Pecking the Fat

Ladderback Woodpecker Visits With White-Winged Dove

Last week, we had high enough winds that I was grateful I hadn’t transplanted tomatoes from my starter bed, or the pimento peppers we have in the shed to the outdoor bed.  They would have been shredded!

I have continued getting plants into containers, because I can move those to more sheltered areas.   The mad mixture of basil seeds I started about ten days ago are sprouting, but it will be a while before I know what I’ve got.

We’re also doing a changeover from our winter birds to the warmer weather residents.  We’ve had adult quail by, considering our yard as a potential nesting place and a definite foraging location.  The spectacle pod I mentioned a few weeks back is starting to put out seed pods, to the delight of the finches.

However, we do continue to put out food for the birds, to help them along as they’re settling in to raise their families.  We were delighted to see the male ladderback woodpecker at the suet feeder, along with a dove.  The ladderback is pretty certain that we put that suet out for him and his lady.  The other day, I saw him pecking the feet of some aggressive starlings.

Even more important than food is water.  Our birdbath needs to be filled at least once a day, and our tiny pond is not only a source of water, but a place some of the birds raid for wet material for their nests.  At night, the toads drop in for a soak and maybe to visit the tadpoles.  Who knows?

But duty calls, no matter how much I’d like to be out puttering there’s writing to be done!

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