Yard Work - oh, my!

Last weekends work.  I trimmed Liz picked up all the cuttings, bagged them and got them to the curb :o)  Yeah us!!

 THIS weekends work.  I cut and trimmed and Angela helped bag and rake.  Goodness we have way too many shrubs and bushes!!  I'm thinking of taking out the holly - they are HATEFUL plants to trim and cut you to bits!!  that would be all the taller shrubs in this picture - yes a LOT of holly!!  Maybe some tall decorative grasses instead?  Yeah.  I like that idea.

 Zoom in on this picture - it's a very, very scared baby bird. 

The whole story goes like this; I heard the mom hollering for a LONG time, but didn't ever see a nest.  Never really saw much until I was working the corner and saw this baby hopping around.  I talked to it a bit and told it to stay put... but it didn't listen.  it made it's way to the other side of the hedges where I hadn't trimmed yet.  Then I didn't see it again.  I assumed it went to the other side of the sidewalk where everything is STILL overgrown - that's in a few more weekends!  So, I kept working until I got thirsty.  On my way inside there sat the baby bird IN my garage by the back door.  I edged up to it and similar to the bunnies, didn't want to damage, so the first grab was a miss.  Second grab I got him!  So, I took him back outside and to this corner again.  I didn't get Angela to take a picture of him because his mom was really freaking out by then - really making a racket, and making the baby make a racket, so I let him go.  So - when going back to do something else in the corner I took the opportunity to take a picture of him - cute isn't he?  Until you find out it's a mocking bird baby - ha!  Then, not so cute...

Sad News...

I went out this morning to check on the babies - to see if they had hatched and THIS is what greeted me.  So sad... no more nest, no more babies.  Not sure what got into it - there had been three eggs, only 1 was broken - the other two were still simi-in the nest.  Sooooo sad!!

Poor momma bird - NOTHING left of the nest.  I can't really tell what on earth happened to it - maybe a possum?  We do have those around here... or a snake.  Something decided it was dinner time.