[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ast week’s Montage pulled in an owl tidbit for this week.
Priscilla Bettes, who lives on Indian Creek Lane, behind Poplar, wrote, “Last year one took up residence in our barn up in the rafters. It would come out at night and peek down at me as I was feeding our horses. We saw it for several nights and then one morning I went out to feed the horses and it was dead. I wondered if it fell from the rafters. It didn’t appear to be sick. That was only the second one we have seen since living here for 20 years! They are pretty little creatures.”
Two loose dogs on Indian Creek Lane, growling and teeth-showing, have frightened several Mountain City residents recently.
KittyHulk /Mister Muffin, who attacked several cats on Maple in recent months, has not been seen in weeks.
We’ll see April before the week is up, no joke.
Our own Karen Herrmann is once again coordinating the 3rd Annual Mega Bunco benefitting Relay for Life of Hays County.This year, it’s Luau Style. Saturday, April 8. 420 Bartons Crossing, Buda, TX 78610. Potluck dinner at 6 p.m, Please bring a side dish or dessert to share.
Dice will roll at 7 p.m. Wear something Hawaiian or a floral print! Bring $20 donation for Relay for Life of Hays County. You can RSVP to Karen at 512-268-6381, or email [email protected]
One week later, hop on over with the kids to the Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday, April 15, 10 a.m., City Hall.
This week, “my” Eastern Bluebirds nestlings will fledge. They’ll fly to a nearby tree and stay sheltered for a week or so before joining their parents in hunting for food.
At this point, they are fully feathered and about the weight of an adult. Remember how they started out, almost naked and blind, looking like fishing worms?
The rapid transformation is a miracle to behold. And, science will benefit as we record observations of avian nestings through NestWatch.org or with the new NestWatch app.
It was 15 years ago that the first Eastern Bluebird nesting occurred in a nestbox in the back parking lot of the nearby Church of Christ, where Ron Tom and James Polk and I installed a nestbox the summer before, hoping to draw bluebirds to Mountain City. For quite a few years now, bluebirds have nested in Mountain City nestboxes.
Back then, Diana Hutts Aston lived in Mountain City. She had a passion for bird eggs. Diana’s book, An Eggs is Quiet, jumped out at me when we visited Magnolia Market in Waco. The same thing happened several years back in a bookstore in Yosemite National Park.
Emails with the subject “Tidbit” capture my attention. Maybe I’ll see one from you. Please send to [email protected] or phone 512 268 5678. Thanks! Love to you, Pauline
