Tag Archives: Bird

The Chili Reaper

8 Oct

The habanero plants are gone, and in its place is a more palatable chili plant. The habaneros were too spicy for us. So no point in planting something that we cannot eat. And lately, there’s been a new visitor to our garden to enjoy the chili as well.

The new chili plant has provided lots of chilis, and now and then, we will give our bumper harvests to our neighbors, friends, and family. Sometimes if hubby does not harvest the chili, the Chili Reaper comes along to eat the chili!

The Chili Reaper is specifically the Yellow-vented Bulbul, and this bird eats only the red chilis! Not the green ones but the red ones. It would perch on the branches and peck away at the ripe chilis.

The Bulbul chili reaper!

I can’t decide whether it is a friend or foe. After all, the chili is in abundance. But it irks us that the bird gets the first choice on the red chilis. Then again, this is one garden visitor who does not wait on us to feed them–like the doves–it just helps itself to what the garden has to offer.

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Pesky Woodpecker is Back!

2 Mar

Hubby discovered a new problem on his prized staghorn fern in the front garden. The pesky woodpecker is back! It seems that Sunday was a day of bird stories. After our golf game and the little bird rescue, we got home, and hubby did his usual routine – watering the plants in the front garden. When he looked up to spray the staghorn, he saw two holes on the shield frond! He was not pleased. This time, the pesky woodpecker made two holes instead of one. Hrmph.

Top: The staghorn looks like Baby Groot with the two holes! Bottom: We’re stuffing your efforts, you varmint!

The next morning, he heard the noisy woodpecker and decided to do something to deter the pest. He stuffed the holes with twigs, leaves, and whatever garden refuse he could find. Later, when we were getting ready to leave the house for the office, we heard the woodpecker’s screeches. It was almost evil sounding as it was angry to discover the holes plugged.

We managed to see the small and feisty brown feathered pesky culprit, but I was not quick enough to take a picture. I can assure you it’s not the same bird as the previous one, although it is the same species, the Rufous Woodpecker. With the holes plugged, I hope it won’t attempt to make another hole! We have to monitor the situation. If it turns for the worse, hubby will do whatever necessary to protect his staghorn fern. We do not welcome woodpeckers in our garden.

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New Carving Direction, Part 2

3 Apr

Carving a new shape is not easy! Three months ago, I used the little birdie that my friend bought for me from Japan as my sample for a new shape to try. It was a real challenge in every aspect – the 3D visualisation and proportion before I even began carving and shaping the block of wood.img_7730

Even though I had all the measurements of the angles and sides, I was still off! Eeeks. Little birdie was without a beak because I miscalculated the allowance that would be shaped into its beak! At that point, little birdie looked nothing like a little bird at all. Hahahaha….

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So a little surgery to add on and some putty magic to fix the problem, otherwise the whole effort would have been wasted! But the effort resulted in little birdie looking like a little duckie! Horrors… challenges after challenges.

Fast forward to the finished piece, little birdie looking like what it should be with a further reduction on the size of the beak. But now, after two months I am still stuck on how it should be finished, as in what color to paint instead of just leaving it in its gessoed state. Sigh… this new carving direction has not been easy.

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Another Garden Visitor

24 May

Our home seems to be a sanctuary not just for us but other creatures as well. Last week, there was the squirrel. A while back, we had a bird making a nest between the branches of the potted plant placed at the car porch. 

We even have bees building a bee hive, more birds, a visiting owl, uninvited snakes, cats and of course, rats. Last night we made another discovery but it was too late to verify. 

This morning, we looked again. It’s another bird! This time, it’s high up on the tree on the front lawn of the house. A rather unusual engineering feat, the nest seems to be hanging precariously off the branch.

We used the binoculars to have a better view and to our delight, saw a black bird with orange feet fidgeting in there.

Let’s hope all’s well with Mama Bird and her babies.

 

Look closely to spot the hanging nest!

 

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