Lazy Week...

This has been one of those weeks where nothing went according to plan that happens sometimes...

no....not again with the R'coon troubles!

These female Ruby Throated Hummers are not bothered by the shovel that slipped on the wall and ended up right at their feeder...they are so brave and fearless...the squirrels chewed all the perches and some of the flowers off my new feeder, it's in pretty rough shape!

Ive been in misery for a couple months with my hip and finally am getting some help from a chiropractor....it is really out of whack and hopefully with a couple treatments it will be as good as new, or good as OLD can be. 



 a couple of shots I took of the Pileated Woodpecker he was on the dead dogwood tree in the front yard...I don't want to cut the tree down cause it's always a great landing spot for birds and it's full of insect activity so that means protein for them too. 

Summer haze

I thought this was an interesting look at a Yellow Throated Warbler...

Red Winged Blackbirds are so fun to listen to and watch, especially the way they flash those red shoulders! 

Pitcher plants are fully grown and ready to go to work trapping the unwary insect...

This Blue Jay was so quiet and still 

While this Grey Catbird jumped up and sang a song for me...

We have thunder, sure hope we get some rain.  Our chances are 50%. Its been a very dry April and May!  The south has to have rains or the lush green disappears...

Anhinga at Bramblewood

The Lazy weather has arrived where it's hitting the 90's school is out, and the fish are jumping and the skeeters are biting and the ticks are begging to catch a ride. Two weeks till summer. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Whats in a Wetland?

After my fast trip to Huntington Beach State Park to see the Dovekie, I've been hanging close to the local spots around me. So hodge podge is what this one is, I've been combining some errand runs with local birding, and dodging more rainy days...but the end of last week was nice blue sky days...my daffodils 

the ones that didn't bloom are the paper whites and they bloomed this week.  I wish I had more paperwhites so I need to make a note to get more in the fall.   These below are the Tee'aTee 

Lettuce and Swiss Chard growing in the garden tub all fort
knoxxed up against deer and squirrel  

It mine all MINE...lol but it wont keep the slugs out.  

Still Pine Siskins in the yard.

They fool me when they start singing.  I think they will be heading out soon.  I reported 10 to ebird, ebird said that's a lot for this time of year...the next day I had 25 in the yard...lol 

And a few Purple Finch too...

On Sunday it was sunny,  I like to go to the racetrack on Sunday when the horses are not using the track that is a rest day for them...I check the pond and the trees there.  Pond had nothing..but in the trees I found

The Ruby Crowned Kinglet sizing up some very large berries...

The American Kestrel showing off all his brilliant colors. 

He was eyeing up a caterpillar and he swooped down and got it..

I stopped at Goodale Park on the way to a grocery run, and found a Red-breasted Merganser in the pond, first one I've reported there...it was unfortunate in silhouette, and he flew away fast I took these shots from the car window when I first rolled up. I tired to edit the photo but it was worse, so this is what I got....

Just needed some light on it...

Yellow Rump Warbler, Myrtle

Then I heard a drumming, when I got out of the van this Yellow Bellied Sapsucker was busy making  a nice straight lines of pretty big holes to fill with sap.  Nice strong light on him...

Meanwhile the Mallards were busy in the pond...

Sometimes you're better off with your butt in the air...

I think the females are on nests already they didn't come out until the males started to call them...

Had my FOY Brown headed Cowbirds, not a good bird to have but its natures way...

I checked on the Pitcher Plants, there's 3 clumps near the pond, 

A pair of Wood Duck seem to be getting ready to nest
 I saw them check out some nesting boxes. One fisherman who had canoed around told me that none of the nest boxes are in good shape.  So the park is not keeping them in good usable condition...sadly. Our parks service is doing us a disservice.  See our park has no campground and has no entrance fee, so it gets NO full time ranger.  We have a part time asst ranger who has no staff...he has to keep up the grounds and do the canoe rentals etc...HE is only in the office one hr per day.  And now he is getting a promotion and moving to Dreher Island State Park...so I have to wonder what we will have now.  It's not that the State doesn't have the money they just don't allocate it.  

The box they flew  on to inspect has not Top on it, I did see that. 

On my next errand day I stopped at the Riverside Park, and took a walk on the new "cement walkway"  it is better than walking in the soggy ground, but Im not a fan.

LOTS of American Robins that day...

I took one whole day to go to Lee County.  Finally got a shot of the
FOY Blue Grey Gnatcatcher...

The pollen has already to collect on the top of the ponds, and it looks nasty..

This is a new find,  may have a beaver, Im gonna keep a check on it.  AND I went to the old fav beaver pond where there is no beaver anymore it is changing there quickly... much drier than it should be...There is marsh, and there is swamp...A marsh provides food and habitat for many species, A swamp not so much...good for warblers tho because a swamp has more mosquitos, and biting flies! Wetland marsh is more beneficial than swamps imo.  So I asked google the difference and here is what I got:

The world's wetlands are ecosystems in themselves, and are defined by the flora and fauna they support. Marshes are nutrient-rich wetlands that support a variety of reeds and grasses, while swamps are defined by their ability to support woody plants and trees.

 I went to check out the Eagle nest, this immature one still had an adult with him... he is big enough to fledge, sometimes the adults just fly away from the nest and leave the young inside after he has fledged, he can hunt from his familiar post.

I compared this photo with ones from the past and this tree suffered damage, it used to have another big truck section behind the nest...this nest is very exposed now. 

3 months ago

March of 2019 

this is from a different vantage point also but you can see the large trunk section has fallen off...and it had to happen during this year's occupation too.  So this young eagle has had some hardships to over come Id say. 

And a pair of Canada Geese seem to be nesting here on the old beaver dam side....I keep hoping another beaver will come along to save this wetland from becoming a swamp. 

The ever watchful Belted Kingbird...

And before you know it another week is  over.... a stop at Goodale's on the way this time along with the Mallards who Im sure are nesting in the cove in the back,  was an American Widgeon another first for me to record there...

That was a good surprise

And this really BIG Gator was cruising at the back of the pond...pretty far away but I will share this grainy image with you anyways...

And I've been hearing them a week now and got a couple shots of the
Yellow Throated Warbler.  

Then a few days  of rainy, drizzly, and wind not so fun weather and I did chores at  home mostly and some more photo sorting to try and replace the lost Flickr hosting in my old posts...Im making such a small dent but it's a good way to spend the evenings...I found out if I combine a quick stop for birding along with grocery shopping and errand runs it does 2 things, it saves gas, and make the shopping bearable. 

             By permission RH

Now here is a little treat for you...a Great Find!!  My sis and her husband took a trip to Bosque del Apache and the surrounding area and they saw some awesome birds...My brother in law  spotted this Porcupine in a tree and took this photo...he has graciously allowed me to share it...I thought this little guy has the sweetest face no wonder he needs those quills to protect him....

See ya next week...

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Bee and Oxpen Lakes

Please take note on my sidebar I have added a link to a Petition I have started to try and bring awareness to and stop the killing of Beaver by the USDA. it will only take a minute for your participation.  A donation goes to the World Wildlife Fund. 
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I am healthy and have stayed away from everyone.  I am wondering if its possible this is what I had in December? Based on what my symptoms were and what they are saying now... I never went to a DR because I don't even have a DR. Something I need to do....BUT if you recall I reported I had a Cold/Flu for the first time in like 14 yrs! I thought my immune system was shocked after losing Mom and dealing without her during the Holidays etc.  My son and I both had it, my sisters who we were in contact with did not get sick...so who knows. I heard people were recently tested and had antibodies and they reported being sick back in Dec some as far back as last November. This story of this virus is far from over and still a mystery. 

cute little Chipping Sparrow from the backyard

And a Yellow Rump Warbler was right overhead.

Since I'm at home I treated myself to this delicious flat bread with home made dip and Coconut Milk smoothie...It was delicious!  Add a little honey, vanilla, strawberries, banana, maple syrup and let me say it was heavenly...

During this time period I went to explore and hike a different area of the Sandhills NWR, the Bee and Oxpen Lakes area.  

I saw NO ONE and did not have to bother with social distancing, Which was nice to just forget about it for a while!  Im pretty sure this Yellow-Throated Warbler was more than 6 ft away I wanted him to come closer for a better look but he is pretty from any distance. 




He almost looks like a different bird from the back 

The sky was a bit dull...

Lake Bee

Brown Headed Nuthatch checked out this hollow in the tree...

And I saw quite a few Pine Warbler staring down from the trees above me,  In one area there's carnivorous plants! These Pitcher Plants work by trapping insects in the pools of water that stand inside and then taking nutrients from that insect as it decays, I know it's morbid but it's nature....can you see the water?  And they have a bloom stalk getting ready to flower...

And I found some Dwarf Iris in bloom nearby 

 

Wetlands are one of my favorite habitats, 

Someone else seems to like it also...I don't know if beaver are currently active in his area but I hope so..

This viewing deck had to be rebuilt a couple years ago...when  flooding messed it up..

I had lunch after my hike, and the view is really nice and a lovely breeze found it's way under the picnic cover.  

Just a sandwich, chips, and unsweet tea, think I had a Laura Bar in there too.  As I ate lunch I spotted more birds...in the nearby trees and bushes.  

Red Bellied Woodpecker...

And the Downy Woodpecker both knocking on wood while I ate...they were digging grubs out of the trees they visited...while this 

  Eastern Phoebe was on lookout with his keen eyesight for any insect that flew into range...actually we were all having our lunch...And after that I moved over to the Oxpen Lakes Area..and took another hike...

In this area I saw an Osprey diving into the lake, I could never got his dive on camera just his prep for it... Also saw quite a few Song and Savannah Sparrow hanging out...

Osprey preparing to dive....

Savannah, 

Found this Wild Turkey Tail Feather for my collection...

An Eastern Kingbird

Well as you guessed this post was written prior to my little friend's passing.  I try to create my posts and then they are scheduled to post in the order they are written. This ism to post on the Sunday  instead of Friday, the one prior was supposed to post last Friday and it just posted Wednesday.  This way I can stay only 2 weeks behind.  I am still hearing my friend all over the place and I reach for his bowl when it's feeding time. 

 I don't want to erase his having been  here I want to remember.   I saw Snapfish had a special on 8 x 11 photo books, 35% off so I made one of Casey and ordered some glossy prints of the same shots I just never have photos printed anymore...so I had only one or 2 actual prints of him but many digital shots of him...I can't wait for my book to arrive.  With the discount my book is 22 pages and contains 58 photos and Im getting 58 glossy 4 x 6 prints also includes shipping $27.  Pretty good deal.  I'll have to let you know about the book  when it arrives.  

Casey, Crater Lake, OR

This is the photo I've had on my screen since the day it was taken....and it will stay.  My State is easing up the restrictions I'm not sure it's a good idea I will continue to steer clear of people!  

For the record I think the demonstrations instigated by Trump was one of the most ridiculous displays of Narcissistic Control I've ever witnessed.  Talk about Flying Monkeys.  Kinda reminds me of Jonestown, if he told them to drink the poison they would.  IF those people want to go back to their old routine I'm sure no one could care, but don't expect everyone to agree...meaning your local businesses have the right to resume business as normal when they see fit. Have you ever seen such WHINERS?? wa-wa.

                                                                  

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.