Twelve Things I’m Grateful For On the 12th – Birds. April 2018

Springtime! I love seeing all the new growth and new life on our property. Flowers blooming. Trees budding. Animals enjoying sunshine and warmer days. I’m especially loving the birds I see at our feeder and around our pond this spring.

  1. Blue birds. I love seeing blue birds. Except blue jays. They are mean. Ron’s grandmother told her boys they were never to use their B.B. guns to shoot bird for fun. Except blue jays. She hated them. They picked on the song birds she loved so much. Her grandsons were allowed to aim at blue jays. (I think she also knew they are smart birds and would be hard to hit, unlike some of the song birds.)
  2. Morning doves. I love hearing them coo in the stillness of the mornings. They like to strut around looking for bugs. Our doves are all chubby. I’m glad the are eating the grubs and bugs.
  3. Roadrunners. I haven’t seen them yet this year, but I know they’ll be running around soon looking for bugs and lizards. These birds make smile all over. Running here and there. Stopping to lift their heads and look around before running off in a different direction. They just look happy.
  4. Mallard ducks. We always have them land on our pond for a few days, but they have not stayed in the past. This year Ron is building me a floating duck house in hopes they will build a nest. He built the platform with the grandsons last weekend. An old pallet with empty plastic bottles filled with foam were attached underneath underneath to make it float. The boys tests it out by floating on the pond. We now know that if the duck house weighs less than a nine year old boy the whole thing will float just fine.
  5. Fuzzy baby ducklings. If the duck house works as planned, I should have baby ducks on my pond this summer! I’m hoping the floating platform will help protect the ducklings from bobcats and coyotes.
  6. Red-tailed Hawks. We have a pair who live in our big cottonwood tree. I’ve seen them flying around already this year. We always love hearing the baby hawks screeching for dinner.
  7. Mockingbirds. I hear them singing in the morning and evening. Our daughter Lyz had a fun conversation with one the other day while we planted flowers. She whistled, it whistled back the same tune. Well, almost the same tune. She’s a bit off. The bird I mean.
  8. Cardinals showing off in the snow. We did not get much snow this year, but I did have lots of cardinals at my feeder.
  9. Woodpeckers. We hear them pecking on trees around the property looking for bugs. They beautiful birds. And very large. Unfortunately on flew into my clean window last week and died. I was sad to find it lying on my porch. I’m reminded again why I shouldn’t clean my windows in the springtime.
  10. Turkeys. Usually when they land they are in a flock, but a lone Tom landed Sunday morning. He wandered around the pond for a while. He looked lonely. Very fat but lonely. I suggested I should go down there and give him a hug so he wouldn’t feel so lonely. Maggie told me that was not the brightest idea I’ve ever had. My grandson thought it was funny. By he’s six.
  11. Song birds like starlings and finches. I love hearing them sing as I sit on the porch talking with Ron as the sun goes down.
  12. Heron Cranes. We have a huge crane that loves to hunt near our pond. I’ve watch her stand completely still for long periods of time then suddenly take off after some prey. I’m hoping she’s eating all the baby rattlesnakes. She is so graceful as she flies. I wonder where her nest is. Or is she actually a he hunting for food to take back to his mate? Last night we were on the porch quietly talking about our weekend and our son’s wedding. There, just over the tree tops, flew our graceful crane with her wings spread wide as the sun set in glowing pinks and oranges. What a beautiful sight!

Birds. They come in all shapes and sizes. Their songs so different from one another. I love seeing God’s creative beauty in the animals we have living on our property. One small piece of land in north Texas yet filled with so much life.

I can’t comprehend the brilliance of Him who created such variety in nature. He is worthy of praise and honor.

View of my pond from our front porch.

—————

The Accident happened on August 12, 2013. Because of the late time and remote location, they were declared dead 8/13/13. The first ten months I found myself depressed in the days leading up to the 12th. Then, in the eleventh month July of 2014, I decided to choose gratitude. I wrote my first list of Twelve Things I’m Grateful for on the 12th. I’ve written a monthly gratitude post ever since.

bird watching, Gratitude, springtime


KathleenBDuncan

I write about my life, my journey, my family, and my faith. I am wife to one, mom to seven with one in heaven, and grandmother to many. I am also full-time caregiver to my stepmom E who suffers from dementia due to Alzheimer’s. In my spare time I like to read, travel, crochet, bike, and play with our black pug Molly.

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