January | 2024 | wordsfromanneli

January 26, 2024
by wordsfromanneli 47 Comments

Paragliding

Flying free and weightlessly,

O’er the motion in the sea,

Breezes briskly cut a pace,

Tears of wonder streak my face.

The electric wires in the bottom of this picture are enough to make me think twice about ever trying paragliding. This paraglider is much farther from the wires than it looks on the photo, but still, it makes me wonder about the many obstacles a paraglider might come into contact with.

This fellow was just over my neighbour’s house so I tried to get a picture. It’s still too far for a good photo, but enough for you to get the idea.

In the video below, he continued on his gliding trip just beyond the houses and over and along the beach below. From my house, I couldn’t see what the paraglider could see, but it must have been a wonderful trip for him, flying above the ocean. Just at the end, a faraway eagle flies into the frame, perhaps to join him on his trip or to check him out.

Full screen is best.

January 22, 2024
by wordsfromanneli 35 Comments

No Crowds for Me

Just when we got settled, away from the gun,

Along comes this dog, for an innocent run.

“He can’t catch us all,” says an old duck so wise,

“But what if it’s me and it means my demise?”

“Most likely it won’t be, so fear not,” I say,

“Fly up in the air if you’re chicken, and pray.

I plan to stay calm and not show him my fear.”

“In that case I’ll be brave beside you, my dear.”

But flying en masse is not what I prefer,

Wherever I turn, someone tries to deter

My flight path to safety, to freedom, and air.

I’m blocked by the crowds madly flapping up there.

Ah, this is more like it, with just a few friends,

We pick and we scrounge for a few odds and ends,

We don’t crash together in each other’s space,

A wonderful, so much more leisurely pace.

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January 20, 2024
by wordsfromanneli 37 Comments

A Precious New Day

Photo by Pat Gerrie

Life, the continuous learning curve,

Gives us no warning of what it will serve.

All of us bumble and err on the way,

That’s why we cherish each precious new day.

January 19, 2024
by wordsfromanneli 40 Comments

Mother, What’s All That White Stuff?

Do you remember Bambi asking, “Mother, what’s all that white stuff?” and she answered in such a soft voice, full of wonder, “Why … it’s … snow!”

Well, this morning I found myself saying, “Mother! What …?” etc.

It all happened overnight, and then it continued into the morning. My poor little birds!

The hummingbirds … where do they sleep on nights like this? At least they had a heated feeder this year. Last year I had to run out and exchange the frozen sugar water for liquid every 20 minutes or so. This year, I have one heated feeder, thanks to the thoughtful gift from a friend, and I can also put the not-heated feeders out there when the temperature stays above freezing. It works great!

The heated one is on the left, with the cord running from the outlet in the wall to the feeder.

For some reason the hummingbirds like sitting on the feeder penthouse.

Today it snowed for the second day in a row and just before it got too dark, a hummingbird came for one last drink. I took the video through the screened kitchen window as the light was fading. It’s not very sharp, but the hummer took a long last sip to last him for the night.

The rest of the birds have to find what food they can under the shelter of the eaves or the roof of a feeding station. I think they have a hard time in the snow, especially when the sun comes out and thaws huge portions that slide off branches, and threaten to bury them in the avalanche.

I’m always happy to see the snow because it looks so pretty, but I’m relieved when it thaws and the birds and little animals can breathe more easily again.

Do I dare to hope that this is the last of it for the winter?

January 16, 2024
by wordsfromanneli 50 Comments

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Air is cold, I’m shivering,

Legs so skinny, quivering,

Ants or beetles, if you’re near,

Eating you would bring me cheer.

Not much sap is dripping down,

Though I’ve drilled holes all around,

Maybe though, an ant will scurry,

Running off in such a hurry.

I’ve no chocolate to coat it,

Nature simply won’t promote it,

But the crunchy flavour’s good,

With a hint of fir tree wood.

Watch me skipping round the tree,

Eating ants and bugs with glee,

Little holes, the bark endures,

Graciously, my meal ensures.

I apologize for the background noise of dogs barking and garbage trucks backing up somewhere in the world outside my own little world.

January 13, 2024
by wordsfromanneli 45 Comments

A Cool Change

A thin layer of snow covers the usual feeding grounds of ducks, geese, and swans. While the nearby preferred agricultural fields are frozen over with snow and ice, the birds find food and shelter on the edges of the salt water.

The estuary of the Courtenay River holds a lot of bird life. Depending on the wind direction, waterfowl can find sheltered indentations in the shoreline where they can forage for food in the shallows. Rather than feeding on seeds and bits of plant roots when cold weather freezes their usual fields, they make the switch to marine vegetation and bits of animal matter (shrimp, crustaceans) that they find in the tidal areas of the shore. Once in a while, a faint ray of sunshine warms their backs on this southern exposure in spite of the cold day.

Looking upriver at Comox Bay

Looking outwards to the spit

Mainly widgeons and dunlins.

In these very short video clips you can see a swarm of what I think are dunlins flying in to land near the beach. Although it is a very small flock, it reminds me of those murmurations of birds, when they fly so close together in an incomprehensible formation without crashing into each other. If you make the videos full screen you might be able to see the fine snowflakes blowing around as well

These mallards are close to shore for several reasons. They have slightly more cover in case of predators (better than being “a sitting duck” in the open water), and there is probably more food available in the shallows where they can probe the sand with their bills and find small beach creatures to eat. At high tide there is also marine vegetation that is available only at this level, lifted up by the rising water.

They are in survival mode for now, waiting for a good low pressure southeast system that will bring wind, rain, and warmer temperatures, thawing out the farm fields that offer their preferred diet. I hope they are all lucky ducks.