with no particular place to go...

Today was one of those days that keeps you glancing out the window. Brilliant sunshine and cold. I tried to focus on projects I was doing at the house..but by mid-morning I found myself loading the car with my camera, binoculars and lunch.. heading out.. seeking some peace and quiet. I drove to a nearby lake where I found this lone eagle sitting on the lake ice.
It remained in the same spot for some time, looking around, and like me, it didn't seem to have any particular place to go...
.. it eventually lifted off the ice, catching a breeze to glide and soar out of sight!
I did see a few ole friends..enjoying the warmth of the sun...
but for the most part only tracks greeted me as I walked...
..it seemed today, we all just wanted to enjoy the quiet of nature..with no particular place to go!

The squeaky toy...

He sat in our oak tree, which is about 25 feet from our kitchen window...a very pretty guy!
Quite patient...maybe he was just enjoying our 50 degree temps we had today but I actually think he was watching the dog play with a squeaky toy. It would have been so interesting to 'really' know what was going on in his little mind.

He kept an eye on the dog as it ran around the yard..carrying and squeaking the ball!!
At one point I thought maybe he might join in on the fun game, as the dog was totally playing alone... Thank goodness our dog is 48 pounds and not a tiny dog!!!!!
The dog tossed the ball into the air and it rolled under the oak tree...

and then it rolled behind the oak tree...

Then he noticed me clicking away through the open kitchen window...
He immediately straightened his pose, gave me a serious look, that said, ahem... I really wasn't interested in the squeaky toy or furry creature at all!!
and the best part was that the furry creature with the squeaky toy was clueless that he was being watched from far above.

fleeting flickers

These two Northern Flickers were too fast and flitty for anything other than a couple, run out the door, snapshots. They flew into my backyard this morning with such a burst of color. Wow! I think they would have stayed longer but it seemed our local mocking bird wasn't as thrilled with their presence as I was...because he soon ran them off. So much noise from one little gray bird!



A couple quick pics from far away and they were today's history! :(



.....it's not like they were after your suet!!

The memo...

It seems we have a routine going on in the backyard...the feeders become quite busy in the early morning..
Foraging on the ground...

at the seed feeders...



and at the suet log...
all the early birds get their fill....so when he flies in mid morning, they're ready to leave...


hellooooo......as he walks around the deck....

He does get his kills..but I've never seen him take from our feeders..he has arrived in our neighbor's backyard with his lunch a few times. We just get a kick out of his many appearances...walking among the yews and on the deck looking...for that one bird who didn't get the "Fly away now" memo!

Last photo with a lasting impression

This was one of my last photos of this little visitor prior to our going away. Tomorrow is our Christmas Bird Count and I had hoped that we would be graced with this little guy's presence once again...but I think this Nashville Warbler realized from the empty suet feeders that the home owners were away and so moved on to other feeders and azalea bushes! Darn!! Our weather has warmed up a bit and I am praying that he has found some additional food sources and might visit us again or possibly show up in your backyard.

Counting our Blessings

Portland, Oregon..the pacific northwest. Mild climates and pretty scenery!
Houseboats sitting on a inlet...reflecting the calm afternoon skies!
A place where those who want a feeling of winter go inside to ice-skate because the average December temperatures, in Portland, are in the 40s and 50s.
Here is where our daughter chose to attend graduate school. Having just received her BS from University of Delaware she announced to us that she would like to continue with her education. I put together a wall hanging quilt, prior to her leaving 4 years ago, showing her leaping across the mid west farms, fields and mountains with her cat (the grand cat) under her arm ...moving 3000 miles away...not knowing anyone in the northwest.

...following and eventually achieving her dream..getting her Doctor of Chiropractic degree and her certification in Physical Therapy.
On the 20th day of December 2008 as we were all in a festive mood, Mother Nature decided that Portland would be the recipient, of not only 60 newly inducted DCs, but of a winter snow and ice storm. A storm that would deliver 16+ inches of snow and ice on a town that hasn't seen more than a few inches of snow since 1968!!
Portland and surrounding areas were in no way prepared for such an event. Few streets were plowed, salted or dowsed with cinders. Suddenly, those who would go indoor to skate were cross country skiing throughout the city streets.

All roads leading out of Portland were closed for.. two days!! Very few aircraft were flying into or out of Portland... and the trains were not running due to blizzard like winds...we were all stranded. Over 100 flights a day were canceled, hotel rooms were at a premium, power outages all over the city...everyday life, as they knew it, came to a crawl. We, luckily, had a hotel room, electricity and a rental car.
On the third day, of the storm, rte. 84 was deemed passable and we decided to attempt the drive to Idaho so that we might get out of Portland's continuing demise to ole man winter....We drove through the Cascade mountains, elevation 4,326 feet, hearts beating...knowing we had to get over these mountains in order to get to Boise. The vistas were absolutely breath taking and I have to say my husband did an excellent job of driving our rental, without chains which were actually being required, over these mountainous roads. After 7 hours we finally arrived in Boise! Elated and tired, we departed Boise airport the next morning for Philadelphia. ...all the time knowing that Portland had received another 7 inches of snow the night before.
Creating a new path, as we drove to our destination, made me think about our daughter's future and the path she would create with her newly received degree.
She will no longer have, at her finger tips, those favorite professors and wonderfully supportive friends..
and she knows, as we all do, that we can only glance back, and must move forward..... and as the path widens and her new future begins we wish her great success and happiness.


My husband and I arrived home very late Christmas eve and early this morning our daughter, who managed to get to Seattle by train (after several delays) flew out of Seattle into JFK... safe and sound and by 10 am we were all having a Christmas breakfast...counting our blessings and celebrating the biggest and best birthday of them all. Amen!

AN EARLY, BUT RARE, CHRISTMAS GIFT is visiting my backyard!!

A Nashville Warbler has been visiting my azaleas for the past several days! Fortunately, for me, he visits an azalea bush that is right outside my computer room window so I have been able to get several photos of him! It was early Monday morning that he was first noticed, flitting from branch to branch apparently eating azalea lace-bug eggs. I spent a lot of time (way too much time...and I wasn't getting done what I needed to do!!) trying to identify this cutie from the web and from books...but at the end of the day I was pretty frustrated. I decided to e-mail a few of the photos to a friend who has been birding for many years. He called me this morning to tell me that our little feathered friend is a Nashville Warbler!


He also shared with me that this little guy's visit is very rare in Pennsylvania during the winter and that in the last 108 years of the Christmas Bird Count in Pa. they have only been found 5 times !
I have to say that when I received his phone call this morning and found out the news I was giggly with excitement. What a nice Christmas present ...he is so small and peppy and has such wonderful colors!

We saw him again this morning and I am crossing my fingers he stays around so we can include him in the 08 Christmas bird count for Pa. on the 28th of December!!
Hopefully this little guy will find a lot of lace-bug eggs on my azaleas! (My poor azaleas!) I know his chances of making it through a Pa. winter aren't too good unless he finds alternate food sources. I did put out some nectar in our hummingbird feeder hoping this will help his food source. We did see him flit over to the suet log which holds a cylindar of suet that is supposedly laced with insects. If you have any ideas of what else I can do, please let me know! In the mean time I think I will just enjoy the fact that he chose my backyard to visit!! :) ya hooooo!!