What's missing?

What's missing in this photo?

On being the first people to arrive at the ranch house this spring (Colin, Doco, Meo), we found unusually few other inhabitants.  No signs of pack rats.  Only a few signs of mice.  And almost no STINK BUGS!  As the house warmed up, we expected the usual rain of stink bugs from ceiling cracks and window frames - dozens by the day - dropping on our faces in the night, appearing under the bed clothes ...  But, no.  Very few.  Lots of ladybugs, however, who apparently eat stink-bug larvae.  Reportedly, Ralph had obtained a quantity of ladybugs in the fall and put them in his house for the purpose.  Maybe he put some here too?  Whatever the reason, few-stink-bugs is much appreciated!

But, yes, there are a few hardy survivors ...

Doco's workbench

Here is Doco's finished workbench in the squirrel barn.  And is he ever pleased with it!  VERY solid and quite inviting  (see October 2018 blog post for the raw boards).

Doco worked hard on it last October, but it was not quite done.  There was a great flurry to try to get the mortice-and-tenoned legs into the top before we left for the Castlegar plane.  Norbert was determined to get at least one leg in - accomplished by him and Chris as we leapt into the car.

Sometime between then and now, some combination of Chris and Norbert finished it.  A workbench with a view!  Ready for creations ...

Eight new hens

For the family hen lovers.  Chris has just got eight new one-year-old laying hens from Joanne Hird near Lemon Creek (just south of Slocan).  Beautiful!  He says the black-and-rusty one with the largest red comb came as "Molly".  They have yet to be introduced to their elders.  This brings Chris' current hen count to 20 (plus one rather gorgeous rooster).

Coming to say hello

"Molly" on the left

Elk and mountain bluebirds

All the photos are Colin's

April 6th, Colin and Doco and I drove to New Denver (or rather, Colin drove) through delicious early spring along Highway 3, our favourite "southern route".  As we crested the hill on Harris Road, right beside us in the field were twenty-something elk (Cervus canadensis, wapiti in french).  They lifted their heads to look at us, then went back to eating.  I had never seen them close-up.  They're BIG!  Dark-brown head and shoulders, light-brown back, and large buff rump patch.  No one thought to take a photo.

Next morning, Colin went off early to do so, but they were more distant ...

Twenty-plus, at the top of the field

Then, at breakfast, as I was suggesting to Colin that his elk photos were rather like my mountain bluebird photos ("a reward if you can find the bird"), Doco looked up and said "there's a kingbird on the fencepost".  But, no, it's a mountain bluebird!!  One of my very favourites and rarely seen by us (last sighting is in my April 10, 2015 blog post).  Turns out there were five, catching flies from fencepost to fencepost.  Colin caught them through binoculars with his iPhone, all from inside the window.  After 20 minutes, they flew off into the forest.  

Two post-sitters, one near and one far

Two - one on a post, another on the 100-year-old apple tree

Three - two on branches, one investigating nesting possibilities in the cleft?

  Will they stay?  Or were they just passing through?