Saturday, June 1, 2013

Just another day in the garden...

 " RRRRRRRRRRR!!! I'm King Kong Bobb!"
All we need are a few dragonflies to buzz around his head...

You never know what you'll find when you sit and watch life in your garden. We're up to 90 species with a flyover of an Osprey last weekend. Being so close to a major migration route and Lake Erie certainly seems to help. Not to mention the pond, bird baths, numerous feeders, nesting sites and happy plants everywhere! We've also had opossums, raccoons, lots of chipmunks, squirrels, white-tailed deer eating our sunflowers and one crazy mink determined to chase down a chipmunk. He didn't win.

I have yet to see any gnomes...

 Blue Jays do not like their portrait taken...
He was getting ready to play in our pond.

He decided to use one of the bird baths instead.
 Splish splash! 
And yes, it was Saturday night...
 
 Beautiful bathing Blue Jay booty.

 This is one of Harry the Gray Catbirds progeny.
They're not as friendly as Harry was.
One of these days...

 We have one resident pair.
They always feed and bathe together.
One will stand guard while the other takes care of business.
 
 While on this Asian inspired lantern, one must bow properly.
Northern Cardinals are so well mannered...
 
 Why looky here!
An American Goldfinch, a Pine Siskin and a House Finch all together.
This will make it easier to recognize that Siskin when he visits.
 
 By the way. Siskins are very rude little birds.
He is always sticking his tongue out at me!
 
 A very happy Red-bellied Woodpecker chowing down on nuts.
"Oh...yum...oh yeah...hmmmm...nuts!"
 
 When Bobb the Chipmunk dives for cover, I know it's time for the neighborhood Red-tailed Hawk to fly over!
They had one successful fledgling this spring!
 
 This pair of Tufted Titmouseseses always visit the feeders together.
Like the Chickadees, they let you get fairly close to them.
They know who fills the feeders!
 
 Aww...this was the last White-crowned Sparrow of the season.
He was kind enough to whistle goodbye before he left.

The Doodles favorite garden visitor.
These Mourning Doves are always around.

Speaking of The Doodles...Friday was her last day of her career as a secretary to a group of patent attorneys. She is now a Retired Doodles with more time to watch the birdies in the gardens!
Yea Doodles!

Monday, May 27, 2013

A Few Fine Feathered Fannies...for fun...


My, my, my...what a wonderful time of the year to be at Magee Marsh! Or should I say "May, May, May! As I've mentioned in the past few posts, I played hooky from work to visit Magee and see the amazing warbly migration and visit my buddies at The Black Swamp Bird Observatory. They understand my issues there... Oh, the hundreds of photos I've taken this year...I  fear I may be stuck behind this computer for quite some time viewing all of those photos...butt I don't mind!

Speaking of butts...ya know I haven't posted a bird booty bloggity in a bit...so here ya go!

 Look at that tail! Only an American Redstart has one like it!

 Here's a harder one to ID. It took me a bit to figure out...
Bay-breasted Warbly.


 An easy one for us color challenged birders!
Black-and-White Warbly.
 
 Black-throated Blue Warblys are hard to get a profile shot, let alone a behinder!
 
 Black-throated Greenies, on the other hand, are more than willing to spin in every direction to give you the proper pose!
 
 "I'm gonna eat that name!"
 
 Blackburnians try to hide way up in the trees, that makes it very difficult to hold a camera over your head to get a butt shot...boy are my arms tired...
 
 Chestnut-sided Warblys always seem to be facing the other way!
 
(Use your best wicked witch of the west voice here!)
 
 Not a warbly, butt what a fancy butt this Great Egret has!
 
 Magnolia Warbly things like to photographed from behind!

 Over...
 
 ...and over again!
 
 Nashville Warblys are shy...

 Northern Flickers are anything butt shy!
This one was making quite a racket!
 
 This Northern Parula is laughing at me.
I must have shot 50 pics of this guy...every one was fuzzy...or he was at the edge of the frame...or behind a leaf...or jumping behind a branch...argh....
 
 Ovenbirds are another one of those warblys that are very shy and try to run away.
He doesn't realize he has wings I think...

 This Prothonotary Warbly nests in the area and is always easy to find.

 See? Here's another...

 This Red-eyed Vireo liked to hang upside down and hop in and out of the vegetation to taunt birders.

 Figures, the only Wilson's Warbly I saw and the only shot close to being in focus is this.
I am a happy boy!

 Another local nester, Yellow Warbly.
I took my brother, Jeff, out to Magee and he saw them building their nest.
Lucky stuff for a new birder!
 
 You can just barely see the yellow rump on this Yellow-rumped Warbly.
Appropriate name, eh?

 Oh look! He has a butter brain as well as a butter butt!

Bye-bye for now!
Gotta fly...