Tags: birds
It really is Spring!

First there are 5 eggs then there are 5 babies with a Mother Bird and Father bird to feed them.
Some odds and ends

Between overtime and and snow storms there hasn't been much time for photography. I did go through some old files and spent some time trying the learn photoshop (uggg!)
Inquisitive bird This one is from Feb 2013
California view This one is from a vacation in 2009
Guess who came for dinner

And went away hungry. He didn't like our birdseed.
Sorry about that white streak on the right. Just as I snapped the shot, a flag started to get in the frame. Taken from inside the house through a cracked open door, bird is about fifteen feet away.
Have you heard the word?

B-b-b-bird, bird bird. Bird is the word!
You're welcome for that earworm. Happy Humpday ;-)
Now, pictures of birds. And no more singing. Promise.
Apparantly, brown-headed cowbirds like to stick in pairs. Males and Females.
I caught this cute little chickadee hanging out with a shy female cardinal
Lastly, not a great picture but I just had to document the red-headed woodpecker that decided to take a moment to rest from his flight.
For the Birds

This Saturday while I was doing some things around the house, I noticed we had a new visitor at our birdfeeders. Now, for the past two years we've been slowly getting more varieties of feathery visitors. I went and got my camera (and sorry, only a 300mm lens so these aren't tight close-ups) to get a better view of our new visitor. Turned out it was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I'm also happy to report that we have some Eastern Bluebirds that have taken up residence near our house. I'm pretty sure the nest in our shed is theirs, but I don't have proof yet. We also have some pretty goldfinches that make their way to our feeder every year. I just love how that color pops (never thought you'd hear it from me, right? ;-)
Tomorrow, more birds!
Guess it must be spring...

... 'cause here's the Early Bird
Odd bird out!

Hard Times at the Feeder ... well like Hard Times Beneath the Feeder
From the Halloween files

For Halloween, the local garden put on a Halloween garden party. People would dress up and wander the gardens, like this bat family. I went as a poor photographer and MsQ went as his assistant. Ok, we didn't wear any costumes. Some people went all out and made custom outfits, like this grasshopper. There were people giving out candy, just have to watch out for those late evening mosquitoes. For me, the hit was this Indian maiden, complete with a red tail hawk, (she was from an animal clinic).
Vacation Sitings

All seen during fishing trip on Lake Taneycomo MO
And for those who wondered if I caught anything--> Trout
A 'B' walk - part Birds

This post is about the birds I saw while on my walk.
There were birds in the air, like these geese. The way a bunch were flying around, you'd think that migration was just around the corner. Also in the sky was some buzzards, like this one. (thumb).
Birds were also in the trees. This one didn't care if I was taking his picture or not. This birdie found a spot high in some sort of berry tree.
Then we have this bird who didn't know the ground my not be the safest spot to be.
Challenge - well sort of

There are flowers but they aren't the main subject. However if no flowers then no subjects either and besides the flowers in my garden are in really bad shape because of the weather.
Critters I found at a park

While walking around a lake, I came upon a menagerie of critters.
This red critter was high in the tree. I couldn't make him look at me. : (
The bunny seemed friendly until I got closer, then he took off.
Of course there were ducks . . . or in this case, geese.
The bee I stayed away from.
We got a mutant critter around here, a cross between a frog and a heron, look at the size of that tongue.
(Close up)
So aren't mallards supposed to fly north for the summer?
Saw these guys while walking ..

... by a recently plowed field. They seemed to be saying LookAtMe but don't think the lady was paying attention.
Birds

Just some shots of the birds at our feeders
Thanks for looking!
The Birds of Stafford Creek

This little guy stayed at our campsite the entire time we were there. He would show up in the morning, chirp at us, and basically go out of his way to be as photogenic as possible. I kept calling "pretty bird" over and over, and he'd come right up to the camera. Some of the shots I took had him mere feet away from me.
And of course, there were impostors:
Bi-Weekly Challenge - Winter's Grasp

While I didn't get to go where I wanted to last week, I was able to get out and shoot some bald eagles. These were waiting for winter to loose her grip.
Eagle one (majestic)
Eagle two (thumb, my favorite)
Eagle three (the eagle is landing)
Eagle four (front and back)




