A spring walk about the garden

This was a lazy morning.  A time to walk about the garden between the rains.  The vegie garden is looking good.  Lots of peas and beans sprouting, radishes,onions.  My garlic are looking super.  We have already had a meal with asparagus!  The warm weather gave us that little gift, soon as the cold returns those spears stop cold in their tracks!  Baby tomato plants coming up.  A friend that winters in FL brought tomatoes and oranges! 
The Kingfishers are busy, the Osprey set, and today while on the pier a Barn Swallow flew around!  Must be a scout, but I gave him a hearty welcome!  My Hummers have not even made a show and here is a Swallow!
And for my pic, here is the Grackle.  They are here.  We just try to control where they nest.  They use compartments they find in the boathouse, and boxes we intended for woodpeckers.  We will chase them from the bluebird/chickadee boxes.
They like this box which was made for Flickers.  The Flickers did not take to it, but one year Screech Owls did and they were successfull.  One of the adults was killed on the road so no return nest, but the remaining adult got three baby owls out!  I have some great shots of those birds.

Here is the Grackle atop its box singing its varied musical tune.  You have to give him his due.  

"Mistah Buzzard"

As a child of the South I read/am familiar with Thornton Burgess' books.  One I have in my possession is "The Adventures of OL' Mistah Buzzard".  I have plenty of respect for buzzards (Vultures) and the necessary job that they do.  There is a tree on Highway 168 near Aydlett that is routinely full of buzzards resting.  I have pined for an opportunity to shoot pics! 
The opportunity came to me in a smaller number and window of time:  the empty lot next to me!

I spied them late it seems (just after 9am), but was able to get a few handheld shots.  There were three and when I first spotted them they were all in a drying posture.

From the book:
"Ol' Mistah Buzzard was there holding his wings half spread for the air to blow throught them and the sun to fall on them."

Yes, that is it simply.  What a wonderful sight!

Little chatterbox

I was out this morning trying shots of Monkey Island in the fog that has not left. I have one to show, but on my way back up one of my garden faithful gave me an earfull. I tweet back to it which usually sends it along. Today it was in a talking mood and after a bit I had to pull out the camera. The Chickadee was close but in a thick brush. I was happy to be chatted up by a Chickadee; I can be a bit of a chatterbox myself in good company!

Winter Robin

The Robin is underrated, I think. It's a beautiful bird, a large bird with color and design that deserve top billing!
Just look at the scalloped edged feathering on the breast of this Robin.
The weather was a gift today and this morning as I walked my garden the trees were full of Robins. The White-Throated Sparrows were singing their Disney song, the ever-present Chickadees were buzzing about and the Bluebirds were happy exploring all the nest boxes while singing their plans for next spring.
Add some Buffleheads splashing about, a flush of blackbirds above followed by a hawk. Mon ami, the day the was full by morning.

A shot at breakfast

While enjoying my French omelette with German strawberry preserves (yum!), a loud shot sound interrupted the quiet of my Sunday morning meal. The kitchen door was open, the storm door with the half window was closed. A look outside and there was a Brown Thrasher on the stoop. Completely dazed and collapsing, it obviously hit the window in full flight.

This was unexpected, especially with my frog dirtied window pane.
After checking the bird, I grabbed my camera for a couple shots and then moved it to a flower garden for a hopeful recovery. I know the bird was hurt but it was a treasure to be able to hold it in my hands. There was no struggle just a little twitching of the feet, a good sign.

A check about 15 minutes later and it had moved a bit, hiding under a hydrangea. The head was moving and then it flew! with strong wings! Applause!

What happened? Perhaps the Thrasher was taking a shot at its breakfast. This very large (over 3 inches) caterpillar was found climbing up the wall adjacent to the kitchen door. Maybe it was on the door at the time of the bird's collision? It is a large moth caterpillar, but which one I do not know.



Later in the day I heard the Brown Thrasher sing again. I think it was my breakfast Thrasher, ready for another shot ... at life!

The Male American Redstart

I have long watched for this fine thing. A fellow birder from way back asked 'have you seen the American Redstart?' I study my guides so when I saw it this morning I knew exactly what it was. You will have to excuse my handheld camera shots, but I had to catch him while he was here. The female was here last month and I have spotted her for three years.
(Here's a link to my shots of her from last year:
http://lesfaunes.blogspot.com/2010/09/american-redstart.html )

He's very orange where she is yellow, and black where she is grey.

What a pretty bird, reminds me of the Orchard Oriole with his orange and black feathers, but the Redstart has plenty of white. The Redstart is very busy, looping in and out, very warbler-like in his actions.

Now this was a great start to shocking cool morning.

A young Cardinal

The new and the established male hummers were so busy chasing and challenging that I thought I would try to catch a shot. One male hummer sits on a leaf edge in a live oak standing guard over the window sugar water feeder. It bombs any comer, even the finches. Well, the hummers were in full chase and the one was not going to sit on that leaf edge with me so near. He chattered and hid inside the oak between chases. So I did the next thing a photographer does, I shot what I could get. And here a young Cardinal obliged my lens.

Silver lining in the Dismal smoke

The smoke from the new fires in the Dismal Swamp comes and goes with the wind. The Swamp is about 50 plus miles northwest by the crow but when 5000 acres are burning that mileage is not a factor. The smoke has obscured the sun on occasion which creates an odd light on the landscape.
With an hour in my pocket and no plans on how to spend it, I headed to my bird blind yesterday afternoon. The smoke gave me the cloudiness for a few shots that a normal 3 o'clock in the afternoon denies.


I watched a hummingbird playfully spar with a wren in a crepe myrtle, then spotted this young Cardinal looking for sunflower seeds or perhaps the water from a garden sprinkler.


A wren came in for a nice little shower.


Look who paused on a sunflower head right in front of me. I think I suprised him, too.


This Hummingbird came to the garden to get a soaking shower. Chasing that Wren is hot work!

Chasing the Prothonotary

What a treat to catch this little bird in the garden! The Prothonotary Warbler, a tiny blast of yellow that is on the decline. This is about the time of year I spy one and it is hard to catch with a camera. Constantly on the move, searching the limbs and leaves for food. The song reminds me of the goldfinch, a little squeaky and sweet string of notes.
Next year we may try some boxes and see if we can get some mating pairs at the water's edge, though I think they favor the swamps.
Here are shots of the warbler scurrying through a sugar berry tree; it is a busy bird!

Flycatchers, continued

The Flycatchers are busy feeding the nestlings. They haved timed it correctly: the skies are filled with dragonflies and there are plenty of biting yellow flies about too. I can hear the baby birds chirping but sadly this nest box does not have an easy way to take a peek inside. I took this shot today. The adults take turns feeding and sitting atop the box. Fledging should be this week!

Flycatcher filling the box

One of our bird boxes was made to specs for the Flycatcher. The Great Crested Flycatcher is a regular summer resident. The 'breep, breep' calls can be heard all along the island. The box has been used before by flycatchers and this year they have taken to it, spending the last few days filling it up.
Pine straw is one of the nesting materials they are using.

Chickadee box

A nest box of five chickadees is days away from fledging. The adults had a panic over a snake in a close by bush, fluttering, flying and shrieking. Snake removed, it took them awhile to settle down. Here one of the adults clings to the box still not quite sure that all is okay.

Snowy morning finch

This tiny goldfinch is perched on a snowy live oak. We awoke to a blanket of snow across the area this morning. The birds were busy eating seeds offered and I watched some take bites of the snow from the leaves.

Feeding at Dusk

Tree swallows feed at dusk on this warm October day.

I spotted a female hummer on my lone feeder this evening. I will offer her just made sugar-water in the morning and hope she makes her way down south.

American Redstart

Spotted this pretty female today, I have yet to see the male. He is black where she is grey.

A Cardinal Questions

Looking like it is in a worrisome mood, this young bird may be pondering what is next.

The Gleaners

Two Red-Winged Blackbirds glean the seeds from dried sunflower heads.

A feeling of Fall is on the wing. Many summer birds are gone, others are forming flocks. Seagulls are flying over. Hot is met with cool. There's a subtle feeling of change in the air with little signs that one learns over the years. Gleaning the clues of nature for the inevitable.

Double duty

I love sunflowers. I have some super tall ones in my garden this year. They are so pretty and also serve the birds and bees and frogs in other ways. Here's one of the newer Cardinals that love to sample the seeds of a drying head. I have been questioned over putting flowers in the vegie garden, but I insist. I don't mind sharing a bit with the birds. Flowers brighten up the green space, attract the pollinators, and simplify some watering.

Carolina Blue

Not the color of the box, but a Carolina Wren nesting in a bluebird box. I was headed out the front gate when a bird almost hit me in the face. Thinking it could be the wren headed back to her box I stayed around for a bit (being very still) and sure enough she came back to the box. I bet she has five eggs.

Roof fixed, box claimed

The Flycatchers have selected the repaired box and I believe she is laying eggs. The female is seen here checking on things, counting eggs, and assessing the camera clicks. Once she starts sitting on the eggs, the pair gets fairly quiet.