Thursday Miscellany--When You Look A Little Closer

The Sparrow and the Catbird wait on the edge of the bath for one to make a move.


Closer? How often have you seen the Catbird's "red underwear"?


And a Robin's "white underwear"?

Closer, there is the grand variety of invertebrates. Though his beak is well stuffed he is calling to another Robin. (The sound is a only a touch muffled. )

And here, though his beak seemed full, there is the addition of a fat pink worm.

After a drink the Grackle leaps to the fore-edge of the bath and crouches.

A pause.

Going nearer, look at his eyes. They are rolled forward for binoc vision.

Look at the difference between these two flowers sets of pistils and stamens.

Here a clematis with a third very different set of sexual organs from the first two.

Mrs Cardinal sits her nest. In fact today she was caught standing on the side of the nest, staring down into the bowl and cocking her head. It's a hatch!

What is so unusual? Forget bark and lichen, these Cardinals have stuffed a plastic bag into their nest for lining. In fact they look to be missing the entire side of the nest, or never built it as the plastic bag was handy and available.

Tiger Lilies in the rain. Look at the drops of rain all lined up next to the vein of the petal in the bottom flower's right side. Is it the shape of the flower that lines them up or is it just angle and flower wax?

Here we have a Grey Squirrel having a snack. Perhaps nothing all that interesting but think again.

The wonder of squirrel paws.

Yes, he's eating a sunflower seed but look at how delicately he can hold the seed with his furry thick digits. Goodness, look at that nose! No wonder it was thought for ages that instead of remembering where they've buried their nuts, which is actually the case, it was thought they might be able to retrieve them by being able to smell them under the ground. Until they took a closer look.

Donegal Browne