A Walking Stick, Owl And More...

Thank goodness for neighbours.

Yesterday I bumped into my young neighbour whilst waiting at the doctor's. We chatted as one does and inadvertently she dropped a tidbit of information that had me all agog this morning.

Another fox had been seen meandering out of a garden down the road from us and in the morning too. She was quite right to have asked me whether I wasn't scared walking whilst this wild animal was prowling the street! At first when she told me yesterday I laughed at the idea of being scared but this morning, I couldn't resist and took Bob's wooden walking stick along for protection. As if that would deter a wily fox!

Wouldn't you know it... today I ran into just about everyone and everyone asked me why I was taking a stick along. I fessed up my qualm of walking whilst a fox was astir which they clearly thought was stupid ( fox or me with stick? ) but gave me nods and chuckles nonetheless.

Naturally I encountered no one but a few deer and dogs. Anyway, for the next few days I might take it along or until the thought of foxes are mere distant memories on my mind.

It wasn't long after I got back from my walk that my phone rang. It was my neighbour, she of the news about the fox, who asked me if I could investigate a commotion outside our back bathroom window. She couldn't go outside because of her young baby but had noticed a whole flock of birds flying about in great agitation, crying out in fearful tones.

I equipped myself with phone, dish towel and courage and walked outside. It was bizarre to see crows and others circling whilst making a noise as if someone had died. I stepped closer and saw on the verge next to our barn, stuck between bare twigs and thorns, two birds fighting. Well, it was really one big bird ( I think it was an owl ) holding down a smaller bird ( a pretty jaybird ) with the weight of its claw on the birds head. They were screeching like crazy but stopped when they saw me.

At first I didn't know what to do but then I tried to get close to shew the big owl away from its prey. Good grief, did it give me a dirty look yet still it didn't budge from the other bird's head. Eventually I picked up a stick and as I was trying to prod it away, it flew off and thus released its captive. We were all stunned. The eagle held position a few meters off, the hopefully only shocked jaybird flew atop a shrub and I stood there contemplating what I should do, eventually going back inside whilst phoning my neighbour to tell what had happened.

Nature being nature, it must have been the way of this jungle but somehow I at least saved one bird from early death, although I have a sneaky suspicion that once I had gone back inside, the fight would have continued...

Biggi

Birds And Roses.

Great entertainment.

Their song precedes them everywhere. A sweet lyrical whistling of sorts.

On my way to emptying the lawnmower bag on the compost heap out back, I came across this view and had to run back to get my camera.

....Batman returns?.... sitting on this bench outside a house yesterday I kept on hearing tiny feet run up and down the gutters whilst having a whale of a conversation reaching almost bickering point.

A book club of sorts? I could have sworn they were discussing the in's and out's of catching the perfect worm.

Bye bye roses...see you again next year. The red petals are the most vibrant of all and make even a broken barn look fabulous.

Biggi

Birds And Their Love Of Nesting In Insulation.

Old fashioned walls seem safer.

Sporadic holes in outside walls are a great indicator of modern insulation. It took me a while to realize that only those house walls that are covered in a layer of insulation are all the rage for some birds to peck their nests.

Cheekily sitting atop their new abode tweeting about life's ups and downs...

This little homeowner has made itself comfortable and is inspecting his realm.

I braved the elements on Sunday morning, but not for long. It must have been close to minus 13 and despite being dressed warmly, the icy cold wind did anything but caress my face. Yikes it was cold but the play of light on trees and snow was lovely.

A layer of snow had embedded itself on most branches, settling in for the next few days. No chance of it melting anytime soon despite the odd sunshine.

I wish I could convey to you the divine sparkling of the individual sun's rays meeting the icy crystals making up this snow. Absolutely worthwhile braving that cold. The vineyards were clothed in white layers interspersed with frozen puddles between the rows. Winter, cold and icy but nevertheless very scenic.

Biggi

And Suddenly The Cold Disappeared.

Spring seems to be in the air.

Only yesterday all was frosted over and it seems unreal to have such a warm day ahead.

The rows of vines are standing neatly awaiting the new year ahead and all the attention centered around their life.

I often wonder what these hay bales are there for...to me they have become the halfway marker of my Deutsch Schützen route.

Birds are gathering on twigs and branches perhaps discussing the madness of flying to warmer climes.

The winding curves of the bike paths form a harmonious network between villages, vineyards and Buschenschanks.

Aren't these two birds absolutely stunning? They let me come close enough to take a few photos before fluttering off in a mad rush to safer trees. The warmer weather has brought a song to most birds peaks and it was a pleasure to be accompanied by an twittering symphony...

Biggi

Beautiful Nature.

The essential to life...

This one is for the wonderful colour combination and good for my soul.

This stately bird of prey was almost waiting for me to take a few snaps, as when I had finished the second photo, it took off to loftier heights...or to catch a mouse or two.

Gosh, you almost want to tie a yellow ribbon around this tree....

A seemingly wild rose growing on the edge of a vineyard. I love walking and seeing the various elements that make up our area. Vines, Kellerstöckls, flowers and many paths.

We met a dog and his owner along the way and it afforded me the time to take in the view and to show it to you. Green pastures covered in wildflowers, forests as far as the eye can see and of course the blue sky.

Another favourite of mine. The distinct barns scattered about the neighbourhood. This one is unused, but has seen many episodes of someone's life. If only walls could talk.

Biggi

A Red Breasted Robin, Pretty As A Picture.

A backyard affair...

Coming home from my walk, this fellow was waiting for me and couldn't be bothered by anything at all.

In between posing rather professionally, he took leave to have a bite of cereal...as one does for breakfast.

Before seeing my little friend, I heard him and his bevy of feathery friends serenading while the sun was rising. Rather nice, isn't it?

The mystique ice over tree, a portal to many an Edgar Wallace story.

Despite being blessed with a bright yellow chest, this little bird paled in comparison with my red little friend.

Who knew that we'd have a hidden buddha on our doorstep....

Biggi

No Reason To Sleep In Late...

Summer cheer is here!

Have you also experienced it? The wake up call from the neighbourhood's bird association? Gosh, they start early and with an open window, it could be easily mistaken for your own special opera performance.

The other day while we were sitting outside in the late afternoon sun, Bob asked me to close my eyes and count the number of different birds tweeting. Just by closing my eyes, the proliferation of different bird peeps, was amplified.

Take this morning for example, a typical Burgenland morning, one where the sun is already at a happy stance in the sky and the birds are conversing with gay abandon. Too beautiful for words. Even the woodpecker's dull knocking hasn't undermined the symphony in progress.

One voice that occasionally joins in tends to be out of tune so to say; our little cat is lounging on the window sill and taking in the various chirps and tweets with a quivering tail. The minute she actually sees the singer in question, she gets all excited and does a fair rendition of cat meows...those that mean that she'd like to have a closer acquaintance with the birds.

At times, Mausi sits on the inside of our window, and Tigger opposite her on the outside and they do their sniffing and greeting routine through the mosquito netting. All cute and cuddly until our little Mausi hisses like a banshee and with an angry growl and swipe, knocks her elderly companion off the window sill...rather a shock for both Bob and I to see our little princess behave like a rude termagant...

Just a little purple beauty to start the week...a delightful plant on the verge of the wheat fields.

Biggi

It Only Took A Flutter & Emancipation Flew Out The Window.

There is nothing like a strong cave man husband.

You know I can parallel park with panache and of course only in an empty street with no onlookers ( especially a husband ), I can chop my own onions, I can feed our wildcat and I can manoeuvre my way around an airport with ease but there are some things, where the only solution is to scream at the top of my lungs for Bob to come to the rescue.

It's not really fair towards men, but we still do sometimes cling on to our age old weakness. Well I do at least. Need I say more than the word Spiders or Strange noises at night that make most of us suddenly revert to being the weaker lot? And gladly so!

Anyway, yesterday morning I had opened all the doors and windows to get a breath of fresh air and while I was taking the washing out of the machine, I heard a loud woosh sound and saw two fast moving shapes flying past the bathroom door. Oh my gosh, what was that?

I had just recovered from my fright when these shapes flew back the other way. Oh, I then realized that two swallows had thought our entrance rather attractive and made a turn into our house. But with no obvious exit, this poor bird and his wingman got scared and flew backwards and forwards with speed and the odd crying noise. As much as I wanted to help them, I was still busy hiding behind the door from the big bad birds that could fit into the palm of my hand, come to think of it.

" Bob! Booooob! Quick, you've got to help."

I have got to hand it to Bob, he was there in a flash from wherever he was working in the garden
( my high pitched scream could have woken up the whole neighbourhood ). As soon as Bob came in, I tried to calmly, while still hovering behind the bathroom door, tell him ( stupidly because the birds were doing a fly by ) that birds had lost their way.

Suddenly Bob disappeared again and I thought: ' Unbelievable. He knows I am in a spot of bother and he is a fireman after all...' I timed the fly by in the same manner as we did as kids, while jumping the rope held by friends, and dashed out the front door to see where Bob had gone to.

As I was about to have a wifely ( a.k.a. high pitched / supersonic ) cadenza, I realized Bob had actually started to help these birds. He was taking off our mosquito netting so the frightened birds could fly outside easier. You know, I was so proud of Bob. He knew instantly how to deal with two birds while calming down his bird...me.

All I can say that it was fortunate that the birds weren't bats. Bob has a phobia about bats and once back in S.A. a bat flew into our flat and if I recall correctly, we both hid in the bathroom until the bat left on its own accord....

Biggi

A Wonderful Top Of The Morning To You...

A few pictures with even a green one on St. Patrick's Day.

Would you believe it, but we have our own St. Patrick's sign here! Well as close as can be. The main thing on this whole green sign is the caption:

Paradise straight ahead...

oh, and this sign is right outside our village, Eisenberg!!!

Everything is starting its cycle towards blossoming and it is a sight for winter weary eyes.

Those two know what the simple pleasures in life are...friends, chatting and a worm or two!

...and not to forget about that comfortable feeling of sitting in a bathtub! Living it up in our gutters.

This morning the cacophony of tweets coming through the open lounge window, made me go outside and take a few pictures. Gosh, there was a communication highway atop of our trees and roofs.

This dove (?) chose to sit and observe in a ladylike manner.

The excitement of this little birdie almost jumps off the picture. Goodness, he was tweeting constantly and furiously.

Biggi

A Woodpecker And His Dance In The Splendour Of A Winter's Morning In The Vineyards .

Notoriously shy, this woodpecker was anything but.

That is the thing about a walk in the morning, you never know what will come your way. Yesterday, when I happened upon a friend sweeping her garage, little did I know I would get to see a woodpecker. Her garden is her pride and joy and naturally it includes a wonderful bird paradise. More of a Bird-Inn. An abundance of sunflowerseeds at the bottom of it, makes our daily handfuls of birdfood look very meager!

Can you believe that this close to Christmas we still have islands of greenery all over? Almost unheard of, even though our part of Austria is sometimes refered to as the Florida of Austria...The vines in the vineyards are bare of leaves yet the grass still has a lovely hue of green between the isles. Oh, and it was 12 degrees during the day! Anyway, when I saw who was the guest of honour in the Bird-Inn, I couldn't resist...

He is so pretty that I thought you wouldn't mind if I show a series of photos with him being the center of attention!

This woodpecker has a routine. He hops down the wooden pole to collect a sunflower seed and then hops back up while at the same time eating the seed. Gosh, he is so quick that it wasn't easy to capture him on film.

Isn't his colouring amazing? That red on the neck is one of nature's amazing displays of perfection. Now that I know that a woodpecker is rather pretty, I will turn a deaf ear to the constant knock knock it performs.

At first it looks like the Bird-Inn is without customers, but if you look closely, you can spot a thirsty bird on the left and an awaiting customer on the right.

A photo taken a mere minute after, but the sun was at a different angle and I think the photo doesn't need many words. I like it.

This tree or rather the Reception of The Bird Inn is a mere meter next to it. The birds weren't used to me and took a safe perch in the Reception....It was and is a blessing to be able to walk and encounter nature in all its splendour.

Biggi

Those Birds Of A Feather, Do Flock Together.

Twittering is happening everywhere in Eisenberg.

It makes a nice change to hear a chorus of tweeters serenading at all hours of the day. Morning, noon and night it seems. Even this late in the year our bird life is in full swing. The only irritating member of the chorus seems to live just across the road from our bedroom ...the woodpecker. How can a little bird like that can make such a drumming beat...?

Here are some of them. Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. All sweetness indeed. It is not so easy to photograph birds as they scatter at the drop of a pin, never mind my pins.

The lone outsider wanted to hide behind non-existent leaves. Ha, easy work for me. Some of the birds have an innate sense of style and know how to pose to their best advantage.

Bob has decided to up the food ante over Winter. We have a bag of bird food and throw handfuls of it on our kitchen garden in the mornings. Gosh, it is a hive of activity. I came back from my walk and saw a lovely display of speed-diving for sunflower seeds.

The bird almost blends in, doesn't it? The center stage of feeding. A week into our feeding and the seeds barely touch the ground before they get picked up.

When they became aware of me, it took a while of standing still before they ventured out again. This little fellow reminds me so much of a masked superhero. His stance, look and glance. Isn't his plumage amazing in its detail?

Appropriately he had had enough of me and turned his other cheek. I got the message and left them alone.

Biggi