Dining out!

Oh yeah, here comes lunch!!
you might have to enlarge this pic to see the fly...zipping right up next to this chipping sparrow...

All dressed up and no where to go...

I know, for me, capturing a decent picture of the Northern Flicker in my lens is quite a challenge, always flitting, always on the move, always out of range. Today, however, I was looking for the Great Horned owl and her owlets but with no success when those yellow tail feathers of the flicker caught my eye. I have tried before to capture this guy as he swooped through the sky flying as if he had the hiccups. Flapping and then gliding....and as you would expect... always going AWAY from me.
...but this time, he landed not too far from where I was quietly standing...in a thicket of trees and pines. I don't think he noticed I was there, as he started to preen himself...shaking and ruffling all those colorful feathers... as if he was getting himself ready to go out and find that special someone!! hmmm.. tis, that time of year!!
..it's not easy reaching all those areas that need attention...
and just when I thought he had it all together..feathers fluffed, clean and pretty, that suave look upon his face...
...he went to sleep! Lol, I only stayed another ten minutes or so but when I left he was still perched on that branch... all dressed up but with no where to go. Shhhhh.

The sounds of hope...

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
and never stops at all~ Emily Dickenson


This little purple finch filled my morning with song...he huffed and puffed and sang from his heart. ...rolling his head to one side while sharing his sweet sounds of hope with me.
He lingered for a while after he finished singing, eating a few seeds from a pin oak tree.
It was nice to see him...my first of the season!!

Hidden but not hiding...nest boxes redefined..

When its sunny but cold and the temps are falling instead of rising.. all of God's creatures seem to find a way to stay warm... even if you happen to be a member of a fairly large family!! I think these little bees just might be thinking about stay'en on for a while. The house size looks to be about right (probably still holding a couple thousand bees) ..they seem to have an interesting exterior design worked out, that honey-comb pattern just might work....


plus the neighbor is really cute and friendly......even if his house is a little shabby chic. ;-)

a Tsee, Tsee tiny song...all for me ;-)

I never saw so many little flitty birds zooming in and out of the trees and scrubs.. not much bigger than a hummingbird, always in motion, jumping from one branch to another, one tree to another. Such pep... energy I could have used after attempting to photograph these tiny Golden-Crowned Kinglets. I felt as if I just finished a class of aerobics with some calestentics thrown in..all that twisting and turning, bending and reaching..but oh so worth it!! We were, again, visiting Magee Marsh in Ohio and were enjoying an early morning of clear skies and sunshine. Our first walk was through a heavily wooded area with lots of conifers and shrubs. I spotted this little guy first, as he stopped to preen a few feathers.. and then to give me a tsee, tsee.. tiny song... and at the last moment a little lift in his cap revealing that nice orange patch that is bordered in yellow and black!!! Yeah!

Wasn't it so nice that he posed for me? Such a cutie, and with such a friendly disposition.
The blue sky behind him really made him stand out...
..as for her, a little shy, maybe, as she only wanted to show me her back...can't tell you the number of pictures I have of her fanny..lol.. but back, front, top or bottom..these little Kinglets were wonderful to watch and admire!!

Like the prize it is....

My husband and I are visiting the north east part of Ohio for the weekend. Lucky for me we are not very far from the shores of Lake Erie and several wonderful marshes and swamps. Upon our arrival, yesterday, we headed to a well known marsh called Magee Marsh Wildlife Area which is part of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. One of the first birds we saw as we drove along the canal leading to the parking lots were several blue herons. There were 6 herons in one canal! I love the steel blue color of the adult birds and the little ornate black plumes that wisp upward off of their heads..and those eyes.....so serious looking !!
We stopped and watched as this guy spotted something in the water. As usual, he posed over the water for a few seconds before swooping down with that bill to get his meal. We linger.. eager to see him quickly swallow whatever he has caught...I have to say we were very surprised when he emerged from the weeds with a big fat catfish that had to be 10+ inches long! Was he really going to swallow that!! We stood and watched for quite some time.

First one attempt , than another, to throw the fish upwards with those long neck muscles. As we watched he made about a dozen attempts to eat this fish..and every time he looked like he was making some success, the fish would plunge to the ground...back to step one..over and over..he finally started to actually rest his head on the ground in between attempts..
Finally, after about 20 minutes or so of pure work on his part.. he just stood looking at the fish lying on the ground....What do you do with a fish that is just not cooperating in being your dinner??

Well, you just proudly pick it up, like the prize it is, and slowly stroll into the tall weeds like nothing happened. Maybe he can make the other herons jealous that he already has his dinner.. even if he can 't figure out a how to swallow it!

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.