HOUSE HUNTING

My mama used to call it "settin' up housekeeping" or "keepin' house." All creatures seem to want to make a home and enjoy the comfort of familiarity.

Three ladies on the Riverwalk this morning told me that they had seen a beaver swimming in the river with sticks in its mouth, heading to its underwater home to add the sticks, making its home more comfortable.

A week or so earlier, I had posted some pictures here called "NESTING," pictures of some geese nesting on the logs and other debris washed down as the result of winter flooding. During the last few days, one of the white geese seems to be missing and its nest abandoned.

For me the early sign of spring is when I see the bluebirds and swallows selecting the birdhouses that have been placed for that purpose on the Riverwalk. The population of both types of birds has increased over the years because of these houses that only the bluebirds and swallows can fit in.

Last night I was talking with a colleague who had just come to Danville. She said that she had been house hunting for months and just couldn't find the right house for her. She said it was a tough job.

Perhaps I am anthropomorphizing the situation of the birds when seeing their challenge in a human way, but I assume it is just as difficult for birds as it is for humans. However, for the birds, selecting the right house or place to nest, may be the difference between extinction and survival.

IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT MORNING ON THE RIVERWALK!