Author: Rae Spencer

A Writing Conference, a Publication Note, and Summer

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Iris May 7

I recently registered for the 2015 Hampton Roads Writers’ Conference. (September 17-19 in Virginia Beach) This conference is one of my favorite events each year, and I’m already counting the days.

In other writing news, my poem “The Tracking” was published on May 12 at vox poetica. A version of this poem won first place in the Barbara Dunn Hartin Memorial Poetry Prize contest at the 2014 Hampton Roads Writers Conference, and I’m delighted that editor Annmarie Lockhart accepted it for publication.

Dragonfly June 11

And in news only vaguely related to writing, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my camera. Despite summer’s growing heat and humidity, the yard is hard to resist this time of year. Everything is blooming, the baby rabbits are thriving, and birds are everywhere.

Hover Fly May 12

Rabbit June 12

Robin May 15

Thrush June 10

In mid-May a dove decided to nest in the front petunia basket. Now her two nestlings are ready to fledge.

Dove May 18

May 18

Dove June 11

June 11

The yard’s most curious visitor, lately, is a very bold squirrel that follows me around as I take photos. If I sit still for a while, he sidles closer and closer until he is within a few feet, pretending he is burying something nearby. His jaw quivers nervously as he mumbles and grinds his teeth, but he comes back time and time again. It makes me wonder if he was raised by a rehabilitator, if he somehow equates humans with food and safety, yet also with peril.

I’m trying not to encourage the squirrel’s behavior, but I can’t resist photographing him. He’s very handsome.

Squirrel June 11

If he hangs around much longer, I might write him into a poem.

The Nestlings

Rae Spencer11 Comments

Wren May 4

A house wren began claiming the yard’s nest boxes in late April. He spent days on end carrying twigs, working on nests in each of the boxes.

Wren May 4

House Wren April 29

He clearly preferred one of the smaller boxes, and built his most elaborate nest in it. When females showed up to inspect the nests, he led them over and over again to his favorite, as if arguing its attributes.

House Wren April 29

The activity around the wren boxes was so entertaining that I almost missed a developing cardinal nest in the overhanging honeysuckle.

Cardinal May 11

Cardinal May 9

Cardinal May 11

The wren watched the cardinals’ progress with obvious interest, but didn’t seem to object.

Cardinal May 11

The cardinals quickly completed their nest, and soon there were eggs.

Cardinal May 19

May 19

Cardinal May 25

May 25

And then…

Nestling June 1

June 1

When the eggs hatched, the house wren’s interest in the honeysuckle nest increased alarmingly. (More than one source reports that house wrens sometimes destroy nearby nests, pecking holes in eggs and even killing nestlings.)

Nestling May 31

But a closer look revealed that the wren wasn’t planning to harm the nest.

Nestling May 30

He was feeding the brood.

Nestling June 1

And so were the cardinals.

Nestling May 31

I’m confused, but the cardinals, the wren, and the nestlings seem content.

Nestling June 1

Nestling May 31

The cardinals bring seeds, while the wren scours the yard for insects.

Wren May 30

And the nestlings greet either meal with enthusiasm.

Nestling May 31

I wonder if this kind of behavior is common. Have the yard’s birds been feeding each other all along?

Wrens May 3

I suppose “wonder” is the key word here, as it usually is in the yard.

Nestling June 1

Rabbit Watching

Rae Spencer6 Comments

The milkweed was meant to be the yard’s monarch nursery, but in April it became a rabbit nursery.

Rabbits April 28

Rabbits are the yard’s charismatic megafauna, and watching rabbit nests is one of my favorite obsessions.

May 4

Rabbits May 4

For the first week or so the babies never leave the nest. During that time I mostly watch their mothers.

Rabbits May 9

Rabbits May 9

Because this nest was in a tall planter, the babies could not return once they began exploring.

Rabbits May 9

May 10

Rabbits May 10

For the first few days, they crossed every open area at a run, dashing from shelter to shelter.

Rabbits May 11

When you are running faster than you think you are, and you can’t jump as high or far as you think you can, you end up tangled in the hose…

Rabbits May 11

And then your brothers and sisters laugh at you.

Rabbits May 11

The babies were on their own most of the time, but their mother visited twice a day to let them nurse. I had fun imagining the stories they told her each evening.

May 11

May 12

(After they finished nursing, of course.)

Rabbits May 12

Each day the babies explored a bit further, memorizing the best hiding places and learning how to graze.

Rabbits May 12

Rabbits May 12

Rabbits May 12

But they still gathered each night near the milkweed, waiting for their mother.

Rabbits May 12

(Squirrels do not appreciate being approached by hungry baby rabbits. The next night they were much more cautious.)

Rabbits May 13

Over the last week they have become completely independent, grazing on grass, clover, and dandelions, venturing further and further from shelter as they grow more confident.

Rabbits May 26

They are beginning to look more like rabbits than bunnies.

Rabbits May 26

Rabbits May 26

But as they become rabbits, more bunnies have arrived. There’s a new nest in the front iris bed, and I’m feeling a strong urge to read Watership Down again.

To be continued…

Light

Rae Spencer8 Comments

Cosmos May 7

I can’t remember noticing, before, how the light changes as spring progresses.

Cosmos May 7

The yard’s surfaces absorb and reflect, soften and sharpen the sun’s new angle.

Iris May

Bees appear to fly through light, not air.

Bee April 29

Bee April 29

And birds strike silhouette poses, as if eager to be photographed.

Warbler April 29

Robin May 6

Is it all in my head, a side effect of spring euphoria? Or is it happening where you live, too?

Warbler May 3

If you live in the southern hemisphere, is it happening in reverse? Light reverting back to air, flattening against fall’s advance as bees and birds prepare for winter?

Spring is in the Air (and in the Ground)

Rae Spencer3 Comments

Fly April 10

When the pear tree’s pollinators finally arrived, they arrived in encouraging numbers. Hoverflies were the first wave, pretending to be bees.

Fly April 10

Fly April 10

A wave of true bees followed.

Bee April 10

Bee April 10

Happily, a few Question Mark butterflies drifted in near the end.

Question Mark April 10

Question Mark April 10

While the pear blooms lasted, the yard’s winter flock of yellow-rumped warblers divided their time between sipping nectar, foraging for insects, and sampling the last block of winter suet.

Warbler April 11

Warbler April 11

(As an aside, I spotted the following warbler yesterday and was confused by its complete lack of yellow feathers. I believe it is a yellow-rumped warbler, but I’ve never seen one that didn’t have at least a blush of yellow under its wings. Please comment if you can correct or confirm my identification!)

Warbler April 22

As the pear tree dropped its petals, we readied the yard for summer. We replaced damaged boards on the aging deck, uncovered the ginger lilies, and swept leaves out of the cactus bed. (The carpenter bees ignored us and concentrated on chasing each other. They also chased warblers, chickadees, crane flies, hoverflies, beetles, bees, leaves, dandelion fluff, and pear petals.)

Bee April 22

The garden stores aren’t fully stocked yet, but we found most of the plants on our list: dill, fennel, milkweed, columbine, annual lantana, snapdragons, salvia, and cosmos.

Flowers April 22

Yesterday, this American Painted Lady butterfly made me wish we had planted more cosmos. (The yard’s 2015 butterfly sightings, so far, are a major improvement over last year’s butterfly drought, but they don’t begin to equal 2012’s impressive migration.)

Butterfly April 22

The yard’s birds have been getting ready for summer, too. This little house wren doesn’t have a mate yet, but he clearly has a favorite house.

House Wren April 21

House Wren April 21

A pair of robins finished their nest last week and now spend most of their hours foraging.

Robin April 22

Robin April 22

(I am amazed by how many worms they find and eat each day.)

Robin April 22

The robins aren’t the only efficient foragers in our area. A pair of osprey make regular passes over the yard, carrying fish. Yesterday I caught a few frames as one of the pair nearly dropped its lunch on the deck.

Osprey April 22

After a brief struggle, which lasted no more than two wingbeats, the osprey managed to subdue its lunch and flew on. What would happen if the fish managed to break free? Would the osprey land on my deck and reclaim its catch? (I’d probably drop my camera and break it, leaving me with no proof of why I dropped it…)

Over the years I’ve found many surprising things in the yard, but never a fish. Perhaps this summer?

Osprey April 22

Except, it’s not summer yet. Today the windows are closed against a surge of chill that moved in overnight and is forecasted to last through the next few days. Mother would have called it dogwood winter, expecting the dogwoods to bloom after the chill passed. Or blackberry winter, if the blackberries were due to bloom. I’m content to call it the end of winter.

Hawk April 18