Acquisition of a (Free!) Self-Propelled Lawnmower!

So what does a self-propelled lawnmower have to do with birding? It’s a tortured relationship, but I’ll attempt to explain…

At the time we built on our property, adjacent to city parkland, we determined that we would try to create good habitat for birds and other wildlife. To that end I created an ‘artificial’ brush pile… in the front yard. I constructed a pen-type structure made of livestock fencing… welded rod in a lattice pattern with 4″ squares. I then filled the structure with a few logs on the bottom and a lot of brush on top of that, finally topping the structure with a roof of the same fencing. I then surrounded the entire structure with more brush which is augmented from time to time with small limbs that are blown out of our fir trees.

The rationale was that the structure would provide a safe haven for birds… they can easily go through the 4″ squares, but predators such as raccoons cannot reach the interior of the sanctuary. The brush pile has worked spectacularly and is the favorite location for many of the birds in the yard… even more popular than our watercourse.

So this morning I was filling bird feeders in the front yard and glanced over towards the brush pile and discovered the lawnmower pictured below, faithfully removing grass from around the brush pile.

Self-Powered Lawnmower!

Since this is at least the second time we’ve sen this ‘lawnmower’ recently, and the previous time it was on the other side of the brush pile, I’m guessing that it has found a sanctuary in our yard. But life is fraught with uncertainty, and just two evenings ago we had a very healthy coyote in the yard and we have two Great Horned owls living in the neighborhood. Both parties would like to acquire our lawnmower!

And just to add a little interest, this afternoon I spent some time outside on an overcast day and after the light was well past its prime, but I was able to photograph a male Rufous hummingbird in the yard… both bathing in the watercourse and feeding on the Red current blossoms.