Mark S of Naturalist Weekly has written a post about the third micro-season, The Pheasant First Calls, of the mini-season, Minor Cold. He then discusses the various kinds of pheasants as well as invites readers to post a haiku or senryu about a bird currently residing in the area. To read the complete post, check out https://naturalistweekly.com/2023/01/20/micro-season-the-pheasant-first-calls/
Here is the haiku which this pedometer geek wrote for the prompt:
winter robins flock
to crab-apple tree
–snowy afternoon
~Nancy Brady, 2023
This afternoon my husband looked out the window and called to me about the flock of robins on and under our crab-apple tree. There must have been twenty or thirty of them eating the remaining fruit despite the light snow that was falling, covering the branches.
Because of the water feature in our front yard, we often have birds, especially robins, drinking and bathing in it. In the winter, we install a bird bath heater in it. When the temperatures goes below freezing, this “pond” supplies fresh water for birds and other animals.
Long digression here, but this past few days, I spent some time visiting with my son, my daughter-in-law, and our newest grandson. They recently moved to another home in a different neighborhood. The neighbor across the street has adopted some guinea fowl, which roam the neighborhood. They often sun themselves on my son’s front porch in the morning. By the way, they are noisy birds; their call sounds like bed-springs squeaking. After reading Mark’s blog, I wondered if they could be related to pheasants, and after looking it up, I have found out that they are.
To read more about guinea fowl, and to see a photo of one, check out the following site: https://www.heritageacresmarket.com/guinea-fowl/
nbsmithblog...random digressions and musings 
First, congratulations on your grandbaby. Now, I’m sure his new home will be on the noisy side with screeching birds and a new child to contend with. I hope they are able to tell the difference!
Loved the haiku also. Even though I don’t like snow, it’s too cold, you again painted a nice picture. Robins are pretty birds so both you and your husband will get a lot of pleasure watching them. As always, nice job here.
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Thanks, JC. It took me too long to get out there and meet him. He’s three months old and already knows how to make noise. And so do the birds. I was warned, but I was still surprised how loud they were.
As for the robins, they cleared the tree of all the crab-apples, and they are gone already. Hopefully, we’ll see them at our “pond.”
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Beautiful imagery. You live in a wonderful neighborhood/area with bird song which your new grandchild will enjoy. I know mine does. 🙂
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Thanks so much, Mary Jo. I hope he gets to visit soon because we really do have lovely bird song here. We have so many species of birds, and there is nothing better than to go out on the porch in early summer before the sun rises and listen to the birds who, one by one, begin to sing until there is a full chorus and the sun begins to shine. ~nan
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I so appreciated the story about your son’s house and the guinea fowl. I can imagine them wandering across the street every morning because the sun is better over there. Wonderful haiku. The imagery is perfect for the season! Thanks for writing and sharing.
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Thanks, Mark, for reading and complimenting my haiku. You are absolutely right. They camp out every morning in the sun. I took some pictures of them, but they scare easily and run away. Alas… ~nan
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Nice… Guineafowl (sometimes called “pet speckled hens” or “original fowl”) are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are related to pheasants. Do the neighbors raise them for eggs or food? In a close neibhborhood there is a home with a rather large caged area for chickens. I am to far away to know if they have a rooster. I’d venture a guess that they’ve got eggs. 😉 But I wonder the cost of habitate, fowl and feed – if they are paying equal or more per dozen?
Nice to visit with your Kiddos and New Grand!!! Yay!
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I first saw guinea fowl in Kenya (they are African birds). I don’t think they are raising them for eggs or food. They inherited them from the former owner, who left the three birds after the sale. This is according to my son. The new owner’s flock is now up to nine birds (one limping), and now plans on buying a peacock. He is asking for donations to help defray costs on feed from the neighbors, but whether he’ll get any or not, who knows?!
I think it is interesting that many families (in urban areas) are now raising chickens. I still think of them as farm animals (in the country), but I guess they aren’t difficult to raise. Personally, I can’t see doing it, but I understand why others might.
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We have some rules I think about what pets you can have in certain neighborhoods. Mostly in regards to noise. One home had a pet goose. But the ‘new’ neighbors whined and the goose family had to find it a country home.
At this point I don’t want any pets. Just the birds outside are enough 🙂
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It may be that where they live has more liberal rules about pets (including the guinea fowl). I certainly understand why you might not want any pets except for the birds in the trees and bushes. Having a pet definitely tends to curtail travel. Regulus can handle staying with our friend for a night or two, but not much more than that, but any trip longer than that means only one of us travel and the other stays home. We’d like to travel a bit, maybe take a Road Scholar tour again, visit family, but don’t know if or when. Alas… ~nan
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