Wings n Things

Found in the Bird Tree

2008-05-14T05:00:00.004-04:00

Today's Greeting

This photo was actually taken by my husband, but it was the next card.
John is a much better photographer than I am, and he taught me everything I know.

Baby Album

Hey lady, take my picture. I'm cute too!

This was exciting...I saw movement in the bird tree, and thought I could see black and white through the foliage. I assumed at first it was a chickadee, but then it moved out enough for me to get a good look....Black and white warbler! Not seen here before.

Black and white bird in the bright sun with heavy shadows doesn't make for the best exposure, but it was the best I could manage.

One last click; then he was back out of sight.

Kinderbirds!

2008-05-13T05:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Greeting

Baby Album

I thought it might be fun to share some of my other "babies."

Cardinal

Robin

Chipping Sparrows

House Wren

House Finches

My daughter is a childrens' photographer. If you'd like to see some of her work, go to http://www.rdavidphotography.com

Mothers Day Gifts

2008-05-11T21:44:00.006-04:00

Today's Greeting

Baby Album

Before and in between family Mothers Day activities and downpours, we managed to get in a few shots...AND we saw a Baltimore oriole in our "bird tree!" Oh happy day! (Would have been a tiny bit better if either of us had gotten a photo!) We have 5 bluebird fledglings (15 days post) and 5 eggs in the nest!

The Carolina wren has babies under the porch... Something to crow about!

The blue jays don't usually nest in my yard, but I think this one is. He's here pretty much all the time, and it's driving the cardinal pair nuts.

See, her feathers are ruffled.

This handsome guy has a bunch of new fledglings - really cuties, with their little "horns."

OK, Mr Oriole, if you want this, you'd better come and get it!

Gotta love peanuts!

The eastern wood pee-wee sat uncharacteristically still for his photo-op.

And Scamper wonders how he can get around that baffle!

Another shot of my clematis.

I couldn't be with my mother today, but she was very close in my heart.

I hope each of you had as wonderful a day as I did, full of family and love and beauty.

Mothers of Note

2008-05-10T06:36:00.009-04:00

I hope you can be with your mother today.

Today's Card

Baby Album Photo

My mother and me -

My daughter and grandson..

Happy Mothers' Day!

Skywatch? Nope - Can't See It.

2008-05-09T22:01:00.011-04:00

There was certainly no way to skywatch today. It stormed all night, and continued to rain through the morning. We decided to ride out to Shenandoah anyway, just to see. What we saw was clouds, drizzle, and fog.

Today's Card

Today's Baby Album Photo

5 fledglings and more to come soon...

This clematis will bloom throughout the summer. It's the first one I've ever been successful with.

The wind was blowing the columbine, but I snapped it anyway.

I'm not sure what this is - it is in my neighbor's garden, and I trespassed.

Shiny and loud.

No light on this one, so no shine. (or maybe a female, or another blackbird altogether?)

Something - probably a raccoon, destroyed this wonderful seed/pecan cake during the night, and this little bandit was having a feast.

The downy WP, eating away on what's left of it.

Ending the post on my favorite note.

You Did What?!!

2008-05-08T22:01:00.003-04:00

I can't remember the last time I didn't pick up a camera all day! I'll have serious withdrawal problems if it happens again. But thank goodness, I have my stack of cards to share...So here it is: today's card. Enjoy.

And, just so you can keep up with my little brood of wonder-birds, here's another baby album photo:

Aw, you love him better than us!

" The mountains are calling, and I must go." John Muir

2008-05-07T22:12:00.005-04:00

Today's Card

Today's Baby Album Photo (12th day fledglings)

We had planned to go to Shenandoah Nat Park this morning to see if the warblers had arrived, but had to take care of some business, so didn't get off till early afternoon. I didn't have real high hopes, because it was so bright, but I never miss a chance to go out to the beautiful blue ridge mountains. As soon as we got out of the car in the parking lot, we could hear birds singing and calling...and American Redstarts were the lead singers. Hooray! They're here!

For all the singing, it was hard to locate the birds for a while - they were high, and it was almost too bright to look up. So I busied myself with what I could see - a butterfly,

Something very tiny, with a long proboscus,

and another exquisite flying thing...

We saw towhees, catbirds and juncos (We didn't take much time with them, as we have so many images of them, and we were really looking for warblers.) And we saw them too: male and female redstarts, male and female chestnut-sided warblers, a black and white warbler, and the blue-headed vireo.

The sun wasn't quite as high by then, and I finally was able to find a redstart within range.

...and another.

Then this blue-headed vireo sat for a portrait - far away, but he sat very still at least.

A chestnut-sided warbler teased us, just peeking out from the foliage for a few seconds at the time.

We are just at the edge of the mountains - they are visible from our street - but the park, which is high, is about two weeks behind us. The cherry blossoms are just opening there. It was a lovely afternoon. We'll be going back early Friday morning.

Home Again

2008-05-06T22:41:00.003-04:00

Card for today.

If I hadn't seen the little yellow-rumped warbler fly to the ground, I might have worried about him a little - he looked sort of desperate. I thought maybe (hoped) that he was about to take a dust bath, but instead, he flew back into the trees.

Two of the kids...all seem to be making it...They are so beautiful!

New Idea

2008-05-06T06:49:00.003-04:00

I have note cards made from many of my photographs and sell them in Backyard Boutique. I thought maybe it would be fun to send you all a card every morning. So here's the first and the best seller...This is Ollie, and he's our trademark bird.

We walked over to one of the golf course ponds last night , and the red-wings were having a concert.

Noisy and flashy.

I can't remember having a bluejay quite so in-my-face as this one yesterday morning. I was glad for my zoom, or I would have been shooting a bird's eye!

OK, little one - this is the way it's done.

Quick Glimpses Out Back

2008-05-04T23:09:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunshiny day...in the 70's...just perfect. I worked from 12 - 5, then we had our grandsons till their bedtime..so there wasn't much time for pictures. But the birds were very cooperative, and let me make the most of the time I had.

I think there are at least 2 pairs of catbirds.

The red-bellied WP loves the new feeding station.

There are at least as many goldfinches as we've ever had - maybe more. They are like sunshine all over.

...two male and a female rose breasted grosbeaks...there was a male just outside when we first got up, but he flew out far away when we went to the window, and they didn't come back close enough for good pictures - at least while we were watching.

This little beauty is always there.

The tiny little chipping sparrows are busy hopping around.

I'm not a grackel lover - they eat SO MUCH and the little birds are afraid of them, but the colors reflected off this one were beautiful.

This was the first "butter-butt" of the season for me.

Always beautiful - I can see where they have nested, but it's too high for me to see inside.

Look who's building again.

Junior is getting closer and closer to the house.

He tried and tried to figure how to get around the baffle.
Something happened on the back porch yesterday - I found a dead squirrel at just outside the patio - he looked as though he had fallen and broken his neck, so I buried him. Then my grandson noticed what looked like spattered blood on the deck floor and rail. All I can figure is that maybe the red-tailed hawk, or maybe even the cooper's hawk, flew up and caught the squirrel and it somehow got away. The cuts must have been on the side it was lying on - (The red-tailed flew from my porch one night last week - he's might brazen - the little birds don't worry about him at all - I guess he has discovered the squirrels come up for snacks a lot. Nature can be tough.)

Purity.

This is a favorite -it's a rebloomer, so we enjoy it often.

Me, me, me!!!

2008-05-04T08:26:00.006-04:00

Wings waving, huge gape - WANTS TO BE FED! OK, here it is.

Nice weather now - a lot of wind though - Lots of activity in the backyard. Mama bluebird is building again....Dad has his hands full feeding these five. They have moved in very close to the house, and should be coming to the rail in a day or two - precocious little beauties.
This morning, we saw 2 male and a female rose-breasted grosbeaks out back...I hope they come back for a photo session.
Already this morning we've had the bluebirds, cardinals, catbirds, mockingbirds, titmice, chickadees, chipping sparrows, goldfinches, house finches, carolina wrens, white breasted nuthatches, red-bellied WP, grackels, mourning doves, red-winged blackbirds, house sparrows & starlings (alas), a yellow-rumped warbler and the grosbeaks - hope the day brings more. I have to go to work at noon, but the light gets to be a problem by then anyway.
We'll be going somewhere during this week to see what we can find.

Quintuplets!

2008-05-02T21:38:00.005-04:00

In my first fledgling post last Sunday, I said we had 3 baby bluebirds....but today I discovered that there are 5! I saw one first, and was getting shots, then he flew over to another branch, where I at first counted 3. Then one more peeked out from behind, then all 5 lined up on the branch.

Proud parents with their first brood of the year.... their 16th brood altogether!

1,2,3,4,5!

I was approaching them very slowly, talking to them as I have been since they hatched.

If you look carefully, the one on the left appears to be feeding its sibling.

Aren't they just adorable?

Y-a-w-n...

I really am a bluebird - see my blue wing?

Guess WHo's Coming for Dinner

2008-05-02T00:39:00.004-04:00

Now ths is not my one of my everyday guests. IThree years ago, I had one rose-breasted grosbeak spend about a week here in the spring; if they passed through my yard since, I have missed them. (We do see them in the summer in Shenandoah Nat Park.) I opened the door and he flew from my feeder. I was supposed to be leaving to get my hair cut and go to work, but of course I was late - I just had to get some images - he was spectaculer!

He posed for me, turing one way...........

...then the other...

.....he looked up...

........and down.....

...sat in the bird tree........

...then came back to the feeder...

I haven't had time to even go through all of them; I need to be really selective, cause I made a LOT.

Choir Practice

2008-04-30T23:02:00.004-04:00

OK, it was a busy, busy day - I got in a few minutes of photography this morning, but have been on the go since. So, I decided to post this picture - it's a favorite in my store. I was up really late one night looking for something for a customer, and I kept coming across images of birds with their mouths open. The thought occurred that they looked like they were singing in a choir, so I just put them in a choir! (Thank you, Adobe.)...with the bluebird conducting! It's kind of hard to see at this size and resolution, but it's a lot of fun. I hope you get a smile from it.

"Life is a song; sing it!"
Sai Baba

Virginia is for Lovers

2008-04-29T21:21:00.006-04:00

If you've ever been to Virginia, you've no doubt seen posters, shirts, license plates, and all sorts of things with our little slogan "Virginia is for Lovers." I thought this might be a fun post.

Hope you all enjoyed it!

Changes

2008-04-28T22:19:00.005-04:00

April is almost over, and there have been some changes in my backyard during this month. Some of my winter friends left:

Juncos

Purple Finches

White-throated Sparrows

Some passed through:

Hermit Thrush

White-crowned Sparrow

And some are back:

Gray Catbirds

Brown Thrashers

Chipping Sparrows

And - Baby Bluebirds!!

2008 Brood 1, Day 2

Every day is different and exciting.

Every month has its own special beauty.

"Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit."

Henry David Thoreau

Have a Cigar!

2008-04-27T17:51:00.005-04:00

Hallelulia! 3 babies survived and fledged from the "bottle." I have no idea whether there were more eggs than that - maybe not; my pair are 6 years old. Anyway, after the house sparrow harassing the bluebirds and trying to steal the nestbox (nestbottle?? lol) , yesterday we had 3 beautiful little ones fly out. (The bottle has come down!) We saw all three of them this morning, but two were hidden in the foliage.

Mama and baby.

Little fat thing!

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on."
Carl Sandburg

I have turned off word verification on my blog because it seems the letters are getting too difficult to decipher (I thought it was supposed to foil robots!) I have enabled comment moderation instead, hoping it will have the same effect of blocking spam.

Saturday Off

2008-04-26T19:59:00.005-04:00

I didn't have to work today. We went to watch our grandson play flag football, then went out for lunch. Then back here to see what visitors we might have out back.Mockingbird photos are usually pretty much alike, but I just liked this one. He looks sweet. (NOT)

Mr C. Looking beautiful.

NEW BIRD!

Then there was this nice surprise. I have never seen a white-crowned sparrow here before (Truthfully, I've never seen one at all!) He is on his way from somewhere to Canada...Very handsome, and very cooperative.

This is my best side.

Better get one of my back, for ID use.

Then late this afternoon - this!This is about 100 feet from my back door - maybe less.

He was having a feast - dove I guess.

Sorry about the gore, but he never let go - even when I got closer. The sky is blown out, but it was late afternoon, and we had to shoot directly into the sun.

Beautiful Bully

2008-04-26T07:46:00.004-04:00

Good morning - In an attempt not to be boring, I have posted only one this morning - these guys don't sit still for their "portaits" very often - not up close any way.

Here We Go Again

2008-04-25T08:32:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I spent some time photographing my backyard beauties - again! I never tire of it.Robins are hard for me for some reason - this one actually came out with some feather detail.

And this is my perfect little model - here in the "bird tree..."

And this one in the rododendron...

The little house finch sat for an unusually long time while I clicked away........

Then she turned the other way, and I saw why she was so still; she has a pretty severe-looking case of house finch eye disease in her left eye. She's a sick little bird - so sad.

We went out to Shenandoah Nat Park in the afternoon - still not much avian activity out there. We did get our obligatory towhees, and had a wonderful walk in the mountains and dinner at the lodge. A great trip, but will be even greater when the warblers get there!

NAME THAT BIRD!!

2008-04-24T20:05:00.005-04:00

OK, here's a puzzle for you - this bird was in my famous "bird tree" this morning. It was stark black and white - no "light tricks" - it was as black and white as a woodpecker! It otherwise looked very much like a female red-winged BB, but there was NOTHING brown about it. Also I think it was maybe a bit larger than a RWBB. I sent the photo along to my expert, who sent it on to her experts. Nobody is sure. One guess is a bi-colored blackbird, but they are supposed to be only in CA - this is a long way from CA! Another guess is a RWBB with "color problems." Anybody game to guess?
UPDATE: The consensus is that it is an immature female red-winged blackbird, who just happens to be black and white instead of brown. It was beautiful.

Out the Window

2008-04-24T07:44:00.008-04:00

Just a few minutes at the window yesterday yielded these..

.
Checking it out..

Backyard Bully

This was pretty amazing - The brown thrasher had an acorn and it kept rolling when he tried to crack it, so he dug a little hole, pushed it in, and then proceeded to peck away! "Bird-brain" is a misnomer.

I almost think the female cardinal is prettier than the male.

Posing -

Chipping sparrows have just gotten back.

A flash of sunshine.

Noisy..

Oh-boy...they dropped some!

Daily Dogwood.

FINALLY!

2008-04-22T21:32:00.012-04:00

It was raining when we got up, but it stopped late in the morning, and we headed out to Occoquan NWR, on the Occoquan River. It was mid-day, but still mostly overcast, so the light wasn't too bad.

We went first down to the wetland area, which was pretty quiet. There were, of course, plenty of red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, and Canada geese. We could hear lots of birds, but had a hard time seeing them. This glossy ibis was strutting down the path.

We were excited to see this least bittern hiding in the reeds.

The egret never came close enough to get a decent shot- have to do those in Florida!

I was really happy to see the little Virginia rail. It was little and very shy, but I was able to follow it along for a good while and get some shots...it never came out of the reeds, so it was a challenge to get a shot of the face.

Dogwoods are everywhere here - this is a pink one growing wild in the park.

The pair of osprey put on a good show for us. This is not usually "my thing" - I try to get the birds to sit nicely lol, but this was too good to pass up.

I hadn't seen barn swallows before at Occoquan. but there are plenty of sheds where they can nest. This one was either tired or just bored!

I had the good luck to spot the blue-gray gnatcatcher's nest, so we stayed there for some time, and got plenty of images of this cutie.

When we finally got to the river this pair of geese were walking down the path..As we approached, they rushed over to the grass, collected their brood (4 goslings), and jumped into the river.

It was fun - the whole trip was fun! There were lots more birds and photos, but this post is getting way too long.