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.

January 8, 2024
by wordsfromanneli 49 Comments

A Cold Midnight Visit

Moans and groans that chill the bones,

Through the window stream,

Scents of icy northern zones,

Invade the sleeper’s dreams.

Cold unwelcome guest descends

On the huddled shape,

Shivering, the ice-ghost bends,

Whispers in her nape.

Who has paid the icy fare,

On these crystal flows,

Hitching rides on Arctic air,

Following their nose?

Walruses and polar bear,

Wolves and caribou,

Send their scent along the air,

Via Manitou.

Think of us, they sadly moan,

Swirling round the room,

Dream of us, for now you’ve known

Our cold nights and our gloom.

December 31, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 39 Comments

Midnight Snacks

It was almost midnight when Reggie Raccoon came to visit. He was blinded by the light so he didn’t do anything but squirm in this eight-second video clip. Then I took pity on him and turned off the camera.

But he had some words for me:

I heard about the sunflower seeds,

And walnuts with a crack,

My raccoon family proceeds

To have a midnight snack.

And may your year be bountiful,

As mine is here always,

With food forever plentiful,

It will improve your days.

So have a happy year ahead,

May all of you get fat,

A tiny bit of waistline spread,

There’s nothing wrong with that.

December 30, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 35 Comments

Out With the Old

After days and days of rain, the water that has washed down the hills and into all the drainage systems is emptying itself into the sea.

The river is brown with the silt that has no chance to settle because of the quick flow of the extra volume.

Here, the river is near the estuary, and the tide is coming in while the river is flowing out. The tide wins though, and backs up the river. It’s quite the battle, with the volume from the extra rainfall pushing against the tide.

On the left side of this photo you can see the top of the retaining wall that is usually visible and dry to a height of about eight feet from the top (I’m guessing), now breached and letting water through.

Here is a closer look. The road is beyond the river, to the left. Comox is on the left side of the river; Courtenay on the right.

On the right side of the river, the trees and shrubs that line the walkway along the riverside are flooded at the moment. Once the water recedes, they should be all right, but the high water level is very close to flooding this parking lot.

I just know that this summer, when we have our heat waves and drought, I’ll wish for some of this excess water to give my petunias a drink.

I hope the darker events of the past year will wash away just as this flooded muddy river will empty itself in the sea, and like the river, our lives will be rejuvenated by fresh spring rains and plenty of happy sunshine.

So as the old year is done, and the new one comes in, I say, “Out with the old, and in with the new.”