So Walt is on the ground in Montréal, and the plan was for him to go out to dinner with our friends N. and Y., who live there. I hope all went as planned and they had a good time at the restaurant. I'm kind of jealous but I'm also enjoying the fantastic weather here in Saint-Aignan.
The tasks I have to do here are mundane, but there are always nice little surprises when you start puttering around and cleaning things out. My first job was to clear out the little sun porch downstairs, which is the main entrance to our house. We had it glassed in 10 or 12 years ago. It was a mess, with too many potted plants that over-wintered in there and were looking basically scraggly. Now I have to sort through the plants, compost some of them, and re-pot others. Above you can see how the sun porch looks now. I should have taken a "before" shot.
As I was moving plants out and setting them down in the shade on the north side of the house, I happened to notice some movement in the gravel out back. It was a small bird (above) — a gold finch or, in French, un chardonneret — lying on its back, legs twitching. It apparently had crashed into the closed window upstairs and knocked itself nearly unconscious. I went and got a gardening glove and my camera, thinking I would pick the bird up and put it where it wouldn't get stepped on, or seen by the dog or cat. I found it upright and alert when I got back, and a few minutes later it flew away.
Another little surprise was a couple of amaryllis bulbs that I found in a zip-top bag on one of the shelves I was cleaning off. I had brought them back from North Carolina in March, stashed them on the shelf, and then forgotten about them. The bulbs had already sprouted inside the bag. I took them out and planted them in pots for the time being. I hope they'll flower soon. I have to figure out where I can plant them in the yard.
Nice close up picture of the finch. Glad the little guy wasn't hurt.
ReplyDeleteYour amaryllis look ready to pop with blooms...Mine did a nice job last year, but this year, I've gotten only leaves. But we had a very warm winter...don't know if that's relevant...Hope W is enjoying Montreal.
I don't know much about amaryllis. My mother gave me these bulbs, which she had permission to dig up on the property at her retirement complex. She tells that that there in N.C. the amaryllis really spread fast, so I should be careful where I plant them. I guess they're like tulips and some other bulbs that need a spell of freezing weather in winter to keep them going.
DeleteI hope the goldfinch did get away -- in other words, that Bertie didn't see him. He seemed to be a baby bird, but I don't know. Inexperienced with window glass. Birds slam into our big glass windows on a regular basis in springtime.
I LOVE AMARYLIS
ReplyDeleteI'll take pictures of the amaryllis when and if they flower.
DeleteA glassed-in entry--a sas, they call it--is so useful. We have two big chairs in ours, and it's a lovely place to sit when it's too cold or windy to be all the way outside. Ours is on the north, so it doesn't overheat.
ReplyDeleteNotre sas est exposé à l'est, donc soleil le matin mais pas l'après-midi. Pour les plantes, c'est bien comme ça. Nous avons une terrasse couverte du même côté de la maison alors c'est là que nous passons nos après-midi et soirées en été. Il doit faire souvent pas mal de vent dans le midi, non ?
DeleteGreat job on the cleaning of the sun porch. It looks wonderful! I hadn't realized that you had it glassed in after moving in -- I thought you bought the house with it that way.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very sweet looking bird and you photographed it really well.
ReplyDeleteSweet little bird, glad it was OK.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a very nice little warm spot for winter plants and sitting. And I had no idea you could plant amaryllis outside -- I've only ever seen it as forced bulbs, one to a pot.
Ken, that was an adult Goldfinch... Babies aren't around quite yet...but judging by activities here, they aren't far off!
ReplyDeletePicture windows are a menace, unfortunately....the birds see the reflection of the world outside and fly on through .....only there is a big sheet of glass in the way.
We've put up silhouettes of raptors....one per window....and this seems to have almost stopped any accidental collisions ....it hasn't stopped deliberate contact when the birds, tits especially, feed on the insects on the glass....so I am not sure how they work....it obviously doesn't stop them interacting with the window if they want to....but we are happy to have avoided many collisions.
The stickers, which go on the outside of the glass, are available from the LPO...who get them from the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology).