Dan Antion

Live and Let Live – #1LinerWeds

People have been asking about the bird ball posts. “Where are they, Dan?” Well, I have one today, and despite my normal practice of not trying to send a social message, the reason I has taken this long to get the photos, leads me toward such a message. There aren’t any bugs for the birds to eat because the fields have been sprayed.

In the last year that I was walking Maddie, I had to almost keep her constantly on the paved paths in the park, because the fields and the areas between the fields were routinely being sprayed with pesticides. Dogs can absorb chemicals through the pads on their paws, so I had to keep her off the grass. Maybe that’s why she liked visiting the children’s park – they didn’t spray there.

As I walk now, I see so many plush green lawns with no critters and no birds. There’s nothing to eat. According to a study at Cornell University, we have lost 3 billion birds since 1970. In the past twenty years, we’ve lost 25% of the insect population.

OK, I’m off the soapbox.

“Let’s play bird ball!”

  • Sparky is calling the game for the little birds.
  • Slow Joe Crow, Calling the game from up high.
  • Red, Red Robin isn’t playing. Just there to watch.
  • “We better get over there. I see the crows coming.”
  • “Come on, Those little birds already left for the field. They’re up first.”
  • Crows taking the field
  • Crows in the outfield.
  • “Jinx on first base.”
  • “Let’s get some chatter going guys.”
  • “Hey, no batter, no batter.”
  • Little birds snacking before the big game.
  • First base is covered
  • “Let’s go! Strike him out. I don’t want to see him on my base.”
  • The little birds are in the field, but up by two runs.
  • “Heads up guys. These crows can hit.”
  • Little birds are covering the outfield , all the way out to the warning track.
  • Crows have a runner on second.

There’s a regular gallery below the daily interruption from our marketing department. Below that is an oldie that seems appropriate today.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, or if you would like to join in on the fun, you can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.


If you like magical realism with suspense, action and a bit of family sarcasm, you will enjoy these books:

Knuckleheads
The Evil You Choose
When Evil Chooses You

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This sign always makes me sad.
The crows lost, 3-2.
“You’re not going to make us move, are you? This is good clover.”
You can stay and eat. I’ll go around.
One more bunny for River.
We need these guys!
They love the Bee Balm.
The bees are happy on the bee balm. They don’t mind my getting close
Even at half staff it’s proud.
At the park entrance
The baby ducks are on their own now.
It’s not much of a race.
At the shore
We haven’t had rain for a while. The river is low.
“Mom said to stay close to the shore.”
“Come on, let;s go out in the channel.”

74 comments

  3. I do love your photos Dan and your brilliant comedic commentary on the bird’s ball game. Plus your other photos are great!
    On a more sober note I really agree with you on the poison the put down in public areas killing the birds and bugs, birds and bugs are not pests….really ?? We have to be careful with Ruby as she eats grass 💜💜

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  4. Triple bunnies and bee balm start my day off right.
    I’m glad most of Maine is pesticide free. Don’t think we’re suffering bird or bug loss. Though I wouldn’t mind a few less mosquitoes.

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  5. A very sobering and timely message Dan. Another sad statement on the stupidity of humans and our inability to consider we are not the only living things on this planet that matter. I put out a shallow bowl of water for the toads in our yard to use so they can soak up water through their skin. Toads don’t drink. Toads eat an enormous amount of insects….win/win. Very few bees around so far this summer.

    On a happy note, lots of glow worms, or we used to call them lightening bugs. Haven’t seen them in years.

    Great photo gallery today. And Joni Mitchell…love her!
    Ginger

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    • We have a couple toads around here, Ginger. We don’t see them often, but our water (we have a birdbath and two planter saucers) are all low to the ground. We love it when we see Mr. Toad, or, as the Editor calls him, her handsome prince.

      I haven’t seen lightening bugs in a long time. I hope they make it up here. My brother has enough in his yard to light up the street.

      Joni is one of my favorites. I hope you’re having a nice week.

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  6. We live on a couple of acres, but are also next to a subdivision where on any day you can walk through there and see those pesticide signs all over. Of course, you don’t really need the signs because there is a strong smell as well. I’m outside about three hours every morning, and I’ve seen so few bees this summer, that it is quite scary to me at least. I wonder if these entities who choose to spray pesticides realize that ‘no bees, no food.’ You can get on your soapbox anytime as far as I’m concerned. :-)

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    • Thanks Judy. I don’t like to preach, but why someone needs to spray the lawn they never us, makes me shake my head. We’re starting to feel like an island. By the number of times a day we have to fill the birdbaths and water dishes, maybe I should call that an oasis. I wish more people would help these little guys survive. Some towns in CT are trying to pass laws against feeding birds from April to November. They say they can find their own food. That might have been true 20 years ago, before we started turning farms into warehouses and forests into subdivisions, but there’s not much for these guys to eat around here.

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  7. I am partial to that robin who is “just there to watch.” You caught a good robin look there; it seems to me robins always look as if there’s something they don’t approve of. Your message is timely, and it’s a good one.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Politicians and park managers, and now home owners. We see ads everyday for pest and insect control services. People seeking the green carpet lawn, with no life in it. A deadly waste of resources.

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    • Thanks John. They seem to be cutting down a little. They didn’t spray for the Fireman’s Carnival, but the still spray the ball fields. There is one that they aren’t maintaining because that tier of Little League hasn’t restarted. Most of the ball field shots were taken there.

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  10. Most people in my neighbor don’t bother with sprays for their lawns. In fact, I don’t even see them fertilizing the grass. Still, there aren’t as many birds as there used to be. Our world is changing.

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  12. I live between two yards who should probably win awards for best lawn. And they both use the same spray company. Another reason I am so glad White Paws and Nugget are inside cats. Great message, Dan.
    Jinx–no ‘batter, batter?’ Darn!! I had my game voice on. 😆 Good to see the birds of summer, though. I was missing them.

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    • There’s one field they are ignoring this summer. I saw some little birds over there today. Maybe I’ll catch the crows and get another game in soon. This is a good reason to have indoor pets,

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  13. Perfect song to go with your message, Dan. No spraying on my lawn (and it shows… 😏) People don’t think of the implecations of no bugs. It is a sad state of affairs. That said, all your images are lovely!

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  14. Loved your one-liner, Dan. I wish it were plastered everywhere. As always, great photos. BTW, I just got back from Old Lyme. I had forgotten about the humidity but loved seeing everything green. 💚

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    • You picked a good week to remind you of the humidity, Gwen. Things are starting to get brown here. We had a heavy rain overnight, but we’ve had a couple dry weeks.

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  15. 😡😕😶My son, who once worked on an organic farm, has always let the wildflowers grow in his yards. He worked for a year for a lawn company but couldn’t stand all the chemicals they used. He said the only true ‘invader’ is cultivated grass. You know how I feel about critters. Part of the population is aggressively playing God, another part is just playing around and oblivious, while the remainder who actually care about our environment are left to shake our heads and plug along trying to honor the gift of creation. I always loved Big Yellow Taxi. Thanks for adding it today. (PS If you want critters, check my place later. )

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  16. Dan, we’re fortunate in that the folks in our area seem to all be respectful of “common ground” near there homes and no pesticide applications are made within those areas. As well, there has been a “green” movement here with several companies marketing their commitment to earth and pet-friendly applications.

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  18. Those insects play a vital part in the cycle that is life on this planet. I would hate for future generations only know about that cycle in books. You kill one species off and you condemn the rest to a slow death. I’m on that soapbox with you.

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  19. Here in California those lush green yards are considered very wasteful – even our parks have patchy spots. Many of my neighbors have artificial turf (I’m not sure how much better they are for the environment but they don’t need water.)

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  20. That song is particularly true here where every bit of empty space seems to be simply fodder for yet more buildings that will require more already precious water. And spraying? Don’t even get me started on that! You are preaching to the choir, my friend.

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  22. I feel very guilty sitting here reading about the loss of bird population and insects, as I’ve been killing ants here in the house. They seem to have migrated to almost every room. I found one on me, of all places–no idea how it got there! Another on my desk and two on the kitchen counter, another in the front bathroom. I haven’t looked downstairs, but so far they appear to be coming in on the farthest corner of the last sliding glass door.

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  24. HI Dan, your pictures are lovely. Your message is more than sad; I suppose it is tragic really. It is tragic that humans are so arrogant, even post Covid, that they think they can manipulate nature to their own desires with no consequences. No insects and birds, ultimately no people. The ignorance is overwhelming.

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  26. You stand on that soapbox anytime, Dan. Some people don’t think about these things and need to be educated. I bet there are other people in your area who agree with you. Maybe you could get together and advocate for more natural habitats for the birds and bees. Beekeepers, Audobon society are just a couple of groups that come to mind who might be willing to work promoting more natural landscaping. Thank you for caring and writing about it here.

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  27. It’s too bad, Dan, that we humans have to mess up the environment for ourselves and all of the critters living with us. And even when we know about it, we keep on doing same. Ugh.

    Hope you’ve had a nice week!

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  30. I love that song. I heard about fewer birds a few days ago. My great-aunt and a neighbor actually were talking about finding dead birds. Our neighbor also said she had seen a grey cat around too. I hope the cat hasn’t been killing the birds.

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