Happy Thanksgiving to all

May your Thanksgiving day be filled with
pleasant, warm moments
which will turn into
lasting memories...
treasures of your heart

Big Rain - Big River!

It was a gorgeous afternoon when we went into Walmart. Twenty minutes later, the sky had completely changed!

We've been having a lot of rain the last couple of weeks. A couple of nights ago, it poured with winds gusting up to 50 mph! When I was driving home from Walmart, I noticed the river was very high, so I dropped my daughter off at home and drove back to get pictures of the river before this next storm comes!

I barely got the last shot when it started to rain. By the time I ran back across the bridge to the van, it was pouring! I was drenched! --- but, so happy!

Feeders and Sunlight

One of the few things I did today (after recuperating from a night of battling a bug?), was to fill up the tray feeder. It seems the birds prefer that feeder and there's not as much waste. So...should I get another one?

Anyway, while I was out there, I heard a significant fluttering in the trees behind the garage. At first, I thought Tinkerbell was hunting; but she was only a few feet away from me. Then I saw lots of birds flying out of the trees in that area and a second later....a beautiful hawk or falcon! ! ! It took my breath away! I don't know how it got in and out from behind the garage, but the take-off was spectacular! I'm sorry to say - no camera and no identification - it all happened so fast. :(

Meanwhile, I have a flock of juncos right now, plenty of house finches still, a few gold finches and the rare sparrow - so I'm filling the feeders regularly. It's fun to see all the activity out there again.

I am thinking about moving the feeders across the driveway. If you look at past photos, you will see, that especially in the winter, the sun rarely hits the feeders. They are only 6 feet from the house on the north side. Across the drive, the sunlight is there almost all day. Does anyone have any thoughts on that? Initially, they were positioned to be part of a sanctuary I was planning - but my plans have changed and the dream won't be coming true - at least for now.

What IS that Masked Bandit???

Sorry for the poor quality photo - but I didn't want to scare it before getting a shot - and my hunch was right. I took the photo from in my kitchen - zoomed in with the Panasonic Lumix - not fancy. As soon as I got the first shot, he took off.
I've looked in two bird books and can't find it! I even looked under "racoon bird" --- you're laughing now, I know ;)
Can anyone identify this bird?
Have a wonderful Sunday!

Raindrops...

May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow
May the soft winds freshen your spirit
May the sunshine brighten your heart
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you
and may God enfold you in the mantle of His love
(an Irish Blessing)

(iPhone photos - 10/20/09)

You Should Have Seen the Sunrise!

Sunrise - Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 8:10am
This song says it all - enjoy!
(iPhone photos)



If you can't be with me next time, go out anyway, and take someone with you ;)

Cornell Lab site

I'm sure this site has been around a l-o-o-o-n-g time, and I seem to have a very vague recollection of it being mentioned in a blog or conversation in the past year; but, I just discovered this fabulous site last night! Whoo-hoo!

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology -
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1200

Last night I finally figured out the differences between the house sparrow vs. Harris' sparrow and the house finch vs. the purple finch. The finches, in particular, have confused me - they look so much alike --- that is, until you see them side by side!
Here's an example: Go to the home page. Type purple finch in the search bar. When the page comes up, (Warning! You could get lost in all the interesting information on that page, believe me!) scroll down to "Field Marks" and "Similar Species". There are lots of photos to scroll through there, but the great feature is, you can click on "Similar Species" and two large windows will pop up on the page - like this:

From here, you can scroll through the photos of either window and compare! There are photos of the birds in different seasons, male and female, and a description on each photo. By the time you go through these photos, you should have a much better idea of how to distinquish between those tricky little look-alikes!
Regarding the finches, I learned that the house finch, though its reddish color may be brilliant, is red only on the head, down the front, and sometimes a fleck of red between the wings just above the tail; whereas, the purple finch is practically red/purple all over! Its wings are tinted red - the house finch's wings are just browns and cream.
This is only one feature on the site! There are lots of photos, maps and information regarding habitat, life history, and behavior. There are sound bites of songs and helpful videos for successful birding.
If you've never been to The Cornell Lab site - Go! Now! ;) and have lots of fun!
(Disclaimer: If in my excitement I am in error about what I think I've discovered, please let me know?) thanks ;)