Thursday, June 09, 2005
Ebbey’s New Window Look Out
Ebbey: I guard the property from coyotes and closely watch those naughty birds.
Moving most of my stuff out of storage, I’ve filled an entire room where I am currently staying. It took a day to reorganize the boxes, and now Ebbey has a nice corner window bed to look outside. Granted, there is only a two foot wide path through the room of boxes, but the ongoing rain has provided a jungle of green foliage for the former starving stray to survey.
One bird feeder hangs near one corner window, with a trough feeder on the other side. Larger birds like crows, magpies and even the odd raven frequent the trough. Though resentful that chicken liver is being fed to such creatures, Ebbey has now resigned herself to this fact. Even smaller birds like chickadees and robins seem to like the beef fat. Purchased at an incredible savings, I soon discovered Ebbey is allergic to chicken and any part thereof including their liver.
We also have quite a community of mice and voles, surviving on the bird left overs that fall to the ground. This is particularly entertaining for Ebbey as she has been known to consume such critters. This is likely how she survived during her abandoned days, though she is allergic to mice as well. Anytime she holds one in her mouth, and the frightened creature does what a frightened creature does when held in the jaws of death, Ebbey soon starts scratching and rubbing.
Some of the mice are barely the size of a penny, and seem to have about as much sense. A certain percentage of these runty rodents are predated by the crows and magpies. I’ve also witnessed a falcon kill a sparrow feeding at the bird feeder. So Ebbey actively monitors the ongoing back yard dramas.
Moving most of my stuff out of storage, I’ve filled an entire room where I am currently staying. It took a day to reorganize the boxes, and now Ebbey has a nice corner window bed to look outside. Granted, there is only a two foot wide path through the room of boxes, but the ongoing rain has provided a jungle of green foliage for the former starving stray to survey.
One bird feeder hangs near one corner window, with a trough feeder on the other side. Larger birds like crows, magpies and even the odd raven frequent the trough. Though resentful that chicken liver is being fed to such creatures, Ebbey has now resigned herself to this fact. Even smaller birds like chickadees and robins seem to like the beef fat. Purchased at an incredible savings, I soon discovered Ebbey is allergic to chicken and any part thereof including their liver.
We also have quite a community of mice and voles, surviving on the bird left overs that fall to the ground. This is particularly entertaining for Ebbey as she has been known to consume such critters. This is likely how she survived during her abandoned days, though she is allergic to mice as well. Anytime she holds one in her mouth, and the frightened creature does what a frightened creature does when held in the jaws of death, Ebbey soon starts scratching and rubbing.
Some of the mice are barely the size of a penny, and seem to have about as much sense. A certain percentage of these runty rodents are predated by the crows and magpies. I’ve also witnessed a falcon kill a sparrow feeding at the bird feeder. So Ebbey actively monitors the ongoing back yard dramas.
# posted by Allex Michael @ 12:26 AM 
