Something Killed my Beautiful Hawk😥

I knew something was wrong yesterday when all the bird activity stopped abruptly around 3:00 in the afternoon but I was too busy shoveling snow to investigate. This morning I got up early and there was still no activity. I went outside and filled the feeder up to the brim and still nothing. I went outside and looked over the balcony railing and saw large feathers scattered on the snow and I thought they looked like those of my friendly hawk. I went down and picked some up and I think you will agree. Would another hawk kill a young hawk? It's 9:30 now and the birds have returned. We were all worried the hawk was going to kill my little birds but I don't think anyone thought he would be the target. Boo Hoo😢

My blog is still broken and my sidebar has disappeared for computer viewing . Please click here to go to my mobile site. xo

Amazing Starling Murmurations: Daniel Biber Photography

The first time I saw these images I thought they were photoshopped but they are not. A German photographer, Daniel Biber, captured these starling murmurations over four days of trying. He did not even know he had succeeded until he downloaded his images from the camera. The starlings in flight have the ability to form images to scare off predators. Truth is stranger than fiction, isn't it? Read this interesting article and see more images here. I think this is thrilling, don't you? xo

UPDATE: I found an interview with Daniel Bieber, the photographer, here.

UPDATE 2: I found the video of the two girls in a canoe that Linda and Anita commented about here.

Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset

Abbotsbury Swannery This is unique not to be seen anywhere else in the world; 600 mute swans on the site of an 11th-century monastery. Isn't this breathtakingly beautiful? Perfect for my good night post. xo

Snow Update

UP WITH THE BIRDS

I was actually up before the birds this morning. We got another foot of snow yesterday and I started my shoveling at 3:00 in the afternoon when it started to diminish. My car was already melting and that cleanup was relatively easy. The undisturbed snow was like powdered sugar and not at all heavy except at the road where the snowplows dumped the ugly wet stuff. I was almost up to that point when an angel appeared! My newest neighbor across the street walked from his driveway to mine with his snowblower and cleared the stuff I was dreading in a flash including digging out my mailbox. You can't imagine how much time this saved me. I was back in my cottage at 5:00; without his help it probably would have taken me another hour or or two to dig myself out. I am going to ask him to help me pick out a snowblower for myself for next year. I went to bed extra early and woke up refreshed just in time to attend to my feathered friends with my outside thermometer reading single digits. xo

Photos Around My Cottage

I walked around outside yesterday and this was the only "color" I could find.

I photographed a lovely female cardinal this morning on my balcony railing.

This is a little glimpse of my upstairs attic office. Right now I have papers and files everywhere as I have just started working on my taxes.

A Painted Bunting was seen in Maryland

I saw a news clip about this rare bird siting in Maryland on the CBS News this morning. It was rare to see a painted bunting so far North but the news clip said they were rather common farther down South. All the bird watchers (birders) are flocking to Maryland hoping to get a glimpse of this bird for their life bird count. 

I couldn't find anything to watch last night in bed on Acorn TV so I started a search. I was searching by name of some of my favorite actors and I put in Martin Clunes and guess what popped up? Doc Martin, Season 9 was released in September 2019 but I never knew it. I started watching and it's delightful. I am SO HAPPY! I think it's on Amazon Prime Video too.

I have been working upstairs in my attic home office doing endless organizing and shredding. I went to paper recycling today with 3 tall garbage cans of shredded paper, junk mail, and flattened cardboard boxes. I wasn't the only one either. The lady in front of me had a car full and I thought she would never get finished unloading her SUV. Mine was all organized and went quickly.

I have an older, small flatscreen TV on the third floor with a Chromecast attached to the back and I have been streaming non-stop episodes of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW UK from PLUTO TV Channel 621. It's so much better than the American version. It's on 24/7 and I don't often see repeats because it has been on the air for so long. I am such a happy cord cutter and haven't looked back since I got rid of cable TV and my landline phone. All I have now is high speed WiFi and my cell phone. In my living room I still get Air TV from an inexpensive antenna. Now I watch what I want, when I want. I can stream the Sunday shows on PBS starting on Monday from The PBS Video App.

xo

Extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker

Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) from The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands (1754) by Mark Catesby (1683-1749). Original from The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library via

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone. I am up in the middle of the night because the howling wind woke me up and I'm wide awake. The power is still on and that's a good thing for the people around me with no generators. I'll see you later. xo

A Beautiful Cardinal on My Balcony

This is a better photo of a cardinal than the last one I posted. There was a real frenzy at my feeder all day because the birds were trying to power up for the coming storm with wind and snow. It's her at the time of this posting (8pm) and so far it's not too bad. I hope I will be pleasantly surprised when I wake up tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed. xo

Christmas Tree Ornaments

I wonder how many glass birds are on this Christmas tree? They are so beautiful!

Pinecones are always a good idea. This is definitely a DIY project using ribbon and twine or string. via

English Robin in December Snow

I heard a bird sing 

In the dark of December 

A magical thing 

And sweet to remember. 

‘We are nearer to Spring Than we were in September,’ 

I heard a bird sing In the dark of December.“

‘I Heard a Bird Sing.’ by Oliver Herford.

British Robin Red breast, 

the National Bird of Great Britain.

via

Chickadee and Downy Woodpecker at My Feeder

My birds, large and small, as illustrated by this Chickadee portrait. I have already featured the Red-bellied Woodpecker by himself. Chickadees are hard to capture because they don't stay on the perch very long. They just grab a seed and fly away very quickly.

The Downy Woodpecker is a frequent visitor but he has a much harder time latching on to a perch than the large woodpecker above who is quite the expert. Both of these woodpeckers feed from my balcony floor too when the smaller birds are hogging the feeder. I use my Nikon camera for bird photography because of the telephoto lense. Enjoy your Sunday.  xo

Male Cardinal: Bird Portrait

I get pairs of cardinals all the time but they mostly peck at the thrown seeds on the balcony floor and that's not a very good background for a portrait. I hardly ever see them on a perch at the feeder. I think the females are lovely too and one of these days I hope one will pose for me. I am trying to get a decent photo of all the birds that visit my feeder. See you tomorrow. xo

A Partridge in A Pear Tree

I just discovered Robin Lucas on Instagram and I love his artwork. This Partridge in a Pear Tree is in the Wildlife Artwork category. Enjoy exploring all the categories. xo

Flicker Family ~ Beautiful Birds

I had two families of Flickers on my property this summer. I love these large colorful birds. I wish I could have seen their tree nesting spots and I was thrilled to discover this photo today. Both couples brought their babies to feed in my back yard and drink from my birdbaths. I feel confident they will return next year. xo

Red-bellied woodpecker at my Feeder

He is my favorite bird thus far and the showiest because of his size and beautiful red head. I hope he won't hold it against me when I get my sunflower kernels only bird seed without any peanuts and other tree nuts in the mix. Otherwise, I would be headed to the poor house in no time. This large woodpecker has an easier time at my feeder than the much smaller Downy Woodpecker who doesn't always latch on a perch the first try. But he perseveres and eventually lands and feeds. I am a happy bird lady and will continue to show you photographs whenever I get a great one. Happy Friday. xo

Morning Dove Nesting

I'm so happy to see what a Mourning Dove nest looks like. Look closely, there are two youngsters in the nest with the mom. I have these birds in my spruce grove and I love them. I cleaned out their favorite watering container today and they will be happy tomorrow. Flickr photo by Taggartim

Bookplate: Birds Books Flowers

"No wealthy monarch can possess

 A greater store of golden hours

 Than can be found in happiness

 Of birds and books and flowers"

I bought a collection of antiquarian books years ago and this bookplate was in all the gardening books and this miniature book too. I love the sentiment, don't you?

Curated Pantry and Deer w/ Birds

I have further curated the left side of my pantry. The shelf brackets denote the center of this room. I still need to work on the other side where my desk is located with a window overlooking my front garden. I am feeling good about this side and it's working nicely to keep my farm table free of clutter. Success!!! I have posted in the past about my monogrammed copper pots on the top shelf. 

I have no idea when this photo was taken or whether or not I have already posted it. Chances are, it's from last year because the buttercups haven't started to bloom yet this year. Anyway, I saw a similar scene in this very spot this week only there were three deer and no birds on the post.

Guinea Hen Sighting This Week

I was creeping along in my car in order to take this photo, waiting for this small flock of Guinea Hens to get out of the way and it took quite a while. Luckily I was the only car on this country road. I actually took a video and paused it to get this photo. Why was I out and about? I was coming home from a local farm market that has curbside pickup and puts your order in the trunk of your car with no human contact. It is a family owned business that was founded in 1922. I figured all the big box stores and large supermarkets will be okay but the little local guys might not. It was also good to go out and drive my car. At one point, I was a little concerned that I would not be able to stay within the 10,000 miles per year maximum mileage allowed on my three-year auto rental. This year, it will not be a problem!

See more info @ eBirds.com on Guinea Hens or Guinea Fowl. I love these polka dot birds and was very excited about my encounter with them this week. Stay safe, my friends and enjoy your Sunday. xo

Good Saturday Morning

Monster bird? No, just a mom carrying her chicks under her wings. This is a JACANA, a tropical wading bird found all over the world. 

It took me a while to get this.

This little piggy stayed home 🐖🏠☺

TP cake. Looks pretty real, doesn't it?

A beautiful study in black and white.

Cat unaware. Wonder what happened when she woke up? People are dreaming up so many ways to entertain themselves while in self-quarantine.

I am still fine and hope you are too. Have a great weekend. All of the photos above were saved on my phone while reading various emails. Most are from Tumblr.