birdfeeders Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

One Thing Better

I’m luxuriating in the cocoon created by a luscious snowstorm. There’s nothing better than the muffled whisper of snow falling in the midst of a forest. Well – maybe there’s one thing better: the prospect that the snow may fall even harder and faster tomorrow, and we’ll have the chance to enjoy the wintry isolation yet another day.

Karl and I walked this evening, well after dark, and not a single car passed us on our two mile trek. The silence was exquisite. The firelight flickering across the snow from the neighbor’s bay window was warm and inviting, and I could just imagine him wrapped in an afghan reading a favorite book.

The Outset

Knowing that there’s a good chance we’ll get a decent amount of snowfall in this system, I took a few photos of my feathered friends as they stocked up on the sunflower seeds I’d just packed into their feeders. The photo at the top of this was taken at 12:12 this afternoon – only shortly after the snowstorm arrived.

I don’t know if you can see it, but a chickadee was in the midst of making what could almost be called a crash landing into the feeder just as I took the shot. It’s too bad you can’t get the full flavor of the ‘live’ photo; it was rather amusing.

I took this photo, though, to document the progression of the storm. I intend to take another photo at 12:12 tomorrow (Monday) – just for comparison’s sake.

The photo below is simply offered to document the fact that we have some ginormous wrens in our neck of the woods. This particular wren has to be twice the size of the others I’ve seen. It’s tough to get a photo of it for comparison’s sake, though, because it seems to almost stamp its feet at the smaller wrens, scaring them away.

Franken Wren – Photo: L. Weikel

Enjoy the Moment

Wishing all of you a delectable Monday. I hope no one needs to drive anywhere and you can get whatever pressing obligations you have taken care of expeditiously enough to allow you some time to just be. Maybe the snow will continue falling long enough for you to take a walk tomorrow evening, too.

Happy Imbolc. Happy 1^st day of February.

Wren is larger than it appears – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-299)

Our new friend – Photo: L. Weikel

Gorgeous

I was going to title this post ‘Reputation,’ since that’s the keyword attributed to Skunk in my tried and true Medicine Cards* by Jamie Sams and David Carson. But after I looked at the photos I have to share, there really is only one word that comes to mind. Gorgeous.

Just look at this amazing creature. I can only presume this is the same one that got spooked last week (and let it’s displeasure be known) when Spartacus suddenly bounded in its direction. Clearly Spartacus’s presence has not dissuaded it from finding the plethora of sunflower seeds much to its liking and well worth the stress of dealing with a cat and a dog that uncannily resemble some of its closest relatives. (What is it with us and black-and-white pets?)

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that Cletus and our Skunk Friend are involved in a little inter-species flirtation. They bear an uncanny resemblance to each other. In fact, I saw Stinky bolt from underneath the feeders, waddling furiously to take refuge, alarmingly, underneath my car. Had I not seen Cletus bound down the flagstone path only moments before, I would have assumed it was he and not given it another thought. They’re almost identical in size and fluff.

But just look at this skunk’s luxurious pelt! Its back is almost entirely white with a black stripe – as opposed to black with a white stripe – and its ample and impressive tail is adorned with a flourish of brilliance.

Adorable – Photo: L. Weikel

Sassy and Adorable

What gets me is the sassy and adorable attitude. I know I should be viewing this beautiful beast’s presence in our yard with more dismay, but I can’t. I love that it’s sharing space with us, at least for the time being. I just hope Spartacus has learned to be at least a bit more circumspect when catching sight of it.

And it most definitely feels quite at home. The other night, when I took these photos, it initially loped in a frenzy to take refuge underneath my car. But it bravely peeked out and waddled back toward the porch where I was standing within less than a minute. I was astonished.

I took a cute little video of it meandering around the yard. It didn’t seem to mind at all that I’d flooded the area with light from the garage and porch. It ventured over our Hill of Moss and trotted through piles of leaves, stopped to sniff and snuffle at the base of our maple tree until nonchalantly returning to the source of its evening repast: our birdfeeders. All the while, I sat on the porch videoing and photographing it.

I was reminded of the hilarious video about the honey badger. Honey Badger “just don’t give a shit” – and neither does our resident skunk.

There’s a lesson here for me – and probably a lot of us. Perhaps on a lot of levels. I just know it.