No April Showers!

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Life is slowing down here on the homestead, as spring will be short lived and become Summer phase 1 and then onto Summer phase 2.  

I noticed in my life and my  photos Im trying to  focus too much on details, and that's important however lately  I want to see more...a wider view.  And Im selecting the smaller size of photo to reduce upload time and storage space.  

I want to look at the big picture and take a step back...

I want to see the forest  and the trees so it seems....

We climb a mountain so we can look down...when we are at the foot of a mountain we look up...

Curiosity keeps  me looking around the next bend...

In this shrub I found a Blue Grey Gnatcatcher, he was curious about me...I have been a curious being my whole life...I hope that never changes...

This time of year  the soft colors are so pleasing, 

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Phoebe

 Im running out of Google Storage...I admit it was a mistake to cancel my Flickr, dealing with that has been a real deal breaker, I spend a lot of time searching for photos...its my new hobby...I have made progress but still it's difficult...

?? 

 April is a sad month for me-- John's Birthday he's  gone nearly 3 yrs now....and a whole year without Casey already.  I think about our mortality and how fragile it is and how we take so much for granted.  We get hung up in details when all we desire is one more day to cherish what we love... 

Casey boy...

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Nesting time

Another mixed bag post, variety is the spice of life so they say!  I was finally able to get my bike tires back on...After checking the price I went the cheap route and bought the tire and tubes and oiled up the rest I even greased the bearings in the wheel axles.  So it runs good now I just need to be in better condition to pedal it...

A little confusing but I finally got it done. 

The tires are back on the bike now...they say you never forget how to ride a bike, I haven't been riding it for many years!! My Bike is 21 yrs old. 

The last thing I want is to fall so I will be taking it easy...I've been going here and there  I notice birds are full stream ahead with nesting.   I stopped at the County Environmental Park and caught this Carolina Wren with nesting material...his/her partner was nearby also  bringing in the sheathes...

And this may be the last White Throated Sparrow I see this year...caught this guy at a cemetery that I enjoy birding at because right behind this cemetery is a lake and a wetland...

Immature Red Tail 

I checked the Eagle Nest in Wisacky, the immature one is hanging by the nest as I figured it would, all alone now..

The Wisteria is in Bloom...Newsome Mill Pond

And I spotted a House Sparrow, something I don't see every day...At McBee Farms Roadside Store

I made a roadside stop at the Rookery in Society Hill  I showed you last year...this year they have put up signs keep out, and a motion activated game camera so I stayed on the OK side of the locked barrier, and tried to see the nesting behavior from the side of the road.  Looks busy.

They are already sitting on the nests..

I was not able to get a good look but I could see at least 50 nesting sites,  and there was a lot of Anhinga on nests too...

and ducks at Lake Wallace, in Bennettsville, are wasting no time at all...

SOOOO cute...

These Ruddy duck look like they may be planning to nest here I would love to see some baby Ruddy Ducks..but so far only adults..

And how about some American Coots out of the water Grazing..

OH how sweet...

Kestrels Hunting in Dove Field A at Sandhills, 

And the FOY Eastern Kingbird...At Goodale Park...

I was all around the area this week,....the weather is gorgeous getting warm fast..

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

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.