Sunday, December 23, 2012

Sleeping Ruddy

Ruddy ducks are typically the first I see in the cold weather on the open Sound.  They are so fun to watch:   they charge, chatter (a mewing sound to me), dive for food and sleep. Here is one in a watchful sleep posture. Beautiful golds against the blue water. 


Sunday, December 2, 2012

The Nuthatch

I love the 'neep, neep ,neep' sounds of the Nuthatch.  Unusual, the wood is full of the nuthatch this year.  The call replaces the frogs and the cicadas; you can step outside and hear them in stereo plus!
They have found my black oil sunflower seeds and don't just eat.  They steal them away to secret places to be found later when it's cold perhaps. My sago palm will be a splendor of yellow flowers if the seeds are not retrieved from it's tight spaces!
Busy all day long, capturing seeds and plying the trees for bugs hidden in crevices.
The beak is made for digging, just the slightest little upturn. 
Here are a few pics of a nuthatch on a hackberry tree in the garden.  The bandit stripe across the eyes is so apropos for my little thief.