Present from Mother Nature

I am so stinking excited that I can hardly sit still!  It's kind of a dreary rainy Mother's Day in SW Ohio, but Mother Nature gave me a fantastic present this morning!

I happened to walk past the open back door and saw there were two of my red headed woodpeckers (I know, they are really red bellied woodpeckers, but I rarely see their bellies, and you can't miss those red heads) at the suet feeder. I grabbed my camera and eased out the door, but by the time I got close enough, one of them had flown off.  Not a problem as the more brightly colored male stayed behind and let me snap away.  Had to laugh when I saw the squirrel underneath the suet feeder picking up whatever the woodpecker dropped!

Then, after seeing the squirrel suet bandit at work, I noticed a blue jay near the squirrel!  I had my camera, and a blue jay was visible.  Hot diggity dog, YES!!!!!  I finally got my first shot of a blue jay this year.  No, I could not be satisfied with just one.

Look at all of those beautiful shades of blue!  How gorgeous is he?  

This clothesline hasn't been used for drying clothes in over a year; I'd rather the birds make use of it . . . and I've decided to "train" the trumpet vine to use it and have a little "bower" area in the backyard . . . a little shady spot to retreat to.

He was trying SO hard to hide from me, but he doesn't have a clue how determined I can be when it comes to getting my blue jay shots.  It took me a while, and it was tough to focus, but that Irish/German stubborn streak suits me well in times like this.


Here I was thinking I wasn't going to be able to get out and take pics today, and I end up being able to take some pics I've been wanting for over a month.  No, I didn't get to one of the beautiful MetroParks, but I am very happy with the fauna and flora in my little back yard sanctuary, especially when I can get shots of some of my favorite birds.


I am also perfectly aware that most people are not fans of the blue jay.  That's fine.  I am, and always will be.  The colors of the bird alone are enough to be crazy about.  And, as territorial as they can be, they also act as sentinel for other birds, warning them of potential danger.


Psychologists say that scent is the strongest human connector to memory.  For me, sound is not far behind.  The call of the blue jay takes me back to summers at my grandparents' house in West Virginia just as quickly as the smell of fried chicken or chocolate filling for one of Grandma's chocolate pies.


I am amazed all over (and again, and again, and again) when I think of how spectacularly beautiful our world is, and how it all works together.  The way the squirrel sat under the suet feeder this morning, counting on the woodpecker to drop food his way; the blue jay's warning cry; the bees that pollinate flowers and create honey; the flowers that bloom and feed the birds and butterflies.  I cannot believe that was an accident.  This all had to be created, and my Creator is awesome and amazing in many ways.  Today I am completely overwhelmed by how much beauty is available to me just in my own backyard and neighborhood.  I am completely and totally blessed, and blissed out by it all.