Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Parakeet Sunshower


Dave and I were sitting in the living room yesterday evening when he pointed out the window to show me a parakeet on the bird feeder. As we watched a second one landed, and I went to get the camera. By the time I got back, we had a third! I don't think I've ever seen so many on our feeders at once. They were chowing on those suet balls, and all in the middle of a sunshower.

I had to take the picture through our windows, which are a bit on the grimy side, because of course if I'd tried to open them, the birds would have flown off. Photography dilemmas!


The candytuft is blooming again...


...as is the aquilegia, or columbine. See the little ant on the middle flower?

We got some news yesterday about major changes coming to the library for the next school year. Basically the school is taking some of our space to make a classroom, and the head librarian has decided to change the arrangement of the collection as a result -- so we're going to need to pack up almost every single one of our 27,000 books and move them to different shelves. We'll do some additional weeding and reorganization as needed. It's going to be a gigantic job, and we can't begin until at least June 1, because we've got students using the resources until then. I get palpitations just thinking about it!

52 comments:

Janie Junebug said...

That photo is fantastic! I love it! What a job it will be to make changes to the library. Should keep you busy for a long time.

Love,
Janie

Anonymous said...

That is going to be a huge job. I don't envy your back.

Normally by the time I grab the camera, the birds fly away.

Moving with Mitchell said...

The photo, even through glass, is charming. Your garden is an oasis. That library renovation does NOT sound like fun. And it's the kind of thing, once known, you'd want to jump right into so you can feel in control. Fortunately, June isn't far off, but I don't envy you all that work.

David said...

Well if the windows are grimy, they certainly don't show! I enlarged the picture as big as I could get and I am sure everything looked like raindrops! Great picture. On the other note, moving 27,000 books sounds like a horrendous job. I don't envy you.

Frances said...

Your Candytuft and Aquilegia are much further on than mine ! Shows how much warmer it is in the big city! ( you must only be about 20/25 miles south of here!)

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Wow! Changing the library like that sounds like loads of fun! A bit like a visit to Disneyworld.

Jennifer said...

That's a gorgeous picture of the ringneck parakeets in a sunshower! The title intrigued me and the pictures didn't disappoint. Awesome!

Debby said...

I didn't know that you had parakeets there! I thought they were a tropical bird. Your columbine are beautiful.

Vivian Swift said...

Beautiful photo of the parakeets! Just stunning, and I would not have known that you shot it through a window if you hadn't told me.

Your task of moving 27,000 books was just the motivation I needed to re-shelve our 100 books back into the newly-painted bookcase in our den. Thank you for an all-round inspiring post.

Elizabeth said...

You've got your work cut out for you! I wish I could move to London and work there with you in the library for the summer --

Bob said...

The parakeets in the rain is a great shot!

That will be some job, moving that much stuff around, no matter how much you weed out.

Ms. Moon said...

Oh, those parakeets! How very weird it is that you get parakeets in London and yet, I've never, ever seen one in Lloyd. Or Tallahassee for that matter.
27,000 books?! Good Lord. Are they going to pay for your chiropractic care?

TJ Davis said...

I get Curiosity Stream as part of my Roku programs. I paid for it. On it was a program titled, Parrot Nation. I hope that's right. It was a discussion of recent, last few years, parrot migrations. They pointed out that places like London where you can get snow, have parrots now. Some they can trace to pet shops that were turned free, but many more flew there on their own. No one knows why. London is not the only city that is experiencing that. Climate change? No one knows but it was odd to see large parrots in the trees in the snow.

Tom

Marcia LaRue said...

Your pictures are simply beautiful! Growing up, we had a green parakeet we named Joe and he could talk up a storm! LOL
As for the Library rearrangement ... take a deep breath and just do NOT make a job [any job] more difficult then it has to be!
The Columbine is Colorado's State Flower!!

Anonymous said...

Those parakeets are so beautiful! I would love to look out the window and see such a sight.
Oy, the library rearrangement sounds like a lot of work. I hope it doesn't get too crazy.

Ellen D. said...

Your photos are amazing! The parakeets look like a portrait painted! Cool!
Can you get some student or parent volunteers to help with that work? We always had helpers come in when we did big jobs like that. We rewarded them with food usually or they could pick a book from the removing pile. Good luck!

Sharon said...

Gorgeous flowers and I LOVE the parakeets in the sunshower. It sounds like you have got a big job ahead of you. I've been putting off the need to either replace my carpet or have it stretched. The amount of stuff I have to move to do that is a bit over whelming so I think I know how you feel.

Mary said...

Great photos. As for the library rearrangement/rebuild, would you normally have had the summer off when school closes? By the sounds of it, you won't get much time off once this reno starts. Don't envy you that gargantuan task. Best of luck.

Margaret said...

Parakeets in the wild? In England? I thought they only lived in warm climates or in captivity. Love the flowers but do NOT love the idea of moving all the books. By their nature, you're looking at many heavy loads. Ugh.

The Bug said...

Love your parakeet photo! We have the same dilemma re: windows - but ours are grimier than yours (I am a slovenly housewife).

Well, your big project totally eclipses mine (new personnel database, possibly, maybe, at some future date).

Allison said...

That is a great photo of the ringnecks. They're very adaptable birds, and have flourished many places.

Catalyst said...

When we had our bookstore we tried to keep the books in alphabetical order by author. It was nearly an every evening job to reorder them after a day of customers. I grew tired of it.

Red said...

Administrators don't seem to have any respect for Our turf.

Beth Reed said...

Hi
I loved your post today and the parakeets are definitely doing some strange migration patterns but I don't mind if they don't lol, but last evening I was outside watching our geese head back to the near by lake/park and a blue parakeet flew straight over my head and landed on the rooftop of the apartment building across from us. I watched as it sat there until it became to dark to see and I sent him good vibes as I bid him goodnight. I think that he must have either escaped or been freed. He was a tiny little thing.
By the way your photos are just gorgeous and I think that I would not have ever thought that you had taken the photo thru your windows unless you had told me.

It has been a rather quiet day for us here in Nevada. My granddaughters uncle came and took her for the day to play with her cousins so I have been doing the relaxing thing.

Wouldn't it be delightful if the school employed a few students to help with the packing and moving of 27,000 books plus??? Extra credits or community volunteer programs or something to be of help.
I would have had a huge anxiety attack because that is going to be a heck of a job and a hard one at that. I will be thinking of you. Hugs xxxx

The Padre said...

Parakeets Photo, Flipping Amazing!!! Thank You

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, it's going to wear us out, I think!

Steve Reed said...

I miss a lot of shots, believe me. It's physically impossible to have the camera hanging around my neck all the time!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, we're already starting work on it, but there's SO much to do.

Steve Reed said...

I'm glad the dirt on the window was successfully disguised to look like rain! LOL

Steve Reed said...

I'm sure we are a bit ahead -- and it feels freezing here. It was 37º F last night!

Steve Reed said...

It's going to be extremely tiring, and in that respect it's JUST like a visit to Disney World.

Steve Reed said...

Thanks! I do like the little sparkly raindrops. The light was just right.

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, there are tons of wild ones. They're an introduced species but they're amazingly adaptable and seem to be doing very well here.

Steve Reed said...

Excellent! I'm glad I was motivational! Oh, I forgot to mention your Korean translation -- I'll do it in an upcoming post.

Steve Reed said...

We'd love to have you! (But actually, I won't be working all summer -- just a few weeks at the end of this school year and the beginning of next year. We think we can get everything done in that time frame. Fingers crossed!)

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, it's going to be a drag, no question.

Steve Reed said...

There are TONS of wild parrots down in Tampa and environs. I believe they're monk parakeets there, as opposed to ring-neck parakeets here.

Steve Reed said...

Interesting! I was under the impression that our parakeet flocks are the descendants of released pets. I didn't realize there were also parrots migrating more widely.

Steve Reed said...

The library move is definitely a good example of a task that requires a bit-by-bit approach. If we think about it in its entirety it seems overwhelming. Is Colorado's columbine the same as ours? I wonder!

Steve Reed said...

It still surprised me to see such exotic birds here!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, we have students working at the school over the summer and I think they'll help move some of the books. But we have to get everything packed up and labeled correctly.

Steve Reed said...

My mom had to have her carpet stretched a couple of years ago. I didn't even know that was a thing, but hers was getting ripples in it.

Steve Reed said...

Actually, we're still getting our summer vacation, believe it or not. We're planning on spending a couple weeks packing everything up at the end of the school year, and it will be physically moved within the library during the summer by school workers. Then, in fall, we'll unpack and re-shelve it all before school opens. That's the theory, anyway.

Steve Reed said...

Parakeets can tolerate much cooler temperatures than most people think! We have tons of them in London and they seem quite happy. They're an introduced species, not native to the British isles.

Steve Reed said...

I clean the windows once a year and it's one of my least favorite tasks.

Steve Reed said...

They certainly seem happy here, and they love our suet balls!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, organizing is a constant process in the library, too.

Steve Reed said...

That's for sure! LOL

Steve Reed said...

How strange about the blue parakeet! If you see him again, try to coax him down with some food. He might come to you if he's tame. As I understand it, freed pet parakeets very rarely survive in the wild, because they're so small and defenseless. (Unlike these big ol' parakeets in London, which are quite large.)

We are going to get some student help with the actual, physical move, as I understand it.

Steve Reed said...

Glad you liked it! :)

Marcia LaRue said...

They sure look like the same flower, Steve! Being the State Flower here, they are protected ... they grow wild and no picking!!

Edna B said...

I love the photo of the parakeets on the birdfeeder. Nice shot! Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.