Monday, Monday....

Bad title. Now I have a song stuck in my head for the day!

I awoke (for a little awhile) around 6am this morning and (as always) looked outside. A thick fog permeated the area and the mourning doves' melancholy cooing was brightened by the white-throated sparrow's uplifting song. I love how time can seem to stand still and the dawn caresses you gently into another day. It was so gentle that I went back to sleep.

I awoke a couple of hours later to bright sunshine and the promise of a beautiful day! With the recent rains, everything is even greener but the trees' blossoms are not only still hanging on...

... but we're getting more and more...if this keeps up, Spring might become my favorite season.

 David has been getting our acreage mowed at long last with his new mower; and with a few attachments he's gotten, it's even easier to move rock and wood.

He's begun building his dry-fence by the workshop (also a work in progress), very popular in England (where he's from) and it's going to be quite lovely! He's going to incorporate stones to finish off the sides/front of the additions as well.

We love watching the birds around here every day; although with cats, it can be more difficult some days! As you can see below...

...since Katy, one of our three furbabies, has planted herself on one of the most popular feeders, we didn't have much activity!

 

The Tufted Titmouse normally does a quick grab-and-go with the goodies it grabs (as you can see in the video)...

...but yesterday as a rare treat, it stayed on the front porch, perched on some lights.

As you can see, it holds the snack between his feet and pounds on it until it cracks open... 

And even played a bit of peek-a-boo...

They seemed quite content to hang around and munch here too.

He also visited the feeder on our front deck, but he didn't stick around long after the photo was taken!

A White-throated Sparrow was able to visit the feeder before Katy plopped her little behind on it.

 And they do enjoy the holly bush as much as we do....

...and whatever shrub this is.

David did get a bit of video of some feeder activity (without a cat!)

Of course, the ever-present (it seems) cowbirds aren't bothered by much. There were what had to be around 75 of them on the ground yesterday. Oh well, they have to eat too, but boy they go through the food!

While David was mowing, he disturbed a snake; I think it's a Ringneck Snake. I can't see enough of the underside (which is fine with me) to know for sure. It doesn't quite look like the Common Kingsnake, but I'll do some checking and update when I can. I don't know too much about snakes yet, I just tried to learn the poisonous ones first!

To round out another perfect day in the Shawnee Forest, David took a stroll as it was nearing dark through a little path down to the creek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A birding day!

Today is an exciting one for David, our new lawn mower has arrived! Although it's been entertaining watching the cats hopping over the tall bits of weeds and grass...

 

...it will be good to give it a good trim! For today's post, I'm going to review yesterday's birder shots. David did usual rounds and gathered the following photos, but first he spotted a heron and otter near Bay Creek (they are actually in a water-covered field here!) while he was out later in the day. The water in said field is now gone today.

Eastern Bluebird

 

 Hey, that's not a bird, but is beautiful :)

 Turkey Vulture flying overhead

Cowbirds trying to crowd out a male cardinal on the feeder 

Blue Jays on feeder with one showing off! 

  Male cardinal with two white-throated sparrows

 Female cardinal joins the white-throated sparrows for some food

 Another view of the blue jays...they sure can swarm the food, seeing only two is surprising!

 The female cardinal looks as if she is on alert, show off that crest girl!

 A cowbird perches, waiting for the right moment to knock another bird off the feeder no doubt!

 Awwww, a female hummingbird getting a sip...

...and one of the males

 Our neighborhood killdeer

 Ah. Common sight...cowbirds eating us out of house and home! The lighter-colored bird is the female cowbird. We were eating supper out on our front deck the other night, watching them on the feeder (again!) and saw one puff up his chest at one of the other cowbirds, give it one of their unusual "clucks" and chest-butted him off the feeder! For a few seconds anyway.

 We love our red-bellied woodpeckers; this is the male, we call him Cyril. His wife is Sylvia (I'm sure you'll be seeing her soon)

 

 White-throated sparrows have the sweetest happy song. If you haven't heard it, go to the Birds tab and click on the link to hear it.

In case you haven't noticed, we love cardinals. The male is chowing down on our deck. Well, not the deck itself, but the food on the deck.

 

The blue jay is finding this a tough nut to crack!

 I guess this is a good place to say "the end" for the day, isn't it? :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birdfood wars & why did the Killdeer cross the road?

David snapped some photos on April 17th that I want to share today. First, I'll feature the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (a Fluted Swallowtail) that he happened upon. This species has a 2 1/2 - 6 1/2" wingspan. They are a large butterfly, unusually dark, with pale to bright yellow spots near edge of wings and usually has a tail. They enjoy deserts, grasslands, forests and gardens.

 

 

Here we have more photos of the Killdeer I featured yesterday. You can read more about these birds (as all others featured on this blog) by clicking on the Birds tab at the top. I wanted to share with you now an interesting tidbit about these birds, though, is their defense if a predator comes very near their eggs or young: they will try to lure it away by playing wounded. With one wing held up over the back and the other flapping on the ground, it waits for the intruder to get close, then runs and repeats the display until the intruder is a safe distance from the nest or young.

 

 It's not only chickens that cross the road!

Everything here is so different than where I grew up and every day here is an adventure, whether it's just walking down to the mailbox...or watching the feeders, especially when there are several varieties wanting to eat! On this particular photo session, we had cardinals, goldfinch, white-throated sparrow and chipping sparrow trying to see who would win the birdfood-wars.

(Above) In front, Chipping Sparrow, middle American Goldfinch, in back is White-throated Sparrow.

 

(Below) At left, below feeder, and at far left on feeder, female Cardinals; next American Goldfinch (showing back still molting for Spring); at back is White-throated Sparrow).

 (Below, the male Cardinal joins an American Goldfinch (bright yellow) and two White-throated Sparrows)

 Cardinals do love their sunflower seeds....

Oops, not on the feeder, but can't resist photos of the Holly bush! Distractions, as I said, are the norm around here :)

Back to the feeder:

 What's a day without a Ruby-throated Hummingbird fix?!? As of this date, we have two males and a female!