WHAT on earth!

Once I saw these little fluffy things in France, I began to see them more often back in Belgium (particularly on rose bushes). But I must admit, at first it wasn't obvious to me what it was. I never saw them in North America, or anywhere else for that matter. Have YOU?

those funny Frenchies

Recently spent a week birdwatching in Champagne, FR with a Belgian bird club I joined a year and a 1/2 ago. Goal was to see Common cranes (Grus grus) that make a pitstop at Lac du Der Chantecoq, the largest of several reservoirs built to prevent Paris from flooding, on their journey to Spain. On a good day you can see 30,000 or more of these gigantic Gruiformes!

There's always more to see than just birds, which is good on days when the birding is light. Will leave you with just a few of our curious impressions...


Your eyes are not deceiving you. That's a refrigerator in a plowed field! The door is open, maybe so the cranes can fetch a drink after eating all that corn. Ever see anything like this? Any clues what it's for?


... or this unit, which was the second metallic vogelverschrikker? scarecrow? What would the hood of a car or truck w wheels attached be doing smack dab in the middle of a plowed field? Go figure. OH, I GOT IT! Maybe it's farm ART!!!


The city of Troyes was no less entertaining because of the lack of symmetry. Made you feel like you were Alice in Wonderland! Take this building, for instance, which looks like one my 5-year old Thijs could've built. Actually, I take that back - Thijs is so organized - he'd never forget his LEVELER! But thank God this building is not so LEVEL because that's what makes it so interesting, as with most Euro cities. Symmetry is not always important.



Even the cups were crooked ... hmmmm, and what else might this apply to?


But the sunsets were just as spectacular as you would hope and expect, especially with the never-ending lines of cranes, trumpeting and calling to and fro. If that's not a life-changing experience I don't know what is.

photos courtesy of Rene Conings

happy Thanks GIVING!

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite American holiday.

Today I enjoyed it more than ever, even though i missed out on the family tradition of cooking a massive turkey stuffed to its gills with delectable stuffing and swimming in a sea of sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce and divine gravy. Oh, and don't forget the pumpkin pies and the college football games that seem to go for days on end, and even tho I'm no football fan, it's the chill factor that's so inviting. I usually slept through most of the games, dozing in and out of REM while cheers erupted in the background ...

Started the day by thinking of all I'm grateful for ... always beginning with family and friends, and going from there - could've written a book! Stijn and I had a nice walk round the lake and a quick cuppa before he headed for the dentist and I to the markt for more sweet potatoes, celery and tin foil. Back home - cooking sweet potatoes - deciding it's too nice to slave over the kitchen - grabbing the camera, and what do i discover .... the moment I've been waiting for ...

The huiszwaluw nests!!!!! (huiszwaluw=Dutch for house martin (Delichon urbica))

What a day of GIVING! Felt like I was about to give birth again - those motherly instincts flooding back. We could have babies come spring!!! I was overcome by feelings of joy! I really felt sparks flying out of my head I was so happy.


But just look what it took to get those nests! CHECK OUT the size of this huge tractor. Should've heard her rumble. The lengths we go to for for our feathered friends ... but at least this effort was funded by the city of Tervuren, for which I'm eternally grateful. Took 2 hours to drive that MOTHER from Tienen (only 45 km away)!

First the overhang plank went up because historically the house martins nested on cliff ledges, and they're accustomed to overhangs of at least 30 cm. Was relieved when they hung that board, because they were having problems with sinking 2 of the screws deep enough. Then they hung the nest houses, 4 altogether, although only 1 is visible from this vantage point (kids bedroom window!). Deep belly breathing got me through ... at least my yoga's going to good use.


One worker seemed to be getting a little nervous, and by this time was making cell phone calls, maybe to tell his wife he'd be back a few minutes late, because some American birder in Tervuren had to custom-fit a look-alike cliff ledge, and it wasn't going all that smoothly. Each job would probably last <30 mins. but that wasn't the case here.


Last but not least was the little plank beneath the nest. And what do you suppose this is for? NO, no, no, not to catch chicks that might prematurely fledge, but to catch their feces before they land on your carport or foul your garden. Figured it never hurts to be tidy, so agreed to have these installed.


Success! Or relief! Either way you look at it, the result is 4 beautiful new homes for house martins when they return from Africa this spring.

What a great day this ThanksGIVING has been!

Wild Horses - Mazzy Star

oh my, this is divine ...

can you feel it melting your cerebral cortex?

lovin' Blacklake Farm

These were the faces that greeted us as we drove down the tiny hedgelined lane to Blacklake Farm in Devon, UK, which raises Ruby Red Devon cows and Dorset Down sheep. It's one of the things that attracted me to this organic farm, along with the simply beautiful countryside. Oh, and the Hay House - which is a converted barn that included the original dairy - that's where we stayed. It was divine.


On a sunny day, the view from the nearby ridge is breath-taking. You can see Dartmoor to the west, and Exmoor to the north. And everywhere are miles upon endless miles of ancient, glorious hedges that provide food and sanctuary for so many birds and animals. One begins to appreciate the value of this wildlife habitat when you realize that in most parts of Europe it doesn't exist.


Take a deep breath and feast your eyes on this vision ... all the fix-ins for a relaxing teatime just waiting to happen ... even apples from the orchard. The British really know how to make you feel at home. I about died and went to heaven.


Kids enjoyed picking apples, but they loved feeding the chickens even more. Catherine and Nick have 3 kinds at the moment: the white ones are light Sussex, the dark brown ones are Cornish game hens, and the pretty light brown one is a buff Orpington. Rooster woke us at first, but after a few days we were early to bed, early to rise, and it didn't matter much after that. We were out and about in the fresh air all day long, and there were no computers/tvs to keep us up at night. Was such a relaxing break!

One hole, two holes, three holes, four ...

Found this bit of wood suspended from a tree during a family walk recently. Ok, it's no guessing game this time.

I've seen the critters that take advantage of cavities like shown above (actually, there's more than one critter that will use these holes or what's inside them, but we'll have to save that for later). We have the critters living in our yard, and you probably do too!

I bought a structure sorta like this from the National Trust in England, and soon after it was being used. The neighbors expressed concern, but the kids were thrilled! And they had good reason to be, as you will learn when you figure out what the critter is!