Well.......looks like my favorite squirrel has "lost his head"!
Maybe he'll find it by next week.
Maybe he'll find it by next week.Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
A good day for birding.....
Yesterday was cold, but was a good day for seeing different birds and such. I'm going to post these in the opposite order of seeing them, because I was so excited to see this owl in the first shot!
I don't see a lot of owls and this one was in a tree along the edge of our property! I will be watching for him in the future. I think it is a Barred Owl.
Earlier in the day, I saw this pole and wires loaded with Pigeons near the train yards. Does it sound fancier if I call them Rock Doves (feral pigeons) like Sibley's does? Maybe some people don't get excited about pigeons, but I think their colors are so pretty.
According to Sibley Field Guide to Birds there are 5 basic plumage variations: Natural Adult, Dark Adult, Brown Adult, Checkered Adult, and Pied Adult. It says that fully white birds are scarce. I would say looking at my selection that I have all but the Brown Adults and no pure white ones, but a couple that were close.
If you click on any of these you can see the colors more closely. There are two in this photo that almost look like they have a touch of brown, but maybe it is more of a pink color.
An almost all white one! I love the iridescent colors in the neck area.
This group were all fairly light in color.
OK....I won't bore you with Pigeons, but I really do like looking at them....and they don't mind photos :-)
This Red-Shouldered Hawk (?) was further down the wires in the same area as the pigeons. Maybe he wanted lunch.
Speaking of hawks.....when we got home a hawk flew right over the top of the car as we drove up, and through the trees. About 20 minutes later, I stepped out on the deck to put out some bird seed and heard a hawk screeching. It landed in the top of the oak tree in the back yard. It took off and I went for the camera because Mike spotted another one circling overhead as well. He said they were doing somersaults and such. Is that mating behavior or territorial behavior? They got too far away for photos, but we think it was the Red-Shouldered Hawks we have seen around our house before. Of course I have no photos of this....my camera was being downloaded on the computer. Mike got one distant shot of one of them with the other camera.
I don't see a lot of owls and this one was in a tree along the edge of our property! I will be watching for him in the future. I think it is a Barred Owl.
Earlier in the day, I saw this pole and wires loaded with Pigeons near the train yards. Does it sound fancier if I call them Rock Doves (feral pigeons) like Sibley's does? Maybe some people don't get excited about pigeons, but I think their colors are so pretty.
According to Sibley Field Guide to Birds there are 5 basic plumage variations: Natural Adult, Dark Adult, Brown Adult, Checkered Adult, and Pied Adult. It says that fully white birds are scarce. I would say looking at my selection that I have all but the Brown Adults and no pure white ones, but a couple that were close.
If you click on any of these you can see the colors more closely. There are two in this photo that almost look like they have a touch of brown, but maybe it is more of a pink color.
An almost all white one! I love the iridescent colors in the neck area.
This group were all fairly light in color.OK....I won't bore you with Pigeons, but I really do like looking at them....and they don't mind photos :-)
This Red-Shouldered Hawk (?) was further down the wires in the same area as the pigeons. Maybe he wanted lunch.Speaking of hawks.....when we got home a hawk flew right over the top of the car as we drove up, and through the trees. About 20 minutes later, I stepped out on the deck to put out some bird seed and heard a hawk screeching. It landed in the top of the oak tree in the back yard. It took off and I went for the camera because Mike spotted another one circling overhead as well. He said they were doing somersaults and such. Is that mating behavior or territorial behavior? They got too far away for photos, but we think it was the Red-Shouldered Hawks we have seen around our house before. Of course I have no photos of this....my camera was being downloaded on the computer. Mike got one distant shot of one of them with the other camera.
Friday, February 26, 2010
SkyWatch Friday.....
(Double post.....nature post below this one)
It's SkyWatch Friday! 
This was my sky on the way to WalMart last night.
Different looks in different directions
Even an early moon!
What's in your sky?
Click on the icon on the sidebar for more SkyWatch Friday from all over the world.
Thanks SkyWatch team for all your efforts to keep this blog going!
This was my sky on the way to WalMart last night.
Different looks in different directions
Even an early moon!What's in your sky?
Click on the icon on the sidebar for more SkyWatch Friday from all over the world.
Thanks SkyWatch team for all your efforts to keep this blog going!
Just say "Ahhhhhhhhh!"...............
I don't usually do my "birding" at Rural King, but how could I not take photos of these adorable baby chicks!
There were 4-5 different kinds....didn't write down the names.
My favorites are these little striped ones with the dark backs....soooooo cute!
If the colors don't seem right on some of these ........
....it is because I had to take photos that looked like this.......
......and try to make them look more like this!
This group were the funniest.....they would all huddle on one end and then suddenly run to the other end.
A great variety of colors
Sometimes the best I could do with the photos is a sort of sepia look. I'm sure if I was intelligent, I would know a better way to fix these photos!
I love the little striped wings! Too bad they all grow up!
Well......I guess that is enough baby chicks :-)
There were 4-5 different kinds....didn't write down the names.
My favorites are these little striped ones with the dark backs....soooooo cute!
If the colors don't seem right on some of these ........
....it is because I had to take photos that looked like this.......
......and try to make them look more like this!
This group were the funniest.....they would all huddle on one end and then suddenly run to the other end.
A great variety of colors
Sometimes the best I could do with the photos is a sort of sepia look. I'm sure if I was intelligent, I would know a better way to fix these photos!
I love the little striped wings! Too bad they all grow up!
Well......I guess that is enough baby chicks :-)Ahhhhhhhhh.........!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
On the home front....
Just watching the birds at home yesterday. 
I think this dove lost some tail feathers. Sometimes in winter they freeze to a perch and pull out. If you look closely there are two little feathers on top of the bigger ones, but no really long tail feathers. Interesting.
Downy checking me out as I check her out.
Mr. Downy with his mouth open.
Mockingbird ever on guard least someone eat some of "his" suet.
Everyone had their mouth open yesterday.
Red Bellied female taking a turn at the suet
Red Bellied male at the other suet cake.
Wren searching the ground.
I think this dove lost some tail feathers. Sometimes in winter they freeze to a perch and pull out. If you look closely there are two little feathers on top of the bigger ones, but no really long tail feathers. Interesting.
Downy checking me out as I check her out.
Mr. Downy with his mouth open.
Mockingbird ever on guard least someone eat some of "his" suet.
Everyone had their mouth open yesterday.
Red Bellied female taking a turn at the suet
Red Bellied male at the other suet cake.
Wren searching the ground. Looks like Raccoon skat right in front of him. I'd better be watching the feeders late at night.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Left-overs......
We didn't go out until late yesterday afternoon. We drove to Blue Grass to see if there were any owls hanging around or other birds of interest. Nothing that interesting to see, however. We saw one pair of Shovelers on one of the lakes and a distant hawk or two. Mostly we saw large swarms of blackbirds looking for a place to settle for the night. Out in the distance you could see them joining up and long lines stretching across the sky.
One of their favorite places is this huge tree at the edge of the cemetery.
(I will have to write here, because for some reason when I try to write between the photos it puts my words in blue and underlines them.)
(I will have to write here, because for some reason when I try to write between the photos it puts my words in blue and underlines them.)
The noise of the birds is really loud as the chitter to each other.
I call it "the bird tree".
Close up of the birds.
******
******
Now going back to last Friday in New Harmony, IN
I always love this large house in New Harmony. It is behind a brick wall, as you can see and is a private residence. I believe it once belonged to the Owen family that were behind one of the utopian movements that lived in New Harmony.
What caught my eye on this day was the roof with the weather vane.
Unusual! Looking more closely, I don't know if it is a weather vane or just a fish topper, but I like it :-)
The bridge crossing the Wabash River from New Harmony to southern Illinois.Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Hopeful signs......
Maybe spring is coming at last!
Sunday the temperatures felt so good we headed to Howell wetlands for the first time in weeks!
Late in the afternoon.....snoozing and cruising.
The stern view....I like how the feathers look on her back.
A pair at the water's edge. Beginning to look for nesting sites maybe?
We saw two pair of Mallards in the creek area.
Cruising the open water, nibbling some food.
I liked the water squiggles in this one :-)
Still ice on the shallower parts of the creek, but thawing on the edges. Won't be long!
Green stuff! Don't care what it is....it's green stuff!
Most hopeful of all.....the turtles are coming out to sit!
Late in the afternoon.....snoozing and cruising.
The stern view....I like how the feathers look on her back.
A pair at the water's edge. Beginning to look for nesting sites maybe?
We saw two pair of Mallards in the creek area.
Cruising the open water, nibbling some food.
I liked the water squiggles in this one :-)
Still ice on the shallower parts of the creek, but thawing on the edges. Won't be long!
Green stuff! Don't care what it is....it's green stuff!
Most hopeful of all.....the turtles are coming out to sit! This area will have entire logs full in the coming weeks, but even one is a hopeful sign to me!
Another one sitting high and warming itself.
....two.....
.....three!
I thought this was one.....and then noticed the nose peeking out on the right side of the stump when I got it home.
I just like nest photos.
A Red Wing Blackbird on the corner of the boardwalk was calling back and forth to 2 others to alert of our presence. So good to hear them again!
His buddy high in the tree next to our car. Making sure we leave, I guess :-)
Another one sitting high and warming itself.
....two.....
.....three!
I thought this was one.....and then noticed the nose peeking out on the right side of the stump when I got it home.
I just like nest photos.
A Red Wing Blackbird on the corner of the boardwalk was calling back and forth to 2 others to alert of our presence. So good to hear them again!
His buddy high in the tree next to our car. Making sure we leave, I guess :-)A great walk, a feeling that spring might actually come again after all.....hope was in the air!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
%2B(2).jpg)
