At the Wetlands....

We stopped by the wetlands early in the evening and got to see some action.

There was a Great Blue Heron stalking the edge of the shallow pond area.  Mike and I could see some nice size fish swimming in the water close to the boardwalk.

Getting ready.....

.....strike!  

His first catch was a small fish covered in weeds. Which he ate.

The second time he got a good size one and immediately headed for the shore so he wouldn't drop it back in the water.

A side view of the fish sticking out of his beak.

It wiggled hard while he carried it to shore.

Down the hatch.....

....gulp....

....ah!  I wonder what it feels like to have a large live fish in your throat???

The three geese families were all settled at the edge of the shallow area in the weeds.

 Pretty good camouflage for a baby goose!

We managed to spot all 15 of the babies in these 3 families, so none have been lost to predators so far. 

"Can you see us????"

One family took a swim. 

Always one lagging behind the rest :-)

Back by the creek, I saw this baby Cardinal after its father brought it some food. 

Elderberries in bloom. 

This was funny to watch.  There are Grackles that like to land on the logs and walk along them.  Twice we saw one walking along until it came to a turtle....then "hop" over it and keep going. 

 "What was that???  Did an airplane fly over me???"

Turtle sticking its nose up out of the duckweed.  I was trying to get a better shot of the eye, but he wouldn't turn sideways for me. 

And a warbler!  I was thrilled to see it, even if the photo is a little shaky.  I believe it is a Northern Parula.  I saw one here last year at just about the same time.

I always get the nicest presents....

God always sends me something very nice for my birthday :-)  Here are a few of my presents yesterday.

I especially like when the baby birds began to arrive!  These baby Downys are pretty big already, but I got to watch the daddy Downy feeding one of them on the big suet block.  They hung around on that Ash Tree most of the day.  It's a little far and shady for great shots, but I enjoyed watching them.

 I think this is one of the little ones, too.  It was exploring all the feeders.

The Titmouse wasn't as happy about seeing it as I was :-)

I have several little Chipping Sparrows hanging around and hope to see babies with them soon.

 I think they are one of the prettiest sparrows and fairly friendly.  I can sit outside nearby and they just go about their eating like I'm not there.

Got a little more light on this one.

 Several female Cardinals stopped by......

......and lots of males were about, too.

 The female Goldfinch catching a bit of sun that makes her look almost as yellow as her mate.

 A male Goldfinch giving me a chance to study its wing and tail feathers.

 For some reason I always think of Moe from the Three Stooges when I see them from the front! (and I hate the Three Stooges)

An interesting pose.

Of course the squirrels came by.

 I took these bee photos last week and just found them in the camera.

 Last week's moon, too.  I am always amazed that we can capture the craters....especially on the edge...with our everyday cameras!

And a beautiful sunset from last week.  Unfortunately the neighbor's trees are getting very big and I have trouble finding a spot to catch the color.

A lovely day, a lovely week.  God is good!

Ducks and geese and grackles at the park....

I had about a half hour to kill on my way to a Bible Study, so I stopped at Garvin Park to watch the ducks and geese.

 I thought this white duck looked very pretty as she had her "siesta" in the shade.

 The rest of them were all up preening their feathers.

A couple of Canada geese looking for food. 

 Another couple bathing.

 There were some Grackles along the edge of the water.

Took me awhile to figure out what they were doing.  Someone had tossed bread to the ducks and geese and large pieces had ended up in the water.  Now the Grackles were fishing them out where they had come to rest against the bank.  I have watched them take bread and soak it in the water before. 

They seemed to be finding a lot of pieces. 

 Mrs. Mallard having a snooze in the sunlight.

 Mr. Mallard keeping one eye on me.

Another of the many males that were hanging around.  It seemed to be a pond where all the extra un-mated males were hanging out together.  Always seem to be more males than the females each year.

They always say, "When God gives you lemons, make lemonade".......

 So, when he packs the gutter with  "gives" you maple trees......

 ........start a tree farm??????????    LOL

 We are talking about a 2 and a half car garage length of baby maple trees in this gutter!

Packed solid.  

1000's......millions???

 Maybe I should have saved this for SkyWatch Friday.....they look nice against the blue sky and clouds!

I think Mike had better get the ladder out......soon!

Odds and Ends.....

Yesterday I stopped in at Mouteau Park to look for Meadowlarks, Kingbirds and butterflies.  Found 2 out of three.  It wasn't a good day for butterflies :-) 

I was watching the Kingbirds on the cable fence, when another bird landed.....a Barn Swallow!  It let me get at least one good photo of its front side.....

 .....and then turned its back on me.  I've never seen a Barn Swallow at this park before and wondered where the nearest barn structure was.  Maybe it was nesting in the rafters of the shelter house, but when the soccer kids began to use the place, it won't be happy with that idea!  Right now the park is very quiet and empty.

 It was preening and picked some funny positions.

 Wish it had been facing me for this mouth open shot :-)

 Such a pretty and colorful bird.

Missed a place under that wing!

The Kingbird shots were not very good.  Sometimes I have a royal battle with my camera trying to convince it that the bird is what it is to focus on rather then the grass and background stuff.  Frustrating.

The Meadowlark was willing to sit still.....but oh, so far away!  I see it on the same pipe every time we visit. It has a nice view from there.

 At home.....the Deutzia bush is blooming.

I think it is lovely as the blossoms spill downward toward the ground.  Mike hates it because he walks into it all the time and it hangs in front of his garage door when it gets really big.  Looks like this will be a year to cut it back shorter.

"The-cat-that-thinks-it-belongs-to-me" was following me around as I was inspecting the flowers, so I took his photo.  A.k.a. "Shadow".  He has pretty much moved into our garage and is determined not to leave.

 Around the side of the house, my last Rhododendron is blooming.  It is really tall!  Those triangle windows are about 10 feet off the ground.  I can stand inside the house and see the blooms, which is nice!

 It is a pale pink and really looks pretty in the sunlight.

Close-up.