We have a pair at least or maybe more near by. We've seen them several times over the past year or so. Dan spotted this down the road a half mile away the other day on his way to work. He called meand told me have my camera ready when I drove by. Now he thinks we should leave some of the dead standing wood alone to fill up with bugs for these guys.
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Look David, I caught a bird on film! It doesn't happen very often and I try.
Can you tell what it is? Pine Warbler is the closest I can come with my book and the less than perfectly clear photo.
My Ravens are back on Lithos! I can hear them. But I can't be sure I've seen them. I am so frustrated with doing searches to find ways of easily distinguishing them from crows, other than their amazing voices and the "metallic popping" noises they make to each other while perched close. But I can't find them when they are doing that, just hear them! When I get close enough they fly. I will do a post soon. I want to have my own pictures though. I am missing two key components to successfully getting bird photos. 1) the right camera with telephoto lens 2) the ability to sit still.
I was trimming trails when I heard Sparticus (aka Scooby) barking / howling /yelping excitedly. Too far away to yell--coming from that spot that both dogs were very interested in last time out. I went jogging to where the barking was coming from. before getting close enough to see Scooby in the thick wooded area I was met by a Coyote who ran circles around me about 30 feet away barking and very upset. I figured Scoo had gotten into its food or den of pups. I called him off whatever it was and as I was trying to snap some pictures I lost track of sparticus. It is so unlike him to leave my side. In six years of trail running, trail trimming, skiing, and horse back riding out there with him I have never had to call to him once. I went back to trail trimming but now the Coyote was so upset it continued to follow us running in circles and barking up a storm. Presently Scoo shows up all wet from swimming in the little brook. He is all wagging and happy to see us. I go back to clearing the pile of downed tree tops I had just cut from the trail. He goes running out at the Coyote who is still barking incessantly. I knew no little coyote would want to mess with 125 pounds of lean, mean, stay away from my pack, machine. I go jogging off to the next section of trail needing attention. Down the trail 5 minutes the Coyote is back barking at me, but no Scooter. ten or so minutes later Coyote disappears. Still no sparticus. I've been home an hour now I cannot believe he isn't here. I'm going back out. This is too bazaar for words!!!! Details to follow . . .
Later that very same day:
Scooter is found!
He met us in the trail near the brook not far from the end of Spear Road. And it was just before 5:30! PM rather than AM as with Bear, but this is Sparticus's back yard for goodness sakes. Then just as we were coming up the path approaching the trail head behind the house there's a rabbit sitting in the middle of the way munching grass! That rabbit was off like shot out of a gun both dogs in hot pursuit through the woods behind the paddocks. I worried for a second --this has been a very strange week! Of course they were back directly. They know by now they aren't going to get that rabbit. They are both hosed down fed and resting on the deck.
This is why I leave these two tall Sumac growing beside the chimney. Because this is the view I have in front of me while typing, reading, and corresponding with friends far and wide.
In winter the chickadees and Blue jays feed on the seeds and then the robins and a host of others take over. I am very focused now on trying to sell the little farm and wonder if I should remove the sumac to enhance the visual appeal from the outside. I don't think I could bring myself to do it. Especially when Idon't know how many months more pleasure I myself can get from it. We have a painter coming Monday to quote the trim work on the outside on the house. We have scheduled an open house for May 21st. That's the day of the big Bonny Eagle Car Show which is being held once again at its original location: Bonny Eagle High school Buxton/ Standish. It produces an enormous amount of traffic past our house. We never minded as it also means we have a front row seat to a 2 hour parade of antique and model show cars beginning at 6:AM. We can sit at the kitchen table in front of the bay window and ooh and aah all morning. I am going to put a larger than usual open house sign up and balloons. I put two coats of stain on the old old front door. I didn't sand it. I love the rough grain and the contrast of color it provides. But it's not my door any more really I suppose. So I will take the advice of the painter as to whether it aught to be sanded and stained again. I need some help deciding on shutters. I really want to add them to the picture window and the front door. Everything is white on the picture window end of the house and it's such a contrast to the attached garage on the other end with its three bright red doors. But what color should they be and does it matter that I can't put them on the bay window in between? I am told it is fine as is or no I can't put them two places and not others. I think I can. I think it needs something to dress it up. But I will take the advice of the painter again. I am off this AM to find someone who will advise on plantings for the sort of naked front.
This robin's babies with have a very foofy soft bed!
Click on the photo for a better view.
There are actually two in there. The one on top is holding the other who is upside down. we didn't even realize it until we were done taking the pics. No wonder the tad poles disappeared so fast from that jar. I tried to get a picture of one eating a tad pole but I wasn't fast enough getting the camera set up. We separated these two and gave them more tad poles. We have 5 of them and are going to release them into the already established bog on Lithos and imagine that they will create hundreds more dragon flies to keep the mosquito population down. It's a fun thing to do and gives us an excuse to be in the woods together and learn something new about our world. On line research is excellent and being able to explore the reality of the research in our back yard is just the best!
One of the baby birds from the nest in a stall in the barn had its first flight this morning. It flew out of the barn and pirched on one of the vines that grow over the chain link fence of teh dog kennel. The dogs have their own little stall in the barn that opens out into the fenced in area. (That's where the baby hair sheep will live until its fully tamed) anyway the baby bird sat there and didn't worry much about me picking manure right next to him. Nor did he seem to care much when I stopped to watch him for a few minutes. I guessed it was plenty used to seeing me sweeping out the stall just two feet below its nest as it waited for breakfast every morning since the time it was big enough to see over the top of the nest. I stood there watching it for a spell listening to it calling out I wondered if the parents were hiding near by to come guide it when it was ready to fly further. Maybe they were more leary of me then their ofspring. I stepped closer and its eyes began to dart around. I stepped closer still. I got to within 5 feet of it and it flew off into the tall hedge of sumac at the edge of the lawn. Last year I watched the 3 babies in that nest every day while they grew and wondered if they could all fit in there until first flight day. They did. I got a picture of them peering out over the edge of a nest that looks too small--it's not digital and I can't take a picture of the picture without the unnamed broken camera. But I never saw their first flight. I came home one day to an empty nest. This year I have been too busy to keep my eye on that nest. I don't even know how many babies there were. But I got to see one of them take it's first flight.
Hay to Rescues
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