Safe Haven

Our front yard has big pine tree branches hanging over the driveway.

What do you see on the branch?

Another mama bird sitting in her nest! This is a dove, a lot larger than a sparrow. This is not the best place for a bird nest; it's just above our driveway.

Betty says,

"Our old cats died off, the last one went to kitty heaven last year at 16 years old. We have never had dogs; our neighbors all have dogs and cats.

Our yard becomes the safe haven for the birds and squirrels. Babies are born or hatched everywhere. While still watching the baby birds inside our front door light fixture, another bird nest is found on a pine branch above our driveway. The mama dove really did not pick the best location; it's hoped that her eggs and babies won't fall onto the driveway that is hard cement. This mama dove is pretty calm; we walk by and drive under that branch, she just sits there. The papa dove is nearby to visit and walks around our yard regularly."

Mushroom Mardi Gras

Gilroy started the Garlic Festival 32 years ago. A year later, Morgan Hill started the Mushroom Mardi Gras.

The Garlic Festival is world famous; each year in July the festival would be in news everywhere while Mushroom Mardi Gras is usually quiet and low key. Mushroom is just not as "sexy" as Garlic.

The good thing about the Mushroom Mardi Gras is that it's free! Free admission and free parking. This year, the weather forecast shows that the temperature will be in the high 70s and sunny, a perfect day for outdoor activities. There will be lots of good food, entertainment and vendors.

Hope you will be able to join the fun.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting... A Baby Bird Video

Betty says,

"The baby birds sleep most of the time, there is a harmonies rhythm to their breathing, see the video at the bottom. Mama birds is no longer sitting, most of the time she is elsewhere probably looking for food for the babies.

The babies are starting to feather and definitely starting to poop, our light fixture is a mess. The light fixture has been there since day one when we moved in over 30 years ago, it's time to change to a new one. In as much as we like to see the baby birds, it'll be really nice when we could install a new front door light and can actually turn it on in the evening."

Angora Wool As A Part Of Sustainable Living

Betty says,

"I recently received a request for permission to use one of my white doe Chu's Swanka's photos in an educational exhibit about environmental issues.

I granted the request and eventually the photo was used as a small part of a panel of the exhibit that is named Seeds of Hope.

The non-profit organization stresses the cooperation and connection of the world economy, developed or less developed.

For more information about this exhibit, go to

http://www.sgi.org/seed-of-hope.html

We Are Family

It's a wonderful day for the littermates to have a family picnic on the lawn.

Bunnies Just Want To Have Fun

It's a nice day, sunny but not warm. A good day for the bunnies to get close to the ground.

Bunnies love the grass.

Let's have a quiet time alone.

Time to relax.

Bunnies love to be in a pile.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting ... All Five

Betty says,

"Finally all five baby birds are hatched inside our front door light fixture. This is actually the first time I have seen them with my eyes! The previous photos were taken by putting the camera on top of the light; it was way too high for me. Today I finally took out a tall ladder and climbed up to see them.

Each of the baby birds is the size of a dime, very small indeed. There are fuzzy feathers but not enough to cover their pink skins. The entire nest is about 3 inches in diameter, lined with hay and Angora wool; seems to be very comfortable for the babies. There isn't any visible sign of any eggshells left in the nest; where did they go?

What kind of birds are they? Not a clue. The mama bird is about the size of a finch, brownish gray like a sparrow but smaller than the sparrow. It's bigger than a hummingbird and it does not hum.

Now we are waiting for them to grow up and fly away. Though it has been a wonderful experience seeing the nest and the baby birds, they are not welcome back in our light fixture again in the future. We need to clean the inside of the light fixture when they fly away so that it won't become a fire hazard."