Those Summer birds...

Some of you have asked if I have been taking a blogging vacation ( I have not been posting as much as I used to) which was very nice that you inquired. I really do appreciate your concern..and all is fine...Really! During the summer I get very busy with another type of bird .. so I decided to share some photos of the OTHER birds who I take photos of, cut kits for, help carry, etc.. ..the ones that live in my basement and in my dining room and come out to play on calm, sunny days and definitely on all summer and early fall weekends. My husband builds, from scratch, remote control WWII model airplanes...also known as Warbirds. He does demo flights prior to full-scale (real) airshows and plus we also, attend remote-control airshows up and down the East coast most of the summer. His planes have taken Best of Show many times and the 2007 and 09 WRAM NY Designer Award. They are built to scale (1/6 scale) all balsa wood with wing spans that range from 101 inches to 114 inches. They all fly, have retractable landing gears and are gasoline powered.

This is a bomber called an Avenger/ TBM 3E used mainly in the south pacific during the war.
Looks real doesn't it..we take them to an old navy base to take their pre-maiden flight photos.
Placing them on the old runway helps to give them a realistic look.


This is another Avenger TBM 3E bomber (different paint scheme and different markings) ...releasing its torpedo during a demo flight for a show we attended last year. The plane is flown and operated completely by radio. Timing is essential when releasing any bombs or torpedoes. The average weight of his planes runs about 36-38 pounds.

This is a P-38 Lightning, a fighter, used all over the world during WWII, but most likely remembered as being more successful in the Pacific. This model has twin engines and is the largest wing span of his planes..114 inches. The engines for the P-38, for those who want to know, are 50cc/ quite powerful. Speeds reach 60 - 80 mpr. for most of these planes.
This is a BeechCraft D-18/C-45 transport, used to transport VIPs during the war. Also a twin engine. All landing gears on his planes retract and fold up into the belly of each plane. The "W" insignia (seen of the tail) represents Willow Grove Naval Airbase.. where his father was in the Navy. The real (blue) Avenger and Beech Craft actually flew out of Willowgrove in the 1940/50s.
This is an SNJ or an AT-6. It was used by the military, as an advanced flight trainer.
I am his partner in crime. We have been doing models for over 30 years. He has recently started selling his own designs for these airplanes. The Avenger and the Skyraider shown below are his own plans and he sells the kits, plans and other parts to build. About 1200 man hours go into building one of these.. and as all pilots know what goes up must come down..and we have lost a few a long the way..but it is his hobby and now his mini-business. It does, however, keep us busy during the summer months as we travel quite a bit...but all in fun!
His latest design and build is the AD-5 Skyraider, which just flew her maiden flight this past Spring. Well, now you know about the other birds in Tina's life.
We are off for a long weekend and show being held in Newark, Delaware...so I will be catching up with everyone early next week. If you really want more info on his craft...feel free to visit us at www.Kelloggplans.com ... if not that's fine and dandy ;-) Do hope you all have a great weekend!

Dancing for your dinner!

I caught this little Northern Mockingbird foraging among the grasses and small plants while we were at a nearby field. He put on quite a show of flapping his wings and jumping up and down creating movement to make all those yummy insects run or fly. He was quite the aggressive feeder.

Look at that face! He is doing some serious dancing here. He is also doing some serious pest control as he will consume large quantities of beetles, ants, wasps and grasshoppers. He does vary his diet with a variety of berries and other fruit..but if you get a chance to watch him dance for his dinner..it is quite entertaining!

Sweet!

I think I did a double take when I saw a robin sitting on my platform feeder..I remember thinking, what do you suppose this bird is eyeing from that bird seed mixture?


Oh my goodness, it is eating the grape jelly!! lol! A surprise to me!!
I see him every day getting his jelly fix! Morning, noon and late day.. I love it!!
(click to see that big blob of jelly he is holding in his bill)

not one but two...

How nice it was to spot this doe and her fawn, this morning. The little one enjoyed some breakfast, as Mom nibbled some grasses.
but as good Moms know..clean up is a part of every meal...she spent a few minutes licking his face ..

and neck..don't forget behind those ears..there's always food behind the ears!
on down to his front legs..
so he could, eventually romp through the tall grass. I met him on the other side of the path, where he was standing with his sibling!!
What a nice surprise that was!

Sometmes!!

Sometimes nature's best surprises are the quiet little ones, hidden in the wildflowers and grasses..who stand silently watching you as you go by..
Then there are those who blend so well....can you find her? click to enlarge

that you don't even see them until they lift their head...
..and look your way!
but the best is when YOU think you are out looking for them...and they are secretly watching you!! ;-)

Sweet success!!

Knock Knock...Who's there?

Orange!
Orange who? (click to see that eye!)


Orange you glad you're at the end of this sweet post.......Groan....Yea, I know...but I just had to!

Four is always better than one...

I really need to apologize to everyone for being such a behind on visiting every one's blog. The weather has certainly played a huge part in my being indoors or out. I thought I had the perfect plan when I penciled in events for my June calendar. A few days busy and a few days not.. and then the rains came and poured and showered and poured and hailed... and things got canceled and then rescheduled... so now my once neatly scheduled calendar is one big cross out and re-penciled page of days filled with too many gotta dos!! I have had these pictures ready to post for about a week now and I am just now getting around to it!! I miss reading every one's posts and after this weekend I will have more time to catch up!! Sorry.
In April I was shown where a male Pileated Woodpecker was working on a nest. It was shared with me, that he has been a resident of this acreage for several years but had never been seen with a mate. I visited his nest every time I came to this particular area and would watch him work and work to create his digs in this sycamore tree. He literally spent days cleaning out the cavity and enlarging the knot hole and making another hole above the knot hole. Click to enlarge!
Several times that I visited, I would hear him before I actually got to his nest sight...calling and calling..a very terradactyl-like sound. Several other birders had told me he has created a nest before but with no success in attracting a mate....but early in May, a very pretty little female Pileated WP arrived and must have been very impressed with all his hard work, because she decided to stay!! It took several visits before I actually saw her and getting both Pileateds in a photo was not to be ... prior to her nesting! They were both extremely skittish and would scream off into the forest at the slightest noise of anyone passing near by.
It wasn't until the young were born and started popping their little heads out of the nest holes that I even tried to capture a shot...and even then my attempts did not turn out very good!


I was able to crop one photo enough to get a better look at Dad...but it was the little ones who captured my heart when I saw them for the first time!!
Each had taken one of the nest holes as their little port holes to the world and began exploring what was going on outside that sycamore!!


I never attempted to get close to their nest..and most of my observations were made with binoculars..and my 300 mm lens just wasn't powerful enough to get a good sharp image..but I felt thrilled that I was even able to witness all four birds during the same visit!! The babies did fledged last week. I haven't been back to see if they are still around but I'm crossing my fingers that they are and that they continue to call this acreage home, because as all birders know when it comes to those hard to find birds, four is always better than one.