VA, sorry about the hawk experience.
Red, cute shot of the bushtit! Sweet little junco too.
Lily, glad the little cardinal is enjoying the fruit.
Margaret, your little corellas are just adorable.
I think this is the same bullock's oriole with the bad feet that was here several weeks ago. He can't stand very well on the perch of a feeder so I put it out on the table for him.
Poor little guy is molting too and just doesn't look his best, but he is enjoying the sugar water on the table.
This isn't one of my best pictures because the acorn woodpecker was in deep shade, but when I downloaded the photo, I found it had a bug on the bill and in its mouth.
Here's an oak titmouse.
Hah, I've to look up "Hades" to read a little bit about the myth on the Greek Gods, lol Red, yes this too shall pass. Margaret, love your corollas too, and Duc, love the Oak timouse, and the Acorn woodpecker ummm, he looks like a meannyyy. lol.
I am having a hard time with this computer. Maybe it is because I haven't been using it for some time.this is the third message I have tried to write and send. Took me longer than I though to recover from the hip joint revision surgery. I finally have been able to walk without too much trouble if I am very careful . I sure don't want to fall and have to go thru it again.
My daughter came out from DC to spend 3 weeks with me for her vacation. She did lots of garden work for me which I greatly appreciated. She had to go home JUly 16 th.We did some fun things too. I have been just about able to keep up with the irrigating. Don't really have enough water but do the best I can.
There were I think more than 10 pairs of Orioles here , making nests and eating grape jelly, I could not keep the jelly containers full. Now I think only one pair still around. I have two netting type feeders for the Goldfinches, I keep a mix of finely chopped sunflower seed & nyjer see in them . There are several pine siskins fighting with them for that seed.
I saw 2 pair of parent quail with about 15 or so maybe 3 day old chicks bringing them into the yard to show them where the free seed is, this morning. The phoebes have raised at least two family's of young.
I went for a short drive up in the hills this morning and caught a glimpse of a Western Tanager, couldn't get a picture tho.
Also I have a problem animal in my yard. I haven't seen it for a couple of weeks but am afraid it is still around. It is too fast and quick for me to get a picture, it is a small long tailed weasel. It killed one of my banty hens and several quail, and also a packrat, for that I am thankful but not for the kills.
I should tell you all that on July 29th I had to have an emergency appendectomy. There were no surgeons available closer than130 miles. All of my friends were also busy with previous plans, so I had to go by ambulance to hosp. Arrived there 7:30 pm and the Doctor removed the appendix at 10:30 that night. Luckily my son could again make a trip from the coast 6 hours from here but 3 hours from the hosp. to take me home. All okay now.
Maybe soon I will be able to contribute a photo or two. I really appreciate the you all take photos and send them along for the rest of us.
Donna
So sorry to hear, you had to go through another surgery, Donna. You have had, a bad year! Glad to hear, your on the mend. Wishing you, a speedy recovery, so you can enjoy the things, you love to do.
As always, a great thread everybody.
This bird house is well used, by the birds. A good resting spot.
Now it's the Robin's turn, to stop on the roof of the same birdhouse.
A lifer for me, love the expression on this Black and White Warbler.
Black-capped Chickadee.
Wow, what a bit of surgery to go through. I cried & cried when I found that I had to have my appendix out. Of course I was only 10 at the time. glad that you are safely home.
Donna, I'm glad to see you're back and that your're doing well after surgery. Thank you for taking the time to write. Looking forward to seeing your pix. Burn, congrats on your 'lifer'. such cute expression on that warbler. Nice bird house for perching. Hi IrisMA
Wow, just wrote a long message about how much I loved y'alls pics and then it wigged out on me and I have to start over, so I'm going to be brief!
Margaret, beautiful! Surprisingly, the dead palm branch sets that pretty white bird off nicely.
Burn, love the black and white warblers pose. Nice shots.
Duc, love acorn woodpeckers but don't you just hate it when one bug eater eats another one?
Lily, so jealous of you and your cardinal. I have a fig, but the fruit is always eaten before it matures. I've never gotten to taste one.
Donna, so sorry to hear that you had to endure such a long and painful ordeal. I wish you well. Sounds like you enjoyed some lovely birds this summer.
Here's a juvi house finch. Doesn't he look sad to be turning red? Really, he was just hot. It was 99 in the shade.
I should save this one for Halloween, but if you're like me, you won't remember it if I post it again on Halloween! In fact, I won't remember to post it on Halloween. In fact, when Halloween rolls around I'll probably say to myself "gee I wish I had a pic of a bird on that witch weathervane." Totally losin' it!
Elphy, that last post is priceless! I volunteer to remind you to repost that pix at Holloween. Here goes: Elphy remember to post that adorable cardinal pic on the witch weathervane for Holloween! ('cause leave it up to me, by then I'll forget to remind you. lol
Lots of nice pics here.... I love all the Herons! I finally did get a another bad shot or 2 of the juvie Pileated. Love that they always have that knot all up!
Adult & juvie...not sure that they were necessarily together as the juvie took off alone!
Thanks all for your messages. Hope to be taking photos soon
So enjoy all that the rest of you send along.
Donna
Donna, you sure had a rough time with your appendix-glad to hear you made it to the hospital before it burst. Get well soon!
Burn, great photos of your birds. Congrats on the lifer!
Elphaba, cute male finch. Lol on that halloween picture!
Nanny, I'm drooling again. That juvie pileated is adorable!
The bushtits are here every morning just after we water the garden. They love to bathe in the wet leaves or in the birdbaths.
Here's a cute oriole from a few days ago.
The juvenile spotted towhees are still hiding out in the shade.
Here's a cute juvenile bewick's wren.
We actually got a break from the 100+ temps today. It has been overcast all day, so I thought I'd get out and see if any wildlife was moving. Some turkeys that were out in the open mid-afternoon. Unusual, but nice.
A crop of a photo in sequence with the one above. These are both gobblers. Although it is not mating season, I did some soft hen yelps from my hiding spot and got one of the gobblers to display. Made for a much more interesting photo.
This message was edited Aug 7, 2011 2:29 PM
Another of two gobblers and a hen.
Red, gorgeous turkey shots!
Duc, beautiful! I'm about to share a wren and an oriole pic that are so beneath the bar you've set, but that's my job -- to make the less talented feel welcome.
I was hoping this wren was a Bewicks b/c no buff coloring on the breast and very dark tail and wings, but I'm sure it's just an ugly Carolina. It's especially ugly in this pic. No idea what he was doing in this hanging basket that messed up his hairdo. He was in there a long time though. It's kind of washed out, but so funny lookin' that I had to share anyway.
This was the prettiest orchard oriole and only the 2nd time that I've seen the male this summer. Took 5 lousy pictures. This one is the least likely to cause seizures.
Finally got one of the hummer where his throat doesn't look black -- not very ruby looking, but at least not black!
Hey Nanny, forgot to tell you how cool that juvi pileated looks. Love that bright red mohawk!
I got thses today after the storm, we had just put fresh nectar into the single feeders, and I got this one and the next one. I think I am getting better.
I am going to continue to try to keep getting pictures of the hummers, but it aint easy, they don't stay in one place very darn long.
Enjoy those hummers, teddy! I had a Black-chinned male on the feeder outside my study window yesterday, got a good look at him, but can't take pics through the shutters.
I passed a couple of juvie Scissortails on our drive yesterday and did a double-take on the female. She had the most orange color on her I've seen on one of these birds. I turned around and went back and both birds continued to sit on the cable fence for shots from the car.
The juvie female.
The juvie male Scissortail. Notice the sharp point of the upper bill, slightly over-grown. I suspect that now they are out on their own, that beak will get worn down to normal.
This message was edited Aug 8, 2011 4:51 AM
Lots of Great Egrets and Blue Herons around Lake Thunderbird. Saw this one solitary Yellow-crowned Night Heron.
When it's super hot and the lake is low, there are always dead fish for the clean-up crew and they were out in force. Note the one black-headed vulture, this is not a Black Vulture, but a juvenile Turkey Vulture.
This message was edited Aug 8, 2011 4:59 AM
I passed a couple of juvie Scissortails on our drive yesterday and did a double-take on the female. She had the most orange color on her I've seen on one of these birds. I turned around and went back and both birds continued to sit on the cable fence for shots from the car.
The juvie female.
When it's super hot and the lake is low, there are always dead fish for the clean-up crew and they were out in force. Note the one black-headed vulture, this is not a Black Vulture, but a juvenile Turkey Vulture.
This message was edited Aug 8, 2011 4:59 AM
Thanks, resin. Sometimes I summarily dismiss a close look at birds like that vulture. I'm used to seeing juvies with older birds this time of year. We do have both TV's and Black Vultures around Lake Thunderbird, but rarely do I see them perched together. I need to pay closer attention.
Just had breakfast on the patio and saw the pair of Scissortails that frequent the field back there. They flew into the yard and landed in my little Live Oak tree. Both of them were molting and neither had the tell-tale scissor-tail. Guess it's that time of year. No pic, didn't have a camera.
This message was edited Aug 8, 2011 6:35 AM
Great shots from everyone!
Love seeing the Pileated, Herons, Wrens,Hummers, Scissortail and Orioles!
Just call me the Hummingbird lady, I have been getting great shots of those living,flying jewels, here are some of them.
