It's a few degrees above freezing here this morning, and so far it is sunny, with pale blue skies and wisps of cloud overhead, the promise of snow before evening falls. My old bones are already protesting the first snowfall vigorously, but I am refusing to heed them. May there be snow today, snow, glorious snow. . . .It appears that the cardinals we saw on our walk yesterday morning were this year's progeny after all, and when Cassie and I went for this morning's potter a little later than we usually do, we counted five juvenile males and a solitary softly coloured female in the park shrubbery. Alas, there was a village cat about, and the feathered tribe was agitated, eschewing the frozen offerings remaining on the wild grapevines for the height and depth and safety of faraway wind tossed hawthorn trees.
The wind was fierce, the village cat was on the prowl, and the little red birds were keeping their distance. I could get no closer or clearer than these images this morning, but that doesn't matter at all as it seems my friends will be around all winter long.
Sunshine, snow, blue skies and splashes of feathered scarlet - what a cheerful image they make together, and it is one to look forward to on our winter rambles. Cassie is in fine form this morning, and she is very interested in eating the cat which interrupted our early hedgerow meditations.
5 comments:
Beautiful! I miss cardinals. We don't get them here, but when I was growing up in Michigan we saw them all the time. Nice to see them again.
Cassie and Bilbo have something else in common then - Bilbo lists among his interests 'catching and eating cats and squirrels':)
Happily, so far he's never caught a cat, but the squirrel population in the woods decreased rapidly in his first two years. He's full grown and more muscular now so it's slowed him down just enough that he can no longer quite catch them most of the time. Grey squirrels are a tremendous pest in UK, they are responsible for the decline of our native red squirrel to a point where they are an endangered species. They also damage/kill trees by debarking them and steal eggs and chicks from nests in the spring so I fear I don't get very upset about their demise even though I think they look cute.
Your pictures and narrative are crisp shadows of Robert Frost. Absolutely lovely. much peace, JanePoe
We don't have Cardinals here. So, it's a real treat to see your pics of them.
Wonderful haiku. It fit the transition exactly. The cardinals always seem to be a bit bolder this time of year. I think they sit on branches telling me to fill the bird feeder!
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