Thursday, May 3, 2012

A visit from the ravens...

This morning while I was on a coaching call, the dogs got into mischief trying to catch a chipmunk on my deck. It was hiding behind a pile of pots, barbecue ashes waiting to be dealt with, a patio umbrella - you get the picture! Exterior clutter. mmm-mmm....

In their enthusiasm to catch that rascal, the dogs had broken the bag of ashes. I had no choice but to clean up that corner of the deck right away. Dang it! Tucked away behind the pile I discovered a small container of fish fertilizer - all that was left to me after the bears enjoyed it last fall. Some critter had chewed a hole in the corner of it, which I discovered as I picked it up and gobs of it splatted on the deck. Double dang!

"Hmmm - something smells delicious!"
Making the best of it, I scraped up the gobs and put them in the watering can, added water to make it less appealing to my dogs, then put the watering can up on a chair so they couldn't sample it. You know they would if they could! The raspberries I transplanted a few days ago would be glad of it. Then I headed back to my desk.

"Yes, definitely worth stopping by for
About ten minutes later the ravens arrived. I love their majestic beaks, their incredible size, their glossy feathers and scruffy necks. I'm not so fond of them snacking on the song birds at my feeders! But this time they were coming for fish cocktails. So funny to watch them. The male hopped onto the chair, braced himself with one foot up against the can, and sipped his fill. (I did not get my camera out fast enough to capture this.) Then the female, a bit smaller, dropped down from the apple tree and perched right on the handle. Perfect placement for drinking as much as she wanted!

To give you an idea of how huge they are - this is a full size watering can, 13" from the base to the top of the handle. In my dream journeys they land on my shoulder; some day one of them will decide I'm trustworthy enough to do so in waking reality!

* I have never yet managed to get a photo of them from outside. Until I do there will be the blurry effects from shooting through the window.




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