An April Fools Surprise...

Lately I'm lacking motivation.  Don't ask me why because I'm not sure.  I have the desire but the follow through is just blah.  Im still trying tho, not throwing in the towel just yet.  

Brown Headed Nuthatch check out a possible nest hole 

Some weather issues, wind, rain, hot, cold, storms, humid can't even breath humid, pollen 2 inches thick...just to name a few...and every now n then the SUN shines...but the wind still blows...Today was one of those sun shine windy days.. 

Male 

 I had not been to Sandhills in a while  it's kinda my local but a little far it's in the 20 mile radius.  Today the wind was on and off, ...my coat kept going on and off  and eventually  I even had to add a warm hat to the mix...

and his mate the female Eastern Bluebird 

I got very few photos this week ...the wind was a huge factor.  I wanted to share some of the AMATUER video I was able to get of some unique natural behaviors...

Like this Loggerhead Shrike, he has impaled a grub on a twig of a sapling...he tugs and it comes loose so he reattaches it, I tried to slow it down to help with wind movement  so you can see how he works to get the grub attached again so he can rip pieces off..

 sorry for the movement and sound real life is kinda like that...

When  he saw me, he flew to a tree to wait till I left so I snapped this photo before moving on...Big Juicy Grub. 

This was up on Mary's Hill...they recently burned the area 

I found an old antler, the tips had burned off...

...the birds are  pairing up and getting on with life they are motivated.  Had two Osprey pairs, and they were doing the same thing.  I suspect the female was stationed at a tree while the Male was out hunting, making circles diving and such...was it a show? I can't tell if he got a fish or not but he flew off, didn't take anything to the female,  Normally they lay eggs in April I must check the 3 ponds that I know Osprey nest in...maybe on my next trip over. OH yeah it's April already.

Play

Here is the waiting female...I saw the exact same behavior in a second pair later on.  I think I was more impressed than she was...

Then I stopped to have a spot of lunch at the boat ramp of this pond. 

After eating I put on my coat, and hat and took a walk around the lake, on this fisherman's path...It does not go all the way around the pond as it gets very dense and soggy but it goes about 1/2 of a mile or more round trip. 

This is where I watched the Osprey show from....so once he left I kept walking and then I saw some movement in a back cove of the pond.  At first I didn't know what I was looking at them BAM it hit me, A BEAVER a real live BEAVER was sitting on a sandbar grooming,  

I don't know if it's a she or a he

Then it went  swimming and eating some snacks out of the water, looked like the root ends of lily pads...

This sighting really made my day worthwhile...and was a good shot in the arm. 

This old lodge has been in this pond forever, but I thought it was not being used...

But the Beaver swam over this way and I lost track of it as I walked back so I think he went to take a snooze in the lodge...!!

time to walk back

Finally got my first shot appointment, on the 28th of April.

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Horizons...

Second week of May already seems like this year is on a steamer headed for 2020! Yeah lets not forget that magical number headed our way.  Dates such as that boggle my mind since I'm always reading headstones with birthdates like 1797 or 1840 shows us how very short our life span really is. Hopefully we will all make it well into the the 2020's.  My mom was born in 1924! She is so very close to that century mark. 

Mom with a rhodie she planted many years ago...Happy Mother's Day!

Most of my time these days is spent in a couple of areas of life, family, doing yard work, chores etc, and birding between my trips to town for supplies! My walks in nature are always special to me...so lets jump right in!

I spy with my little eye something that looks so amazing!!

Polyphumes Moth the "Clyclopes Moth" a Giant Silk Moth! 

The vernal Pool hangs on...

A shed Snake Skin, at least 4 ft in length the entire skin was there! 

in the same area where the young Eagles have fledged and only one was around the day we visited...it made me sad he looked so lonely..

Like he was saying "where has my family gone..." sigh must be hard being a bird sometimes...

Down under a nearby bridge chaos of another family was going on as the barn swallows put on a flight show for me....

This is a cellphone shot of the nest of a chipping sparrow...it's in a bush right by mom's front porch we can lean over and see down into it...see the brown dots on the eggs?

and another cellphone shot of the eggs in the bluebird nest gourd...I know you may not be able to see since this is phone has small pixel, but the eggs look as if they have been speckled with tiny brown specks...

What a miraculous job they did building this nest so much work and thought and planning went into it! 

We have many birds nesting here but these are the only ones I've found the nest of...watched the Carolina Wrens as they guided they first brood of fledglings out into the world..

Ive been birding in my 5 mile radius this is one of my favorite wetlands...the roadside one where there is no place to stand have to jump the rail each time a car flies by ....but it's so pretty there!

I called it the Mt Zion wetland...after the road I saw some neat birds there like the Great Crested Flycatcher Male...

This shot captures the beautiful feather detail of this beautiful bird! 

the Yellow Breasted Chats continue to provide me with such a show!! Look at his throat as he makes some of his weird sounds...

Could watch for hours! 

MY latest finds I didn't get good photos of...in case  you are wondering why Im not just jumping into that I did get a shot of the elusive Gray Catbird this week...saw him last week...

And had a loggerheaded shrike out in the open as they normally are, the butcher bird as they are sometimes called due to they like to impale their prey on sharp objects..

Most of the fields around are in amazing color right now with the Ragwort in bloom...

SO my new sightings for the radius this week as I said I got very few photos of them..mainly because of heavy cover, and the birds are so busy finding mates, nest building, it's just a busy time of year for them..

the Mississippi Kite (#102)

had a pair one landed pretty far away...

A Black Throated Blue Warbler, (103)

I know terrible! But you take what you can get he was in and out so fast maybe on my next visit...

same thing  with the American Redstart..(104)

Anyway for the record shot... and then a couple I didn't even get a shot of the Swainson's Warbler (105)...and the Yellow Throated Vireo,(106) along with the heard only Eastern Wood Peewee. (107)  I did get him on tape with a red eyed vireo over singing him..lol 

I found an area where many of the red headed woodies are nesting...

So my count stands at 107 in my 5 mile!!  I made this my big day...it was Monday, and in my radius I  had 61 species for the day!

My Big Day List Here

my little buddy following me around..

Enjoy your week!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Game Plan

My February birding is off to a slow start so I plan some sort of strategy .  Got my Wild Turkey flock...right where they should be...BAM and the next day another flock....ebird said that's a large number for this time and location, BAM photo showing all 27 take that!! First new add for the month!

 followed by the Loggerhead Shrikes, 3 to start with then BAM 2 more for a total of 5 so far this week.  Two of them only 2 tenths of a mile down my road!

..and even got his call on video, not the best due to the distance he was away but it's the first time I've actually heard one call! Very hard to hold the zoom still...

Spring has hit us and I hope the rest of the plants and flowers will hold off because we know it's only a tease, ANY kind of weather could arrive without warning. 

  

This month our Challenge is a photo.  That's a tough assignment with my camera in it's current condition! (focusing issue) BUT I will submit 2 of something end of the month.  

got this pine warbler n BLUE sky pretty decent

So my strategy is to make a list of what is coming via the migration and to look at my past sightings that were within my radius and hope I can find it there again, and I could check other birders lists by species to see what they are finding.  

This is one my locations...the road was freshly graded, but that makes it soft and easy to get stuck "knock on wood".  The Throughfare Branch runs here so it's kind of birdy...be a good spot to check for Prothonotary Warbler soon.

Here is the branch if you listen carefully you can hear the rushing water, it is swampy so many warblers love this type habitat...only saw the Pine in there on this trip but more will come (I hope)

I came across this old cabin in Quadrant Two of my 5 MR...looks like it has been here a while eh?

One contender put it this way, a 5 Mile Big Year and actually that is what it is! Wow.  Some of my def reliable birds will come nest right here in my yard so that will be easy.  Others will be sheer luck if they show up again where they have in the past.  So a game plan is in the making.

This Blue Jay was having a shouting match with one on the other side of the road don't know if you can hear the whole squawk fest, it's so wonderful to be a witness!! 

I decided to make my photos bigger since you can't click and enlarge, so a bit sticks under the edge of the right margin, but I think I like it.
Until next time... 

. 

All things come to an end....Tioga George passed away and David of the Direction of Our Dreams lost his long battle , and last May Lynn of Winnieviews lost her battle also....I respected each of these bloggers who didn't give up on life just because it got tough.  RIP and my condolences to the families.   

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

a Spring Day!

ITs so warm this past weekend... I ate pancakes on my front porch the doors and widows thrown open and a warm breeze had the American Flag on the house flappin to and fro! Yeah I KNOW pancakes at 3 pm, how can I be so reckless? LOL I dont think its one of the deadly sins...but its possibly a cardinal sin. NO low cal syrup either!! JUST slurped it up and the girls licked the plate when I was done..trust me they didnt get much.

So its Spring here--

More Evidence...

Blue Moon 

Robin 

 ...ran into a large flock of Grackles....

This Loggerhead Shrike was watching them and I believe he said the grackles reminded him of a honey badger...er something like that.