Enchanting October...

Lately I have been very busy with homestead chores and spent little time with my camera...So this post has only a few enchanting bits...to share.
I visited the cemetery to  photo some new graves that need to be added to Find a Grave, it's good to have decent weather to do that in.  When Im there I normally do run into Killdeer...it's hard to find shade in an open landscape. 

But they are very enterprising, some non descript weeds give life to a Wooly Bugger or better know as a Giant Leopard Moth Caterpillar. 

In the yard a Brown Thrasher stopped to do some feather dusting on this limb...

One female Hummingbird is hanging here...so the feeder is still up...and this well worn Red Spotted Purple  took advantage...

Im harvesting the Cilantro now a pinch at a time to spice up my meals Great window ledge herb.

I cooked a  birthday eve meal for one, homemade potato salad and vegan cornbread! I used coconut milk and veggie oil as the binder, with yellow corn meal and some flour...and I enjoy  savor seasoning...a few cilantro leaves on top of the salad...

And in the background is a Cake topped with some chocolate chips, and it is pretty darn tasty!  The cast iron adds a delicious crust to the bottom.

On my birthday I had a wonderful Skype chat with  my lovely sisters, that was the Best time I've had in months...and that afternoon my Son shared  pizza and beer with me, so I was a happy Birthday Girl...

And this answered a puzzle I had seen a large "scat" in the road filled with permission seeds, and I thought coyote, possibly, last evening I went out with the girls I have to make sure Floss doesn't go out and just lay down and not take care of her bathroom chores, since she has really grown weak in her back legs, So we heard some wild cackling calls...and today we had this visitor to our field..

A Gray Fox

She ate some persimmons and then went on her way...I don't know how she is getting in the field?  I must walk the fence...

Sure is a beauty

I waited all summer for this Zinna to bloom... and it opened on my birthday....well worth the wait..

HeLLO pretty orange just right for Halloween--- I will enjoy it till frost.  Time has accelerated. 

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know.
*   *   *

From October, Robert Frost

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Two More Counties...

Please let me know if the font in this post is too big...Its huge in edit, but in preview its about what I want...so how is it on your screen?

On my way to York County

The next counties I chose to get a bird list in were York and Union counties.  They are neighboring counties, and once getting these north central counties out of the way that leaves me with the Georgia/SC border the Savannah River area.  I have been through all these counties but didn't create a bird list some I was able to compose a list by checking the birds I shared on my blog, photos are date and time stamped in the EXIF info so with that info you can figure out some things...In the case of the remaining counties I have not been able to put anything together so get n the van and go back there is the answer...

On the way to York I stopped in a POURING rain storm see upper photo and got my Passport Stamp for Landsford Canal as I said I would...

Needless to say I dashed out under my umbrella stamped the book at the Kiosk and ran back to the van, and continued on..so that goal got 2 birds with one stone, getting my stamp and adding a bird list to Chester County. (My Landsford Canal post) Done goal realized!

Back to York County.  Why choose York County Airport and not the Kings Mountain State Park?? Well a couple reasons.  I want to go to Kings Mountain when the weather is cooler and I can camp overnight.  And then I can also visit a couple more parks in that area...some I've been to, just not since the Passport Stamp Program started and some I've never been to so some I will dart in get my stamp and some I will spend the day...SO why did I chose the airport in York county?  A rare bird sighting.  So this way I can work on another goal I am unofficially keeping my eye on, and this bird  helps me with that goal.  

along the way I stopped in Lancaster County at the Reservoir and found this nice tree swallow

If you use ebird, as most do these days, you can find all sorts of data.  So in my State, I check the top 100 ebirder's list pretty regular Im always trying to move up...I hit 38 then slide back to 41 as other birders were able to get more species on their list...so the leader who I told you about, Harold, has 251 species, I am #40 with 194.  So I guess it's like a tennis match of sorts.  SO now it's my Add....in a way!  I have met on trail the top 3 contenders also...over the past few months.

a prop plane comes in for a landing at York County Rock Hill, SC 

I have no aspiration to be in the top 10 but the competition is very tough up there in that 1st tier...but I am in the mix so I'm just keeping my eye on it as people move about the state finding great birds...

The rain followed me but was only dripping when I found parking near the airport..it's a small air-field and the field is the reason Im here!

Canada Geese enjoy the grass in the field.  

The grass is not mowed! So that brings grasshopper, moths, all sorts of insects and there are the birds!  So in a way it's a grassland! Its in the middle of a noisy intersection and very heavily populated area...so I can't imagine they really love it here but they are here.  I found Eastern Meadowlark,...

  

Just look at these wonderful plants! 

Some small trees just outside the fence gave landing spots to Field Sparrow..

..and Brown Thrasher 

There was a nice parking area called the Airport Observation area, so I parked there...and soon curious birds came to see what I was up to...

Cooper's Hawk

House Sparrow female

Killdeer

I hung out in the Observation Area parking for a while had my snack walked around the fence line on that side getting my feet soaked I should of put my waterproof boots on but too late my socks were wet so I slogged on...Found Eastern Kingbird, Northern Mockingbird, House Finch, more of the birds shown above but my target continued to elude me.  Until from a very long distance I saw this...

...yes it's a crappy look so let me move closer...along the main road side of this airfield is a bike path! It actually starts not far from the Observation deck and follows the fence and then to the other side of the airfield so I moved my car to the other end of the bike path and parked in a gas station parking lot and walked the bike path back toward the area I had seen from this long distance away..

Then he moved to the fence...still a long distance away and sharing with a European Starling, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher! 

Last year a pair was recorded here and this year they have returned...this bird is normally in the south central/western USA not southeastern...so they are expanding.  I always think Route 66 when I think Scissor-tailed...check out this range map from Cornell Labs..

You can see South Carolina way over there on the east coast and this area where I am is in the Upper North Central section of the state...it is also worth mentioning that scissor tailed have been found in two more north central counties Cherokee and Spartanburg! 

He moved onto the field and landed on this survey marker 

So a county and State bird for me....and on the way back to the van I saw a second one sitting on the fence... so I think breeding is taking place.  I saw this one fly in from across that busy road, I will post for you this very noisy video just so you can get a feel for the calamity of misplaced birds...but this uncut field is the key to their survival...in total I had 15 species of bird on or around the field.

PLAY -----press in center to view in this window.

I kept driving and made a weird loop into Union County to a bridge over the Broad River, I "car birded"  about 8 species to get a list for the county I will, I'm sure, at some point in time be back to do more in this county,...but till then It's 

covered! 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

April Fool

I really hope you're all dealing with this new world order... I'm not fond of it to be certain!  Yesterday when I pulled into my nearby State Park there was this hand scribbled sign on cardboard sitting in front of a locked gate it said CLOSED TILL APRIL 30th
 REALLY?  I don't like it one bit..

So far the National Wildlife Refuge nearby is still open or it was on Friday  when I was there...they have been doing their prescribed burns as seen in this photo...Looks like it was about 3 weeks ago when they did it.

This refuge does not cater to the wading or waterfowl birds, they keep the water level too high...and I think all the burning causes run off that changes the PH of the water.  That is MY theory.   The do cater to the Red Cockaded Woodpecker tho...and they have been very successful in bringing back their habitat and increasing their numbers. I saw 4 on this day in three different locations of the refuge.  

The burning plays a large roll in this habitat restoration.  

These woodpeckers live in family groups much like Bluebirds look for the broad white cheek patch when trying to ID them and they sound a lot like White Breasted Nuthatch with a chattery sound.  The video came out better than the still since he would never be still so check out the video.  

Martin's Lake 

The yellow Jasmine has bloomed, it is our  State Flower.

This Pileated Woodpecker was at the edge of the yard this morning, My tulips  made it, and I cut my grass for the first time this week in 2020...

I took my coffee out on the screen porch this morning to sit with the dogs after they ate  so Casey could go about his morning routine while I watched him from my seat, he has been having some very big challenges lately....and I thought I saw something really fast go zooming by.  So later I hung my hummingbird feeder! NOW I've seen a male Ruby Throated feeding at it all afternoon. 

welcome home little friend, Im sure this bird was born right here in my yard 

The lettuce is almost big enough to eat.  Im trying to keep the squirrels away from it, I moved the spinach under my new safety box... but this pot is way too heavy to lift.

And the spring onions are getting ready to join that salad! I have them under a wire cage to try and keep critters out! I built this box outta some of Mom's Ramp wood.  That's why it's a little odd blueprint wise as it is re-purposed.  

Since all the State managed parks are currently closed I have to depend on my roadside nature spots...I checked on the beaver pond, and he has added a bit of fresh stuff...to the dam, kinda sloppy looking but hey it's also re-purposed!

A Belted Kingfisher was hunting close to the dam, 

I checked on the Eagle chick he is still hanging out at the nest and there was one adult in the area possibly a parent come to check on him...he leaves the nest and does his own thing I missed his flight as I was busy phishing some Black and White Warblers and Ruby Crowned Kinglets out of the trees.  They stayed back in the shadows but this Tufted Titmouse came out. 

Found more Savannah Sparrow roadside.  

And some Eastern Towhee showed an interest in me.  A female and a male.  

We had a rain day but the morning was okay so I went out early...to see if the Riverside County Park was open, it was!!  The Twenty Five Mile Creek was in flood stage again not as much as before but moving swift and muddy.  I'm checking for the Northern Waterthrush to return. I had some good interaction with a Ruby Crowned Kinglet.  He seems to have a weird toe. 

And this really "angry bird" looking Blue Grey Gnatcatcher was really mad at me for being too close to his patch!

I had to do chores...had some big pine limbs to cut up and take to the dump, then I washed my van it was so dirty!   While out there working I spotted this Brown Thrasher up high singing his heart out!  

A home video for your viewing pleasure.



I watch free movies on Tubi.  They stream fast there may be an ad or two but free is free!  The other night I saw a John Travolta flick I have never seen, it was a good thriller...Domestic Disturbance.  Also watched one with Demi Moore that was set in a beautiful seaside cottage...also a thriller/drama, called Half Light it had a twist for sure.  Both were entertaining.  Hope you got things to keep you busy while we are under these orders to stay clear of each other.  Now if they say we have to stay indoors....
HOUSTON we got a problem!!  

Now for some serious talk:  I'm down to 2 rolls of TP and one half of a roll in the van for those emergencies when one is miles from a bathroom.  So My backup plan is I have a few boxes of Kleenex and that should go about a month, after that must get creative!! I've read on various blogs and seen on You Tubes all sorts of advice.  My Granny had the Sears n Roebuck catalog in her outhouse...but Sears did away with that and put it online! There is this Harbor Freight catalog but it has a glossy finish--- ut-oh! What y'all gonna do? Those same people who bought up all the TP and are hording it, also bought rifles and shotguns to keep it.  I was clueless about the whole buy out that was happening as I am the last one to know anything!  Trump should of tossed us some TP. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.