Hi everyone! It's April! The big scary trucks have gone. [I think]. The piping plovers should arrive this week, now that things have quieted down.
The oystercatchers don't like the noisy trucks either. You may recall I said that once they arrive they rarely fly, but on Monday they were whirling around in the air, quite upset. They wheel out over the ocean, squawking loudly, but not louder than the trucks.
Back home the pink sparrows are back. There's always six of them, and they perch in the ugly locust tree every spring. I don't know if they nest here or move on , but they come every spring. (Yes I know, they're house finches, but we've seen them for years and call the pink sparrows anyway.)
Mr Mockingbird is looking handsome. I hope he finds a mate this year. I see him peeking out of the rhododendron near my front door.
The ice has melted on the koi pond....
All nine of the fish are there and moving around more. Most are orange, one is polka dotted, one is mostly white. I'd guess they're maybe 8" long?
And one tiny guy is, um, I think---a goldfish! He never gets bigger, but he seems happily adjusted to life with the big guys. [orange dot, just above center/right]
I never see the owners of the koi pond. Mo and I just peer into their yard, fascinated. Maybe they're summer folks? Or work in the city? Too bad they never get to enjoy their beautiful koi and pond
Any signs of spring in your yard? Robins and snowdrops? Crocus, daffs?
See you soon!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach
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You got some good photos of the birds. I look forward to having you share all of springs happenings with us.
ReplyDeleteSo, maybe you've told us this before, but the fishes are cold blooded and they go into torpor which is sort of a semi-hibernation. They don't feed, or do much of anything, and they tend to hang at the bottom of the pond where the water is warmer. Also, if for some reason you need to break through the ice, it should be done very gently. Who knew? Kind of interesting huh?
I have some purple irises blooming! Mo looks so cute.
Kel
Thank you for the koi info! No I didn t know they semi-hibernate. Their pond looked frozen solid, I still don t know how they could breathe, but presumeably the water retained enough oxygen for their suspended animation/ torpor state. The big white koi seems to still be sleeping, but the others are moving around a bit more now.
DeleteIris! I love iris, lucky you!
Where does Kel live that it's warm enough for iris already?? My snowdrops have come and gone, and my daffodils are blooming like crazy through last year's dead stalks I haven't got cleared yet.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the birds for not liking the trucks. I wouldn't like them either! I'd think they'd try to do their business before any of the shorebirds arrived.
It's good to see you're finally getting some warmer weather! I know you're enjoying it - and so is Mo!
DeleteThe trucks begin March 1st, if possible and work thru til April. There s no point in working earlier, winter storms. As I recall, beefore we had the plover conservancy issue, the trucks worked in April or May, after the high tides and storms related to the spring equinox. Now they come earlier. I don t think what they do is particularily useful, I ll have to see if I can find out ''why?'' online.
Every single time you post pics of the koi I keep thinking about frozen fish sticks!
ReplyDeleteLove all your pics as always. Your beach is amazing. Yes, better than many here.
I'm going to try to get a pic of two of the cutest, tiny birds that are nesting next to my parking place at work. I can't find what they actually are so I'm sure they're called house finches. They are hummingbird size.
Take care and thanks for the great blog post.
Hunter
Oh the poor birds! Glad the trucks are gone. We are awaiting the annual arrival of our Osprey to their nest. But this year just west of their nest, the university is building a new building. They are trying their best not to disrupt, but until Iris arrives back we won't know if she made it another year. I have been watching her for 4 years. I am keeping my fingers crossed! Kit
ReplyDelete