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.

Blue

I'm a proud mountaineer girl, born in Beckley, WV.  I spent the first two years of my life in the huge metropolis of Blue Jay, WV (it had an elementary school, a Methodist church, and a post office).  To this day, when I see mountains or hear a blue jay, I feel like I've come home.

For years, I didn't know the bird I heard so often at Grandma & Grandpa's was a blue jay.  Don't know why it took me so long to make the connection, but I felt pretty stupid when I did!  I know a lot of people don't like blue jays because they can be a bit, um, overbearing, and usually pretty noisy.  Yet, they are such beautiful birds, and their noisiness is usually to warn others of an encroaching predator (including humans).

Last summer I decided I was going to attract blue jays to my back yard AND I was going to get at least one fabulous shot of a blue jay.  I was thrilled to succeed at both.  What worked for me was to put out peanuts for the jays, and try to find ways to prevent the squirrels from eating them all.

I haven't heard a blue jay yet this spring, but then I just put the peanuts out (seriously, I just came in from making sure they were out).  Hope to be hearing them in the very near future.

I miss going to the mountains (and it doesn't seem to matter whether they're in WV or UT or somewhere else).  There is something about the majesty, as well as the solidity and solitude of the mountains that feels comforting and comfortable to me.  It's been a while since we've had a family reunion in WV, and I haven't been back to go whitewater rafting either (awesome experience!!).

One thing that I get a kick out of is hearing some of the "down home" comments, and asking us where our accent is from.  When my sister was a teenager and had braces, we needed to stop at a drugstore (I think it might have been a CVS) and ask for the wax for her braces.  They must have asked us 4 times to repeat our question because they couldn't understand our SW Ohio accents!  We still chuckle over that every once in a while.


Sorry, I think I need to take a mental vacation to good ol' Blue Jay, WV.  Time to search for some photos and then close my eyes and picture myself sittin' on the front porch listenin' to the birds and wavin' to the passin' cars while sippin' on ma sweet tea.  I'm startin' to relax already . . .