March 2009

Cheeboop working on his nest.

Both my sparrows are male, so they are unfortunately without a mate, but that doesn’t dampen their instincts. With 5 inches of fresh snow on the ground, it doesn’t look like spring, but the sparrows outside have been squabbling over their mates for several weeks. Inside, Cheeboop is determined to build his nest. Last year he nested in our closet, but this year he chose the shelf in our bedroom. It’s up near the ceiling and sheltered by a sea coral.

Cheeboop on a vertical ascent into his nest.

Cheeboop has adorned the sea coral with some of his nesting material. Where does he get his supplies; from us. If you’ve followed this blog at all, you realize we’re an odd lot. Once you’ve allowed sparrows free reign in the house, what’s a few bits of straw dropped here and there. I also cut him small lengths of string.

Cheeboop in flight with some straw in his beak.

With relentless industry, Cheeboop gathers straw and flies it up to his nest. It’s amazing what he can haul in his beak. The pieces you see here are quite small. We’ve given him two foot long grass and watched him zoom away with them. He’s fast too, which is why he looks translucent in the photos, the camera barely has time to capture him.

Cheeboop power-flying a long piece of straw.

Rumplepuff hasn’t quite caught on. He’ll pick up a piece of straw and fly around with it, but he’ll just drop it anywhere.

Cheeboop tucking another straw into his growing nest.

Katrina in the alfalfa field in autumn.

Katrina is my most agile dog; able to run for miles, balance on bleachers and leap on top of bales. But for all her skill, the farm still holds some dangers. Occasionally, she has run through the barb wire fence a little too fast and poked a nice hole in her skin.

Usually these minor abrasions heal quickly, but her most recent cut just never seemed to get well. It would close up and look like it was improving, only to swell and ooze a few days later. A trip to the vet put her on antibiotics that are now doing the job.

Katrina sitting in a play of light and shadow.

Since she was inclined to lick her wound, the vet suggested she wear a cone. Hmmm, cone-head Katrina didn’t sound so good to me. We have a pack of dogs which is quite a different dynamic than even two or three dogs. I just couldn’t see Katrina, the lead female, peacefully maintaining her status with a big plastic cone on her head.

Katrina dutifully wearing her bandage.

Fortunately, she is a very obedient dog. So much so, that I can put a bandage on her leg, tell her to leave it alone and she will. Only when it becomes too soaked with ooze, will she remove it, which is what I would have to do anyway. So she is recovering well with a new dressing daily. The swelling is going down and she has not had to suffer the indignity of being a cone-head.