It’s so funny to see the 2 Northern Flickers sharing the suet in our backyard. One hangs onto the bottom and feeds while the other waits patiently for his turn.  They really are so cute! And so polite!

Have you ever seen anything like this?

We bought another birdhouse for the summer, hoping that a Bluebird would settle in right outside our bedroom window. We had a few “lookers” but a Chickadee finally moved in, had their babies and then left. We thought that was it. We had Bluebirds in 2 of our other 3 birdhouses, but this one was special. We could sit on our bed and watch the little ones in the house. Oh well, maybe next summer.

Then, about 3 weeks ago two morer Bluebirds started checking out this birdhouse. We thought they were done. But Stephanie, the  Executive Director of Wild Care on Cape Cod, assured us that sometimes Bluebirds have 2 clutches, so maybe they were going to stay.

Well, they did and we have been treated to daily treats of watching them build their nest and then feeding and raising their young. We fill our bird feeders with dried mealworms at least 3 times a day so they can feed their 3 little chicks and are they cute! I am amazed at how hard the parents work to feed their young almost hourly.

It has been a beautiful summer treat to watch these little ones grow. I can’t wait to see them at the feeders themselves!

The beautiful Zinnias in my backyard garden have really taken a hit this summer. From slugs to insects I have sprinkled and sprayed, hoping for a nice bouquet in my kitchen before summer’s end.

And then a couple of weeks ago I noticed that the flowers themselves, not the leaves, were getting destroyed. What would do that? I guessed it was a rabbit or deer so I put some smelly pellets out to deter them. But he flowers still kept getting eaten… petal by petal.

And then I looked out the window and saw these two little American Goldfinches flitting from Zinnia to Zinnia enjoying each and every petal. Caught!

So now I cut the flowers and bring them inside just as they bloom and the little Goldfinches can have the others to feast on.

Look at those two smiling at me in the first photograph! Ha!

This young Northern Flicker was having a blast splashing around in our bird bath. There were two of them there for a bit. He was just so cute! And then when he was finished with his bath, he stood on the side of the bath and kept opening his beak. I didn’t hear any sound come out  but he sure was adorable!

How cute is this?