By the Sea - South Padre Island

click to enlarge

A few photographic glimpses of our recent trip to South Padre Island, Texas.  Granddaughter (and Grandma) really likes the water.  I know that seagulls are pests, for the most part, but I enjoyed watching them.

Tomorrow is also a day.

A Messy Nest

For several minutes on a day last week, I watched a Robin in the process of gathering material for a potential nesting site.  I first spotted her (I assume it was a female, but I could be mistaken)  at the edge of one of my overgrown day lily beds.  She was pulling dried grasses from between the newly emerged plants.  Some of the grasses, evidently, were still slightly rooted, because she would try to take off with a beak full only to be pulled back into the bed. It took her four attempts to finally pull that particular load free of the ground.

I watched in some amusement, and a great deal of sympathy, as she flew the 15 feet or so from the lily bed to the top of the large electrical breaker-box on the outside of my house, a flat site she had selected for the nest.  Plant material more than twice the length of her body trailed behind her.  From the looks of it (above) she was a first-time nest builder. I watched her as she nipped and tucked, but most of the grass was still trailing off the edge, and a considerable amount had already fallen onto the day lilies planted directly below the box.

I've not seen any activity there for the last couple of days and suspect that she has abandoned this particular location as being not particularly well suited to her needs.  I'll leave the area alone for a week or so then remove it, but leave the stuff somewhere in the yard that will be visible to a bird interested in acquiring secondhand building material.  I'll even include, at no additional cost, the green rubber band she seems to have incorporated. Do you see it?

I expect if I looked closely in the bushes and trees in my yard, I could find a few more nesting sites..

Tomorrow is also a day.

Bits and Pieces

My neighbor's pretty dogwood tree

Bird sightings yesterday included the first hummingbird of the season. Gardening Daughter's advice to make nectar and put out the feeder was just in time.  The little bird lingered only long enough for three or four sips, and since the feeder has been up for several days, I need to inspect the nectar to assure its freshness.  I'd hate for a hummer to find my offering unpalatable.

Two Goldfinches, females, I think, made a brief appearance for a drink from the bird bath and moved on; their leaving was my clue to get out the Niger Thistle seed and refill the finch feeder.  

Blue jays, cardinals and sparrows of various sorts are routine visitors.  While Jays don't have what I would describe as a 'sweet' call, they, like the other birds, are more vocal right now, and the air around my home is filled with bird melodies.  At first light this morning, the crape myrtle in my front yard was the grandstand from which the cardinals were serenading their lady-loves -- a wonderful sound to start my day.

The weather front which moved through the state on Monday (very wet and blustery) brought clear skies on its skirt-tails, and yesterday was a beautiful day.  It's cooler this morning, and partly cloudy, but it looks like it's going to be a lovely Wednesday.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Same Song, Second Verse

The photo above was taken in my back yard one year ago yesterday. That bush looks much the same this afternoon, only more so. It has snowed steadily since early morning, and we have about 7"-8" on the ground. A light snow is still falling and the temperature is in the low 20 degree range (F). It will be even colder tonight. Fortunately, there has been no rain, therefore no ice on power lines, etc.

The grackles came in droves this morning, completely cleaning out my bird feeders. It made me sad to see my 'sweet birds' (cardinals, gold finches, house finches, juncos, nut hatches, and a variety of sparrows)  trying to find something to eat, so I donned my Nanook of the North outfit, put on my gloves and leopard-print wellies and made a supply run.

The minute I filled the feeders and turned back to the house, the grackles, and a host of starlings, which had been lurking in the trees, made a mad dash for them, flocking to them so heavily that the sweet birds, which are much smaller than the grackles and starlings, could not even approach the feeders, much less get a bill in edgewise.

I finally just stood outside under the porch overhang, like a fat scarecrow. The grackles and starlings would not come down from the trees when they saw me, but the sweet birds seemed not to fear me at all, and came quickly to the feeders, even to the one that was less than four feet from where I was standing. They must have been hungry. I stayed out there for about 15 - 20 minutes, just watching them eat.

The sweet birds were twittering (even without Internet access) and giving thanks for their seeds. I love to hear them 'talk' to each other.  There are a great many juncos that visit my feeders, or the ground beneath them -- little 'snowbirds.' I don't think I've ever before noticed the sound they make. It's really pretty.

When my toes froze, I came back inside. In the hour or so following, I made several trips to the back door to scare away the hordes of black birds, but they came back as soon as I closed the door. Oh, well. Everything has to eat.

Besides feeding and watching birds, I've done little else today, just a bit of laundry and basic housekeeping stuff. I did manage to make a batch of cheese dip, the kind with Velveeta® and Ro-tel ® tomatoes and green chiles. That was a mighty good snack for a cold, snowy afternoon.

That's about it.  Tomorrow is also a day.

New Year - Day 10 - Housebound

 It was still snowing when I went to bed just before midnight last night, so I didn't know exactly how much would accumulate overnight. I took a ruler outside with me this morning and measured 5" on the flat.  Fine, powdery snow that, given any rise in the temperature, should be gone before too long.  However, a warming trend is not in the immediate forecast, so who knows when this pretty stuff will be gone, and unfortunately, it won't be pretty as it goes. 

I tried to get a couple of photos before I went tromping around the yard in my size 10 gumboots; I do admire the look of unbroken snow.  The photo is of the looks-like-a-mushroom-with-all-the-snow-on-top metal birdbath in the back yard which, except for some critter tracks, was unblemished.  My driveway had deep tire tracks in it and until I remembered that the paper delivery people come up the drive to (supposedly) throw my paper under the carport, I wondered who had been to visit after the snowfall, since the drive was pristine when I retired.

I awoke just before 8. Almost the first thing on my mind, even before coffee, if you can believe that, was that the bird feeders needed to be filled.

You can see from the photo on the right that this one was quite empty.  There are birdy tracks all around the edges of its roof; the birds were up and looking for breakfast long before I rolled out.

After clearing off the snow and emptying the tray of blown-in snow and seed hulls, I filled it to the brim, then made a trip to the smaller feeder further out in the yard. 

It wasn't long before I had a scarlet visitor (photo below right). He was soon joined by a host of Sparrows and a jumble of Juncos, those cute little 'snowbirds.' However, almost before they could get their fill, the Grackles arrived (photo below left). When they are in the neighborhood, I can't keep the feeders filled. Oh, well -- everything deserves to eat, and I did have more bird food.

The Grackles departed after depleting the seed supply, moving on to someone else's feeders, no doubt.  When I felt sure that the larger flock, at least, had moved on, I refilled both feeders, which were soon visited by my 'sweet birds.'

I will keep stocking and re-stocking the feeders several times a day until the snow is gone. When things are back to normal, whatever that may be, I'll only have to fill them once a day.

Needless to say, I did not venture any further than my back yard today.  I made a big pot of beefy vegetable soup, visited a few new blogs, ran a load of laundry and otherwise took it easy.

If there was wintery weather at your place today, I hope you were safe, warm, and dry.

That's it for this 10th day of January. Tomorrow is also a day.

New Year - Day 8 - Birds, SPEBSQSA - Random Thoughts

Clear Sky with Birds - January 8, 2011

(all those little black lumps on the branches are Grackles)



Not all the birds in Arkansas fell out of the sky last week, as is evidenced by the hundred or so Grackles that are perched on the branches of this tree.   I was working in my craft room in midafternoon when I heard raucous noises from the back yard.  Black birds (not Blackbirds, but Grackles) were thick on the ground, scratching in the leaves for any dropped seeds around the bird feeders, or under the trees and bushes in search of bugs.  Dozens more were  fighting to drink from the bird baths at the same time.  When I tried to sneak around the side of the house to photograph them in the yard, they took flight, many perching in the neighbor's tree before flying on to where ever it is that Grackles go.

I consider Grackles 'nuisance birds' but they do have their own beauty. Sunlight glancing off their feathers reveals a blue/purple/green sheen; their feathers are actually quite pretty.  I hate to have just filled my feeders with expensive bird seed before a Grackle throng appears. They can clean out every feeder in a matter of minutes, leaving my Cardinals, Wrens, and other sweet little birds without a bite to eat.

After supper, I visited one of my rubber stamping buddies.  She lives about five miles from me, and I am a frequent visitor to her home. She has a marvelous craft area, a separate room that her sweet husband built for her several years ago. He says it was in self-defense; he was tired of seeing and walking around her craft supplies in the main part of the house.  That she also entertained her stamping friends in their den, where he really would have liked to have been watching TV, probably had nothing to do with his decision. Wanna bet?

My son, whose birthday it was today, was in Dallas at a Barbershop Quartet competition, so we had no birthday celebration.  He is very active in the Barbershop Harmony Society, also known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc.  or SPEBSQSA.  You can read all about it here should you care to do so.  He is the director of the Diamond State Chorus, and he and three other fine fellows sing together beautifully in a quartet they have named Flashback, They do quite well in local and regional competitions.  I've been thinking about him and wishing them well today.  We'll celebrate his birthday one evening this coming week.

That's about it for this eighth day of the new year. Tomorrow is also a day.

A New Color at My Bird Feeders

photo by needsmoreritalin, posted on Wikipedia

Yesterday, I thought I saw a flash of blue in the tree above my feeders. My eyes were not fooling me, as I spotted two bright blue, male Indigo Buntings at the bird feeders about 10:30 this morning. The females are relatively non-descript, and though I'm sure a female or two must have accompanied these blue beauties, I'll have to sit quietly outside with binoculars to be certain.  Perhaps I'll be lucky enough to get my own photo of these beautiful blue birds. However, it won't be today, as it's much cooler and very windy, not comfortable viewing conditions for these old bones!  I hope the Buntings will stay around until it's a bit warmer.

This is only the second occasion that Indigo Buntings have visited my yard, the first being around 10 or more years ago. Where have you been hiding, my pretties?

More, later.

Just Stuff

Back to Earth!

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Should you be wondering why I haven't posted again about my marvelous hot air balloon ride, it's coming, it's coming! Sorting through and choosing the best of several hundred photos is taking time, and I do want my tale to have some sort of order to it. My fellow passenger is sending me a CD of the photos she took, BalloonLR is sending a CD with photos taken from the ground by the Chaser and, with their permission, I may include some of those in my post.

 Greeting Cards
I'm not working on much of anything EXCEPT cards! Our World Card Making Day event was a success, with 16 ladies creating 240 cards. As I've stated in a previous post, half the cards are going to the Little Rock Ronald McDonald House, and half will be sent to Cards for Soldiers. Below are photos of two of the cards we created during this event.


As if that were not enough, one of my church friends and I have organized a project to create Christmas cards for the inmates of one of Arkansas' prisons. Several members of our church are actively engaged in the "Kairos Prison Ministry" there. Our priest told us of a need for cards for the inmates to send to their families and several ladies have risen to the challenge. We'll be making Christmas cards next week -- several hundred if we work it right.

Why Have All the Birds Gone? 
All summer long, my yard was filled with birds: four or five families of cardinals ; a plethora of squawking blue jays; grackles by the dozen; lots of sparrows of different sorts; some randomly visiting chickadees and nuthatches; a family of hummingbirds. I filled my feeders at least twice a day and spent hours watching them. On the first day of Autumn, except for the hummingbirds, the majority of them disappeared, leaving only a few stalwart hangers-on. I've seen only one blue jay in the last three weeks, and not a single grackle. Even the squirrels have deserted me. I suspected that the neighbor's cat, lurking under the trees, had scared them off. I shooed her out of the yard every time I saw her (Maggie's a nice cat, but I don't want her around my birds).

Maggie may be playing a part in their absence, but something else is scaring them off, and today I saw the culprit! A large hawk swooped through the yard and perched in the branches of one of my trees not far from the feeders. I've never before seen a hawk in this neighborhood, much less my own yard! Of course I ran to get my camera but was not quick enough. Just as I was focusing the telephoto lens, off it went!

I watched for quite some time, and finally a brave little nuthatch visited the feeder, soon followed by two cardinal pairs. The hawk must have been long gone for them to come out of hiding. Fortunately, all my trees are still fully leafed, so there are hiding places for them.

* * *

More, later.

Card Parts & Bird Sighting

How many pieces do you see?*

Seems like all I've been doing lately is cutting paper and tieing ribbons. Pictured above are the pieces needed to make 40 card kits for one card design. Granted, the *320 pieces shown above are a bit outside the norm; most of the cards I design usually have four to six pieces each, not the eight pieces needed to create this particular card. All the card stock is cut, the ribbons tied, the kits assembled, and the non-kit supplies (stamps, inks and adhesives) gathered in readiness for tomorrow evening's Stamp Camp. My partner and I will have another session on Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, the cards will be the same for both sessions, so there is no more paper to be cut, thank goodness.



Bird Sighting: I spied an unusual visitor to my Safflower Seed feeder this afternoon. I tried to get a photo from inside the house, but the results were not good (I will blame it on the atmosphere; it's gray and rainy today, but it's really an 'operator problem') which I emailed to Gardening Daughter who tentatively identified the bird as a juvenile or female Lark Bunting,

the state bird of Colorado, and normally a resident of more western and northern states. I know that I have never seen one like it here before today; it must have become blown off course during the recent storms to have arrived in my yard. It spent quite some time stuffing itself with Safflower seeds; I think it must have been ready for something to eat. I was sad to see it leave the yard. Perhaps it will visit again before going on its way.

I would welcome a more positive identification from any bird-watcher readers. Inquiring minds want to know.

A Bird in the Hand is Worth...

...how many in the bush?

(click on photo to enlarge)

My apologies to my neighbor, who may have thought I was trying to be a Peeping Thomasina, but this was the only angle from which I could capture these birds. I had to stand inside my den and peer through a (really needs to be cleaned) glass door to take this photo. Underneath the scraggly vine is a small 'trash tree' that needs to come down. While it's ugly, the small birds found it the perfect perching place. At one time, I counted 22 birds on the vines.


I believe these to be sparrows of some sort, but they haven't been around all summer, having just arrived in my yard since it has turned cooler. They have a sweet, brief chirruping song, and they talk to each other a lot.


It's a real pleasure to have them here, for however long they may stay.

Walk Awash- Waskly Wabbit Wuns for Cover

As of this posting, we've had just under three (3) inches of rain since early morning, and while the area surrounding the new walk drains fairly well between downpours, it quickly becomes filled with water with each new shower. Part of the problem is that it receives runoff from the roof. The drip line was not much of problem when this area was all grass, but if I'm to have any sort of decent garden in this spot, it looks like a gutter across the porch roof is in order.

The weather forecast was a bit off. Oh, yes, showers and thunderstorms were predicted, but with total rainfall estimated to be between one-quarter and one-half inch. By 9 a.m., we had 1.66 inches, and the rain has continued through the day, alternating between sprinkles and downpours.

I've had a great time watching the birds today. They disappear into the trees, or elsewhere, during the heaviest rain, but as soon as the shower lightens to a sprinkle, they are back in force at the feeders. Even the hummingbirds will come back to their nectar almost immediately once the heaviest rain is over. I've put a small feeder in the crepe myrtle tree to the right of the new garden bed, and the young cardinals have discovered it, guided to it, no doubt, by their brilliantly colored father.

Oh: The waskly wabbit must have been under cover, because s/he has not been seen since the rain started.

A Welcome Break in the Weather

It is sixty (60) degrees outside!!! What a wonderful change! I was in the yard at 6:30 this morning, to do the weekly mowing, even if the grass was still damp. I don't like to cut wet grass, but the temperature was so right! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! It's the first time in weeks that the temperature hasn't already reached the 80's by that time of day.

I "broke a sweat" anyway, even at 60 degrees, but I did get all the front and back yard mowed without having a near heat-stroke. The bug-eating birds are happy to have their breakfasts stirred up. The feeder birds could hardly wait for me to leave the yard.

Mowing at such an early hour presented an interesting (for me) problem: how to mow all the nooks and crannies of the yard by walking only north-south/south-north, and east to west only. Otherwise, the rising sun was blinding!! There are some pretty convoluted mower-tracks in the grass; looks like I was under the influence while mowing. But... it's done. Yay!

I have a few chores to do at the church this morning, but this afternoon I'm going to play. The Little Rock rubber stamping group to which I belong will have it's monthly meeting this afternoon, an event to which I always look forward.

More, later.

Not Sick, Not Gone -- Been Doing Other Stuff

I haven't made any blog entries for some time, as you may (or may not) have noticed. My Arkansas sister called me night before last to admonish me. She alleged that if I had a grain of common courtesy in my system, I could have let people know what I was doing, instead of just disappearing. I apologize for my bad blogging manners.

I have been yardening (more below), and entertaining and feeding the wild life in my back yard (birds and squirrels.) My yard has been inundated with a variety of birds (I set a good table) most of which I can identify, but I need to get a bird book to be certain of others. I have several pairs/families of Cardinals; a flock of Blue Jays; too many Grackles and Starlings; cute Sparrows of various sorts; lots of Finches, plain and colored; at least one Tufted Titmouse; a Nuthatch; Brown Thrushes; Mourning and Collared Doves; Robins; and at least three individually identifiable hummingbirds.

And Squirrels!!! Too many to count! They are greedy pigs, and cause me to have to refill the feeders at least twice a day. One small individual I have named "BOB" because his tail is only about 3" long; no curl to it at all. He's really cute, but not having a balancing tail must be a real handicap. I have noticed that he is a ground feeder, and doesn't try to climb the shepherd's crooks to reach the feeders. I make sure to leave him something he can easily reach.

By the way... the raccoons that I wrote about last year are evidently still in the neighborhood, as I found some little foot prints in a newly raked flower bed a few days ago.

Now, as to the yardening: While not actually performing any work beyond weed-eating and mowing, picking up and bagging the not-wanted-bits from these efforts, (which is quite enough in this heat, even if one starts at dawn), I have been watching, managing and supervising those with stronger backs and constitutions, "those" being my gardening daughter and her 18 year old son. Progress has been spotty due to the overwhelming heat and humidity, but we (editorial, of course) eventually will get to the place we had in mind when all this started.

The first project was working at the northwest corner of my carport.

Before

A tatty mess consisting of an old forsythia bush (which has found a new home in someone else's garden), several volunteer oak trees that were not snatched out when they were of snatching size, tangled variegated vinca vines, a badly deteriorated "whiskey barrel" that used to contain more than grass and vinca, huge clumps of violets and other various and assorted volunteer weedy things. Some curb appeal, huh? Not!

After

A beautiful (I think) small bed containing purple fountain grass, Chocolate Joe Pye Weed (hiding in the far back left behind a tall basil), three varieties of basil, thyme, and four salvia plants, moved from a previous planting spot, plus assorted interesting stones.

The next, and more major project, was the brain-child of my daughter who was convinced that I needed a pathway from my driveway to the front door, with plantings on either side. It's a work still in progress. I don't have a purely "before" photo, but just imagine, if you will, solid grass. The photo below was taken during the initial removal of the grass.

First Stage

Second Stage

A lot of work was involved between First and Second Stages. After the grass was removed, daughter and grandson dug a shallow trench in which to lay the stones. Lots of trial and error in placing the stones, along with some chiseling of stones to make them fit "just so." I actually did participate in the spreading and tamping of the small stones to hold the blocks in place. I have to have some ownership in the process. :)

More soil will be removed on the sides of the walk so that when the planting is done, a heavy layer of mulch can be applied without running over the boundaries. The now dirt area will contain some evergreens, some day lilies just inside the border furthest from the house, and various other perennials. It's too late in the season to get any decent annuals, but I may be able to find some pots of flowers to add a bit of color until fall.

It will be a while before I have another progress report, since my labor force is going on vacation for a week. I'll try not to mess up their work while they are gone.

Hope everyone is staying cool and having a great summer.

More, later.

Happy, Arkansas Sister?

ABC Wednesday - "N"

"N" is for Nest

While visiting a friend a few days ago, I noticed that a mama Blue Jay had built a nest on top of the security light in her carport. I don't think I've ever seen a jay's nest before, and I was amazed at the size of the sticks and twigs she used. There's a plastic bag in there, too; for cushioning, perhaps? When I inquired, I learned that the light had been turned off when they discovered the nest building going on. That is a good thing; I imagine that a halogen light would put out enough heat to bake the eggs.


ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "N."

A Flash of Red

(this photo may be enlarged by clicking on it)

Just after sundown a few days ago, but while it was not yet quite dark, a flock of fourteen Cardinals descended upon the peach tree in my daughter's back yard. There was no way I could photograph them through the window, nor could I exit the house by the door which opens into the yard; too close -- they would fly away. So I took my camera and went out by a front door and walked around the house and quietly and slowly onto the carport where I hoped I could get a few shots. The photo above, which shows several birds, is as good as I could get in the extant light with my still limited photographic ability. The one below is, I fear, not much of an improvement, but is a better example of the glorious red of the Cardinal's plumage.

Methinks I need to take camera and tripod and just camp out in my daughter's yard for a few hours on a brighter day.