Rich got a neat barn-like birdfeeder from his daughter for his birthday. He really likes it. I put it in a spot where he can watch the mules and the birds at the same time.
It seems all the birds enjoyed it.
Of course, I couldn't resist making sure that the Lego Birds got in on the act.
The Cardinals weren't bothered by the little Lego Birds at all. They all ate together without a fuss.
Our ground is warm enough for the Robins to be pulling up worms. I watched this Robin and learned something new once more. They don't gobble down the whole worm. At least this one didn't. It pulled it up and then took bites out of it. After a bit the Robin left leaving part of the worm.
I always assumed that Robins grabbed up the worms and chucked them down all at once. See? I can learn new things on any given day!
I spent most of the afternoon grooming the mules and getting burrs out of their tails. A bit of hair conditioner rubbed into the tails makes that chore a bit easier. I am always amazed at how they go find more burdock any way.
We spent part of the day looking through old family photos. Rich would tell me who they were and I'd write the names on the back of them. He couldn't ID them all, but we sure had fun looking at them. When I pulled out his High School Yearbook I read him the signatures he'd collected. Some of them were pretty hilarious. He was drafted not long after graduation.
This morning [Sunday] we had the full moon peeking at us from a partially cloudy sky, I took this shot and then did a little video of the predawn morning sounds.
20 seconds long. The moon is not in focus as I was
recording the sounds.
The song is that of the coyotes and their young hunting in the valley to the west of us and in the forest to the east of us.
We got some snow. Around here we call it free fertilizer. In the spring the snow delivers nitrogen to the land it falls on and as it melts, it fertilizes the ground. We call it the poor man's fertilizer.
Charlie and I got out for our first hike since Saturday. That is a long lay off for me. We enjoyed the fresh air and went down in the valley to check out the tiny trout pond in the stream.
They were fine and flitting about under a skiff of ice that was rapidly melting.
I enjoyed the hike and didn't rush. All sorts of plants are budding out. The gooseberries, multiflora rose, and barberry bushes to name a few. I was really enjoying the birdsong more than anything else.
I saw a lot of Robins. In the first shot the Robin is in a tree that has a grapevine in it. He/she was eating the dried fruit pulp. Back in our pasture, the Robins were actually getting worms from the ground.
This Robin was with several Juncos who were getting grit from the gravel road. I find watching birds and listening to them relaxing in so many ways.
Each spring I get Bird Fever and tell myself that I am going to learn more and more about birds. That usually falls by the wayside when the wildflowers start to do their thing in the woods. But...yes, one of these fine years, I'm going to get serious. I'd love to go along the Mississippi River and watch those birds come in.
When I worked at the Genoa Power Plant, we used to watch them at our leisure while we were doing our rounds.
Now just the dry cask storage is left as they demolished the plant this week. 20 second video:
Anyway, I got off track. While working at the river for years, I got to watch all sorts of birds migrate through the area. At the time I wasn't interested in ID'ing them.
Maybe in the future I can have time to do such things. One can hope and have dreams right?
Meanwhile in the woods. I found it quite odd that there are still bucks running around with a full set or half set of antlers towards the middle and end of March. I usually start finding sheds towards the end of February. These are trail cam shots.
This is beginning to be an odd year.
I think I'll go for my morning walk with Charlie and then just do some experimenting with Still Life and lighting.
I'm currently messing around with a build that the grandkids left behind.
I am modifying it slightly to experiment with different colors and minifigs. I keep moving figures around and changing things to see if a storyline will appear.
Sometimes things just seem to click and other times they don't. I like this scene. The softness was created by focusing through other bits of Legos.
I need to get things prepared for our busy week. I have multiple appointments to negotiate through Friday and an arrival of another Grandkid.
This weekend looks like my only day to chill out and relax a bit.
When I left home it was 60 degrees. I was warm and toasty. When I arrived at the Reserve, it was 50. I'd only brought a light sweatshirt and a windbreaker.
Note to self. Next time, add some jackets to a bag and leave it in the back of the Subaru. I thought I was getting good at figuring the weather out. Obviously, I forgot it was October.
I did get there just before sundown and enjoyed watching the sky and listening to Red Wing Blackbirds as they settled into the branches around me on their migration route. I didn't get any photos of them, but I could identify them by their song and the songs of Robins too.
Just as the sun dropped another flock of Canada Geese went overhead to the east. I think I was enjoying the sounds and songs of the birds more than anything else.
To stay warm, I hiked around the pond trails and finally settled on a spot to watch the moon come up. I had 20 minutes to wait for moonrise and at least another 10 minutes before it would appear over the bluff to the east.
As the light faded, I watched some beavers -- or muskrats -- swimming in the east side pond. I think it would have been beavers because when they swam closer to where I was standing, they alarmed by slapping their tails against the water.
Oh, the sounds of nature when you can be right in it!
When I got to Bridge 18 I stopped to glance at the moon on the river. It was so beautiful. It seemed to glow orange.
I wanted to stay longer but my hands were freezing.
And as I put away my camera I heard a Hoot Owl calling out. I smiled, I love the sound of those owls.
Then I heard a blood curdling screech. I actually stopped a moment because it did actually sound like a scream.
It raised the hair on the back of my neck until I recognized the call of a Barn Owl. Yes, they do screech and it sounds pretty awful at first.
Another terrifying night sound is a fox screaming. But I haven't heard that in a long time. I did hear the coyotes calling out to each other when I reached the car.
It seems that all the creatures were enjoying the beautiful moonlight with me.
Enough about my night time wanderings.
Looks like the weather will change for the cooler and perhaps I'll be smarter about what I wear!
The Subaru said it was 39 degrees when I left for home.
I had plans to sneak out to the Reserve and look for some birdies. Instead, let's just say things didn't work out for me to go check out the ponds.
I got pretty grumpy. And I wanted to have a temper tantrum. I really did. But it wasn't anyone's fault that things didn't work out. The day was absolutely gorgeous, so I went out to the forest garden with Charlie and did some clean up. The ground is still frozen under the leaves and sticks.
That didn't make me Un-grumpy so I decided to try a different tactic.
I decided to take out my camera and go enjoy some sunshine.
I took my Smart Phone and tuned it into Pandora and donned my little wireless earbuds. Pavlov Stellar's Booty Swing came on and my feet couldn't help but start to dance.
I am glad I live in a secluded area. Imagine seeing me dancing to a tune no one else could hear. My husband once told me that my dancing actually looks like I'm having the Vapors or some sort of Seizure.
I went in with my goat and we danced to tunes only I could hear. Sven was happy to have someone to play with.
I found myself laughing at his silly reactions to my absolute horrible moves. Laughter led to smiles, smiles led to happiness and suddenly that Grumpy lady disappeared.
I left Sven's pen and went out to wander about with my camera. The sunshine felt fantastic and I decided to make the best of the afternoon anyway.
I thought I'd experiment at trying to catch a bird in flight. I'm still working on that skill, but at least I got to see Robins.
And those annoying Grackles.
My beautiful red head walked out of the woods to watch me. Perhaps Sunshine had seen my awkward dancing.
Maybe goofy dancing with a goat is a cure for stress. It sure helped me.
When I got up I didn't think the sunrise would be much of a big deal. I walked out to the summer pasture and everything looked rather hazy and bleh.
I thought perhaps the ridge might offer something different so I walked up the steep hill. When I reached the spot where I come out of a wooded area, I saw a herd of deer in the cornfield.
The group yanked their heads up so I stood stock still.
I crept up to the ditch so I could stay somewhat hidden from them. I sat in the ditch and decided to just watch and see if I could catch them in the dim light.
The sky kept brightening and I kept shooting trying to get the deer to appear on the horizon.
Yesterday we saw a bluebird that perched on a fenced post.
I saw a swan flying overhead while I was driving to drop off my tax paperwork.
And in the afternoon Charlie and I spotted a Robin that I could photograph. I'd only heard them for the past few days.
I had one more awesome cool discovery. The boxelder tree sap was running like crazy!
I managed to get a shot of the sap dripping from the ends of the branches. Look at the droplets, they are reflecting the trees and sunlight to the west of the trees.
Today is going to be warm and sunny. All my chores are done and I am thinking....
Perhaps I can sneak out and go look for some Sandhill Cranes or at least some Geese to watch.
The day started out amazing. I want to keep that going forward.
Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods? And everything feels just as it should You're a part of life there You're part of something good If you've ever wandered lonely through the woods If you've ever wandered lonely through the woods.
Have you ever stared into a starry sky? Lying on your back you're asking why What's the purpose I wonder who I am If you've ever stared into a starry sky Have you ever stared into a starry sky.
Have you ever been out walking in the snow? Tried to get back where you were before You always end up not knowing where to go If you've been out walking in the snow If you'd ever been out walking you would know.
~Brandi Carlile
So I was listening to Pandora and this song came on. I had to pause it and look up the lyrics. It was that stunning and spoke to me.
Yesterday was a wandering day. I just slid on the snowshoes and started out. I had absolutely nothing in mind but just to go and observe. To see what would catch my eye.
Ice Crystals
Sunburst Lichen I think...
I have no idea...
.....but it is
crazy cool...
Robins eating
Buckthorn berries and spreading the seeds
in poop.
The ice wall
I took off the snowshoes and meandered down the creek. I had no idea what I was looking for or what I wanted to do.
Grumpy Dragon to his
brother the Forest Dragon:
Hey, I thought you said
Spring was on the Way!
Cool Clear
Water
Moss along the
rock wall.
Have you ever been out walking in the snow? Tried to get back where you were before You always end up not knowing where to go If you've been out walking in the snow If you'd ever been out walking you would know.
