The wreath hanging on our front door isn’t really a Christmas wreath. Well, it did start out that way, but when Debbie was unable to find a spring wreath she liked, she hung a few spring-y accessories on it and decided to leave it up for a while. But I suspect a few people in… Continue reading Birding from the comfort of home
Category: Wildlife – Birds
Action at the Hummingbird Feeder
I put the video camera on a tripod and trained it on one of the hummingbird feeders on our back porch, and then edited the two-hour recording into the following “best of” video, slowed to 50% to give a better perspective on bird behavior. Think of it as a soothing screen saver – perhaps not… Continue reading Action at the Hummingbird Feeder
Yellow-headed Blackbirds in Midland?
We went for a walk around the neighborhood yesterday afternoon, primarily to check out the new homes under construction. My usual practice is to stick my point-and-shoot camera in my pocket before leaving the house, just in case we encounter something out of the ordinary. I was glad I did. We’ve had multitudes of red-winged… Continue reading Yellow-headed Blackbirds in Midland?
Eggs-it Here
As Bill Engvall says, you might be a redneck if you have Christmas lights up on your porch year-around. That’s an unfair characterization. A lot of people like the looks of little twinkly lights, and I’m of the opinion that you fit the redneck stereotype only if those year-around lights are strung over a Christmas… Continue reading Eggs-it Here
Bird’s Nest Troupe
I suspect that the red oak tree in our front yard will not emerge in full foliage next spring. It’s a multi-trunk tree, and one of the trunks has been devastated by some unknown assailant – borers, oak wilt, dengue fever, black plague, overexposure to Lady Gaga…who knows? We had it treated by a tree… Continue reading Bird’s Nest Troupe
Mocking Bird
I was driving past the south pond this morning and something caught my eye on the far bank. I pulled into the clubhouse parking lot, grabbed the camera (which, for once, actually had a charged battery) and set out across the grounds to get a closer look. Turned out to be this guy: It’s a… Continue reading Mocking Bird
Goose Update
Remember our neighborhood’s one-legged goose? I’m pleased to report that he/she/it appears to have effectively adapted to its unipedal status, as evidenced by this photo taken yesterday evening: The bird at right is the goose in question, and as we watched the trio feeding along the bank, it was doing the one-foot-hop with ease. It’s… Continue reading Goose Update
The Goose Whisperer
Sorry about the post title; it’s the best I can do at 6:30 a.m. Anyway, this story does deal with a goose – a one-legged goose at that. Earlier this month, someone noticed that one of the three geese that have taken up residence at the ponds had an injured leg. One of our neighbors… Continue reading The Goose Whisperer
Overheard Bird
All afternoon, while puttering around in the front yard, we’ve been hearing this odd bird call, kind of a plaintive “squawk,” not harsh like a grackle’s, but a bit more melodic. It sounded familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place it. Nor could I discern its source. Then, a few minutes ago, the call… Continue reading Overheard Bird
Front Porch Update (or, “Doo doo doo, lookin’ out my front door”)
It’s important to keep the Historical Records up to date, so here’s what’s happening in the front part of la hacienda: Barn Swallows – When last we checked in on the little #@*%& fellows, their nest was almost complete. It’s now finished and positioned so close to the ceiling that we can’t see inside the… Continue reading Front Porch Update (or, “Doo doo doo, lookin’ out my front door”)