Give a Little- Take a Little

Give a little -take a little, that's how I view the experience I have to share from last year in my yard! You see I love all the little birds that come by and even better if they stop long enough to get their photograph taken! If you feel the same way I have a little tip to share with you that I think may have given me an edge last year. We always throw out things that we deem are useless or are just simply waste, but this will make you rethink how you view such things. These things include small paper scraps, dryer lint, pet hair, wool scraps, curly ribbon  that's all garbage right? NO, not anymore! What are they any good for? Check it out at this pinterest link: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/28295278906146515

 It's so easy and effortless to lend a hand, which is what I did last Spring and to my surprise the reward was tenfold! I put some small strands of brightly colored wool outside in a few of our spruce trees and waited and watched...it drew in this guy!

Not a bad catch if I do say so myself, this is a Cedar Waxwing! I was so excited that he took the wool that you can see in the bottom of the above picture. But imagine how much more excited I got when I discovered where they were setting up the nest.

This Maple is directly in front of my kitchen window, the nest was about midway up on the right. What views I was privileged to see and photograph

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Then came the added excitement with the arrival of the babies, she had three!

We watched them everyday being fed and guarded by their doting parents, it was wonderful to see. 

 That, as we knew, would come to an end when they decided to spread their little wings. They took short flights within the Maple tree at first as you see below, out of the nest but not the tree!

Then the next day they built up their nerve and flew across the garden and that's how we got to see them well, as they were quite well hidden in among the large Maple leaves. They didn't have the full color plumage that their parents had at this point, but they were still cute.

I am so thankful that I had the Waxwings choose our yard to set up a nursery and successfully raise three of their young. It's all because I 'gave' a little wool that I was able to 'take' all these pictures!

Green wool dangling from the nest.