Around the yard..Feb 27

Link up with NF Winged   and  Skywatch Friday

This is another series from around my yard. My skywatch is a sunset from a few nights ago and a capture of the moon setting. My entry for NF Winged I have a few birds coming and going from one of my favorite feeders.

 This little ball feeder from the Home Depot has become my favorite feeder. Please excuse the dirty windows, it had just finished raining. It seems the birds love this feeder too. I enjoy watching  all the birds coming and going. On top of the feeder is a Tufted Titmouse and incoming is a Goldfinch.

More Goldfinches, they are small birds so more of them can fit on the feeder.

 Sometimes there are collisions, this time a Titmouse and a Chickadee. No birds were hurt during the filming.

And above is one of my many Chickadees with a Red-Breasted Nuthatch.

On this evening the sky was again mostly cloudy but the sun setting seemed to turn the clouds a pretty orange color.

Another view of my orange sunset.

One morning this week before leaving for work I had to take some time to get some shots of this pretty moon. I hope you enjoyed my post this week. Thanks for stopping by and I always appreciate your nice comments.


To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to the host of NF Winged.  Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.

Just House Finches

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes


I see the House Finches occasionally in my yard. They are not regulars but nice to see, especially the male with his pretty red head, neck and shoulders. The House Finch is a moderate sized finch. Some individual males can show orange or yellow rather than the red tones. The male has a distant red breast with a streaked belly.

Above a couple of male House Finches enjoying the birdseed. Their breeding habitat is urban and suburban areas.  They eat grains, seeds and berries.

Above you can see a male House Finch with a couple of Goldfinches, you can see their size is just a little larger than than the Goldfinch.

Above is the pretty male with a female House Finch. Since in the past the House Finches have known to spread the disease that starts with their eyes. I have been checking out every House Finch in my yard.

Another comparison on the front of the feeder is a female House Finch and above is a Pine Siskin. They have the same coloring but a difference in size and the Pine Siskin has the yellow on its wings.

Not a perfect shot but I like this shot of the two male House Finches with the one female.


Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.
I wish everyone a happy week ahead and Happy Birding!

Sunday Morning Walk

 I am linking up with Simple Things Sunday and  Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday

 I was so happy to wake up this Sunday morning and finally see some blue sky and sunshine. Our weather lately has been mostly cloudy and raining. Since, working all week I enjoy getting outside on the weekend to take a walk with hubby and our dog. And to do a little bird watching is always a simple pleasure for me.

One of our favorite places to take an early morning walk this weekend was at the Loch Raven Reservoir.

On the weekend the road around the Loch Raven reservoir is closed to car traffic and open to people walking, biking and jogging.  We usually see families out with their young children on their little bikes. Today we took our Goldie Girl.

Sometimes I try to arrange our walks where a certain bird has been seen hanging out. This time I was looking for the Eurasian Wigeon. I did find a couple of American Wigeons which I have in the mosaic above. We also saw lots of Gulls, Canada Geese and Ring-necked Ducks.

 We watched one family with a cute toddler feeding the geese and gulls. The toddler seemed to be enjoying all the birds he was attracting with the bread.

A shot of the reservoir and a couple of Canada Geese giving me the eye.

The walk along the road is pretty with the tall pine trees and the reservoir.  I hope you enjoyed my Sunday morning walk. Thanks for stopping by and I appreciate the comments as well.


Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit Simple Things Sunday and to see beautiful mosaics please visit Mosaic Monday and more from  Our World Tuesday
 Thanks to our host:  Rebecca of Simple as That and Mary our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post.  I wish everyone a happy week!

A Hodge-podge

I am linking up with Camera Critters and I'd-rather-b-birdin

This is a hodge-podge post on some of the birds I see in my yard and at the nearby lake. And my cute Goldie Girl.  They are forecasting rainy weather all day today, it seems like the weekends lately have not been the best for enjoying the great outdoors or a birding adventure.

 Hubby and I took a walk to our lake last Monday, I was surprised to see some Hooded Mergansers. They saw us coming and quickly moved to the opposite side of the lake.

 We also saw a group of Common Mergansers, nice to see some waterfowl on our lake.

The White-Breasted Nuthatch is one of my regulars and a fun bird to watch.

 A row of Pine Siskins enjoying some birdseed along my deck railing.

 A male House Finch with a couple Goldfinches, the House Finches are not usually regular visitors to my yard but I do see them occasionally.
 

 Last but not least my Goldie Girl, so was snoring so loud I woke her. By the look on her face, she is thinking why did you have to wake me up?

To see more wonderful critters and photos please visit and join in on the fun with Misty Dawn's Camera Critters and to see some lovely birds check out  I'd-rather-b-birdin

Thanks to Misty Dawn for hosting Camera Critters and to Anni the host of I'd rather-b-birdin. I wish everyone a great weekend and Happy Birding.

Around the Yard

Linking  up with NF Winged   and  Skywatch Friday


It is that time of week for sharing my sky photos from this week and a few of the birds from around my yard.The birds are for my entry for NF Winged  and I have a few backyard sunset photos from Tuesday the 19th.

Outside my dining room I have a thistle sock feeder that the Pine Siskins love. One side of my photo has a reflection from my curtain, looks weird but I wanted to see if you can find the other pesky critters at my feeders.

 Above you can see the American Goldfinches are starting to turn their pretty yellow color.

The Turkey Vultures making their way back to the woods next to my house for the evening.

Sometimes the vultures fight over what tree they want to perch in, flying in they will knock another vulture off their perch.

I thought it was going to be gray and cloudy all evening but the sun setting still managed to light up these clouds.

The sky was filled with pink, purples and blues. A very pretty sunset.

The colors were lovely even behind the tallest tree in our yard.

I hope you enjoyed the birds and sunset seen from around my yard. Thanks for stopping by and I appreciate everyone taking time to leave comments. That is  if the comments are working? I have heard some bloggers saying they are having a hard time.

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to the host of NF Winged.  Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.

Panama Hummingbirds

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

I am tired of winter and I am looking forward to Spring and Summer, looking forward to seeing my pretty Ruby-throated hummingbirds return to my yard.

 I can not wait to start seeing  my backyard Ruby-throated Hummingbird. For a long time the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird was the only hummer I had seen until I went to Panama.
 
 So just to show off a splash of colors, I decided to dig into my archives and bring back my Panama Hummingbirds. I never really did a separate post just on the Hummingbirds and they deserve their own post.

During our trip to Panama seeing the Hummingbirds was one of the top things on my list of must dos. Above at the feeder is the Violet-bellied Hummingbird.

Above is the White-vented Plumeleteer

 Above is a not so clear shot of the White-necked Jacobin. You can see the markings and pretty tail feathers.

 Above is another shot of the Violet-bellied Hummingbird with another unknown hummer.

The Violet-Bellied Hummingbird was one of the more colorful hummers we saw.

I have had hummers zooming around my head on my deck but this time was even more special to see so many different species of hummers zooming around my head. It very very cool and a birding experience I will never forget.

 My photos are not the professional quality that a lot of my blogging friends show on their blogs. But, with hummingbirds that move so fast they are difficult to capture with your camera. I tried my best with my Canon SX20. With so many hummers flying around it was hard to keep your eyes on just one at a time. I hope you enjoyed my Panama Hummer post.


To see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.
I wish everyone a happy week ahead and Happy Birding!

More of my Great Backyard Bird Count

 I am linking up with Simple Things Sunday and  Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday


This President's Day weekend has been all about the birds. It was the annual Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 15-18th. I have been participating each day, keeping a count of all my yardbirds. It is fun and I am happy to help with the science of tracking the birds for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon

A quote I like by John James Audubon "A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children". 

Having a little snow during the weekend of the Great Backyard Bird Count was actually a great thing for me. I see a lot more birds in my yard when it is either snowing or there is snow on the ground.

On Saturday, I had 23 species of birds with a total count of 143 birds. Some of my highest counts for individual birds: 33 Grackles,  26 Juncos and 13 Pine Siskins!

  

Another John James Audubon quote I like " I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their peculiar habits, or delineating in the best way I could".

Above is my snowy backyard and a Redbellied Woodpecker. Snowy shots taken early yesterday morning. The snow was pretty, it covered the trees like a blanket. The best kind of snow, it was not on the streets.

Today was extremely cold and windy day. Birds do not seem to like windy days, which I think affected my count but it was still a great day of backyard birding. For me it is a simple thing, something I really enjoy doing.

Another quote I like author unknown " Bless the flowers and the weeds, my birds and bees". This quote makes me think of spring and I am so ready for spring.

Thanks for stopping by and I appreciate your nice comments.

Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit Simple Things Sunday and to see beautiful mosaics please visit Mosaic Monday and more from  Our World Tuesday
 Thanks to our host:  Rebecca of Simple as that and Mary of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy .  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post.  I wish everyone a happy week!

GBBC= Great Backyard Bird Count

I am linking up with Camera Critters and I'd-rather-b-birdin

This weekend is the annual Great Backyard Bird Count.
If you are also interested in joining in on the Great Backyard Bird Count I am including the link GBBC and the dates are Feb 15-18, 2013.

 or http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc. It is a joint project of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  You can submit your bird photos and also explore the results from your state, city or neighborhood.

These are some of the birds I counted on Friday 15th the first day of the GBBC. You can count on all the days 15th-18th or just one of the days. The website makes it very easy to list your birdcount. Since, I had to work on Friday I only counted in the evening on Friday after work. I usually see more birds early in the morning.

 Above is one of the Pine Siskins, I've been seeing. If you would like to participate in the GBBC , you can count in your yard or favorite park or the beach. Or you can hand in counts for all of your favorite birding spots.

The Redbellied Woodpecker is a daily visitor. He actually waits for me to put out the peanuts for him, sometimes he is making his sounds like he telling me to hurry up.

I have a lot of Carolina Chickadees in my yard. Now, I have to see how many will show up at the same time in my time period for counting. On Friday the 15th , I counted 5 Carolina Chickadees in my yard. You can count for 15 minutes or how ever long you want. If I count today ( Saturday) I could see more than 5 chickadees.

A few male and female Cardinals are usually around early in the morning and later in the afternoon.

The female Cardinals are busy eating or chasing other Cardinals away. I seem to catch my birds with their mouths full of food.

On Friday, the first day of the Great backyard bird count, I had 8 White-throated Sparrows on my deck at the same time. Just so you do not count the same birds twice, I can only count how many of one species I see at one time. So unless more than 8 WT Sparrows show up later on my deck 8 will be my total for the WT Sparrows on Friday.

Thanks for stopping my blog, I am hoping I can convince a few of my blogging friends to join in on the Great Backyard Bird Count. I have been participating in the count for years now, I am helping with this science project  and I am enjoying the birds.

To see more wonderful critters and photos please visit and join in on the fun with Misty Dawn's Camera Critters and I'd-rather-b-birdin

Thanks to Misty Dawn for hosting Camera Critters and to Anni the host of I'd rather-b-birdin. I wish everyone a great weekend and Happy Birding or Happy Counting.