Mama's Mad

These might be the last pictures I get of the baby birds.  The mama or maybe it was papa swooped at me when I got too close this morning.  They're looking good.  More like birds now.

Feathers!

I can't get over how fast they change!  It's been less than a week and they have feathers now.  You can count 4 little beaks, but the bodies all blend together.  Mama bird can't sit as low in the nest anymore. We see her on our fence with a worm in her mouth waiting for us to leave so she can feed her fast growing babies.

Spines, beaks and covered eyes

I had to take another photo of these little guys.  See there spines, beaks and covered eyes.

Early Morning Photo Ops

I had just taken my bowl of fruit and yogurt with a side of toast out to the deck thinking I'd have my breakfast al fresco, when I saw that the shed door had been left open and was banging in the wind.  I set my dishes on the center of table to keep Onyx from getting them and ran out to shut the shed door.  I decided that I may as well check on the nest while I was out there.  Of course, I didn't have my camera and inside the nest were 4 little almost hairless pink bodies that I could see breathing quickly.
I ran to the house grabbed a camera and headed back out the door tripping over my bedspread in my haste.  I just knew the mama would be back and I'd miss the chance to get a picture of her babies.
Hurry! I thought as I raced over the rocks by the pond.  Yay!  She's still gone.

I went back to my cold toast and started eating my breakfast when I heard a whirring noise near me.  Sure sign of a hummingbird and there he was hovering over the feeder deciding if it was safe to land.  He landed and took a few drinks and I thought I would miss that picture too, but he went back for more.  I snapped a couple of shots and watched him stay and drink for a little longer and then "zip" he was gone.

What a beautiful morning!

Spring Has Sprung! Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

It's official!  Spring is here!  Yesterday, I saw my first hummingbird fly up to the window where I usually have a feeder hanging.  I shouted as I always do at my first sighting and quickly made some syrup to fill the feeder.  I heat 1 cup of water on the stove or in the microwave until boiling and add 1/4 c of white sugar to it.  Stir until completely dissolved and allow to cool before pouring it into the feeder.

I have owned several different feeders over the years and prefer the ones with a little perch so that they can rest and drink and I get to admire them more easily.

This bird of course is not a hummingbird!  He is much too big, but he did land on my feeder last year and sat for quite a while.  I searched my pictures for a picture of an actual hummingbird, but couldn't find one.

Also here's an update on the robin.  She has 4 eggs in the nest now 

and hardly ever leaves. I was able to grab this picture with my phone 

a few days ago.  I read online that it will take about 2 weeks 

for these eggs to hatch, so watch for that in 2 weeks.

Little Blue Eggs

Aren't these the cutest little blue eggs ever?!  Momma bird has been sitting on the nest for the last 2 days and has deposited these pretty little things.  I have been waiting for her to leave, so I could get a look inside and each time I checked yesterday I had taken my camera with me.  But of course this morning she was gone and I didn't have my camera!  I ran back to the house and thankfully she was still gone when I got back to the tree. I couldn't tell what kind of bird she was at first since she sits so low in the nest.  I thought she was black, but now I can see she is brown with a red chest and these sure look like robin's egg blue, don't you think? 

Alleah's Blessing

We all went to Brian's ward to witness Alleah's blessing.  She looked so sweet in her knitted dress and bonnet - the same one that Brooklyn wore.  The white crocheted blanket she was wrapped in was used by her dad and all his siblings.

 Alleah prefers to be held upright, so she cried for most of her blessing.

 It was so nice to have everyone including great grandparents with us.  She was a bit unhappy at the party afterwards too probably due to all the handling by her adoring aunts, uncles and grandparents. 

 
Rochelle was able to get her to calm down by walking with her outside.  What a sweet thing she is.

Camping Anyone?

We have purchased a pop up camper trailer.  We had Sam check it out since the previous owner was in his town.  He even brought it to us once we decided to get it.  It is fairly new and in very good condition except for the hokey shower system. 

 

Curtis made a sturdy seat to replace the weak one and we hung a curtain rod with a new shower curtain. This is how it closes up when it's not in use and can be a used as a seat.

 

 

I found the flexible rod and hooks online.

 

 

It'll work nicely for a quick shower in the wild.  We were glad to 

discover that there's a water heater, so it can be a warm shower too. Yay!

 

 

The camper has a table, stove, fridge and sink and it sleeps 5 adults.

 

At one time it had curtains at both ends to give the beds some privacy, but they're gone, so I made some new ones.  I'm waiting for the clips to come in the mail, so they can be hung.  The fabric has lakes, mountains and trees on it, so it's perfect for a camper.  We are excited to go camping this summer.
 

New Home in the Neighborhood

We have a new home under construction in our neighborhood.  It's looking good so far and we can't wait to see the occupants.  Hopefully no one will disturb them and they'll feel welcome!

I thought it was just some leaves and trash stuck in the tree, so I was going to grab it. As I got closer, I realized it had shape.  Each day it looks better.

Canoe Test

 

We decided to test the canoe for leaks.  

 

The pool is not big enough to go very far, 

but at least we know it won't sink!

 

We haven't heated the pool yet, so the water was very cold.  

Sure glad we didn't tip it over.