The feathers are busy creating Brood #2.  I know the Carolina Wrens stuck a nest somewhere after I chased them out of the boxes waiting outside for trash pickup -- don't know where they went from there.  Wrens!  The "urban" Bluebird pair produced their fifth egg of Brood #2 today.  Momma Phoebe is sitting on 4 eggs for her round #2.  Meanwhile, Momma Titmouse has welcomed five hatchlings.

While we're waiting for the stories to mature around this month's youngsters (PLEASE no more bears!!), I thought I'd keep my promise to share a detailed look at the upside-down take-off of the male Scarlet Tanager.  I chose to feature this video today because I know how much my friend, Debbie, loved seeing wildlife in the detail revealed by these cameras.

My Friend, Debbie

If not for my friend, Debbie, there would be no Feathers and Fuzz blog.  It was Debbie's knowledge and keen awareness of nature that drew me into looking at, and appreciating, the details of God's beautiful creation.  I know Debbie acquired her love of nature from her mom -- our "expert resource" when we were stumped trying to identify a bird species we had never seen before.  What a beautiful gift to give your child.

Wherever we went, Debbie was always stopping and pointing.  She would stop at an animal track in the mud and tell me a fox had been around.  Naturally, I didn't even see the track -- let only have a clue what left it!  When Debbie heard a bunch of Crows carrying on, high in the trees, she would say:  "There must be a hawk around."  Sure enough -- the Crows would chase a hawk out into the open.  (Now, I have to say, Debbie's fascination with hawks was very unsettling if you were a passenger in her car.  I swear she could pick out every hawk on every tree and every wire.  She would then follow the flight of that hawk -- much more interested in identifying it than paying attention to the road.)

Over this past year, as I wrote about the escapades of the feathers and the fuzz, I would often reflect on how many of those moments Debbie and I experienced together.  Every once in a while, it even got to where I saw something before Debbie did -- and you can bet I boasted about it!  Debbie was at my house a lot these past two years, after her breast cancer diagnosis, as my house was much closer to her doctors.

Today I got the call.  My dear friend has moved on past this life.  The tracks she left on my heart can not be washed away by any force of nature.  I hate that she won't be here to help me chase bumble bees out of bird houses, or screw acrylic to houses mounted 15' up in the air, but I will carry her with me everywhere I wander through the beautiful gift that is God's creation.

Thank you, Debbie, for opening my eyes.