Dave Bonta (morningporch)
-
Two Carolina wren fledglings in the cedar—small balls of fluff. A cerulean warbler flies in to peer at me, the cause of so much scolding.
about 9 hours ago from web -
Swarms of spinning maple keys fly this way and that. An indigo bunting bobs up and down in the lilac, swiping his bill against the branch.
about a day ago from web -
Rain in the wee hours has left the lilac with leaves bent over, showing their pale backs. Above, the white missiles of black cherry blooms.
about 2 days ago from web -
Warm and humid. A hornet inspecting the porch on foot pauses in front of my sandals, waving her antennae like Geiger counter wands.
about 3 days ago from web -
The chickadees take turns carrying insects into their hole, bold, ignoring my presence a few feet away. From the hidden chicks, nary a peep.
about 4 days ago from web -
A Juvenal's duskywing butterfly comes dancing out of the woods like a small brown leaf. Zigzag ripple in the grass where a chipmunk forages.
about 5 days ago from web -
Each bird I see has something in its beak: wren—a streamer of dried grass, chickadee—a seed, towhee—a bundle of stalks, grackle—a millipede.
about 6 days ago from web -
The new black cherry leaves, unmarred by any insect, are showing their pale backs to the sky, like hatchling fish unsure of how to swim.
about 7 days ago from web -
"...gradually changing as new singers add novel variations." http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Indigo_Bunting/lifehistory @CornellBirds
about 8 days ago from web -
"...nearly identical songs. A local song may persist up to 20 years..."
about 8 days ago from web -
"Buntings a few hundred yards apart generally sing different songs, while those in the same 'song neighborhood' share..."
about 8 days ago from web -
"Indigo Buntings learn their songs as youngsters, from nearby males but not from their fathers..."
about 8 days ago from web -
Non-stop noise from the indigo buntings. One of them drops into the deer-ravaged rosebush and flutters madly, subduing some luckless insect.
about 8 days ago from web -
Sunny and hot. A small ichneumon wasp on the shady side of a column actually stops vibrating for a few seconds and is completely still.
about 9 days ago from web -
Just posted the last section of a 12-part prose poem or poetic essay, "Bear Medicine": http://www.vianegativa.us/series/bear-medicine/
about 10 days ago from web -
Clouds darken. The wind carries the sound of lawnmowers. When the rain starts, it feels like an unresolved chord finally returning home.
about 10 days ago from web -
From the herb bed, I hear the squeaks of a hummingbird sipping from the columbine. Then he's in my face, gorget like a small red torch.
about 11 days ago from web -
Then it began to snow. (Seriously. At 43F.)
about 12 days ago from web -
A chickadee lands on the cherry snag and chitters till his mate emerges from the hole. He gives her a bit of food and they fly off together.
about 12 days ago from web -
For the Linden Moth by James Dickey http://is.gd/ETJxDc Though a compulsive liar & the author of Deliverance, Dickey was a hell of a poet.
about 12 days ago from web