Birds: Cinnamon likes some but not others

Here I am bird watching.

It was a fine evening in the backyard. My owner and I were communing and bird-watching. First we watched a pair of Red Tailed Hawks circle overhead. I was thinking that they might attack me. I decided the best safe place for me would be to hide under my blue bench.

I kept sniffing the air and sensed a squirrel in the not too distant woods. My owner thought I was a bit loco because the branches were moving. The squirrel was hopping from branch to branch and I really didn't see it. I was too busy sniffing. Smell is my strongest sense by far.

But back to the birds. My favorite visitors to the back yard are the Colibri. Oh, that's right. I'm not in New Mexico anymore. You folks won't understand. Colibri are Hummingbirds. They buzz and they hum in our yard and come to feed at the special bird feeder. When they get their fill, they buzz off into the tree-tops. They love our bird feeder.

Here comes a friendly Hummingbird to our feeder

I am annoyed by bees, flies and blue jays. But why am I not annoyed by the buzzing Colibri? Why don't I growl at them and chase them? I think it is because the Colibri remind me of my homeland... of New Mexico. There are many hummingbirds that fly through when they migrate to and from Mexico. They are my friends. Colibri help the plants and they make my garden pretty. And, most importantly, they remind me of the land of my birth.

My friends in New Mexico had about four hummingbird feeders in their backyard. They had lots of hummers coming and going. I loved spending time there with my friends Pinta and Bridget. I even kind of liked Aly, even though she was testy at times.

Me gusta las Colibries

The Colibri remind me of home. I am kind to them. They don't buzz me and are kind to me!

They are kinder than Sammy the Blue Jay and those Red Tailed Hawks that circle overhead. Of course there are the noisy blackbirds. I get tired of the "Caw, Caw, Caw."

So now that I have had my visit from my Hummingbird friend, I am off to bed.

Photography copyright: Elizabeth Rose Photography

Cinnamon at the Wildlife Refuge: No Hunting Here!

Here I am stuck in the car

I was really excited when I found out I was going to the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge today. Imagine... wildlife! I retreated into my fantasy world again and imagined myself hunting deer (well, annoying them anyway), nutria and ducks. I could be like my retriever friends and be a real hunting dog. Right?

So I found out what my hunting trip would be like when we drove up to the refuge gate and read the signs. Come to find out, they don't even let DOGS out of the cars. Some wildlife! NO wildlife for me, it seemed. So I spent most of the day watching out the window. Mind you, the friend driving us had built a keen observation deck for me inside the car but I couldn't get out and chase anything. Grrr.

First we saw a deer with huge ear tags. #10 this deer was. He must have been something. He still had velvet on his antlers. A nice deer but I couldn't chase him.

Here's that deer with the #10 tag.

Then we saw a Wood Duck and, down the road, saw a mallard standing on a log with some turtles. Oh, what I would have given to make those turtles jump into the water!

A duck and turtles - fun to scare!

Farther on, we stopped for a snack and I got real beef jerky. Our friend made it just for me.

We kept on driving and saw more ducks, some eagles and some cranes. It was all very exciting and I looked out of the window most of the time but sure wished I could have gotten out and sniffed some of the wildlife!