Wings n Things

Snowpocalypse

2010-02-10T21:54:00.007-05:00

LOST!

MOST BEAUTIFUL
I had 12 bluebirds on my porch yesterday, chattering and squabbling. It was heaven.

Cutie.

Hiding.

Showing off.

Quiet beauty.

Red, white and blue.

SEND HELP!!!

Where's the grass?!

Dickensonian.

The long way home.

Heavy-laden.

I apologize for such clipped little captions. I have had a hard time putting the camera down, and I have so many more photos to share, but wanted to get this out in case we all just die in here! It has been beautiful, but enough is enough!

"SNOTORIOUS"

2009-12-19T11:58:00.005-05:00

Going out - Emily was curious, and thought she would just go play..

She sank and had to bounce out - she didn't want to play any more!

In Washington, everything gets named, and this is my favorite so far of the names sent in for the storm. The official snowfall in my area so far is 14 - 20", but everywhere I have measured, it's more like 24" and still snowing hard. They have "upgraded" to blizzard warning from winter storm warning. I don't do cold very well, so most of my photos have been from very close to the house. But the birds have been here...it's a challenge to keep their food unucovered, the snow blows into even the covered feeders. I really needed to have the store open today, but can't change it, so I might as well enjoy it.

Storm Watch.

2009-12-18T22:12:00.002-05:00

The Big Storm is here. Less than an hour ago I looked and nothing was happening - now there's at least 1/2". It doesn't sound like there's any chance I'll get out of here tomorrow to open the store. I'll use the day to read your blogs and post some photos of the snow. I have plenty of bird food (Thankfully live mealworms came in today, so Ollie can have special treats.) and dogfood, so let it snow!

Ho, ho, ho!

2009-12-01T08:24:00.002-05:00

Couldn't resist!

Hello again..

2009-11-10T09:15:00.021-05:00

The dog noticed this guy in our neighbor's yard on her walk one day last week. We grabbed cameras and clicked away....I was inching closer flat on my belly till it was apparent that the little sharp-shinned wasn't going anywhere. He was unmarked, but acting dazed - we guessed he must have flown into something. He kept closing his right eye, and didn't react to us very much at all.

Looks like he's about had it with us in his face, doesn't he?

WINK!

We captured him fairly easily and called our friend at the VA Raptor Conservancy. We were able to take the bird to a volunteer, who transported him to the conservancy. I had word later in the week that he did recover and will be released soon. Hooray!

I just hope he doesn't ever see Ollie!

This is Olivia. I have always called my resident female Camille, but then I never had one for 7 years before the last Camille. This one is a little different -I thought she should have her own name.

Eeee, eee, eeeeeee!

Ditto.

And on a different note.....

Lane 2, Nick David, First Place !

Lane One, Nick David, First Place.

This one was close! Lots of Phelps record times on the board to the left.

All Star!

Just for a smile...

Before going to work....

2009-09-03T09:07:00.003-04:00

I spied a titmouse in the bird tree....

A hummingbird posing for me......

Another - as cute as can be...

A lady for Ollie...whoopee!

And Ollie - my favorite to see!

This is what I've been waiting for - and Ollie let the female drink before he did - I think he's found one who suits him!

News from our gallery

2009-08-22T07:10:00.003-04:00

We have 10 artists exhibiting in The Gallery at Backyard Boutique...every third Thursday we have gallery night from 6 - 8 with nibbles and the artists meet and greet. It's very enjoyable, and we're actually selling. The gallery itself occupies the front 1200 sf of my store space. Bird shop and online still crippling along.

Back again....

2009-08-06T18:39:00.005-04:00

Both of the tiny Carolina wrens stayed busy feeding this cowbird stow-away. I didn't see any baby wrens - I guess this one took up all the room.

Just look at the size difference.

More, more, more!!!

And to add insult to injury, he seems perfectly able to get his own food!

I thought Ollie had found a new mate......

This lovely young female was with him for a few days - but he sort of ignored her, and now I haven't seen her since last week.

I have missed blogging, but just never seemed to have the time to sit down and do it. Today I looked at of my favorite blogs, and these are photos I've been planning to post. I'll probably only get to this every few weeks, but I'm still here!

Summer Clips -

2009-07-15T09:46:00.002-04:00

Ollie - still alone. He has had interested ladies, but he isn't interested.

Serenity..

My older grandson, Jack, after swim meet.

The younger one, Nick (8), high-fiving and showing off his muscles - he's threatening records all over town this year.

Move over, Michael Phelps!

"Teddy Bears' Picnic"

2009-07-03T11:09:00.006-04:00

Remember that song? Well it was very fitting at Shenandoh yesterday! We saw more bears than we have total in all our other trips to the park. They were close, but behind a lot of brush.....They were all over the place - several times along Skyline Dr we stopped to watch them.

I see you, but bet you can't see me!

I got a bazillion fawn shots!

I loved this one with the grass blowing.

"God's in His heaven; all's right with the world."

Something different...

2009-06-24T12:40:00.002-04:00

The young RB is growing up.

BAD HAIR DAY

Still a lot of activity in my backyard. But still, no Camille. Ollie and the kids are OK, but Ollie still
sits looking out over the yard.

Life goes on...

2009-06-22T12:00:00.004-04:00

Fathers Day pose..

I can do this!

This seems to be all that is left from 5 eggs..

Still no sign of Camille. I knew Ollie was feeding fledglings, but I had only seen one since my tripand Camille's disappearance, but Friday two beautiful babies came to the porch. A couple of times an adult female has come, but Ollie drives her away. She sat for a long time in the bird tree, just looking - This is the second time Ollie has lost his mate (the first time, house sparrows trapped her in the box and killed her). That time he was showing his "real estate" to another female within a couple of hours.

Good-bye to Camille

2009-06-17T08:38:00.002-04:00

This is Camille - This was her 6th summer in my backyard....She and Ollie raised at least 60 beautiful babies during that time. But she's gone - my neighbor came over daily last week while I was gone, and saw her every day, but I haven't seen her since I returned on Thursday. Ollie comes and is caring for at least one of the 4 fledglings, but he sits and calls and calls. This is the part I hate.

I missed you!

2009-06-12T19:59:00.003-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been able to post anything or even look at your posts. Needless to say, I've had a wonderful time tonight catching up!
I've been working on my website, beginning a juried nature art gallery in Backyard Boutique, and this week, I drove to Atlanta to spend a couple of days with my mother. The drive is 10 1/2 hours, but half of it is through the mountains, and is beautiful. I had wonderful driving weather, and enjoyed the time with my mom, although it's just terribly sad to watch her decline (She's 91)
I lived in Georgia for the first 43 years of my life and never saw a bluebird, but I had taken Mother out to the porch to sit, and a pair of bluebirds flew down to a branch very close to us. She doesn't see much at all, but she declared she could see them - I hope so.
The Gallery at Backyard Boutique is coming along well - we have some very talented artists (all mediums). I've made a start on the gallery webpage. If you go to my regular one,
www.backyardboutique.com you can click on gallery and there you are. (My daughter did the "Splash Page," and it has really helped...our stats have soared.) Things are still slow, but I think it'll get better.
My camera rode shotgun all the way to GA and back, but I was in a hurry, and didn't make a single picture along the way, but boy, I saw some beautiful scenery and skies.
Life is good - busy, but at least never boring.

I couldn't help myself......

2009-05-31T11:28:00.003-04:00

I couldn't stand it - those two photos from last week were driving me crazy...So let me present - Bambi and Thumper! (Thank you, Adobe!)

Pleaseeeeee......

2009-05-29T10:35:00.002-04:00

Two more underneath....this is GOOD!

Thumper

2009-05-27T08:26:00.004-04:00

John (Maine Nature Photos) commented on my last post that only Thumper was missing. So yesterday I went out and whistled up a bunny. Here he is - Thumper! I don't think I'll be looking hard for Flower - actually there is a skunk somewhere out in the woods behind my house - I can't sleep with the windows open!

Oh, Shenandoah!

2009-05-21T18:57:00.004-04:00

Finally - it's spring in the park (Shenandoah Nat Park - my favorite spot; hope I don't get shot there now!). Flowers, butterflies.....

More butterflies....

and BIRDS!! This Canada warbler is a first time for me....he was really high up!

Catbirds aren't particularly exciting, as we have them all over the place at home, but he just looked so beautiful,

And this guy I'm not real sure about. I thought it was a great creasted flycatcher (it's some kind of flycatcher), but it sure had a strong black eye line. He was funny with his cap sticking straight up!

John got these scarlet tanager photos - When I saw him, he wasout of decent reach, even with the uber lens.

Taking off.

Willard, it's time! I watched this doe through the brush for a long time, trying to figure out why she just looked at me and never turned to leave. Then I glimpsed the chestnut color under her, and the enchantment began! I couldn't have been in a worse spot for trying to see and get some photos without making them nervous.

So sweet.

It was very new - actually I was surprised it was already here - it seems a few days early, and the weather has been so awful. He was wobbly, but curious.

Looking for food, or comfort - or both.

This is my favorite - if you enlarge the photo, he seems to be looking at a tiny violet on the ground, a la Bambi. I don't think that was really the case, I think he was just unsteady. I spent a few minutes not breathing, then reluctantly backed out to leave them in peace. It was beautiful.

Notice -

2009-05-19T15:11:00.000-04:00

May 19, 2009

Dear Helen,

Loaded weapons in our National Parks?

It's already passed in the Senate.

Your action is needed today to keep our parks safe.

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives may vote on a bill of great concern to those who cherish our national parks and the wildlife they host.

Believe it or not, we're talking about the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act. What does credit reform have to do with national parks? Nothing. Yet, astonishingly, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has attached a rider to the bill that would allow individuals to carry loaded weapons in national parks. Take action now.

If the bill passes with the rider attached, anyone would be allowed to carry loaded weapons – including semi-automatics – in our national parks.

Can you imagine the implications for wildlife poaching and visitor safety?

Not only is this a dangerous idea but it makes no sense attaching it to a bill that seeks to help Americans in difficult times.

This bill passed the Senate last week. It's now up to us to stop the rider – take action now.

The gun effort has been widely opposed by park rangers and seven former directors of the Park Service who say it would increase the risk of poaching and vandalism of historic resources and put visitors at risk.

Please tell your Representative to stop this ill-conceived idea and to keep our beloved parks free of loaded weapons.

Sincerely,

Kathy Kilmer
The Wilderness Society

Fluffy Contest

2009-05-18T12:50:00.002-04:00

I just love it when they get their feathers ruffled!

"Dumb dove! Look at me!"

Well, I'm not playing your silly games - I'm eating!

Just Passin" Through...

2009-05-14T11:13:00.003-04:00

White-crowned sparrows don't nest here, but this one made a brief stop Sunday morning.

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-09T21:37:00.002-04:00

Storm Across the Valley.......SWF

2009-05-07T20:16:00.003-04:00

We were just tired of the rain, so decided to drive out to Shenandoah Nat Park and look for misty, cloudy landscapes......When we got there, the sun came out and there was actually blue, blue mountain sky, but as we drove along Skyline Dr, the storms came rolling back in. This was looking out over the Shenandoah Valley, with double storms. I can almost always put a John Denver song to beautiful scenery......"There's a storm across the valley; Clouds are rolling in......."
For more skywatch photos, go to: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Guess who came for dinner.....

2009-05-06T06:37:00.003-04:00

I look forward to the rose-breasted grosbeaks' visits in the spring. I saw one briefly Monday. He was eyeing the feeding station, so I figured he'd be back, and hoped I'd see him. Sure enough, he was back yesterday at dinnertime.

Just posing...

Trying the nut cake...he loved it!

A litle safflower from the squirrel buster....

Now one more glamour shot in the dogwood tree.....

At Backyard Boutique - Still getting artists interested in the Gallery at Backyard Boutique...It's looking good.

Going, going....

2009-05-04T11:16:00.004-04:00

The pink blossoms are giving way to lush green leaves - and more hiding places.

We seem to have a catbird triangle - not good in any species!

This is the bird tree.....anybody know what it is? It has cherry-looking bark.

All Wet!

These seed cakes are all pecans, peanuts, and sunflower seeds...they LOVE them.

Waiting her turn....

Uh oh, hey what's with the screen?

Look at all those blue layers!

I will be posting some store and gallery news here - I just can't keep up with two separate blogs. My online store guys have me twittering, and face booking, and posting on Craig's List - it seems to be helping, but I feel silly..."Twitter"? what? Bear with me - I'm pedaling as fast as I can!

Bird Studio in a Pink Dogwood....

2009-04-26T12:05:00.007-04:00

Spring!!!

2009-04-25T07:42:00.003-04:00

I pulled this out from the cards to send - spring is finally here! This will be all for today, because we have our Earth Day festivities at the shopping center. Have a wonderful week-end.

black and white and red and yellow!

2009-04-13T18:29:00.005-04:00

The goldfinches are putting on their spring clothes!

This morning I saw a flurry or red and yellow in my "bird tree" and was treated to probably 10miinutes of shameless flirting between these two flickers. I was so hoping they would move out to the front of the tree, so there wouldn't be branches in front of them; but I guess they were being discreet.
That is the most wonderful tree - but it's getting so tall it might hide my big snag behind it soon....then the tree surgeon will have to come work on it a little. (I don't even know what it is, but I love it because all the birds love it.

Back Blogging..

2009-04-09T21:26:00.007-04:00

I apologize for this being way too long, but it might very well be 2 weeks again before I can get back to it. The problem is, when I post, I take forever to look at all your wonderful blogs, so I keep putting it off till I have time - and that never happens. So here is a look at my backyard, at the birds enjoying my Mr Bird pecan log, and a couple that we got today at Occaquan NWR nearby. There are a couple of shots at the end that are pretty bad, but the white-throated sparrow and the dove seemed to be deep in conversation, and the cardinal pair was just so lovely. There is a surprise at the end. I just looked at most of the blogs I normally follow...everything is so beautiful. Most of these photos are too dark, but they were fine till I posted them....????

Look at me...I can stand on one leg!

Back in town..

Windy day...

He sat there a long time, but he would never move from behind that twig.

Sweetie..

NO, NO, NO, NO! It's not for you!

YUMMY!

We're almost there....

2009-03-30T19:39:00.005-04:00

It's almost spring...the cedar waxwings have already made their stop-off.

Not so many pine siskins now - this one was showing off. (See, Betsy, isn't he lovely?)

I don't seem to have as many white throated sparrows this year, but still I can hear their beautiful singing.
She's wondering where all the peanuts have gone.

And her guy is making do with safflower.

A little color is starting to show.

Everything is coming up rosy...

The "over the shoulder" portrait...

What can you say - just so very cute.

Mr Wonderful..

This is a new mealworm feeder - it's wonderful.

She's posing on top of the feeder.

And Ollie seems to be glaring at it - he doesn't particularly like to make the effort to go inside.

Sometimes it's great to live in DC.......

2009-03-26T09:45:00.006-04:00

We had tickets for an Obama event last night - So off we went in the cold - It's not a real good idea to try to drive into the city and find a parking place on a night with a presidential event, so we drove to the METRO and took the train in - at the first stop in DC they stopped the train and announced it was "out of service" and everybody had to get off. As we were some 20 blocks from the Warner Theater where we were going, we took a cab - The driver had a hard time with all the traffic and then, of course, they had at least 4 blocks cordoned off, so we got out and walked the last 3 blocks.
In the shot below, you can see the 4 block long line - we considered coming back home.

The motorcade had just passed, but I didn't have my camera out.

It was cold and the wind was pretty fierce, but we waited - it took an hour to get to security.

They were doing the best they could, but there was a full house. There had already been a ticket screening, to be sure the right people were there, but at this point, they were checking bags and electronics.

He was intrigued by my E-book.

Here he is! Tony Bennet had already done a mini-concert (We thought it strange to have an old guy at the event for this young new administration, but he's holding up pretty well.) The man at the right is Tim Kaine, Virginia's governor, and new chairman of the DNC.
On the way home - thankfully, there were no train adventures on the return trip.

Very scary ......

2009-03-24T19:03:00.000-04:00

Read it and weep....
http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/090320.html

Raptor Conservancy of VA Visit to Backyard Boutique

2009-03-20T11:44:00.010-04:00

Last night we had our annual raptor event at Backyard Boutique. We had a full house, and the presentation, as always, was wonderful. Only birds with injuries that will prevent them from ever being released are shown.

The male kestral was beautiful; he's in his 3rd year, and has been at the Conservancy for 2 years, since he flew into the Capitol building and injured his shoulder and his eyes.

He's in beautiful condition; and was very vocal - Kent said his hormones were raging!

This is a hybrid falcon - probably a cross between a peregrine and a merlin....very beautiful, but very "human imprinted."

Isn't he something?

This is a 13 yo female red-tailed hawk, who has been with Kent for 12 1/2 years. As are all of these birds, she's beautiful, and in top condition.

She wasn't trying to fly; just showing off, I think. .......breath-taking!

Maybe she did decide to leave after all.

The tiny sawhet is my favorite - it's hard to remember not to try to pet her, but I think I'll just keep my fingers, thank you very much.

Wouldn't you hate to be a mouse, looking at those talons?
The eastern screech owl was very calm and quiet.

The great horned owl has an attitude problem - he was panting the entire time - I guess it was too warm for him in here. He was kept pretty close - no walking around with him!

The barred owl was extremely calm - Kent says she is the calmest he has ever worked with.

I love ruffled feathers.

Merritt Island

2009-03-16T19:22:00.006-04:00

In no particular order, and without much editing, these are some of my Merritt Island photos from my trip.....warblers, ducks, blackbirds, waders, a manatee, and a magnificent bald eagle...Enjoy.

North to Lake Okechobee....

2009-03-13T21:06:00.002-04:00

Rather than deal with I-95 north through the Miami metro area, we decided to head north and see Lake Okechobee. John had never seen it, and I only vaguely remember seeing it from the car as a child. The towns we passed through on the way were terribly depressed - not the Florida on the travel brochures, for sure! We found access to the lake finally, and sat and watched for a while. There were no boats to be seen anywhere - we guessed that it probably isn't very deep.

Lake Okechobee, FL

We saw a sign that indicated a "natural area" and turned off to explore. How glad we were that we did! There were two crested caracara who were fairly unconcerned about our stopping - a lifer for us both.

The natural area turned out to be on a private farm , and it was getting dusky - the signs indicated that it would close at sunset, and there were indeed gates, so we stayed close to the car, lest we spend the night camping!

I had never seen a live armadilla - I thought they were all Florida roadkill! But this one was just waddling around...he had sort of a horsey face.
I don't think I've mentioned that I'm long back home - I did get "snowed out" though...I was to drive back on Monday March 2, but my son called and said not to try - 8 - 11" of snow was expected overnight. So I just kicked back when we got back to Jacksonville, and came home Wednesday.
The rest of my trip photos will get posted ASAP - Merritt Island coming up.

On the road again...

2009-03-10T22:26:00.009-04:00

From Naples, we went across on US 41, as suggested by Robert Sobczak. It was amazing - very, very dry. There was grass, but not much of a "river of grass."

I just can't seem to figure out what wrong with my picture posting on my blog - I tried to lighten these, because they seemed to be too dark, now these just look washed out...Anway, big brown sign...

Blue sky, puffy clouds, and grass and leafless trees.

This was the only kingfisher I got a shot of at all - they don't much like me, I think. Although my son calls me "the bird whisperer," it doesn't apply to kingfishers!

The cormorants were so funny, holding onto the wires with those big clumsy feet of theirs...they bobbled around, but managed to stay on.
There was a boardwalk off the highway, and we stopped and walked out. Didn't see or even hear much, but it was very peaceful.
Near the end of the boardwalk there was one place with a little pool ...there were a few birds and alligators in the water.

The green heron was looking for his lunch...

This guy was snoozing..

The yellow-crowned night heron was shy - he stayed on that branch..

and the tri-colored heron teetered around on his stilty legs.

In that spot, the blue-gray gnatcatchers were almost as thick as gnats, but I'm not sure what they were eating..we noticed very few bugs..maybe they found insects in the moss..

And this was NOT a good thing. There was a group with a guide, and she was worried about this snake. She felt pretty sure it was one of the exotics that they are having so much trouble with in FL - people get pet snakes, then dump them in the swamps and streams....they are causing a lot of trouble.

Corkscrew continued...

2009-03-09T18:57:00.002-04:00

Corkscrew Swamp was a veritable gold mine for me - there were lots of flycatchers and warblers, but it was really crowded, so after I got my shots of the painted buntings, I tried not to be obnoxious and take the best viewing spots with all my gear all the time. It was easier to take photos of the shore birds without being a rail-hog. The black-crowned night heron was the object here, but the white ibis and the anhinga crowded in.

Yellow rat snake - Ugh!

I like the hair-do on the little blue heron.

The egrets were plentiful and beautiful.

More from Corkscrew

2009-03-06T11:46:00.003-05:00

The boardwalk at Corkscrew is 2.5 miles long, and we did it twice - it was amazing to see so much - and it was 72 degrees, to boot! This is an immature little blue heron - aren't his green legs cool?

The barred owl never came out of the leaves - he was one reason we went around the second time, but he was still almost hidden.

John got the vireo, I was having camera problems when we saw this guy. My big glass stopped focusing, and I had to use a much shorter one. I think I need to send it off to be checked next winter...It seems OK; the problem this time seemed to be in the 2X converter, so I had to drop back to 1.4. I was, to say the least, a bit frustrated.

There were a lot of anhinga; I think they are funny.

And, of course, alligators. I'm not really a "gator person," but dutifully made their picture - this mama was on guard.

February Holiday...

2009-03-03T17:48:00.006-05:00

This is my mother - she was 91 Feb 21, and I went to Georgia to celebrate with her. Here she is talking with some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren - she had a very happy birthday.
So, that put me halfway to Jacksonville, and I kept driving...
We drove down to Ft Myers Monday and spent a day with John's twin brothers; then headed out for our adventure.

We drove out to Marco Island , where we honeymooned a l-o-n-g time ago. We had not been back since, and we were amazed....boy, has it changed. (Probably no more than we have though).

Our first stop, thanks to the advice of Robert Sobczak, was Corkscrew Swamp near Naples. That was where we saw the painted buntings, and they were simply stunning! This is an immature wood stork; Corkscrew has a relatively large number of nesting wood storks, whose population has been in decline.

Immature white ibis....All the "kids" were out that day. I have so many photos to post, that I'll do a few along; I want to leave time to look at your blogs.

Everything else is gravy!

2009-02-25T17:08:00.002-05:00

This is what I most wanted - shot along with a bazillion others at Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, FL. More to follow. I'm warm, and tired, and ecstatic!

Pastels -

2009-02-08T17:15:00.004-05:00

I can't figure out what's wrong with my image upload ... the backgrounds on these were all pink and green pastels, and they just don't show up that way here. Well, the little siskin and nuthatch are sweet anyway. I just took time to look at all your posts - I am amazed that so many of you can brave the cold to get beautiful pictures - I'll never have a lot of good ice and snow photos! It's too cold for me when it's hot!
Things are coming along at the store - we got everything moved into place last week, so it's time to start recruiting artists....At first it was just an idea I had to help pay the enormous rent on my space, but now I'm excited! In my new blog, "What's Going On" I will try to follow progress of the new project "The Gallery at Backyard Boutique" and post announcements and birding info for the bird shop.
Thanks to my readers who have ordered from the online store - enjoy.

One more thing...

2009-02-02T22:43:00.002-05:00

I posted the photos below a few minutes ago, then realized I had the link for those of you who asked - these are some of Ruthi's political and entertainment photos - Enjoy..

http://www.rdavideventphotography.com

This n that...

2009-02-02T21:51:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, we decided to drive out to SNP to see if anything was out and about (and also because I was having SNP withdrawal)......The sheep in the pasture by the highway were grazing, and didn't pay any attention to me when I clattered out of the car, across the highway and close enough to get a shot.....

Neither did these deer, as you see....and they were the only living things we saw in the park.

The Coopers have discovered that a lot of doves hang out under my feeders - look in his talons!
Actually, he didn't pay a lot of attention to me either; he was too busy eating.

Eating snow!
And, of course, my dearest and favorites...
I've been grabbing quick peeks at your blogs, but haven't taken time to comment. Hopefully I'll get back in my groove soon and can keep in better touch.

Cool things, bad photos....

2009-01-27T10:54:00.009-05:00

This guy was dove-hunting yesterday - He was sitting on one of the big rocks that used to be in and around my pond, which is now my feeding station/"studio." The sun was bright, and he was in the one spot that I couldn't easily "get" from the window, so the pix are lousy. He sat very quietly for a long time, then started crying, stretched, and flew off.

Look at me!

Almost immediately, this giant flew into the tree, He wouldn't come out, and I wouldn't go out in the cold, so this is the best I could do. Then he flew, and I decided to go out and see if I could get some decent shots, and......

This one was out a bit farther in the trees. He wouldn't budge from behind the branches either.

Is it spring yet? The blue jay seems to be rushing the season a bit...he was in a courting mood.

And the chickadee ws checking out the nestbox. I don't know if he knew about the coming snow and was looking for a hideout for today, or if he's thinking spring too.

We are battening down for this rough economic time, and are taking our bird shop back to basics in the "real" store, and will be using just part of the space for this, and cutting down on our physical inventory, with the online store providing the rest. Then we are using the rest of the space for a nature art gallery and local artists' co-op (including photographers). I have some wonderful help, and it will hopefully keep us viable till things turn around. So I have another web site to do, and I will start another blog, reporting on business - retail, online, and gallery. I just can't give up this blog, though, but it may stay once or twice a week,instead of trying for every day. WISH ME LUCK!

Friends in high places....

2009-01-22T19:25:00.003-05:00

This was made the night before the inauguration.. This is my daughter, Ruthi, and a few friends in (VERY) high places. She worked very hard for 2 years, and did a lot of photography for the campaign...She says I can post a link when she's done editing.

This is the day!

2009-01-20T06:57:00.002-05:00

It's still dark, and I'm at my daughter's house to keep my 3 grandchildren while she and her husband go to the inauguration. She has "purple tickets" that will get her a seat with the staff so she will actually see the inauguration - if they can get from Union Station to the Capitol. I was up at 4:30, to walk Emily and feed the birds before I came...we walked in the dark, but when I got on I-66, the east/west freeway, it was already crowded. I had planned to open Backyard Boutique after the swearing-in and speech, but it's hard to figure how long it will take for Ruthi & Doug to get out of the city - but this is special. It was 18 degrees while I was driving..I think the wind chill is 9!
It's a very hopeful day.

Out the window....

2009-01-18T18:17:00.013-05:00

They never fail me - every day they visit. In fact, several of them spend most of the day on my back porch.

I'm really enjoying these funny little guys........bookends.

I'm not sure where the color went when I uploaded this - he looks all muted.

Funny little bandit - he's eating suet-covered peanuts - not meant for him!

I love the juncos - we have them here in winter, and at SHenandoah Nat Park in the summer.

And this was not out the window - Little Emily, our "baby."

Duh!

2009-01-16T08:32:00.001-05:00

That was an anhinga! Just sat here and didn't think - frozen brain!

Dreams of Florida

2009-01-15T21:49:00.006-05:00

Last year we enjoyed seeing this juvenile cormorant in the Everglades...He was making such a racket....Amazing looking creature. In a little over a month I head back down to Florida; and despite Klaus's photo today of frost on his windshield, I'm expecting warm weather!

Spring will come....

2009-01-15T09:48:00.003-05:00

Both of these are in our card collection - my winter picture looks pretty mild compared to what is happening to many of you. Hang on and keepwarm.

Perky!

2009-01-14T09:25:00.002-05:00

Some of us are feeling pretty perky this morning!

Here's looking at you -

2009-01-09T08:48:00.000-05:00

Variety is the spice of life...

2009-01-06T21:05:00.006-05:00

Back to cards -

2009-01-06T07:47:00.002-05:00

Could anything be any cuter?

Time and the siskins are relentless......

2009-01-04T16:14:00.007-05:00

Well, they are still very welcome, but relentless they are, for sure!

The lone goldfinch doesn't seem sure what's going on.

What do you mean, relentless?

He decided to wait in the tree.

As did this guy.

Super-relentless!

And super beautiful!

This is a warning! These are family photos, specifically 1st grandson photos. Today was Jack's first day to serve as acolyte. (I used the "toy" camera, so as not to disrupt the service or embarrass Jack.) And I missed the processional, cause I was crying.

Make a joyful noise!

My beautiful boy.

This reminded me of "The Littlest Angel"......Crocs and Nikes under the robes...

Is it over yet?

And this is what I was referring to in the blog title....He was a tiny baby - I thought it was just last week!

MUG SHOTS

2009-01-02T21:57:00.004-05:00

Look straight ahead..

Turn to the left...

Now turn to the right.

Where have I been? Well, all the usual stuff, plus getting another completely different web page done on the advice of my internet store guys. This one has some of our images that are for sale, and links back into the store itself, for ordering...The "geeks" in my life tell me that the more sites that link to a store, the better. So we'll see what happens.
It's on my sidebar (Photo Art from Nature); and like everything else I'm trying to do, is a "work in progress," but I have managed to get 2000+ products entered in the "store."
And I have to confess a really dumb thing I did - I realized I wasn't going to have time to post and blog every day, and I decided to move all my links to your blogs into my "favorites," for quick peeks when there wasn't time to post...but I linked most of them to the page with the latest blog. So I kept looking, and it always looked as though nobody was posting. Finally I shook some of the cobwebs out of my brain and realized what I had done - so I had to go back and change the links....You were there all the time! Thank goodness, and bless you all.
Helen

New Year, New Bird

2009-01-01T13:39:00.003-05:00

Well, not exactly a new bird, but new to my backyard. I have never seen pine siskins at my feeders before, and the past few days, I have had a bazillion! I love them; they are so tiny and busy - they squabble among themselves even more than the finches. So welcome 2009, and welcome siskins.

A Year of Beautiful Birds

2008-12-31T15:39:00.008-05:00

January 2008

Happy New Year...I hope I can get back to regular posting now...I really miss it! I thought I would do one special bird for every month of '08, but they are all so special to me, it was hard...anyway, here is one photo made in every month of last year.

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Christmas Greetings

2008-12-14T12:01:00.003-05:00

I'm hoping this will work - I have uploaded your Christmas greeting on usendit - use the link below and download Christmas 2008
http://rcpt.yousendit.com/634258830/ac5959c9d6f9822151510eecd5f93181

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.......

2008-12-11T09:04:00.007-05:00

OK, friends, it's snapshot time.....no fancy photography, just fun and carols and visions of sugarplums.

I put Rod in the store window playing carols on his tuba!

I went to Ruthi's after work to help with the gingerbread house.

Little hands working hard.

Uh-oh.... some of those candies did NOT go on the house!

A finishing touch...

And - voila!

Then, a drive into DC to see the lights.....

We always think the tree on the Capitol lawn is more beautiful than the National Christmas Tree on the Elipse, behind the White House.

This year, I'm not going...they are expecting 4 or 5 million people to be trying to get into the city!

One more shot..

It was a misty evening; the top of the Washington Monument was up in the fog.

OK, this is the National Christmas Tree, from the car, in the dark and mist....You can see the White House just behind it.

And your greeting for today.

Happiness is....

2008-12-10T07:33:00.004-05:00

Friends for breakfast...

Serving guests...

Tree full of cardinals (This was one of 11 or 12)

Calm bully...

I think the little one in back was getting lessons on where to steal the good stuff!

Links - you can hear it!

2008-12-09T09:11:00.003-05:00

I didn't put the link to the performance on the post about Tuba Christmas - here it is:
Scroll down and you can hear it.
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/artist_detail.cfm?artist_id=TUBAXMAS#

Oom-pa!

2008-12-08T20:53:00.009-05:00

If you've never heard a bunch of tubas (in our case this year, 340+) playing Christmas carols, it's time you rectify that situation. It's called Tuba Christmas, and it began in NYC 35 years ago and has grown to now being performed all across the US, as well as a couple of events in Canada, and one in Switzerland. Believe it or not, it is very mellow and quite beautiful - and lots of fun. My son has played tuba since he was 9 (he had to hold it sideways on his lap then), and he first played in the DC event in 1986, when we came to this area.
It is held in the grand lobby of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the audience sit on the floor (all very well till time to get up! lol) If you look closely, you can see an example of the tubists' bow - holding the BIG brass up in the air. With that many people with huge horns, there's no place to put the tubas if all the players try to bend in a real bow! It was a great time once we got there - I don't drive into DC at night much any more; and the Kennedy Center is very easy to find, but it's a bit tougher to find the entrance to the parking lot. So we parked in the Watergate (yep, that Watergate) across the street.
Check the locations - if there is a Tuba Christmas performance near you, try to catch it - you'll have fun.
http://www.tubachristmas.com/

2008-12-05T12:02:00.001-05:00

Thanks for all your lovely comments. OK, I painted it. Which do you like better?

Fire in the Sky

2008-12-04T18:31:00.002-05:00

This farm out in the Shenandoah Valley is picture-perfect all the time, but on this evening when we were driving back from photo-hunting in the mountains, the sun put on quite a show....the blue ridge really looks blue, doesn't it?

Back from under my rock.....

2008-12-03T19:02:00.002-05:00

I'm ba-ack.....
Wow! Every day I thought I'd have time to sit down and look at your blogs and post something, but the days just kept passing. So I decided I would just ignore everything else for a few minutes and try to catch up a little. What with the wedding, Thanksgiving, the Christmas open house at the shopping center, and trying to figure out what to put on sale to try to get a little business, it's just been sort of nuts. And my web guys thought it would be a good idea to set up another totally different web page, to increase links to the online store...I have added lots of cool things...if you haven't visited in a while, you might find something - you can even make a wish list and email it to someone who is probably wondering....I'm enjoying it - at least as much as I enjoy anything in the winter....I'm one of those people who doesn't do well without a lot of light, so out came my nice energy-saving fluorescents, and back in with the full spectrum. It actually does help.
I've had lots of birds in the backyard - haven't been anywhere except to work though, so decided just to post Santa....I almost didn't though, because, as you see, there were no lines, even for him!
OK, gotta look at what I missed of your posts...I can't wait. I truly missed all of you blogger buddies.

Look through the noise

2008-11-24T07:29:00.002-05:00

Today's Greeting

Normally I would delete photos with this much noise - but lately, I would have had to delete everything by that rule.....It's just so DARK all the time - at least when I have time to take any pictures! So here they are, noise and all.

Tis ws a fun action my daughter used to do some fun gift collages for some of her c0-campaign workers - Of course I had to try it with some of my November birds, but oh my gosh, I covered the bluebird's head! OH NO!

Before work....

2008-11-21T08:20:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted anything since Sunday - I've been trying to catch up after the wedding - getting the store ready for Christmas in hopes that we will have some customers (???); I haven't even made many pictures, let alone post them. I think I've probably posted this one before, but it's one of those magic times when all I did was press the button...I was photographing the moon and the owl flew into the shot.

Today's greeting.

Mom remembers.....

2008-11-16T21:29:00.006-05:00

My son was married Saturday....and memories came flooding - what joy and fun - and now on to another adventure.

The first trip to camp was really hard - for me. smile

The tall skinny one is Rod - I'm on the right.

High school senior..

5th degree black belt - tough face on a teddy bear...

My wedding post follows....I just needed to do these after I posted the wedding - so this comes first; it was just too clumsy to add these photos at the end. (And they were the beginning of the story anyway).....I only hope the rest will be as wonderful.

Have a wonderful life, dear son....

2008-11-16T19:53:00.007-05:00

Saturday it was dreary and rainy...My son and his fiance had planned a garden wedding (why, in November, I'm not sure) at a beautiful nature santuary, on the steps of a lovely old mansion, with reception in a tent....Well, it rained, and rained, and rained...so both wedding and reception were moved into the house. (No restrooms in the tent, and a fairly long, muddy hike back to the house). The best man had an emergency and couldn't come. But as these things go, it was very sweet and most beautiful.

Pensive groom

The happy couple..

Grandson Nick, with his beloved Uncle Rod.

Jack was good with the chopsticks..

The reluctant flower girl - Maddie vacillated back and forth about being the flower girl; in the end, she performed adorably. She looks a bit relieved to have it all done and over with.

The end of the line ---

2008-11-12T05:50:00.002-05:00

These cards are the last of 2006 - the second year I was making them - No big, in-your-face birds, just the peace of the once not peaceful at all Manassas Battlefields, about 3 miles from my house. We are getting ready for a wedding Saturday (my son, Rod), so I'll be "otherwise occupied" for a few days.

2008-11-11T08:09:00.000-05:00

Today's Greeting

Waking Up...

2008-11-06T21:56:00.005-05:00

What a strange week it has been - I was really so anxious about the election, and it went exactly the way I had hoped, but had been afraid to believe; it still seems a little surreal. I've mostly stayed home - had lots of "visitors" - here are a few of them..

Today's Greeting

2008-11-04T07:48:00.003-05:00

Thought for Today

Singing in the shower....

2008-11-03T07:26:00.002-05:00

This guy was having such a wonderful time...he was up on the rail with 7 bluebirds - The bluebirds were just watching him....no privacy at all!

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-30T15:20:00.003-04:00

On guard on Outer Banks, NC

July 2007

For other sky watch photos from all over the world, use the link in the sidebar.

2008-10-29T08:36:00.000-04:00

Today's Greeting

My World

2008-10-27T16:53:00.003-04:00

This is My World - in the summertime. These flowers grow in the highway medians. Add that to the rolling hills. It's a beautiful, beautiful area (check the writings of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.)

For more My World photos, use the link in the sidebar.

Magical Hour in Oct...

2008-10-25T15:19:00.003-04:00

There was a wonderful avian convention in the backyard today - The last two days have been gloomy: it has rained most of the day today, but that didn't keep my feathered friends away....EVERYBODY was there, and in just one hour, these beauties posed for me, as well as a few others...If I had put them all in the collage, the birds would just be too small.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-23T16:36:00.003-04:00

Winter Sky and Reflections in Shenandoah River.

For more Sky Watch photos, use the link in sidebar.

That's My World!

2008-10-21T09:23:00.005-04:00

My corner of the world is Gainesville, VA, 30 miles due west of the Pentagon in Washington, DC. This is (was?) Virginia horse country, but scenes like the one above are rapidly being replaced by houses, shopping centers, and roads...It's a beautiful place, gently rolling hills at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

What in the world....?!

2008-10-20T07:56:00.003-04:00

Today's Greeting

It was a busy week-end - We had a fall festival at the shopping center on Saturday, and the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, for whom my son is a tuba player, had the first concert of the season yesterday....it was wonderful; beginning with the national anthem and ending with 1812 Overture....I had the chance from time to time to look at some of your posts, but very little time to comment, and no time to post. (Gosh, I HATE to use the same word 4 times in one sentence!..and there, I used it again!) Usually when someone asks me something about birds, I tell them what is commonly accepted, but I usually add, "but they can't read, so they don't know this and just might do sonething else entirely!"

.............as in the case of the goldfinch drinking nectar from the hummingbird feeder.....

.....and the yellow-rumped warbler coming to the porch rail feeder - he actually nibled on some of the dried mealworms! (As a matter of fact, I just wrote an article about fall bird migration for my community newsletter, and I made a point of saying the warblers are beautiful to see, but "they won't come to your feeders." Oh, why didn't I say "probably?"

............a flock of bluebirds..there were actually 11 of them, but I got this, and by the time I got another camera with a wider lens, they had moved around so I still couldn't get them all.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-16T21:28:00.003-04:00

Jacksonville Beach, FL Pier Feb 2008

For other Sky Watch photographs, use the link in my sidebar.

Watching the Debate...

2008-10-15T19:30:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of you who commented on my blog today - I'm getting everything done so I can watch the debate, but I'll be back around tomorrow.

Today's Greeting

Things that make me happy...

2008-10-14T22:23:00.004-04:00

Today's Greeting

I think maybe I've never seen such a pink sky...I had the big glass on the camera and was too lazy to go change it, but you get the idea....... Strawberry Sky.

He just loves the peanuts. I can go pretty close and he pays me very little attention.

Actually, I shouldn't have included this one today - this makes me sad - there's something wrong with this little one. It has something wrong with its eye, as well as some kind of growth on its bill...but it seems to be surviving - I saw it earlier in the summer, and it looked just like this then.

Show-off!

Little straggler. She eats all the time, but isn't as fat as some of them. I only have 2 left...the men and boys left already.

I have had 6 - 10 bluebirds on my porch every morning for over a week. Now that really makes me happy!

Gathered round...

Ollie made them all move, so he could take a bath.

Rub-a-dub, dub; a bird in a tub...

A last good shake...

This is for you, Bird Girl! lol

Simple

2008-10-13T22:40:00.003-04:00

This one certainly has no claims to great photography, but it "speaks" to me - the tree swallows are hardly distinguishable as their species, but they sit happily and lightly in Shenandoah National Park's Big Meadow....

Today's Greeting

Hope -

2008-10-12T20:52:00.001-04:00

Today's Greeting

"Lord, give me patience, and give it to me now."

2008-10-11T22:17:00.002-04:00

The economy and the course of this election have me, like many others I'm sure, antsy and worried...I want the economy fixed, my financial security and my sense of personal security restored, and I want it soon. I believe that it will happen; I doubt that either will be quick. What I can do is keep on working, remain optimistic, and vote. Those things are what I will do.

Today's Greeting

Not much today..

2008-10-10T22:28:00.003-04:00

Not much in the way of a post...I've had a very busy feeding station this week, and got a lot of pictures, but haven't had a chance to "PD&P" (preview, delete, and process) them.....Wanted to get a greeting posted though.

Today's Greeting

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-09T17:19:00.003-04:00

Lone pelican in stormy skies over Merritt Island, FL.

To see more Sky Watch photos, follow the link in my sidebar.

Another Good Day

2008-10-08T19:57:00.003-04:00

Today's Greeting

I love the soft, muted color of the house finch.

And, of course, I love EVERYTHING about these two little boys.

I was excited to see the yellow-bellied sapsucker. I only see them here in the fall, and it's usually only one. This old snag is about 200 ft back from my house, and it's really tall, so I felt lucky to not only see this very handsome bird, but to get a few images.

Very Birdy Morning

2008-10-07T20:46:00.005-04:00

Today's Greeting

This morning at my house there was a beautiful gathering of birds....they were all there: cardinals, nuthatches, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, house finches, goldfinches, hummingbirds, wrens, and you-know-who - 7 of them! And one tiny ruby-crowned kinglet -

Two juvies left - 1 male and one female

Am I cute, or what?

Ollie - no doubt as to who the alpha male was in that big group...everybody moved aside till he ate, then they were all over each other eating.

Mom, taking a breather away from the rest of the gang.

Hey - how would it be if I perched up here on this branch?

Who Knew?

2008-10-06T22:04:00.002-04:00

Todays' Greeting

I've been creating these greeting cards for 4 years now, and it has been interesting to see which ones are most popular. It's definitely not always the technically perfect images that get the best reviews. People don't care all that much if it's a perfect photo... (I care - a lot , but I learned soon after opening my store in 2004 that it's not about what I like.) I almost didn't use this photo; it's pretty amateurish, but it's been a good one for me.

Ready for a New Week

2008-10-05T20:40:00.002-04:00

Today's Greeting

Keep On -

2008-10-04T18:14:00.003-04:00

Today's Greeting

I think this is a timely message -

Changes

2008-10-03T22:03:00.004-04:00

Today's Greeting

I've had a busy week - in addition to opening Backyard Boutique's online store, I've been changing things around in our "real" store to accomodate expansion of our gallery. A friend and fellow photographer has been helping me, and we'll see how it goes. Have a great week-end everyone.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-02T17:33:00.003-04:00

This was last year in Florida. My son insisted on taking me out in the boat (not a yacht, by the way, but a bumpy riding bass boat) to try to get some photos of eagles he had seen nesting beside a lake near his house. This was still during my Nikon days, so there I was, trying to steady my D200 with the enormous 400/f2.8 lens, and not fall out of the boat. One eagle flew out of the nest, as if on cue; just as I was about to attempt a shot without dropping the camera or falling out of the boat, he very quickly turned the boat around shouting, "there goes a rocket!" Sure enough, there had been a launch from the space center, and the shot below was all I thought I would be getting. But he turned back, and the eagle put on a pretty good show for us. I loved the light reflecting up off the water to light his wings from below, and the big fluffy cloud on that side of the lake made a wonderful backdrop. The branch in his talons is one he was taking to the nest, not a part of the tree on the bottom.

For more Sky Watch photos, use the link in my sidebar.

Memories - and Anticipation

2008-10-01T22:53:00.003-04:00

Spring will come again - hopefully in every way!

Today's Greeting

Today's the Day

2008-10-01T05:00:00.001-04:00

Today's Greeting

Is there another hurricane that I didn't read about in my preoccupation with my online store and this election? There's a huge storm raging outside - heavy rain, wind, and even hail. I hope the power doesn't go out! I want to load in some more products. I'm setting up your greeting, and here's the address for the store - you're getting it first...I'll link it to my website about 9:00.

http://shop.backyardboutique.com

We have 500+ products loaded in now, but I'll be adding every day. Any feedback is appreciated...this is very new to me.

Have a great day!

Tuesday

2008-09-30T05:53:00.000-04:00

Today's Greeting