Cheesy Bird Videos

Let me say that these are cheesy videos of bird antics. No agenda other than to clear your mind for a few brief minutes.

Common Redpoll and Black-capped Chickadee, March 2018, Montmartre, SK

This winter I've been catching up on organizing the thousands of images I've collected over the past few years and using them as proof to report what species live on the prairies in our part of the province of Saskatchewan. As you can imagine, I've hesitated doing this because it takes a huge chunk out of my reading and writing time. But there is a real need for accurate information about the flora and fauna that share our natural environment and since I'm somewhat handy with a camera, this is a productive way to help different levels of my government and natural communities.

Interspersed through my image files are dozens of video footage which show nature in action, whether it's a bird in flight, animal on the run, or the wind blowing across the prairie like a rolling wave. The videos aren't sale-worthy quality, but they allow me to take stop-action screenshots for things that move too fast for my eye and shutter to catch, such as the image at the top of this post where I took a screenshot of a video I'm showing on this page.

Some of these videos made me laugh out loud while watching the interactions of the birds. It's like slap-stick comedy where no one gets hurt, such as this first one where the redpoll is more of a nuisance than a threat to the chickadee. The redpoll doesn't seem to know what to do with the peanut wreath, but if the chickadee is interested, then it must be good. The video will show in normal speed first, and then slow motion so you don't miss anything. (https://youtu.be/_tZK6KW6Gm0)

For the first time, the redpolls and chickadees were both residents on our farm all winter, yet it's taken until March for them to build a relationship where they share the same feeder - somewhat. They act as if they didn't know the other was there, but I highly doubt that. By the way, this is the view I see from my office window and it's filmed through the glass.  (https://youtu.be/vW1SblH03Ok)



These days, dozens of  Horned Larks are flying off the roads in front on the vehicles. Sometimes they land further up the road, and other times the flock will land in a nearby field. They must have found a patch of spilled grain in this next video because they all but ignored me, which left me able to see their social interaction. Again it will be normal speed first, then slowed down. (https://youtu.be/I03sKWHk0tg)



This last one has been on YouTube for a couple years, but I've re-edited and shortened it for here. I've labelled it as a Tree Swallow Bully, but if you start at the very earliest, you'll see these two sparrows exchanging their version of words which may explain the later action. If you like AFV, then you'll know what I mean. This one was also filmed through a window, which is why you can hear the camera, but not the sound of being outdoors. (https://youtu.be/cEna9DfiZDI)



I have mixed feelings about that last one. I know that the swallow who fell wasn't injured in the exchange, but it reminds me of a penguin video I saw on AFV a few years back, where one slaps another on the head and knocks it down, then keeps walking as if nothing happened. I laugh because of the nonchalant way it plays out. It's funny when we see it in the animal kingdom, but thankfully, we're outraged when we see or hear of it where humans are concerned.

I can attest to the fact that no birds were harmed in these videos.

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Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are written under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details.  Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Her novellas are included in Austen in Austin Volume 1, The American Heiress Brides Collection, and The Secret Admirer Romance Collection. Readers can check out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories to enrich their reading experience.  Discover more at:

Website - www.anitamaedraper.com

Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper/

December Again

It’s December.

For a lot of people, despite taking time off from work for the holidays, it’s the busiest time of the year. You have to send Christmas cards, making sure you don’t forget anyone – at least not anyone who sent you a card last year. You have to go all over town to buy presents, especially to all those little out-of-the-way shops you never go to any other time of the year. You have to make sure the house is sparkling clean for company. You have to put decorations on every weight-bearing item in- and outside your home. You have to wrap presents. You have to buy at least three times more food than anyone can eat, and it must take hours to prepare and be timed perfectly so it’s all ready at the same time. And, while your guests are sleeping off their over-feasting, you have to clean up all the dishes and pots and pans, pack up all the leftovers (remembering to parcel out some of the choicest bits for people to take home with them).

And besides your own festivities, there are usually myriad parties and events to attend. There’s a party at school (which means you have to make something for little Johnny to take) and a party at the office (which means you have to make something for you or for little Johnny’s daddy to take – perhaps both). There’s your family and his family to keep happy, even when they schedule must-attend events at the same time on the same day. There are Christmas lights to see and Santa to visit and a production of “The Nutcracker” is a must, not to mention Christmas band concerts and school plays and even football playoffs for the high school team. You have to fight through miserable traffic and, sometimes, miserable weather to get it all done. But you have to get it all done, right?  Ummmm, right?

No.

Trust me on this one, you don’t.

Sure there are people counting on you, and you don’t want to disappoint anyone. But it’s really okay if you don’t do everything. You don’t have to be a Martha scrambling to get it all done. It’s okay to be Mary and just bask in the wonder and joy of the One who is the reason we have Christmas in the first place.

You don’t have to have a huge feast. And if you do, you don’t have to do it all yourself. Recruit everyone to help you. And, if nothing else, make sure they help you clean up.

Don’t miss your little ones’ concerts and plays. They’re only little once, and you’ll be surprised how quickly they’re gone.

Spend time with your parents and grandparents if you have them. They won’t be around forever either. But in both cases, you’ll most likely find that they would rather have the gift of you than any other gift you could give them. They will remember good times spent with you much longer than that toy that broke before New Year’s Day or the sweater that was stuffed into the back of a drawer and forgotten.




You don’t have to go to every party, every gathering, every event you’re invited to. Give yourself time to breathe. Take time to enjoy the season. Take time to relax. Whatever time you have off from work should be a time of refreshing, not a beat down. Do the things you want to do, not because you have to, but because you enjoy them. And remember to be thankful.

Have a truly merry Christmas!

DeAnna Julie Dodson has always been an avid reader and a lover of storytelling, whether on the page, the screen or the stage. This, along with her keen interest in history and her Christian faith, shows in her tales of love, forgiveness and triumph over adversity. She is the author of In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered, a trilogy of medieval romances, as well as Letters in the Attic, The Key in the Attic, The Diary in the Attic and The Legacy in the Attic, contemporary mysteries. Her new series of Drew Farthering Mysteries debuted in the Summer of 2013 with Rules of Murder, followed by Death by the Book and Murder at the Mikado in 2014 from Bethany House. Another Drew Farthering Mystery, Dressed for Death, is due out in Spring of 2016. A fifth-generation Texan, she makes her home north of Dallas with three spoiled cats.