Flapp 18

(continuing story Flapp)

Rabbit also ran as fast as he could and the ears danced their own party...jumping up and down, making pirouettes and turning this way and that.
The ears danced and bounced as they wanted as if both had an own will.
He liked it a lot!
Such a funny ears!
He ran and danced around till he became so tired that he sat down under a tree for a while and immediately fell asleep.

Flapp 17

(continuing story Flapp)

Happily Flapp walked away with Rabbits ears.
It was a quite funny feeling to have ears that sat still.
He could bend them a little or twist them to the left or right, but his ears did not fall over or droop.
Flapp started to run.
His ears were streamlining behind him and that made that he even could run faster!
I easily can win the race now, he thought!
Look at me...I make a new record!

Surprise!

To my great surprise, I discovered yesterday that the female had already arrived as well!

Mostly the waiting for her takes at least a week or so.
I think now that they had arrived already some more days, without me discovering...

She was flying in and out the nestbox, the same one the flycatchers had chosen last year too.
So the decision making, in choosing a house was easy.

Today she was busy bringing in, the housing equipment,
while he was keeping an eye in a nearby tree.
As you can see, she had a good taste in her styling.
All in naturals!
(click images for better view)

Fly catcher is back!

For some weeks I was wondering and watching and waiting...
Will the flycatcher come back?
He has never been soo late.
Most of the times he was here in the second or third week of April.

I started to miss him, thinking...
Maybe he had an accident, while flying all te way from Africa.
Its such a long distance.
Anything can happen to such a small bird.

Two days ago I thought, I heard his tune...but not quite sure.

Today he flew close to my window...as if to let me know...I am back again!

Common Redstart

When I was staring a bit out of my window,
I was suddenly on the alert by a very unusual bird.
He has a beautiful reddish-brown breast and a quickly moving, shivering reddish tail!
An amazing bird, white forehead, black around his face and throat, greyish feathers.

A common redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus, or gekraagde roodstaart.
At first, I thought I had never seen such a bird, but then I remembered years ago, I had one in my garden, back in 2010 (male), 2010 (female) and 2011, and even 2012.

Flapp 16

(continuing story Flapp)

Rabbit immediately started to jump up and down, to make his ears dancing
and flapping as much as he could.
Flapp stared at him with grand eyes.

When he got tired he said; 'Lets meet again tomorrow, same time, same place.'
'Yep! said Flapp. that's okay.'

Flapp 15

(continuing story Flapp)

They looked at each other with stunning eyes and started to laugh out loud, while they also replaced the other ears.
'Look at you!' said Rabbit, as he jumped up to make a dance...'my ears on you! Haha hihi!'
and Flapp said 'hahahaha hihi, Look at you, with my dancing ears!'
So funny that... hahaha ha hihi'...he tried to say more, but could not come out of his words because he had to laugh so out of control, that he almost lost his balance.

Flapp 14

(continuing story Flapp)

You want my ears?
I cannot believe my ears'  Flapp said astonished.
Shall we change ears?
You have mine and I have yours , just for fun, for one day!' said Rabbit.
'Oh that is a great plan!' replied Flapp.
'Getting rid of these dangling, dancing ears, even for a day would be great!'

So Rabbit took off his right ear and gave it to Flapp,
who on his turn took off his right ear to give it to Rabbit.

It looked weird, very weird...both having two different ears!

Flapp 13

(continuing story Flapp)

Meanwhile Rabbit took a closer look at Flapp's ears and said admiringly:
'How on earth do you loosen up your ears so easily', they are so very playful and full of joy!

Flapp said grumpy;' I can not help it at all, that they are so loose and flappy
I try everything to make them straight and stiff, like yours, but they won't.
I hate my ears.
My ears never sit still, always wanne jump up and down...to the left and right...
sick and tired of it! I wish I had your ears,' he added.

Rabbit answered; You have beautiful ears, they always seem to dance, and I love dancing!
I would love to have yours! 

Flapp 12

(continuing story Flapp)

How do you do that, putting your ears up so straight? asked Flapp
while took a closer inspection of Rabbits ears.
Do you use pins, to set them up so straight?
Or do you use a special ear-stiffener so they sit up?

Rabbit answered; 'No, I do nothing...they are made that way to sit up straight.'

Flapp 11

(continuing story Flapp)

I was just thinking of you, said Flapp.
I am trying to get my ears straight and they won't do what I want.
To be honest, I always wanted to have ears like yours,
Yours are always so neat and straight, instead of so flip-floppy like mine.
I am so fed up with it, he added with a deep sigh.

Bumble almost drowning

Fluff in the nest

 

Today I brushed Fluffy and put his hair out in the wisteria for the birds.
It was't long that the blue-tits discovered the special treat.
Great to see, how they managed to get the Fluff in.

Flapp 10

(continuing story Flapp)

Very disappointed and grumpy Flapp sat down on a bench at the side of the river, to dry his soaked ears.
He felt lost and pondered what to do now.

Flapp heard someone coming.
As he looked up, it was his friend Rabbit.
'Hi Flapp! good to see you', said Rabbit.
'Hi Rabbit', said Flapp.

Flapp 9

(continuing story Flapp)

'Bad, bad idea!
Why am I always so rashly?' he muttered.
'Its me again, always so very stupid!'

He rushed to a nearby river, to wash out his ears immediately.

Flapp 8

(continuing story Flapp)

The next day when Flapp awoke, he said; Ive got it!
Starch!, yes! starch that's it!
He jumped out of his bed, and started to prepare a kind of thick paste.
and smeared it all over his ears.

Meanwhile pondering in his heart how he longed to have ears like Rabbit.
Rabbits ears were always sitting straight up, decently and in order
and he always looked so very dignified.

When his ears were dry, they were as stiff and straight as Rabbits ears.
I have Rabbit-ears now! He said exited.
But... after a while his ears became cracky and he hardly could move them.
It started to hurt if he tried to twich them.