Saturday, January 11, 2014

Squirrel up a tree...



Today at dversepoets.com    we are writing about 
what's out our window ...my contribution:                                   

He scouted the area to see how safe                                           
to climb the tree to the birdfeeder;
literally flying through branches
he leaped from cedar to cedar
He hung from a bough, stretching himself
grabbed the suet cage by his feet
He twitched and turned, trying to steal                                                     
the food put out for birds to eat                                          

And Aha! I had secured the little 
door's latch with wire,
so he could not open it 
or knock it on the ground.
Nuthatches and chickadees arrive,
go to the other bird feeders,
mixed nuts and seeds,
 spilling to the ground -
a woodpecker muscles his way in.

To be sure in the spring there will be
more birds outside my kitchen window;
..hummingbirds, swallows, robins, jays
When a girl scout in 3rd grade,
we drew birds, learned their calls 
and names - and sketched them


I think of birds in movies,
of Alfred Hitchcock fame,
The Thornbird that sings beautifully 
and then dies
Doves coo in a kings court
and our state's bird is 
the Goldfinch




  I see that his tail gets caught 
on a protruding branch's joint
Try as he may to loosen himself,
he's fearful as I approach and can't
He tries to run harder, faster,
but to no avail - he's stuck
spinning his wheels, his tail
wrapped around it,
adhering like velcro does.

So I pick up a walking stick
from beside the door,
climb a bit to reach -
and by extending the rod,
doing my best to keep my balance
I fail to unstick his tail with the first attempt.
Panicking was he as I maneuvered myself
to the edge of the porch
Finally I manage to get the angle right, 
knock his tail free,
 hopefully not hurting him;
he runs into the forest squeaking
leaving a large tuft of fur attached 
to the bough;   Ah, something soft 
for  bird nest building in the spring.

                             






20 comments:

  1. Oh, you are so fortunate to have seen birds at your bird feeder...and to have the opportunity to sketch them as well! I ency that, Katy.

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  2. smiles...i love squirrels...i am so glad that you saved him...i would hate for him to be stuck..its so cool to see such life right off the porch too...nature def recycles so surely the tail fluff will end up somewhere....

    i linked you in...

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  3. wow....lots of things going on in front your window... i'm glad you managed to help the little squirrel to come free... and the birds will love the soft fur for their nest building... very cool sketch as well...

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  4. Fascinating story Katy. The wonders of birdfeeders... To sit and watch the birds up close, I'm glad you managed to get the little rascal free from its hold. Hopefully he could still jump as he should do, and that he finds his hidden acorns instead.

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  5. Yes, spring will come and there will be need of soft stuff for building...it is the plan. You have drawn the 'big picture.'

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  6. What a marvelous scope in this. The squirrel fur in the bird nest is lovely, how nature does provide the raw materials.

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  7. This was such a wonderful tale of a tail :-) I really enjoyed the story you told and I'm oh so glad you saved the squirrel. Your sketch is lovely. I'm sure the birds will be happy with the leftover tuft of fur.

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  8. So much life outside your window! Bravo for rescuing the squirrel.

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  9. Poor squirrel. But...we've got to protect the birds. Here, it's the ducks who like to invade our feeder which is only a dish on a low wall. Don't think we have squirrels. If so, the coyotes and hawks have taken care of that.

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    1. there are coyotes and hawks here as well...have been here only 3 months, so not sure how the balance in nature works here...then I worry a bit about my cat..have seen chipmunks, too..

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  10. Ah the adventures of a squirrel, and your dedication to your birds - what a great view you must have! I enjoyed this contribution to Poetics so much. Very nicely done!

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  11. First want to comment, I love the look of your blog! The title and sea shell images are just lovely!

    Squirrels, little thieves that they are, they too have to eat. I only did the suet cage once in my yard (never thought to secure with wire). The next day the empty cage was on the ground, and the suet cake long gone!! We currently feed and house four feral cats in our yard. No squirrels (or chipmunks, or birds, or field mice, etc) come to visit anymore! Still, very rewarding to know that we can can take care of these cats that would not have a very good chance without us. Enjoyed your tale very much.

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  12. What fun to look at the squirrel and the bird feeder ~ I wish I have one so the birds can come and we can marvel at their bird songs ~ Really enjoyed looking at your pictures ~



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  13. It's a wonderful thing to have such a nice garden and birds coming by - have tried doing that and always fun. Loved your narrative.

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  14. Watching birds in the bird bath is probably the nearest we come to witnessing one of the great spiritual moments of existence...tis for me anyway!

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  15. You have a great view of nature going on outside your window...enjoyed the pictures that accompanied your words as well.

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  16. lovely view! it all came alive in your words!

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  17. I dint get to see squirrels very often, sadly. I enjoyed yours as well as the birds, Katy! Lovely series of views.

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  18. Loved your view and story around it. We don't get squirrels hereabouts... sometimes the odd tree rat:)

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All comments, constructive and otherwise, are welcome and appreciated here. Thank you to those who show an interest in my quirky style of writing, photography, painting, and presenting a feeling or thought and for stopping by A Dwelling by the Sea..