eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

There is a rule of thumb on Cape Cod, as iron-clad as these rules get, that one should NEVER plant before May 15. While I am aware of this rule, and usually abide by it, I'm hoping that Mother Nature will not penalize me by sending a killing frost within the next nine days!

You see, after a few weeks of rain and chilly weather (I'm not complaining too much, we definitely need the rain!), we finally are blessed with a beautiful Sunday in May. Sunny and about 65° with clear blue skies and a soft breeze off the ocean, it's a perfect day to do a little gardening. Earlier in the week I had purchased some geraniums and petunias from the garden center at our local Shaw's market, and as always, having a myriad of useful pots in which to occupy said plants, I set out on this beautiful day to create some colorful planters to add to the ambiance of the garden which already abounds with blossoms.

The lily of the valley is in full bloom, and this year we have a few shy stems of blue snowdrops mingled with them.

I have always loved the combination of red geraniums and deep velvety purple petunias. The sharp scent of the geraniums cuts a bit of the sweetness of the petunias, and the combined aromas have always meant Spring to me. And for me, there's not much better than red geraniums and purple petunias in a big cobalt blue planter. This is nature in all her glory, in miniature, my friends.

As CapeCodAlan had mentioned in previous posts, we now have our hummingbirds back for the year, and they are so active around the feeders! If you keep the streaming cam open, you'll likely see at least one female and two males visiting the main feeder every five minutes or so. And the oriole feeder is up and full of jelly and oranges... if the hummingbirds are here, we know that the orioles aren't far behind! And the butterflies are starting to show up as well. Alan snapped a quick photo of one of my favorites, a Mourning Cloak, sunning itself on our deck railing a few days ago.

All in all, it's been a beautiful Spring so far, and a lovely Sunday in particular.

Oh, and by the way, I bought a gun...

See you by those feeders in Paradise on Cape Cod.

Mrs. CCA

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And while I'm talking, I think I'll pontificate... Don't ever dream of going near a firearm without proper training and certification. Trying to handle a gun without thorough training, sober and mature approach, and a heap of respect is like trying to climb a telephone pole and re-wiring your house -- I promise you, it ain't gonna' be pretty. And when your training is complete, just remember what my father taught me: "The gun is always loaded!" and "Don't point anything at anything unless you intend to kill!")

Yeah, I'm a gun person. So is Mrs. CCA... If you've been reading this blog for a bit, you know I grew up in the outdoors, and that included firearms. (As I write this, I worry over your reaction. One of my former bosses bewailed, "Oh my God!" when I mentioned that I was a Life Member of the NRA.) But here goes...

Anywho, the wife and I went shooting today -- target practice as always. For me, it's been a long time, but still, at least I didn't stink up the range...

That's from about 40', open sights, poor shooting glasses, and ear muffs that kept bumping the stock. With decent equipment and even a cheap scope, I can probably shoot 2" at 50 yards with a break-down .22 rifle. Similarly quasi-respectable results with a pistol. Not bad...

But getting back on the birding track... Watch the following video. (I took this with the range directly behind me -- a shot can be heard obviously downrange and away from us.)

This club has been in existence for at least 50 years, and conservation is an absolute. The pond is nice and clean for swimming. Fishing is strictly 'catch and release'. It's an ideal place for kayaking, picnicking, or canoeing... And the birds are everywhere.

Good day, good people, good wildlife awareness... Hope you think about talking with your local gun club... You might be surprised.

On the range punching paper and picking up... Peace...

CapeCodAlan

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

Live eBirdseed.com streaming cam

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)