today's count

The first thing I noticed was that the leaves are budding out on the crabapple trees, right out around last year's fruit.  The second thing I noticed was evidence of dog walking without benefit of baggie.  But then I realized there was just too much around and that it was actually evidence that Templeton may live in hope of another egg. There was a plane, two dogs with two owners, a group of big rocks on one of  which I sat to eat my orange. I think they must be for some new installation in the statue garden.  Note to self, if taking up stone engraving make sure what you write is legible. On the way back: a big fat robin, a baby gopher, and a large family of Hutterites out for a picnic.  And still bits of blue sky left over from the glorious visit from the sun this morning.  

the robins remain

This morning at five a.m. my sister in law Barbara Rose died.  The sky is grey and I am raining.  The robins remain, taking baths in the puddle at the end of the drive.

today's count

Back to the crabapple grove.  It is snow free now and the robins are back.  I counted 12 in total.  Five were flying madly through the branches.  Three were squabbling over fallen crabapples, and the rest where spread about the grass with activities of their own.  Three crows, two lounging on the verge as though they owned it.  Who knows, perhaps they do.  A magpie.  A gum wrapper, and a construction peg.  The sky is grey, but at least nothing is falling out of it, knock on wood.  And I was walking around barefoot in my birkenstocks.

sprinklers!

Walking back from the crabapple grove I see that the university has deemed the moment nigh for the use of sprinklers.  I managed to skip through the on slot in front of the entrance to my building with only a slight misting.  The bike rack, where my girl awaits our ride home, is completely soaked. Good thing I keep a bag on her seat or I'd be embarrassed. :-)

In the crabapple grove a shortage of robins, only three.  But there were two magpies, which might account for the dearth of robins, as well as two brown white wing tipped butterflies and a ladybug.  And the grass, ohh, so nice on the bare tootsies.  There is this most beautiful blue green tussock grass. It is especially soft on the feet.

Today's count

Back from the crabapple grove.  Ten robins, two gophers, a crow, a bumblebee (my second today), and a black butterfly.

This is a free bumble bee that you can colour.

Templeton update & robins

It has happened!  Even before I reached to right crabapple tree I could sense that it had happened.  Templeton has retrieved his egg.  I can only guess it was ripe enough for him to show it to Wilbur.  I counted four times and reached the conclusion there were 24 robins today.  They keep moving, the little runts, and they are so hard to see in the decayed leaves.  And bold!  They will almost let me walk right by them without pausing in their worm hunt.  No gophers today, but a hoard of freed students playing Frisbee in the statue garden.

Crabapple robins

These robins are our robins.  The earlier robin pictures were online photos.  I have marked the robins with white arrows in the second pictures so you can tell where they are.  There were several more to the left, but well, they just wouldn't crowd together for the shot.  Very particular about their positioning they are.

Today's count

In the crabapple grove today:  26 robins, 4 gophers, 1 chickadee, and Templeton's abandoned goose egg.  I decided it must be his.

Crabapple grove

I went out on coffee again to the crabapple grove.  The robins must hang out there, and who would blame them, all those seeds, and worms, because there were at least eleven of them again.  A gang of robins.  Look out!  I also saw a red headed finch-like bird, a gopher that looked like it was trying to get the finch to play, and a goose egg.  At least I think it is a goose egg.  It was certain egg shaped and sized enough to be.  It was rust stained where it had lain long the grass.  How it washed up in the crabapple grove I will never know.  And on the way back to work...I found a shiny penny.

sign of spring

I just came from my coffee break. I went for a stroll in the crabapple grove.  I saw eleven robins.