Strauberry Short-takes: A New Season and a New Hobby

We've finally rolled out of winter and into spring around here. Over the last weeks we've watched the crocuses, then the daffodils, and now all manner of plants and trees come back to life. (Maybe this blog will too?)

Elsa and I started collecting flowers from around the yard to press into a flower book. It's been fun learning what types they are. And I'm ever so glad that they're all just springing up and I didn't have to do a thing! I just LOVE perennials!

We've seen at least one critter in our backyard, too, apart from the squirrels. A raccoon has been making the rounds, pawing the windows to get at the cat who likes to stare out into the yard at night. He has also shown a propensity for digging out the potted plants on the deck and trying to reach the bird feeders.

Yes, bird feeders - with an 's'. I think maybe I've become a little obsessed. We've hung a clear bird feeder on the window, a suet feeder in the flower bed, and there are blue-bird houses at the perimeter of the yard. All day long, we watch birds. (We do get other things done, too. Things like school and laundry. Sometimes.)

Our list of birds that we've seen is growing. We're now up to eighteen different types. The $1 that I paid at the library book sale for the North American Wildlife book years ago may just bee one of the best-spent dollars in my life. It's been super helpful in identifying the birds we've seen as well as figuring out the types of flowers that are planted around the house.

Now that I've discovered the Audubon Society's app for identifying birds, the book may not be as necessary. (Yes, that means that I have a birding app on my phone. It's so cool!) But it's still fun to pull the book out and search the old-fashioned way.

So here are some pictures of birds that we've seen in our yard, some very commonly seen varieties and others that I'm noticing for the first time. Oh, and we've named some of them...because it's fun!