Tuesday, March 31, 2009

It's a family affair...

Today's visit to the park seemed all about family...When I arrived there was A huge Congratulations banner hanging in the tree where the owl's are nesting!!
nah..not really ...had to do the April Fools thing!! ;-0

A friend of mine was there watching the owls and she had her scope. Wow!! What a treat it was to view the owl and her owlets through that scope!! Such detail and oh my, those owlets were too cute. We saw that Mom was sitting higher in the nest giving some room to the owlets, who were eating. I did manage to get a few so so pictures of the female owlet but the male, who was smaller, stayed very close to Mom. Sis, on the other hand, seemed much more adventurous... exploring her new world, sticking her head out over the edge of the nest.

I had to laugh when I saw all these turtles hanging out together on one log..that's togetherness!!
The Swallow family seemed to be having a difficult time deciding on which house to choose.
This one seems to think the craftsman-style house was the best..new construction, no mortgage and good location!!

Mean while, the rest of the gang were looking at the duplex...


and then we're back to the single family home...
back and forth...for at least twenty minutes..very pretty birds but a loud bunch!!
If it was up to the blue bird I think his wish would be that they would all leave...so that his family could move in.

18 comments:

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

What a fun post Tina!
There must be every turtle in the neighborhood on that log! I wonder how many?

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Cute, Tina... Thanks for the April Fools tease!!!! Love you photos... Glad you got to see the baby owls. How special is that!!!!!!

Loved the turtle log... Think they could get ONE more on there????? ha

Have a great day.
Hugs,
Betsy

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Love the Swallow in flight in front of the house.These guys are cute in there own way.
Blessings,Ruth

Dawn Fine said...

Tina,
Smart Swallow ..chose its home wisely.
I have been seeing alot of turtles here as well...they seem to like to pile up on top of each other to sunbath.
That shot of the swallow in front of the house in flight..is very cool.

NCmountainwoman said...

Great photographs. But I especially loved the turtles. You line up facing one way on the right, the opposite way on the left. The bird shots are fantastic!

FAB said...

Great for you to get close-up views of the Owls. I'm intrigued by the Swallow homes - Not sure I've ever seen boxes on poles like this before & certainly not in the UK. Nice that your migrants have various styles to choose from.

Shelley said...

So funny about those indecisive tree swallows! I loved how you captured photos of them going back and forth! And your bluebird photo made me go "awww...."

Chris said...

Hi Tina,
Well a very nice post again and congrast for the owl!! It is so hard to get them... I agree with Frank, it is very funny that the swallow decided to breed in this type of house. They do not do that in Europe and prefer to be much more higher and in specific structures!! It is also the first time I see that.. Maybe this couple is a PIONEER couple!

Leedra said...

I have always heard the bluebird boxes have to be 100 ft from each other. I would be interested to know if 2 bluebird families move in the duplex. I just place my bluebird boxes where they can't see 2 from the same location. Bluebirds may not be as picky as they used to be.

Enjoyed all of these photos.

Anonymous said...

The blue bird is very nice. I have not seen that many turtles in years.

Peggy said...

Being able to see the owlets growing up is so cool! keep us posted! great post today!

Philip said...

Tina that is such a pretty little bird great shots I also like the turtle shots my there is lots of them there !!

Dave's Bird Watching Blog said...

Fun pictures, Tina! I never knew you could do a bird duplex like that...very cool. And how 'bout those turtles! Wow, that must be some sunning spot. Love your bluebird at the end!

Tina said...

Thanks everone for all your nice and welcomed comments and questions.

Leedra,
I had read that the swallows and bluebirds can live near each other as they tolerate each other well. I don't think the blues would attempt to live in both houses...but I'm just a beginning birder so my info might not be 100% accurate. :)

Glad you all enjoyed the turtle line up.. I have never seen so many turtles on one log ever!!

Neal said...

Great shots Tina. You always manage to get some great shots.

Femin Susan said...

Love the shots of the owl nest.Glad to see the baby owls.
Cheers!

George said...

I think you got a great shot of the owl in her nest with the owlet. I also enjoyed seeing all the turtles lined up on the log.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Tina: What wonderful photos of all the neat animals. I loved your turtle log.

would like to hear your thoughts..