Migrating Buzzards

Last evening I enjoyed a quiet hour or so on the swing out back, overlooking the farms in the valley. About half an hour in, I noticed that there were flocking buzzards overhead. In our area, buzzards migrate in the fall, presumably south to California or beyond. Last fall we noticed huge flocks of them, floating in lazy circles between hilltops and cloud bottoms. It was the first time we had seen big flocks of buzzards - usually there are no more than 2 or 3 together. All summer they swoop about our hilltop, (well, around all the hills in our area - no special buzzard fascination here) sometimes below the house level. (I am still not accustomed to looking down on birds from the house.) One more sign of fall. Still too warm for fall foliage to be very bright.

We love to watch the buzzards, by the way. Their flight seems to be effortless, and they soar forever. It's always exciting to see their return in the spring - they make the skies much more interesting. Annie the dog hates them and chases them through the air when they get close, barking fiercely. Our protector.

Annie watches the perimeter when we are outside. Inside, we're sitting down, she's snuggled in. Outside, we're sitting down, she is at least ten feet away facing out, making sure that nothing can get close to us.

This morning Annie made me aware that a deer was in the vegetable garden again. I know that if I were more PC I would be gracious about sharing with the deer. After all, it's late summer and hasn't rained but once since - July? June? But you know, when I went up there Friday to water the peas that we just put in for winter crops and saw that half the strawberries were grazed to the ground, and half the peas that had already put on a good 6 inches were gone, and the roses were once again stripped just as they were recovering from the last attack and had covered themselves with glorious bloomage, when my beautiful white verbena that I have kept gorgeous behind the deer fence was decimated, that about a quarter of the broccoli that I started from seed and are putting on beautiful heads were totally chewed , well, it was very discouraging. I really don't want to share these things with the deer, no matter their plight. Todd spent this morning finding a possible entrance point and reinforcing it with additional strands of barbed wire. We'll see how it goes.

But lazily circling buzzards in warm purple air - that's a reward to living in the deer battleground.