Where do they go?

Every spring there are several baby robins at my place. One year they hatched and fledged from the nest under one of the window awnings. Two years in a row they hatched from a nest under the carport. The second year under the carport they did not live to fledge, crows stole them. The robins have not built their nests where I can see them since that year.

I was fortunate enough to get some photos from the first year under the carport. They are not the best photos I have ever taken but I am glad to have them. The mom and dad watched over them and took turns feeding them.

They had four little ones and I enjoyed watching them several times a day every day until they all fledged.

Flapping those little wings getting them ready to fly. They were so cute.

Last night we had storms that brought heavy rain, wind, and hail. Some parts of the state had golf ball and baseball sized hail. My area had marble to quarter size that lasted several minutes. The ground was covered with layered hail stones. I could not help but think about the birds that are nesting now. How do they stay safe and protect their babies in weather like that? Where do the birds go for protection? I don’t see how they could survive in a nest in a tree with weather like we had last night.

There have not been very many birds at the feeders so far today. I hope there were not birds or other wildlife killed by that terrible hail.

My thoughts and prayers are with all the people who have property damage from tornadoes, wind, hail, fires, snowstorms, and flooding. Still more storms to come tonight and tomorrow. My thoughts and prayers will be with all people and wildlife.

Always at just the right time

Today I have been thinking about how blessings in my life arrived at just the right time. This is my little buddy in the photo, his name is Chancy he is going on 15 years old. He was given to me when he was about six months old…and just before the last child married and moved out. A couple of years after that I became a caregiver for my husband.

He has brought so much joy to my husband and me. He is smart and so funny. He has been one of the best sources of laughter for us.

We have storms in the spring and the winter. This photo shows some of the piles of limbs we picked up after a storm. Chancy loves helping with yardwork. We could not believe what we noticed him doing when we were cleaning up and piling up limbs that had fallen from the trees.

He was picking up limbs and taking them to the other side of the yard and building his own pile. He worked so hard dragging or carrying limbs to his pile, but we could not help but laugh at him for choosing to make his own pile. He was determined to get each limb to his pile no matter how large or how small.

The following photos show the beginning of his pile, I had to get back to working on picking up limbs myself, so I didn’t get any more photos.

This one was about six feet long, but he made it to his pile running all the way there with it in his mouth.
He is arranging a limb on his very own pile.

His pile got a bit larger before we stopped working for the day. He was proud of himself and his pile of limbs. We were proud of him too for doing an excellent job helping to pile up the limbs.

This little buddy has stuck by me through some tough times, and I am so grateful he came to me at just the right time and is still with me. I have had many dogs in my lifetime, but none can compare to my little Chancy Man.