Day 17.111: Prom; blossom

We went for a little walk at the cemetery on Sunday afternoon. As we arrived we commented on how perfect the cherry blossom was. Then Exile #2 remembered that it had been prom on Saturday evening so on Saturday afternoon these trees will have been mobbed by high school seniors in their fancy clothes taking pictures. The timing was certainly right. 

No teens or fancy clothes with us, but we did what we could. 

Day 17.110: Sploot

It wasn’t particularly hot today, but a warm and sunny spring day was enough to make this squirrel firstly, disinclined to run away when I got out of the car nearby and then, retreat to the shade for a sploot.

Exile #3 is convinced she’s identified that one of our gray squirrels is currently pregnant so, perhaps this is the one and she is feeling the heat a little more than usual. 

In other news, just when we’d given up, we caught sight of one of the broad-winged hawks this evening so that has breathed new life into hawk-watch for a while. 

Day 17.109: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #477

Exile #2 writes...

As Exile #1 mentioned, E5N1 and I went to visit the state university campus in Orono yesterday. We had been there before for a concert but neither Exile #1 nor I could remember exactly where it was before I consulted a map. It was at this point that I realized signing up for an event with a 9am start, at a location 2.5 hours away from home, the morning after a late night event at school maybe wasn’t the smartest idea. We did, however, make it, it not in time for the optional refreshments, then at least so we could tour the campus and test out the canteen!

As a side note, the 2.5 hour journey did not even take us half way across Maine. I shouldn’t be shocked anymore but America really is big.

Day 17.108: Divide and conquer

I spent most of the day at a church spring work day. Here I am hard at work:

Lots of people came and did lots of jobs inside and out, so that was good.  Meanwhile, Exile #2 took E5N1 up to an open house at the University of Maine, Orono. All of which has left us rather tired at the end of the day - except for E5N1 who just left the house to go with some friends to an after-party for the prom (he didn’t go to prom). I would say that I don’t know where he gets his energy but since Exile #2 reported that he slept in the car on both journeys today, I do have some idea. 

Day 17.107: Jazz a la Mode

The first week back after break has been another busy one for E5N1 with a little tour of middle schools that feed the high school with the jazz band yesterday and then, this evening Jazz a la Mode. It was a great evening - the bands were on top form and it was a lovely atmosphere. 

Day 17.106: Wren; will I see you again?

We've had a new user of our brush pile over the last few days - a Carolina wren.

In other news, we haven't seen the hawks in a couple of days. Are they lying low (or maybe even laying low or high for that matter)? Were they seen off by the crows? Did they decide to go in search of some more expansive woodland? Did the battle with the third hawk take a bad turn? We may never know, but we'll keep an eye out for them in case they've just been out of sight when we've been paying attention.

Day 17.105: Frisky hawks

The other night I was trying to work out if the two hawks we could see moving around from tree to tree were both broad-winged hawks:

when, while I was watching this one:

She called out to the other one and then this happened:

So I guess that answers that question. 

The following evening there were at least three - with two of them (presumably two males) doing an extravagant aerial battle through the trees. It’s all go around here.