Saturday, April 14, 2012

Crazy Kids Today

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It's 40 degrees outside! Why are my children crazy? They wanted to play with the water table. Their equally crazy father put it together Tuesday morning, and moved it outside. He put water in it, and that pushed Sam over the edge, so when the days' work was done, dinner eaten, and Daddy off to bell choir, I caved. I let the yahoos go outside and play in the 40 degree weather on a water table.



They were insane. Adorable, but insane. When Chris's sleeves got wet, he tried going inside and swapping jackets. Oh no! I told him, you play in freezing water, and you get cold, then you go in, and that's It. The end. No swapping out clothing for being a nut. Sam didn't try any of that. Sam stayed outside until his hands were red and gnarly and could no longer grasp any of the toys. And when I took the human popsicles into the house and threw them directly into the bathtub, they cried. Little nuts cried, because I took them away from the freezing cold, messy, water table. Oh my, they love it, and it's big enough, that they share. Pure Madness!



So, while I was keeping an eye on them, playing in cold water, and freezing a bit myself, I heard strange noise. It sounded like a woodpecker, and it sounded close. So I commenced to walking around my backyard, listening. I got to the back corner, and went deep into the trees. The sound stopped. So did I. Then I heard some rustling, and when I looked up (and pointed my camera) I saw this. A hole, and there was a little birdy hopping out of it.

I followed the birdy, and it was a Woodpecker. Pecking away at our trees. Having a great time. I watched, took a couple pictures. But what I really needed was better lighting, so I headed other sunnier side of the tree. It gets pretty shady in our backyard in the late evening. All shade actually. But I love it. Because I get Wildlife, and I'm not at all far from my home! Very very cool.






As I was watching and walking, Christopher returned outside, and asked me what I was looking at? I told him, had him stop, look, and listen. And he got so excited. He was Literally Jumping up and down. Apparently they had been studying birdwatching, and bird identification in school. He immediately ran inside to email his teacher, to tell her what he'd seen. She replied the next day, just how proud of him she was, and that he had remembered their discussion.

This was a crop of one of the better photos I got. After some research I declare him Mr. Downy Woodpecker.



And this, I suspect, is Mrs. Downy Woodpecker.



Woodpeckers, Welcome to my yard! And thank you for making my son ecstatic about nature!

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