… from her long journey across the Gulf of Mexico!!! It never ceases to amaze me that the a creature so tiny can fly so far. My garden is once more magical … with the arrival of Rose … my bejeweled hummingbird!

Gray catbirds have swooped into the garden. They are everywhere!

My American goldfinches have shed their dreary gray-green feathers for vibrant yellow ones accented here and there by ebony. Breath-taking!

Bluejays are screaming … red cardinals are racing from feeder to feeder … my tiny woodpeckers are enjoying fresh suet … my wildlife garden has come alive!!!

As I was walking along my garden path, my arms laden with leftovers from the fridge, en route to offering an “Easter Brunch” to my ever-growing crow family … composed of the largest crows that I have ever seen … I was amazed at the stillness - not a bird or squirrel in sight!

And, then, I heard this strange sound and when I looked up, there were two magnificent hawks circling  my wildlife garden … I suppose looking for their own “Easter Brunch.” I watched in awe as they circled and flew their dihedrals in the sky.

At first, I thought that they were two males fighting over their territory but my instinct said otherwise. I think they were a mating pair and the call was to me to “get out of my garden!!!”

Just after dawn, I found a fledgling and motionless bluejay on my terrace, probaby stunned from flying into the window. Emmie Lou, the wild cat, was sitting next to him, a quizical look on her face. I watched for a minute or so, glad to see that my wild cat was not such a good hunter. Perhaps, my plan to keep her well fed with gourmet cat food is working.

I gently picked up the bluejay, warmed him and put him in my bird holding cage and within an hour or so, he was vigorously flapping his wings. Time to be released … time for that lump in my throat … that feeling of awe I always experience … as I watch another wild thing fly skyward.

American goldfinches, brown thrashers, gray titmice, black and white chickadees and red cardinals fill my early morning garden … their colors aglow in the early morning sun … a beautiful contrast to the pinks, yellows, whites and purples of my native flowers.

Noontime finds the swallowtails - black and tiger - dining on my butterfly bushes. The monarchs appeared today - gliding and swooping, diving and soaring. Hardly stopping to alight on the tip of a flower, they seem to be enamored of the pure freedom of flight!

Later on as I sit quietly, a pair of baby rock doves … mourning doves … plays on my terrace not too far from me while baby bluejays scream loudly for their dinner. Grackles are noisily bathing on the ledges of the waterfall and the sun seems to be highlighting the hydrangeas that cascade over the pond.

A bunny is nibbling on clover. The turkey poults are getting big and are enjoying the cracked corn. An exuberant chipmunk is darting out from underneath the flowers …

Heaven for me in my garden of eden …