Sunday, December 1, 2019

Down but Not OUT!

Still trying to pick up the pieces of our recent loss...and the weather waxes and wanes from good to bad every other day...yesterday was good! My sis and her husband returned home this week, I sure miss her and hope she has a great winter... lucky me I have 2 sisters and one has remained for a while I'm so glad to report.  We are taking care of the last affairs and going through some of Mom's personal things...its hard but it has to be done.

Y'all know we are into the cemetery photography and so we decided the best way to resume normal for us is to go tromp around a graveyard and with Jimmy beside us, we did just that.


We had a list of about 50 names to find and photograph the headstone of, and we did find most of them.  This cemetery is named Bethany Tiller Cemetery.  It is a rural cemetery and has some burials as far back as 1860.  Some of the ones buried here have birthdays of 1794, so many generations  planted here.  This cemetery is only a mile down the road from Mr. McSween's grave,  the Scottish Civil War Solider that I have blogged about before.  

I did see lots of Pine Warbler in the trees...but I got no decent photos of birds on this day...After a lunch eaten in the car, out of the chilly wind,  we headed to one of our favorite places not too far away...

a cropped shot of the Pine Warbler

HE'S BACK!!  You just don't know how much good it did me to see that the Beaver has rebuilt his dam and his pond has returned to it's previous glory!  I wish there was some way I could have this legally protected...They had him down but he is not OUT, not yet anyways...



Sorry for all those sun spots.  We hoped to see the Eagles hanging around preparing for January's upcoming nest season...I guess it's a bit early yet, but you can bet I will be going over to check.  Beaver are actually hunted YEAR round on private property, and there is actually a trapping season from Dec 1- Mar 1 and mostly they are treated as and considered  a nuisance animal!! Can you believe that?????????

                          

The little fellow did a fine job of repairing the man made damage that was done to his home...you can see it actually reaches across a wide place in this shot, from the foreground to the edge of the pond where you see the reflections...I hope one day to actually see HIM if I can be there at the right time. 


Just look at the master piece he created! This lovely pond for turtles, frogs, birds and other wild life, like the Bald Eagles who nest here last season. Without the beaver, will the Eagle come here?  Doubtful. 



His dam is so perfect, it allows just enough water to flow out so as NOT to flood the entire area...


Happy Turtles...



Large flocks of Common Grackle passed over as we were there and some rested a bit...



Some swamp and song sparrow were also around...hiding in the brambles...on the drive back we caught up with a huge mixed flock of Grackle and Blackbirds..My horrid video skills meant I needed to edit it before sharing so here goes...


I can't figure out how to work the volume on vimeo...;0/

Then we spotted this juvie dark morph broad winged!  but after further research I thought Red Shouldered, but that didn't really fit either so eventually I got it right Broad Winged Hawk.... The eyes's are a little dark...(adult Coopers have red eyes, and immature have yellow, Red tailed Hawks, have a white yoke). And Red Shouldered have those rusty wing patches,  We couldn't get around to see the shape and coloration of the tail without scaring him off..



So this was a good day.

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My Mom Tribute for this post is a candid shot I adore of her...we were on one of our many picnics and she was enjoying her July 4th watermelon...this photo was taken in 2011 at Sandhills NWR. 



Never Forgotten. 

Hope all of you had a nice Holiday...ours was simple and bittersweet.

PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.

18 comments:

  1. I would imagine that in a perverse kind of way your dedication to, and fascination with, cemeteries helps you to confront your loss. I am sure that having your sister as a support mechanism is also significant.

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    1. It is more like historical research and record keeping...so many questions can be answered by the information on a headstone.

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  2. Good post Sondra, so many grackels and blackbirds. Nice to see the beaver built his dam back up hope the humans leave it be. It was a great outing you and your sister had.

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    1. That huge flock was fun to watch! And the great surprise of the Beaver back to his job was so joyful for me!

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  3. Love your Mom's colorful hat and how much she was enjoying her watermelon

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    1. Hi Jo, yes there is nothing better on hot July day than some chilled watermelon!

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  4. Good to see the beaver back, its amazing that they can still be legally hunted today, because there is such strong evidence of the good they do building dams both for humans and wildlife. Who needs beaver skins nowadays anyway?
    All the best with the sorting and tidying up, its very hard, so its good to have your sister there.

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    1. Hi Dave and thanks yes I couldn't do this without some help and guidance. We have found things we had forgotten she had like the last few letters from our Dad before he passed away. The thing is beaver are a large part of making open space so new trees can other plants can come in. So in a way they refurbish the area.

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  5. Hello, I am so glad you have your sister there helping you. I love the candid shot of your Mom, a sweet shot and memory. Happy for the beaver and his dam, all the turtles are happy too. I hope the eagles return! Pretty Pine Warbler. Have a happy day, wishing you a great new week!

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    1. Thanks Eileen...I hope one day when I roll up there to see that beaver in action!

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  6. Enjoying life to the fullest there ...your mom left you with great memories and a reminder to do just that...enjoy life down to the last drop! .... we heard a beaver tail slap once and then wached until we saw it...one of my best nature moments. I’ve seen them swimming a a distance and many of their amazing dams, but that one time it was really close. So cool.

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    1. That's what I want to hear and see that tail flap I've heard about and seen on TV etc.

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  7. Another great pic of your mom that made me smile! I think your hawk is a young Red-shouldered Hawk. The brown eyes, the bulkier body, and the just the general impression to me. Glad the beaver(s) rebuilt!

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    1. Hi Jen, and thanks...Mom was pretty photogenic! I thought it could be a red tailed but the fact that the drippy spots are all the way up and includes the chest and neck made me rethink...
      Like this shot for comparison.
      https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-2016/six-quick-questions-help-you-identify-red-tailed

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  8. Great to see the Beaver is back, people can be so blind sometimes when it comes to the good an animal can do!

    Ah the photo of your Mum is lovely, my daughter does the same thing with Watermelon she love it :)

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    1. Hi Pam, I really hope to see the beaver I'd love to watch him swimming in his pond.

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  9. I am pleased that your sister is with you and helping you.
    I do like the photograph of your Mom.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Hi Jan, thanks so much...I really am not looking forward to my sister not being here..that is when the real dark place will open for me I'm afraid.

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