Friday, January 15, 2010

Birds just want to have fun

Back from our ski vacation I was delighted to find snow in the garden - the first time I've seen it with snow. Admittedly not much, since our warm part of the Rhine valley was not as badly hit by storm front "Daisy" as other parts of Europe. But enough to get out the camera!


In this view from just behind the espalier fruit trees along the border of the allotment you can see our garden cottage and the green tarp winter bonnet on the wooden swing. If you enlarge you can see one tiny corner of my fledgling boxwood hedge enclosing the planned potager.

On the ground various animal and bird tracks could be seen, including my favorites (click to enlarge):




I know that birds do not necessarily have an easy life in the winter months, and that snow on the ground doesn't make it any easier. So please excuse my anthropomorphic fantasy that this bird was having fun prancing in the snow, making an angel with its wings, and perhaps even twirling around with what might have been a rabbit, to judge by the tracks in the lower picture.

Speaking of birds: thanks for all the comments and guesses on my last post about the mystery animal. I've come to the conclusion that the walnuts must have been hidden by one of the large ravens that hang out on the roof across the street, on a level with our balcony. Magpies (= Elster in German) are also a possibility, since they do live around here, but I haven't seen any recently.

8 comments:

  1. Welcome back! So ravens hid the walnuts. Too funny and a nice surprise indeed. Those bird tracks are pretty cool. Snow angel indeed!

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  2. Hello Barbara. So pleased to have found your blog and am looking forward to your posts. Diana

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  3. What a great post! You realize I have that old Cyndy Lauper song bopping around in my head now...slightly modified, of course.

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  4. Hello Barbara. Espalier trees fascinate me.I just love the looks and the manipulation of them.
    Terrific shot of the wing tips in the snow.

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  5. Hi Barbara, I hope you had a great ski holiday. When we lived in London, my husband was very excited to snowboard in the Alps. That was one reason, we bought our house where it is. Ontario's largest ski hill is a 30 minute drive away.
    When do you prune your espaliers?

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  6. Glad that the mystery seems to be have been solved and there's no need to call in Sherlock Holmes :) I too have been fascinated by all the tracks that we have spotted in our city garden in the recent snowy spell.

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  7. Ah the power of suggestion! I like Jodi have been humming the tune. What curious long thin tracks... I am not sure what those might be. I think I see turkey tracks along side the claw-like ones. I love your espalier fruit trees!!

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  8. The pictures make me sentimental about living in a climate where there is snow! I remember bird tracks such as these from our youth in Minnesota.

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