We Have Horses...And More

Well, not us but the new neighbours across the road. Ever since we first moved in the gossip on this country road has been about how the other new folks were going to move their horses in. The new neighbours moved in at the end of April and have been working steady on getting up fencing and a horse shelter. Yesterday they brought up their horses. Catherine couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

But it wasn't just horses. We have a hummingbird feeder stuck to the front window and yesterday a coupe of males were fighting over it when one thumped himself on the glass. Catherine and I ran out to find him sitting on a fold-out chair. While he recovered we watched and got closer to a hummingbird (without looking through a pane of glass) then we ever have before.

Then last night we were at the Girl Guides closing ceremony and on a window outside the school were two of the largest moths I have ever seen. One of the girls snapped a photo on her cell phone so hopefully I'll get a picture to post but when I held my hand up for scale I realized one was almost the size of my hand. It's abdomen was as thick as my thumb. Wait a second, I just did some googling for "large moth" and lookee what it turned up (from this site):



It's a Cecropia moth, a gorgeous insect and the largest moth we have in Nova Scotia. The one in the photo is about the same size as the bigger of the two moths we saw.

What a day, eh? Except it wasn't over. On the way home we saw an Osprey, our provincial bird and, excuse me for my bias, a more impressive site then the Bald Eagles that are common around here.

I have been thinking that it's where we live that's been the reason for our increased sightings of wildlife but I'm beginning to think that's not the whole story. After all, the osprey and moth were nowhere near the house. I think what's actually going on is that we're all more aware then we used to. We're walking around with our heads up and our eyes open. We've seen the rewards that a little attention to detail can result in here at the house and so we're carrying that attitude with us and beginning to notice all the wonderful stuff even the oldest and most ordinary of our regular haunts can hold.