Backyard Birds and Rare Orchids

We have a beautiful new quilt hanging in the library. It’s called Rare Orchids. Marilyn Hinners made this one and has been kind enough to loan it to us for awhile. I’ve never been brave enough to grow orchids. I’ve heard that they are fussy about soil and light and moisture. Marilyn’s quilt is all hand appliquéd….I know that is more than I can tackle. So, if you feel as I do, just come on in and join me in appreciating Marilyn’s orchids.

Since the first of April I have been spending too much time snooping on the eaglet nest near Decorah. Have you been watching? If not, you can find them at www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles. We all hovered around the computer screen watching those three eggs hatch sooo slowly, one at a time over several days. The babies looked like cute little fuzzy chicks almost from the very first. They slept most of the time the first few weeks. Then they divided their time about equally, eating and sleeping. I’ve enjoyed watching both parents tend to their trio. Each parent has snuggled in to keep them warm and they seem to divide the feeding chores fairly. Now that babies have grown up a little, they have reached that awkward adolescent stage. Their necks seem too long for their fat little bodies and they are kind of homely. I’d call them pullets, but that implies that they are female and that information has not been shared with the viewing public.

If all this eagle watching has made you more aware of the fowl in your own neighborhood, the library has just the book for you. If you want to build a home for something we have Beastly Abodes: Homes for Birds, Bats, Butterflies & Other Backyard Wildlife by Bobbe Needham. If you are only partial to birds, we have Making Birdhouses by Andrew Newton-Cox and The Complete Birdhouse Book by Donald and Lillian Stokes.

After your birdhouse is built, you might need Attracting Backyard Birds by Sandy Cortright and Attracting Backyard Wildlife by Bill Merilees. If you just want to identify the birds that you already have in your yard, give these three a try: Garden Birds of North America by Scott Weidensaul, The Bird Watcher’s Bible by George Laycock or the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds.

If butterflies are more your style, we have equal information for you, too. Don’t forget to check our wide assortment of plant and garden books—we add new ones every year.

Humboldt Reads! Book discussion group will meet May 19th at Vinny’s. This time we are reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Laacks by Rebecca Skloot. Join us!