my mandala today was done on a dessert plate…
using a columbine blossom for the center on a bed of China Girl pink rose petals with a bit of fennel greenery…
robin redbreasts built a nest in our climbing rose trellis on the corner of our front porch…
in a fairly busy place as that is the direct path from our driveway to our front door…
I tried discouraging the robins from laying eggs there by removing the nests that now decorate a box on the back porch (I know! I felt horrible but it was before they laid any eggs and I hoped they would pick from the many other spots available in our garden)…
finally on a rainy day I gave up and Mrs Robin built nest #5 and laid a clutch of four eggs (I snapped the photo above before she added the fourth egg)…
now mockingbirds have moved in too and built a nest four posts down on the other end of the porch right by our front door…
in all the years we’ve had mockingbirds in the garden we have never seen a nest…
“Life is short. Eat dessert first” -Jacques Torres
joining Dawn for her Mandala Monday…
Magpie's Nest ~*~ Patty Szymkowicz 
Such beauty here Patty! Oh; if I were a bird, I’d want to nest in your beautiful garden areas, too. Love the nests and eggs! I’ve never seen a Mockingbird, let alone, their eggs. Enjoy your Mandala Monday….xxoo
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Beautiful. We call the flowers aquilegias over here and they seed freely in my garden.
I think that if the birds are being so persistent they are obviously not going to mind the human traffic. They obviously enjoy your garden
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It’s a real tonic to see your lovely photos Patty, it’s such a miserable day here in the UK. Thank you for sharing your beautiful floral creation, & I always love to see birdies & the like!
Alison xxx
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Oh Patty, you arranged such a beautiful mandala again! We call these flowers Akelei and yes, they spread wildly wherever they can. I like them a lot.
Also the nests of the robins and mockbirds are admirable. Just look at the beautiful colors of their eggs.
Lucky you to live in such a nice place!
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Whoot whoot tweet, tweet,I see all my cousins love your back garden and move in there:):)..You mandala is so pretty, China pink roses, I do love the name and they are a gorgeous, pink. the columbine blossom is perfect in the middle and only you my dear Mrs Magpie would use fennell for the greenery and its stunning in there.. I had been in such a funk last week, but am back at my desk creating and visiting you does make my heart all a twitter.Did you know Magpies chortle always wondered what they call our tweets, a lovely friend from Oz told me:):)..
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First I have to say your photo of the four empty nests covered in petals is one of my favorite of all time. I was so excited to see the Mockingbird had laid two more eggs! I just love their beautiful speckles. The beauty you have captured is spectacular.
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I so love your mandala Monday. What a joy to have all that life around you be it in the form of all those beautiful flowers or the sweet birds. I would be in heaven.
Thanx for this wonderful share.
Big hugz
Tonniece
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What a beautiful post Patty. It always makes me smile to see your robins….they are so different from ours 😊And their eggs….what a glorious colour!! I think I need to come and see your garden 😉
My dark purple aquilegias are just coming out, I must remember to take a photo. XX
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What beautiful pictures of your garden, dear Patty! Your flower arrangement and the bird’s nest are quite delightful. I also have a bird’s nest in the garden. Oh, why is not the whole year spring?
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What beautiful flowers! I love your nests — and like rosieinspirations, loved that one with the nests! I noticed a bird has a nest over in Rick’s next-door duplex eaves, but we can’t quite see it. How wonderful. What a clever idea to do your mandala on the place! Lovely!
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I wonder if birds have a mark for “kindhearted woman” like the hobos did during the Great Depression…because you would surely have one. I had to chuckle at the robin’s persistence and then again when a mockingbird decided to join in. I love both the back side of the plate mandala as well as the front of the plate creation…both are lovely and I bet they have a wonderful scent, too.
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I have a robin that built a nest on top of one of my porch posts, just like last year. This year there is no one to throw it away (eggs and all) like the cruel guy who worked on my porch did last year. I know Bleubeard would never, ever be able to climb that high, even when I do allow him outside. I suspect even though the area is busy, the nest was built for a reason: security that you won’t let anything happen now that the eggs are there.
Your flowers are SO much prettier than anything I have. Gorgeous, gorgeous mandala regardless the side of the plate it’s shown on.
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I’m always thinking faster than I type, so what I meant was the area YOUR robin built the nest in, was for security. Hope my sentence above makes more sense now.
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Beautiful photos and post Patty. It’s funny how persistent birds can be. I chuckled when I read your post because we have a female cardinal who visits us every fall. We have many windows in the house but she insists on tapping the same window, in the same place for hours a day each year. I’m amazed how she remembers exactly which window is her favorite from one year to the next. I love the photos of the eggs, they’re such beautiful colors! Have a wonderful day!!! ~Sophia
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I love the Columbine standing up in the middle of your Mandala. So pretty. I like the little row of nests decorating your porch. So cute. Robin eggs always surprise and delight me with that incredible blue color. I had no idea Mockingbirds had such pretty eggs. Thanks for sharing that. Beautiful post! Have a marvelous Monday! 🙂
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It’s wonderful that birds nest so close to you. Our birds all nest high up in tall trees. Those eggs are an amazing colour. Love your plate….so pretty.
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What a lush post full of flora and fauna!
Happy Mandala Monday!!
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oh your mandala is gorgeous and that nest is amazing!! xoxo
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Another beautiful mandala. The birds nests with their tiny little eggs are darling. I’m hoping the little wrens build in our dwarf lilac bush again. Always fun to see how busy they are.
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what beautiful nests and eggs – how fun…I know at some point you just have to give in and enjoy the moment! There must be a lot of tweets coming from your house!!
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These photos are beautiful again. It’s almost starting to make me look forward to Mondays… Almost.
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Gosh when they are determined they like a place they build and build bless the robin. Love the nests & eggs what joy this will bring. it looks beautiful weather where you live, lots of rain and thunder here at the mo hope it all clears for your trip 😉 Dxx
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so very beautiful! what a wonderful and magical creation…yours and mother nature’s…xo
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LOVE your mandala dear Patty and your photos of the sweet birds and nests are really fab!! I wish we had nests like that in our back yard but at least we do have a lot of birds that visit 🙂
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Now I know about the nests 🙂 they do look beautiful… I saved one empty one from last year , hope I can find another this season , nothing like the real thing.
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Very glad to see the pictures of the mockingbird nest. We just discovered such a nest with eggs that look like those in our shrub by the kitchen window. Thanks for sharing all these beautiful pictures!
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Oh, Patty ~ where to begin??? Your journal pages are the absolute end! I love your images, colors, textures, quotes ~ they have it all! I especially love the “Enough” quote, how very true…
I’m with you – dessert first! Thank you for enriching our days with your beautiful art and photography! Blessings, sweet friend! xoxo Karen
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Oh, and I forgot…..the birds! How perfect they are and the eggs from which they come…nature at her finest. xox
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How did I miss this beautiful post dear Patty!!!
Your Mandala is the sweetest in pink tones, and with that beautiful Columbine on top- I love your romantic creation!
Also so love the nests – and smile that your Robin, never gave up, and came back home to the same spot again this year 🙂 building a new nest!!
The mockingbird looks so sweet, and how lucky for you to now being able to see her nest and even following the life in there- from a distance ofcourse.
Both birds eggs are so very beautiful- and to think there are little new lives in each egg is amazing .
Sending you hugs and love-
Dorthe
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Pingback: put a bird nest on it… | Magpie's Nest ~*~ Patty Szymkowicz
Such wonderful mandala with beautiful akkelei, which my mother use to have tons of them in her garden! She loved them so much! and your beautiful nests with such colorful eggs…such a joy!!! Thank you so much for sharing and I am ecxited what lil creatures come out of them 😉
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