Time flies, and so do the birds

Ok, I've slipped up on blogging here. The baby doves flew off. For the better part of a week, I kept startling them in the forsythia next to the driveway, but now they've moved on from there. I hear mourning doves calling from all around the yard now, particularly in the evenings, but I have no way of knowing if its mama and papa, or the youngsters, or all of them. Time moves on. So do young birds.

The red tail clutch at Drew hatched, and two of the three baby hawks made it out of the nest. We've been treated to watching the juveniles figure stuff out. For the last few weeks they've been hanging out behind the administration building in an area we can watch from our office windows. They've also spent time back on the loading dock - rich pickings there since the squirrels hang out back there to raid the trash that's stashed there until the truck comes by to collect it. Yesterday, we got to watch one of the youngsters catch a grey catbird, and carry it up to the roof of the Mead Hall porch and devour it there. Nature's harsh. All God's creatures gotta eat, and most of them eat some of the other of God's creatures. It's a closed system, and a workable plan. Pretty hard to watch unless you happen to be rooting for the hunter at any given moment. So, we've watched the babies take to the wing. We've watched the parents continue to hunt for them and feed them for another couple of weeks, and we've watched the little ones learn. Time moves on. In fact it flies.

Since I don't have any further photographs of either the doves or the hawks as they grew, I'll impose a couple of shots of my Fourth of July on you.
My niece and her boyfriend as they lazed in front of the DVD of Planet Earth.









And my brother's dog, Cooper, who is one happy, funny, smart dog.













And Cooper's new "baby sister," Delylah. Delylah was very sick, and my niece, Alison, proved to be a worthy nurse and dogmom, shepherding her through the worst of a very serious case of kennel cough.

On the Fourth of July, she had her second good day, and was up to kissing her Auntie Gin.


Niece #2 (who doesn't own the puppy) will be very glad when Niece #1 (who does) stops carrying the little one everywhere. Sometimes it's fun to just sit by the pool and be an audience to family. Time flies. Birds grow up and leave the nest. So do nieces.