You Yellow-bellied Sapsucker...kapow!

I suppose his name could sound like an insult one might overhear on the ole toons network...but this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a member of the woodpecker family, really is a super neat bird. It certainly does possess a yellowish belly and tree sap constitutes a large portion of its diet. From what I've read, RB Sapsuckers have mastered the craft of creating a continuous sap flow from trees. They drill two kinds of holes.. a round deep hole to probe for sap and a rectangular shallow hole which must be maintained for continual sap flow. Researchers have tried to duplicate their drilling techniques only to find they couldn't achieve the same results of causing the tree to have a continuous sap flow and now it is believed that the Sapsucker's saliva may contain a substance that acts as an anticoagulant and prevents the tree's sap from clogging and sealing over the drilled holes! Pretty neat..huh?

This is great for other sap-loving creatures, such as bats, squirrels, warblers, hummers and nuthatches to name a few...how nice to have someone else provide an access for your sweet tooth..err..bill.


This little guy uses an incredible amount of energy drilling these little holes and his need for rest is quite demanding and so Mother Nature provided him with a wonderful camouflage. When he stops to rest he fluffs out his mottled plumage which allows him to melt into his environment...making him really hard to see.
I was very lucky to capture a few photos of this guy as he flew from tree to tree..the lighting was perfect for emphasizing that wonderful woodpecker face!!

It's those eyes!!!..

Inspired by a fellow blogger's amazing photographs of owls, I found myself wanting to create my own owl out of fabric. I know it was the eyes, in those photographs, that grabbed my attention...so intense and colorful! The great thing about fabric is that one has so many choices of colors, textures and patterns but at the same time all those choices make it difficult to decide which ones will help create the look you want. I can spend a lot of time looking at fabrics and I do..but sooner or later you've got to decide. Below is a sampling of some of the fabrics that I chose...I knew I wanted to focus on creating a full frontal look and zero in on those big yellow-orange eyes! I found a few magazine photos to help me with proportion and detail. The blue you are seeing behind the sketch is a large sheet of Styrofoam that I purchased and attached to my sewing room wall. It is about 2 inches thick and allows me to use large straight pins to hold all my fabric choices in place.


A quick sketch and I'm now into the part of the process I really can't explain...a sort of trial and error, if you will, on what works and what doesn't! I cut out a piece of a fabric, tack it onto my sketch and stand back to see if it does what I want. If it looks good it stays if not .. I try again and again!!


When I think I have every piece where I want it I then use some fabric glue to help hold the pieces together, prior to sewing.I never hesitate to purchase fabrics that have realistic pictures on them, as I find I can cut out a section and make it work within my design. Do you remember seeing the Bengal Tiger fabric peeking out at you in the first picture? I found that if I cut out the chins of the Bengal Tigers they made a wonderful ruffle around the owl's neck. You might want to click on the photo to enlarge.

I also used some of the tiger stripes to create the breast area on the owl. The white dots you are seeing are actually the round tips of the straight pins that are still holding the pieces together.


Upon completion of the body, I use clear thread to sew my owl together and then I placed it on a dark background before adding my branches and greenery. Each leaf was cut out and attached, via thread, to the background. I added some berries and aged leaves for contrasting color.

The last thing I do before I start to quilt the background is called free motion quilting. I add closely stitched colored threads to parts of the branches where I want to darken shadows. It's kind of like painting with thread. I then sew/quilt the fabrics and batting together and create my border. For now, I 've hung this little guy in our front room..a room we pass by.. but don't use very much..lol!! Why, you ask?? Well, I REALLY needed to take a break from those big round staring eyes...you know, the eyes that captured my attention in the first place and lured me to create my interpretation of an owl! My next project, I think, will be much more serene and calming....no eyes!! ;-)

Ahh,.. 'tis the season...

This post could basically speak for itself... ( but I'm feeling wordy ;0....) 14+ inches of snow greeted us this morning. a familiar site as one looks outside....a neighbor clearing his sidewalk.
..even the pooch wants to get out in this weather...at 12 he still loves to romp and eat that snow!!
obviously, one of the reasons to go out was to feed the birds!! They seem to flutter onto the surrounding trees after I turn on the lights in the early morn...do they really know my routine that well...hmmm.. who has who conditioned??

a little junco...just waiting his turn...such a sweet bird...
I hear this nuthatch before I see him...
the titmouse giving me the glare..guess he didn't like his picture being taken...
..one of my super favs...love to hear them call to each other during these winter months. We are lucky to have a pair of Carolina Wrens visit us each day!
our over night guest..
my little red birdhouse refuge...and this downy has taken up residence in it....sleeping here overnight for the last several weeks..keeping warm during these snowy times...
..its a nice visit from ole man winter but upon coming in...there's such a nice greeting of these paper whites, which just opened the other day!!
...hmmm such a nice fresh smell..

The prettiest red!!

Tis the time of the year that Holiday decorations surround us all! The reds, greens, silvers, blues and whites...but the prettiest red I've seen recently was this visitor to my backyard. He only spent a few minutes in our tree... but oh, what a beauty he was...and there was no denying that he had a gorgeous red-tail!!

The return of Alice... cooper that is..

...helping me to save on bird seed, again. :(

right onto my new platform feeder..
..down onto the deck, where he then..
walks right off the deck..and climbs up through the yews to another feeder..a very bold bird..indeed!!

Odds and Ends..

Looking like he heard something quite interesting this little American Goldfinch was caught tilting its head and trying to figure out what that noise was.....meanwhile having seen this hermit thrush in a nearby tree I was surprised to see him..

open up his bill and actually stick his tongue out at me..along with a little screeching noise.
Did I up set him...?? I'll never know..


but then this little Kinglet landed near my car as I was getting ready to leave and it had a huge drop of water still hanging on its bill..by the time I got my camera ready some of the water had dropped..darn!

I also found this one lone tree that was still carrying some wonderful red/pink leaves..but I have no idea what kind of tree it is..such a great color too! Just lovely to look at among all the greys, browns and blacks.

and last but no least..a great photo taken by a friend..of a Wawa bird house...Wawa is the name of a chain store/gas station here in the southeastern part of Pa. It's lone goose logo (the wawa) is actually the Lenni Lenape Indian name for a Canadian Goose. The Lenape Indians were the original people of the Mid-Atlantic area...also known as the Delaware Indians. Unlike the busy one-stop-shop, this Wawa bird house is empty and waiting for some roosting winter birds!!