The Homestone

Showing posts with label hummingbirds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hummingbirds. Show all posts

Friday, August 05, 2016

August on the Meadow

Oh my goodness ~ it's been too long since I posted on the Homestone.  
Life is crazy good.  

David and I just returned from a long overdue and wonderful holiday which we spent visiting family and old friends who we don't see often enough.  
Most of our time was spent in the southern end of the province where summer days are hot and the nights are equally as warm. We were so pleased that it was rainy and cool for the first leg of our journey.  It allowed us to work up to the hotter weather that arrived. 

We got in some wonderful visits, good hugs and conversations and home cooked meals with folks!  We have vowed to get away more often.  

Arriving home to our cool mountain meadow was wonderful too.  It's so great to have Vincent here.  He is the caretaker and steward of our 'solar powered idyll' and having him here means we don't worry about a thing when we take some time away.  


The hummingbirds are due to leave soon. Their numbers have already dwindled.
The swallows that are left are mostly raising their second broods and so there are still little ones in flight school and learning the ropes on how to be swallows.
We have three blue herons who are enjoying the fishing in Mackin Creek and lots of other birds about; finches, siskins, blackbirds, thrushes, nighthawks, kingfishers... and of course our community of marmots. 

It is socked in today on the meadow with weather reports of thunder storms this afternoon. This morning we lit the kitchen wood stove ~ just to take the chill off.  Is that fall in the air??
The potatoes are flourishing in our new outdoor garden area, we have loads of greens that are keeping us well fed.  Chard and Kale and boc choi and chives ... herbs and sunflowers. Corn and beans too though we likely started these guys a bit late.   There is always next year :)  


For now, we are tucking in and getting back to work with much to catch up on.  Emails from so many wonderful people to respond to and rings to build and summer projects to resume.




Here is a sweet pic David got of two of our marmots who were having quite a conversation on the path down by the creek the other day.  Well, that's a quick update. 
As always, thanks for dropping by and much love. Have a great August!  
As ever, Nicola and David

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Words fail and birds sing ~ it's Spring

I have to agree with Mark Twain ... “It's spring fever.... You don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”

Friday, May 22, 2009

One wee hummer on a windy Friday afternoon.

It's been a sunny day today but now the clouds are moving in and the wind is just a whistlin' ... Here's a series of quick snapshots of one hummingbird on the old branch we've located outside our kitchen window. We put this gnarly branch there about 5 years ago and the hummingbirds use it every year. We can see bared patches on the branches now where the hummingbirds routinely clean their beaks. This little hummer hangs on as the wind picks up ...

Saturday, May 03, 2008

May days when the meadow becomes a lake.
A haven for hundreds of ducks and shorebirds, geese, sandhill cranes, hawks ~ we must have enough photos now to write our own birding book specific to the meadow. That would be fun! Here are some photographs David has taken over the last few weeks.
Our hummingbirds returned 'home' ~ right on schedule. The swallows are back and working hard to rebuild last years nests or start from scratch...
The meadow is awash in the bright sunlight of late afternoon. It is spring and there are no unbeautiful moments.