Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the category “Animals”

29 Jun 2026
8 Comments

The Backyard Bystander


With summer full on, now that the solstice has arrived, I’m spending more time in the backyard or I’m longing to head out there as I plunk away on my computer whilst gazing out my office window.

The backyard is a playground of activity as birds, beasties, and bugs take advantage of the season.

Not long ago (actually longer ago than I care to admit), the backyard served as a playground for our kids. Running, yelling, camping, goofing in the inflatable pool were all part of summer fun. I’m still finding airsoft pellets in the yard as I garden, leftovers from the skirmishes the kids had with friends.

These days the backyard is quieter and I am in the role of bystander instead of being a referee or activities coordinator. I’ve even stepped away from yard manager, having settled on the compromise of enjoying the cultivated wilderness of flowers cohabiting with the forest.

Being a backyard bystander has its advantages. For one, more wildlife appearances.

A bevy of birds, a rambling raccoon, a swish of squirrels, and possibly a bear visit are part of the scenery.

I’m especially enjoying the variety of birds. We have several feeders and I rigged up a giant pine cone that gets smeared with crunchy peanut butter.

I had no idea birds enjoyed pb so much. Juncos, chickadees, nuthatches, sparrows all clamor for a turn surfing on the cone.

Lately a newcomer arrived, and this visitor totally perplexed us as to its identity.

A quandary

It doesn’t have a particular markings nor is its shape helpful in identification. Mature? Juvenile?

We think it might be a fox sparrow. Any guesses would be appreciated.

Any other backyard bystanders out there?

Posted in Animals, birds, bloggers, Nature, reflections, Relaxation, summer and tagged , , , , ,
20 May 2026
6 Comments

From Dearth to Birth


As dedicated bird and squirrel (by default) fans we enjoy the variety of feathered (and furry) friends that visit our yard.

Juncos, chickadees, doves, nuthatches, sparrows, robins are stock characters while seasonal guest visitors such as warblers, flickers, jays, goldfinches, hummingbirds, grosbeaks, and siskins drop in, adding both drama and entertainment to the landscape.

Sometimes, right around the beginning of May our bird activity suddenly vanishes. So distressing! Well, we know why when suddenly we see moments like in this video:

Snack time!

The birds have been busy at home!

I’m amused how mom bird pulls away for a few seconds to get a couple of bites in before her “toddlers” cue for a handout. I noticed her fledglings are quite capable of feeding themselves but pester her anyway.

Reminds me of my long ago days of my own fledgling feeding times.

Any springtime feathery episodes to share?

Posted in Animals, birds, Family, humor, reflections, Seasons and tagged , , , ,
08 Jul 2025
3 Comments

Bovine is Divine!


Today is Cow Appreciation Day. And I really appreciate our bovine friends. They are noble, as well as humorous. They are inspiring with their ability to placidly spend their days grazing while they are producing milk for the masses.

Cows are so amazing they deserve the Pulitzer Prize for being outstanding contributors in their field.

Next time you quench your thirst with a cold glass of milk, or sprinkle some cheese on your pizza, or dip into that bowl of ice cream be sure to thank a cow.

Posted in Animals, celebrations, humor, reflections and tagged , ,
05 Dec 2024
8 Comments

A Surfeit of Bees


I’m an appreciator of bees. They are truly amazing in design and admirable in purpose. I keep bees in mind when landscaping my backyard by maintaining a dedicated mound of lavender, not only because I find lavender to be a fairly perfect plant, I know bees enjoy lavender as well.

Once spring arrives and the lavender starts flowering I watch for the bees to arrive. It’s a Capistrano moment for me.

image: Stockcake

Some years it’s the tiny golden bees that are dominant. Occasionally there is a variety of bee with a bit of red to them. My favorites are the big, black bumblebees. They remind me of teddy bears, yet I wisely refrain my urge to hold them and hug them.

image: Bumblebee Conservation Trust

My penchant for bees came forth when I realized I’m reading my third book, or is it my fourth, where bees are a main focus. I scampered to my Goodreads list to confirm this epiphany. Actually, make that seven books.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Lily is introduced to the world of bees when she find refuge with three beekeepers and she learns about the power of not only bees but of women.

image: Amazon

The Bees by Laline Paul
The Bees is a creative tale of one bee, Flora 717, who is almost put to death for her lack of physical conformity but is spared and readers follow her rise from humble hive janitor to respected forager.

image: Amazon

The Music of Bees by Eileen Graven
Three people with deep hurts are brought together through the caring of bees.

image: Amazon

He Should of Told the Bees by Amanda Cox
A daughter working with her beekeeper is devastated when he passes away since impacts their business, and the hurt is even more deep upon the discovery she has a half-sister who wants to sell her interest in the business.

image: Amazon

Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar
This middle grade novel features twelve year old Carol who unexpectedly finds herself helping her parents care for her grandfather who is slipping into dementia. A touch of magical realism as he believes the drought will end when the bees return.

image: Amazon

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie King
Sherlock Holmes has retired, passing his days with keeping bees. His interest in mystery is awakened upon the arrival of a young woman who rivals his intuition and maybe even his intellect.

image: Amazon

The Keeper of Bees by Gene Porter-Stratton
A classic that is as beautiful in prose as it is rife with politically incorrect references; however, ignoring those or at least placing them in the context of the era it was written, a reader will delight in how a physically, emotionally, and spiritually wrecked WWI soldier is healed through the unexpected experience of caring for an ailing man’s bees.

image: Amazon

Are you a bee lover as well or have you read a book or two about bees? Please share the title, as I aim to keep on beeing a beeliver.

Posted in Animals, reflections and tagged , , , , ,
12 Sep 2024
6 Comments

Word Nerds: Collective Nouns


Naming a group of something is a job I wouldn’t mind applying for. Someone gets to do it and the results are pretty fun, especially when it involves animals.

A Kindle of Kittens

A Congress of Baboons

A Prickle of Hedgehogs

A Bloat of Hippopotamuses

A Mischief of Mice

A Waddle of Penguins

A Memory of Elephants

A Whoop of Gorillas

A Raft of Otters

A Scurry of Squirrels

A Journey of Giraffe

A Crashof Rhinoceroses

Posted in Animals, Expressions, humor, Nature, reflections and tagged , , ,
09 Jul 2024
2 Comments

How Now Cow?


Posted in America, Animals, celebrations, humor, reflections and tagged ,
20 Nov 2023
4 Comments

Okinawa! Part One


I’m in Okinawa, Japan, meeting my new granddaughter and engaging in some grandmother time. It takes a household of adults to take care of a newborn.

As a break from grandma time my son took me sightseeing and here are the highlights:

The Botanical Gardens

This a popular site with both locals and tourists. The gardens are interspersed with petting zoo exhibits. My very favorite was the capybara enclosure. As a favor to bloggy pal author Mike Allegra, I shared his book with a capy, who definitely showed an interest in a story about his fellow mellow rodent pals.

My son convinced me to feed the monkeys and not being enamored of these critters (thanks to PBS and Disney, I know what they are capable of doing) I went in with great hesitation. I was immediately mobbed for the sunflower seeds we purchased for them. There’s a monkey on my back proved quite true and then some.

Moving from beasts we fed some beautiful birds.

At least one typical tourist pose needed

We then traveled from the lush gardens to the other side of the island for lunch and a passing visit to the American Village. More to come in Part Two—stay tuned.

Posted in Animals, Family, reflections, travel and tagged , , , , ,
02 Nov 2023
1 Comment

My Not So Big Year: A Stellar Bird


As our backyard birding intrigues continue a new player has arrived on the scene, actually one player and two cohorts.

We have been used to our little feathered friends: juncos, chickadees, sparrows, finches, the odd guest of cedar waxwing, and obsequious robin.

Then one day a raucous “shack shack shack” sounded from the front yard. Looking out the window revealed a flash of brilliant blue amongst the leaves. Further inspection showed a bird larger than the usual batch of birdies. I recognized the bird as a stellar jay from my Washington state childhood days.

Seeing one after so many years, and caring more about birds now, I observed how odd the stellar jay is in appearance and mannerisms.

First off, they are quirky. They jump about from branch to rock to feeder to birdbath all with flourish of squawk scattering all the feathered residents to safety.

Clearing the competition

Another aspect is their size. Compared to the diminutive chickadee the stellar jay, with its black top-notched hood, long tail, and considerable wingspan, is reminiscent of a pterodactyl.Sounds like one too.

The way it eats is worth a mention. It’s a gobbler. It snatches up the birdseed as if it is guilty of sneaking from the larder. Not a dainty eater it gulps down the food with head raised, moving quickly to secure the next mouthful.

Multiple these shenanigans with two more stellar jays and it becomes one entertaining circus. It’s especially amusing when these big blues try to clamber on top of the bird feeder. They flap their wings trying to balance and forage. It’s laughable.

Should they stay through the winter they will provide a colorful splash on the snowy landscape.

Not a boring interloper, that’s for sure
Posted in Animals, Nature, reflections, Uncategorized and tagged , ,
17 Jul 2023
2 Comments

My Not So Big Year: Junco Journal


Junco Journal

The junco is a common bird, true; however, it has plenty of personality. We learned about juncos this winter when we took to tossing out birdseed under the living room window to avoid trudging in the snow to fill the feeder. Daily a troop of birds ranging from sparrows to doves to juncos would pop by. The consistent crew was a group we referred to as the Jolly Juncos. They would merrily hop about foraging for food in their somber dark hoods and grey suits. They were determined and undeterred in their daily sweep for seed. They helped break the monotony of winter.

In spring we were delighted to find a junco had created a nest in one of my hanging flower baskets.

Leave for a long weekend and surprise!
Quite an artful rendering
Yes, the eggs are tiny
Four eggs!
Mama bird settling in for sitting
Hatchling!
Feed me!
Feed me two!
Dad bird shows up with groceries
Mama bird takes a nest stretch

Unfortunately the birds flew the coop early, no doubt due to the fact that they nested in our patio area and we go through there multiple times a day. I felt terrible until I read about a ornithologist who runs into the same problem when studying juncos. The extra attention needed to band them for tracking can force fledglings to leave the nest early, but the good news is that the survival rate is high. This (I told myself) is what probably happened with our four little nestlings. Mama did return once or twice to the empty nest then disappeared.

I miss having our little junco family as neighbors and wonder if they will return next year.

Posted in Animals, birds, Nature, reflections, summer and tagged ,
11 Jul 2023
6 Comments

Cowabunga!


The all important Cow Appreciation Day just about snuck past me but my handy National Day calendar alert informed I needed to pay attention. Cows are beyond special—they are bovine.

Having grown up around cows, and having lived across from a dairy farm for twelve years, I have an either an affection or a affectation for cows. I have gathered and created a plethora of cow jokes and cow facts and created a book that unfortunately no publisher is interested in at the moment. That doesn’t stop me from appreciating what Sandra Boynton has done for the cow with her winsome cowtoons and book. Gary Larson has also shown an affinity for cows. One of my other favorites is About Cows. There are scads of other books that regale cows from Dr. Seuss to meditative cows. Maybe the market isn’t ready for yet another tribute to cows.

Sandra Boynton knows her cows
Gary Larson goes to the Far Side about appreciating cows
Embracing the love of cows

Then again, why not? I’m not giving in or giving up even because cows are cool and the world cud appreciate another udderly cow time.

Here are some of my favorite cow jokes I like to toss out to unsuspecting listeners:

Why are dairy farms so noisy? Too many cows have horns.

If good cows go to heaven where do bad cows go? The udder place.

Why did the farmer place bee hives in his pasture? He wanted to live in the land of milk and honey.

What goes “oom oom oom”? A cow walking backwards.

And my parting riddle—

What is the best way to make a milkshake? Have it jump on a pogo stick.

I would love to hear your thoughts on why cows are so cool or a really good cow joke—I have enough bad ones.

Posted in Animals, celebrations, humor, popular books, reflections and tagged , , ,

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