You are getting some good views! Are you like me in spending a lot of time looking at the birds through the windows? One of the things I love about our house is that the bottom of the windows are at 20" from the floor, so I can easily bird while sitting in whichever room I'm in-- kitchen excepted, but I'm usually standing in that room anyway. But you may have it even better looking at the canopy area of trees near your windows.

Thanks gyr_falcon. I do have a telephoto lens, but would sure like a stronger one......but I'm not sure my arthritic hands could hold it up! About 22 years ago (gosh....where does the time go?) We added a new addition to our house......a master bedroom and bath, which put my view much closer to the pines. I had lots of windows put in. I am able to sit on a raised stool and easily look out. The window in the bathroom is higher, so I got a raised bar stool! I'm not proud...and looking out at nature is more important than style, right?. haha

It lets me sit and look out into the front yard, whereas the other 2 windows look in different directions. I can't wait for summer night sounds......with the windows open I can enjoy the tree frogs', crickets', owls' and katydids' symphonies. There's nothing better!! :)

How lucky you are! I sure miss the sounds of frogs. Used to have a noisy chorus worth in our yard, with just the tiny plastic pond and the bromeliads they used to snuggle inside. Drought and diseases wiped them out. :( Our new location does not have as many owls, or other animals, since we are surrounded by houses rather than butting up against open space.

I probably wouldn't hear any frogs if I didn't have my small water gardens. I have a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktank sunk in the ground with a small pump and a water lily and another tank sunk in the ground and filled with dirt and water for a lotus.

Then I have another one that I fill in the spring and keep it above ground, for water lilies and a few marginals. Then, outside my bedroom window, I used to have another above-ground tank, but it got to be too much, so now it's just a small tub for a marginal or 2. This is just enough to draw in some frogs. We only have tree frogs and a few green frogs. Last spring, we had a couple bullfrogs, but they moved on. I've heard that's probably best, since they eat birds and small children. ;)

I would LOVE to have a large pond, but at this point in our lives, it's just too much. We have about 35 acres....of woods and field. Getting old has sort of put a damper on some of things I can do, but several years ago we bought a raised electric golf cart. It's been my "legs". My husband has mowed many trails through the property and it's a great pleasure for us to take rides through it. I couldn't live anywhere else!

We don't seem to have the number of owls we used to. Mostly, we get an occasional barred family. One year I could hear a great horned with a young one, calling to each other. When we first moved out here 36 years ago, there were screech owls, but I haven't heard them in a long time. Ahhh nature.............quite amazing! I find so much happiness in it. I say get another little plastic pond and give it another try!

We did install the pond at our new place, about six years ago. I've only seen one frog, in a bromeliad. And it quickly disappeared. I have to be content with the birds, lizards and opossums.

I noticed just this morning that scaly-breasted munia (aka Nutmeg Mannikin) was beginning to build a nest in the neighbor's pine tree. I saw it carrying material, but that piece of the tree is too dense to see the actual nest. We have had them in the area for quite a while, but I've never seen a nest. They sometimes visit in flocks of up to 25, and boy can they put away seed! No other species here eats as much seed as they can, including the squirrels. I'm ending the feeding period now anyway, since the last white-crowned sparrow migrated two days ago.

gyr_falcon.......I had never heard of that bird before. Do you live out west? Sometimes it's nice to have a little fountain set up, even if it doesn't attract frogs....especially if the birds and other animals can get a drink from it. Oh....and there's the damsel flies and dragonflies that like the water too. I like growing water lilies. You can buy dwarf lilies and lotus too.

I live in Southern California, catherinet. Scaly-breasted Munia are escapees from the pet trade that have established and breed in the area, much in the same way as the more publicized parrot species. I don't have a great photo, but here are some sharing some seed with a ground squirrel.