it almost died, I have not treated it, letting nature take its course. The tree which was only about 3 foot tall a few years ago, is now about 10 ft, and very widespread, so it is doing well without my intervention.
Since I have switched to total organic gardening, everything flourishes, the roses are the only ones whose leaves seem to suffer some, but the flowers are wonderful, and aromatic...I hope to post an updated set of photos to my flickr account very soon.
An update on the dog, Winter, who is head of the team of the destroyer of books club. He is limping, and I can only hope that his ligament in his knee heals over, and does not cause too much pain this winter. I can only manage with pain meds. Otherwise this will be his last summer with us; as I am not one to make dogs suffer for my own selfish reasons.
As I sit here contemplating what else I should share in this rather long blog, I notice the female Evening Grosbeak is sitting quietly looking around, still. She has been on the same limb now for quite a while, and not under cover from the Cooper's Hawk that sometimes frequents our back feeders. I think she must not be well. The big question will be if I find her dead, do I take her to Dennis Paulson at UPS, and see if they can find what happened, or do I donate her body to the Audubon Society for the education program.
I hope I don't have to make any choice, maybe she will survive without the safety of her flock.
For a humorous antidote, check out travelgirl who is a subcriber to my blog, she has a hysterical video about the worlds worst job. I love it........

Oh yea, one more thing. We are turning our pondless waterfall into a natural looking pond in the front garden. I am hoping it is done soon, I want to give the worship team from our church a picnic in our garden, we have not done anything like that at all yet.
That is all