Be still and you shall hear...

We live on a wooded bluff overlooking the Illinois River, although our lot is in the center of the subdivision and we can’t see the river, we still have an overabundance of wildlife. As I type this, a sharp shinned hawk is perched on a bare tree across the street. He/She is keeping an eye on the bird feeder outside my craft room window. The crows have found the hawk and raised the alarm, letting all the birds know where he/she is. Traffic at the feeder has stopped. This particular feeder system contains peanuts, suet and black-oil sunflower seeds and so attracts woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, white breasted nuthatches, Carolina wrens and a variety of birds that feed on the spilled seed on the ground. Several days ago the resident flock of turkeys (up to 20 now) ran down the road past my window. Always a breathtaking sight. Keeping our wildlife in mind, I created the following card from a photograph I took last summer sitting in a portable pop-up deer blind set up by our feeder. This picture is of a male house finch. As is usual in the bird world, the male is gaudier than the female; this guy is particularly handsome. Doesn't he look as though he's listening to something only he can hear?