Spring

"I love this time of year. I keep track of when I start seeing different birds and animals. It is amazing how close to the exact day they appear every year. Two days ago I looked out at my feeder and there were the first American goldfinch of the year! I love seeing their beautiful yellow bodies flitting around the yard. This time of the year they are instantly recognizable. In the fall, they can be mistaken for falling leaves. Sometimes I have dozens of them clustered on the niger seed feeder. Their little bodies crowd against each and jostle for a place on the feeder, falling off and pushing back on. Right now though, there is only one pair.

There has been the sweetest little brown rabbit in the yard munching on the delectable broad leaf plants that invade the grass. I love seeing the various things that come up so I don't use herbicides on the lawn. I leave the dandilions, johnny jump ups, plantains and other things to grow, knowing that they are a source of food for various animals that come and share themselves with me.

For 3 days now a little groundhog has been making an evening tour of the yard. It starts off next to the fence, but the pickings are slim there, mainly moss, so it works it's way closer to the house. The dandilions seem to be it's favourite. I don't mind, as long as it leaves a few so I can pick the bright yellow flowers to give my budgies as a special spring time treat. They love to eat the stems.

Unlike the bunny, the groundhog is very timid and will run at the slightest unfamiliar noise. Boy can it move fast, it is across the yard and under the fence in no time. It stops there and looks back feeling safe with the fence between it and the lawn. If nothing else fightens it, it comes back for more, but if it is still unsure, it is down the hole into it's burrow and I don't see it again until the next day. What animals visit you", I whisper.

Are you listening?