A pileated woodpecker lands on the dead elm right beside the flicker den hole and knocks twice. A flicker pokes her head out. He flies off.
The view from my front porch every morning, in 140 or fewer characters
Category Archives: journal
Six nuthatches—parents and fledglings...
Six nuthatches—parents and fledglings—scour the trees from top to bottom, soft calls communicating who knows what instructive tidbits.
Two maple keys dangle in an old spiderweb...
Two maple keys dangle in an old spiderweb underneath the porch railing, like uneaten remnants of some unfortunate winged creature.
Tagged red maple, spiderwebs
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The groundhog emerges from her sun-...
The groundhog emerges from her sun-flooded burrow beside the porch and whistles in alarm. The shadow of a tiger swallowtail crosses my legs.
Sun in the treetops. A squirrel hangs...
Sun in the treetops. A squirrel hangs head-down from a walnut branch to eat the flowers. My lover combs the tangles from her long hair.
Tagged black walnuts, gray squirrel
3 Comments
The air is so clear, I can see individual...
The air is so clear, I can see individual specks of pollen. In the field, the long grass sways under the restless wings of a female harrier.
Tagged northern harrier, pollen
1 Comment
Chipmunks chase in the driveway. A...
Chipmunks chase in the driveway. A hummingbird hovers beside the porch, sipping rainwater from a spiderweb in the tall weeds.
Tagged chipmunks, hummingbird, rain, spiderwebs
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The female robin leaves her nest in...
The female robin leaves her nest in the cedar and lands at the edge of the driveway, gives herself a thorough shake and takes a shit.
Tagged cedar tree, robin
1 Comment
The first purple irises are opening...
The first purple irises are opening along the rock wall, their three petals descending like the landing gear on spaceships.
Tagged garden, iris
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A muffled knocking from inside the...
A muffled knocking from inside the dead elm. A flicker’s head pops out of a hole and flings a billful of wood chips into the sun.
Tagged elm, flicker
3 Comments
