“Our tree” the continuing story

By Peter A Morris

The tree is still there, so is the house, the sparkling new town houses are nowhere in sight yet.

This of course is to the delight of the wildlife in the area, and us as it is foremost in our view. The flocks of young birds born in the spring and now sprouting feathers all over the place and kept busy preening and dislodging bit of fluff that are irritating them and spoiling the bright new colored ones.

The flickers look especially smart in their bright plumage, and seem to know it as they sit atop the tree looking around as though looking for a fight!

Last week I was surprised by a sudden noise outside, I looked at the tree to see it laden with flocks of all kinds of birds all shouting and squawking their displeasure.

The top half of the tree was filled with flickers the lower half with starlings with a smattering of other types thrown in and they were all in great disarray! All trying to edge their way further into the centre of the tree as though trying to escape something.

After a few minutes of this chaos, I saw the cause, a pair of Coopers hawks were circling the tree trying to catch one of them! They put on a spectacular sight, swooping in sharp circles around the tree and screeching, no doubt trying to scare some of the birds in the tree to make a run for it and grab one or two, as far as I could see, they were unsuccessful.

It was quite a sight, one I do not recall seeing before. I tried to make a quick count of the number of birds and estimated there were at least sixty five flickers and a similar amount of starlings plus some fifty other birds in Our Tree. The episode lasted about twenty minutes then the hawks took off toward Beacon Hill Park.

The tree full of birds gradually settled down as some of the birds left and then the flocks of flickers and starlings took off and headed in the opposite direction, as they did, two gray squirrels ran out on a branch looking around in surprise and took off at a fast pace down the tree.

It was an exciting time for all of us!

As for the house which also shares the garden with Our Tree, patiently stands awaiting its fate but not without a good selection of visitors. The faces that often I see looking from the window seem to be still enjoying the place even though it is many years since they lived there. There is an older lady that often waves; I wave back at her although I am not sure it is me she is waving to.

I wonder when spirits visit the places in which they used to live if they see them as they were?

There has been another visitor. A lovely big fluffy grey pussy cat who just loves to sleep in the sun tucked in by the old wooden dinghy that has spent many years neglected under the deck at the back of the house. In years past this would have been a project boat for me to bring back to life. I can just see her sparkling with three or four coats of varnish as she rides the waves living a new life again.

The squirrels are busy, looking for their stashes of nuts. Black, grey, and one that is a chestnut color. The raccoons too put in an occasional appearance though usually not without a squabble.

The grass has not been cut this year and must be a yard long as it lays flat on the ground and makes swirling patterns under which all kinds of creatures live.

And so, as Fall moves toward winter, life goes on for Our Tree and its many visitors much as it does for the old house and its many ghostly visitors, and we continue to enjoy them both, until such time as they move on just as it will for us all.