Not based on true events

Today, for a change, I will write about what I see, smell, hear, and feel while sitting peacefully on the lush grass in my backyard. Whether it will be an interesting account, I do not know, but here I start. Upon my entrance of the space, I first hear and see a grey, middle-sized bird burst into flight and off to the safety of a greenspace. I am sure it is an American Robin, for I soon hear robin calls in the trees a little ways away, fluting sweetly and chattering fiestely to the sky. I did not seat myself in the most peaceful of places evidently, because, in a moment I spy a tiny black ant in the grass very near to me, heading home with a mouthful of what appeared to be a tiny spider. As it comes up to me I feel it inspecting me, which is a very ticklish feeling indeed, and I am forced to move to permit it passage. The wind then rises, and the catkins of our Columnar Aspen rain down, like a million squirrel tails, light and grey, to land with a surprisingly loud clack and thump on concrete and grass. Then the call of a Common Raven comes to my ear, and I raise my head to a sky white with smoke, and behold, there it is, flying far above me, with its wings partially closed. It calls hoarsely again, and with a spectacular whish! spins deftly in the air before spreading its wings once more, and gliding out of sight. About this time, a Chipping Sparrow begins to buzz its call, and our pair of crows enter the scene, landing in two separate trees and croaking love songs to each other. I hear a mysterious loud peeping noise and behold the red of a Seven-spotted Ladybeetle land upon the deep green of the grass. I smell the dust of a dry spring in the air, sweetened by the scent of grass and tree, and I behold a form, white and black, in the boughs of our spruce, and I know that our latest visitor, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, is finally here.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheuticus ludovicianus

Despite sharing a name with Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, which are finches, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is actual a relative of the cardinal, sharing a family with Black-headed Grosbeaks, Golden Grosbeaks, buntings and tanagers. It is slightly smaller than an American Robin, and has a more hefty bill than most birds. The females bear brownish sparrow-like markings, while the males sport black upperparts, white underparts and a flaming red patch on their breast. They arrive from migration in late May and leave in August. They have a beautiful song and a loud tick call which, I believe, is what I heard in this article? A native species.

Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina

A tiny little sparrow with a red cap and white eyebrow, and a black eyeline, the Chipping Sparrows arrives in early May and can be seen chasing each other energetically in the trees, and feeding on invertebrates and seeds on the ground. These birds, unlike the non-native House Sparrows, are very bold, and if you stay still, will come quite near. They give as a song a long chipping buzz, and are native to Saskatchewan.

Seven-spotted Ladybeetle
Coccinella septempunctata

This species was introduced for pest control from Europe, and is unfortunately, taking a toll on native ladybeetle species. It is a bright deep red or orange, with a black “head” and legs. It feeds upon Aphids, and also upon the eggs and young of some butterflies and beetles. They hibernate through the winter and emerge during spring. Like the Monarch butterfly, their colours are a warning that they are unpleasant to eat. Interestingly enough, the colours and the spots show how toxic the individual insect is.