My catbird companion

I have gained the trust of a male squirrel, my Nelson, my very special chipmunk, Fyra (with many striped understudies), but never a the trust of a wild bird. This lovely catbird and mate return to us each spring. They build their nest next to our house in a large bush spending much time spying on us and flitting around the back patio, bathing and singing. This year I discovered that they adore dried mealworms. Unfortunately, we also have Natalie, a rather tame young squirrel who shares the same love of the delicacy. She competes daily with the catbirds, always winning. Each morning I put out a new supply as a catbird waits patiently, often after enjoying a great splashing bath. Today I just stayed about an arm's length away as she ate her snack. I turned, quietly and went in for my camera. She was still contentedly snacking  when I came back out. I took this as she continued to gobble her breakfast, watching me so sweetly. I used my long lens, but I could have shot this with a 35mm lens as well, standing very close, silently still, in awe of her/his beauty and trust. What a gift to co-exist with such beautiful wild things, winning and feeling their quiet trust.

For the Record, 
This day came in dark with sprinkles and the threat of more rain all weekend. My brother and sister -in- law are probably halfway to our shared summer place in Machiasport Maine for a week in our favorite place in the world. I'm headed to the painting studio and looking forward to a quiet weekend. We are late to the party , but have been watching Foyle's War and loving the series so much. We have 4 more episodes. Lucky for us PBS is starting the next season of Last Tango in Halifax.


 The US Supreme Court has just ruled on Marriage Equality. A historic decision, Same Sex Marriage is now the law of the land.