This and That......

Most of these are feeder shots at home, but at least a greater variety of birds is beginning to show up with winter approaching.

 This little Goldfinch looks like the water didn't agree with her :-)  I took the frog ball off of the fountain, and replaced it with a dish and a heating element for winter.

 I drove through Mouteau Park on the way home yesterday and saw these two Kestrels at the top of a big Sweet Gum tree.  I was surprised they didn't fly further away, but the tree was pretty far from the edge of the raod and very tall and I guess they didn't feel intimidated by me.  I seldom see two together!

 Not much of a shot, but I don't see the back view very often.

 I wondered if they were a mated pair.....couldn't see much difference in their color, but it isn't mating season. 

 This is Kiwi....the cat that thinks she belongs to us.  When she drinks water, she often dips her paw in the water and brings it to her mouth.  I have not seen any other cat do that!  I was trying to catch her with her paw in the water.

 I haven't seen squirrels around much this summer, but now that winter is coming, they have remembered where the feeders are located :-)  We have a bunch of walnut trees, and they have been collecting walnuts and hiding them.  Mike says he finds crushed shells along the edge of the road.  Maybe they set them there so the cars will run over them and do the crushing for them :-)  LOL

 A Titmouse peeking at me from the feeder.

 A Carolina Wren showed up....always welcome!

 "There's that lady with the camera again.....she never lets us eat in peace."

Our weather is a bit gloomy at the moment.  But not too cold, thankfully and the bad storms have missed us so far.

Mockingbird....

I've probably never posted just one photo before, but it is all I have at the moment :-)

Mockingbird stretching for the suet.

  I took pity on him and put a stick in the bottom of the wire cage so he could stand a little closer the next time he visits.

Back over to Henderson, KY and the "snipe hunt".......

Friday was a beautiful sunny day, so we headed back over to Henderson, KY to check on the migratory water fowl that gather there at the refuge along the Ohio River.  The river is just beyond the trees that you can see in that first photo.

 Most of the birds were in a flooded field along one side of the road.  There are some viewing stands that you can climb up and even at this great distance can get some good photos with a good zoom lens.

There were a bunch of Coots at one end of the gathering of birds along with assorted ducks.

 I'm not good at some of the ducks from this distance, but think the ones in the middle are Gadwalls.  I think there are some other kinds, but don't know what they are.  The geese here are all Greater White-fronted Geese.

A few more Snow Geese have arrived, but the huge numbers haven't shown up yet. 

On the left middle of this photo is one of the dark phase of the Snow Geese.....sitting tall with just the white head.  Some of the Greater White-fronts are juveniles and don't have the white around the bill. 

 This area is safe for them, but the hunters are beginning to set out their decoys in the private fields around the preserve area.  There will be 1000's more birds arriving in the next couple of months.

 The geese all mixed together in this cluster.

 In another pond along the road I usually find a Grebe all by itself and sure enough....there were two this year!  Such cute little things.

Mike spotted this Red Tailed Hawk in the tree watching the birds.  He took the photo, too. 

 A Kestrel that didn't fly away the minute we parked the car.  We had stopped to look for snipe at one of the viewing stands and I guess we were parked far enough away, he didn't feel threatened.  I usually don't even  try to take photos of Kestrels, because the take off the minute I raise the camera.

 One last duck photo.....a couple of Shovelers in the rear.

 This is a better idea of the distance.  It takes a long lens when the birds are this far away.  I like how the smokestacks look reflecting on the water.

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Then there were the Wilson's Snipe.......

I told Mike, "I don't know if I'm taking photos of birds pretending to be clumps of grass, or clumps of grass pretending to be birds!"  I know I got some of both!  LOL  These guys really know how to hide!  I could find this one by the reflection on the water.....and that long bill.

I took quite a few photos of just clumps of grass and leaves.....but there are some actual birds in this photo as well all hunkered down at rest :-) 

 Snipe....really, I'm not kidding.....several!

More hiding birds.  They were all resting when I happened to be there Friday, and not as easy to see as when they are wading and feeding.  In the past I have been lucky enough to find them along the edge of the road in a wet field, where we could sit in the car real quietly and they didn't mind us being there....... 

 ......this year they have chosen this shallow flooded field and are scattered all along the edges in the dirt and grass clumps.  I only could find them when they moved a bit!  I am standing on a viewing stand once again.

One last bunch hiding from me...... 

.....a few standing tall.

I love this season and this wonderful place to find birds!  Can't wait to go back.  I just wish it was a little closer!  We live on the other side of the river and "as the crow flies" not that far....but when you have to drive through Evansville to a bridge over the Ohio and then through Henderson and back track along the river, it is a lot longer getting there.  Otherwise, I would be there every day!

Anyone who lives remotely close to Henderson, KY....this opportunity to see all these water fowl lasts throughout the winter months.  I highly recommend it, but can't promise what you will see on any given day.  There are areas where they can hide further from the road, but once the huge numbers arrive, there are always some close to the road or swarming overhead at times.

This and that.....

I haven't had much to post and we are having a lot of gloomy weather that makes for poor photos.  Our tree color right now is excellent, but no sunshine to make them look beautiful.

 A few of the home birds.....male Cardinal above and female below.

 The neighbor's pine tree loaded with cones.

 My little dogwood turning very pretty.

I have lots of Goldfinches at the moment.  More than any other bird. 

 One of my "pumpkin carvers".  

Mike saw an idea on-line:  Take a pumpkin, drill holes where the eyes and mouth should be, fill them with peanut butter and let the squirrels and birds do the "carving" for you.  We decided to try it.  Something got hold of the pumpkin and ate a big chunk out of the top right away.  Then others have slowly whittled away at it.  I am now putting bird seed in the top and letting them all eat and pick at it.

 The Mockingbird guarding the pear tree out back.

The White Breasted Nuthatch.  I really have not had a lot of birds all summer.  I saw a small hawk land on the rail the other day and take off before I could get the camera.  I think he has something to do with my lack of birds. 

 The neighbor's trees across the pond.

Carolina Wren trying some suet.

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I am desperate enough to post some photos of a very gloomy, rainy trip over to Henderson, where the migratory ducks and geese come every year.  We wanted to see if the birds were arriving there yet.  It was a horrible day and got worse as we arrived.  I could not get any really good shots because of the mist and fog and because I am not that good of a photographer to know how to defeat the conditions.  And the birds were quite distant, as you will see in a couple of the photos.  

 These shots just show the conditions.  The top one is of the mixture of ducks that were in the field already.  A good size gathering already coming in and staying.

In the opposite field, there was a large gathering of White-fronted Geese.

 These were the best shots I could salvage from what I took.  Mostly Mallards, but I can see one Pintail in the middle and in other shots I could see Shovelers and some others that were not Mallards, but too poor to identify.

 The Greater White-fronted Geese

 In one field there were three of the Wilson's Snipes.

One last geese and ducks shot.  Notice the one Snow Goose in the middle of the geese.  Soon there will be 1000's of the Snow Geese here....can't wait!

I was hoping to go back today, but once again it is gloomy and no sunshine.  Maybe tomorrow.

Top of the Audubon museum.

 My sister was visiting that week, so on the way back home we stopped at the Audubon Museum at Audubon State Park.  A very nice place to learn all about John J Audubon, who once lived and painted birds in this area.

 The museum itself is a beautiful building.  Mike walking up to it in the rain.

 Huge fungi at the foot of a tree.

There is a nature viewing area, too and I saw this Woodchuck waiting to sneak up to the building and the feeding area.  Love those feet.....made for digging!  Taking photos through glass on a rainy day....not so good.

If we ever get any sunshine, I hope to get out for many more photos!