Odds and Ends....

I didn't take a lot of photos yesterday, so I don't have much to post.Went back to the woods looking for the Waterthrush, but no luck. Did see this Red-Bellied Woodpecker from a distance. He looks so small on that big tree.
I would say the woodpeckers were at work here! What really surprised me is that the lowest hole was only about 5 feet off the ground.

Went back the arboretum and Jenny, you were right! I crushed some of this and the smell of anise was really strong!

I wondered if this green fuzzy bush was related, but no anise smell with this one.

This was a pretty bush and I got smart and took a photo of the name this time :-)

A close up of the flower.

Hopey loves to drink from our fountain! It used to sit lower on the ground and I don't think she approves of the higher elevation....she can barely reach to get her little tongue up there. We bought an indoor fountain for the cats, but she likes this one.

Being watched by the frog :-)

My Carolina Wren was very vocal yesterday and flitting around outside the garage.

On the basketball rim

In the maple tree.
I may go to the zoo today....there is a new baby camel that I want to see.

Internet Explorer..

Don't know what the problem is, but Internet Explorer won't let me open some of your blogs....very frustrating! So if I don't visit, it is because I can't. So far it has refused Ann in New Brunswick, Tom in Ohio, and Becky at Woodynook, and Annie in Connecticut. Sigh. I will try the laptop later and see if it has the same problem. This computer shut down on us 3 times night before last, so maybe something happened to Explorer during that time.

Sometimes the quality of the day is better than the quality of the photos....

We were driving home from town and Mike saw this hawk in a tree, so we leaned out the window of the car trying to get a good photo.
Not a great shot, but the best we could do.

Later we went to St. Paul's Nature Preserve to walk and saw this bird. It was so shady and dark, I wasn't getting good photos here either! I believe this is another Waterthrush. I still won't debate which one, since I never get a good shot. Darn thing moved constantly! I hope to go back tomorrow and try recording its voice. It was very funny the way it was acting. I think it must have had a nest nearby or something. It kept flying low and hopping around and spreading it's wings out like in this photo. We were standing on a bridge over a little creek, which would be perfect habitat for this bird.

It paused briefly here.

Back shot of the wing spreading activity.

We drove on out into the countryside and saw this beautiful band of blue flowers lining the side of the road! Mike stopped and leaned out and took a few shots before a car came along.

I think it is Chickory or something like it. Very pretty! I've never seen so many in one place.
(I've been corrected by many....these are Cornflowers)
Back at home .......

Hopey is firmly convinced that it is her job to keep the ducks out of the driveway even though I am trying to feed them. She is such a "scardy cat" that I can't believe she will even approach a bird that big! The bigger the animal the more it bothers the cats to have it around.

Having done her job, she decided to snooze a while on the back deck and watch the little birds.

The Carolina Wren is still in the nest on the shelf in the garage. If she didn't have that light eye stripe, she might be "invisible". Wish I could get a better photo without disturbing her.
As I said...the day was better than the photos!

Wren-novations underway!.....

It looks like the former Chickadee "mansion" is being considered by new owners!

The contractors and decorators are at work right now.....make that Wren-notators! Apparently the new Wren owners do not like the Chickadee decorating scheme, so it is being tossed out the door!


This is very hard work!
"You wouldn't think those Chickadees would have so much junk from living here for a few months!"

"Such bad taste....I can't raise babies in this mess!"

When not working they are singing merrily! I had taken the following sound bite to ask you all who was singing....but now I know! House Wren in love!

(In case I never said....the Chickadee family "flew the coop" right after I took photos. Apparently having the babies hanging out the door attracting attention panicked the parents into getting them out of there. I saw the parents still coming for food and flying off into the trees the next day, so I assume they are fine. The wren didn't show up until much later and there was no disturbance to the nest or dead bodies when we checked it after the chickadees left.)

Good grief.....

...why is it the least desirable birds produce the most successful nests and the most babies???? Anyone in England looking for a few House Sparrows????? I'd offer free shipping, but I can't afford it. I'd almost be willing to throw in the Indigo Bunting just to be rid of the sparrows!