Flamingo Portrait

This flamingo portrait is too gorgeous for words.

Via  

I got an early start this morning and was at the plumbing supply store when it opened. I had to get oil for my boiler pump. I have hot water heat and cast iron radiators. The pump has to be oiled regularly and one of the holes is rather large and the internet says it requires 2 tablespoons of oil. There is no easy way to measure it so I asked my pal who manages the store if I could just keep putting oil until it overflowed. He laughed and said that was what most people do. I was thrilled. Then I made several more stops and was home before lunch time. I have been working nonstop doing things in preparation for winter. I organized and folded all of my woolen blankets and put them back in the storage area on top of my closet. It looks SO nice. I have my eiderdown comforter on my bed even though it isn't quite cold enough for it. I put away all of my summer clothes and organized my closet. I worked in my utility room finally putting away all of my painting supplies. I put all the paint from my recent projects and house painting in one container. I still have quite a few old paint cans I need to get rid of so I can have the shelf space. I'm on a roll and feeling good about being organized once again. Have a great weekend.

xo

Purple Martin Bottle Gourd Bird House

Purple Martin 

From Illustrations of 

The Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio, 1886

Illustrated by Howard Jones

I have a bunch of these bottle gourds I grew one year and they were so much fun. I need to make bird houses from them his year.

Cooper's Hawk Staring at Me

COOPER'S HAWK VISIT TODAY

He didn't stay long but I got quite a few poses. I wonder if he could see me through the window glass into my living room when I was photographing or if he could only see his reflection. He never flinched and I got quite a few shots just like this one only with his head looking in different directions. I know he is a predator of small birds but he didn't seem interested and was looking far away. I hope he spotted some mice because, as you all know by now, I am afraid of them. He last visited me on December 26th. The little birds came right back as soon as he flew away. This is my excitement for the day. xo

Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Website for Bird Lovers All Over the World

Young Red Headed Woodpecker

This is adorable. I would be thrilled to see this little guy in person, with or without my camera. Too cute! via

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

My Bluebirds are Building a Nest and MORE

It's a good day when the first thing you see when you first wake up is a bluebird sitting on the edge of a birdbath. His mate was entering my birdbox and they both have been busy since then setting up housekeeping. I couldn't be more thrilled. There are birds of all kinds scurrying around the lawn looking for worms, mostly robins. I have seen bluejays, cardinals, house wrens, mourning doves and chickadees too. The photo above is from Instagram and I've been saving it on my phone because I love it.  See my previous posts about bluebirds here.

My oven is preheating, the oatmeal is soaking, and I'm almost ready to stir up another batch of Oatmeal muffins that are getting rave reviews. I added 1/2 cup raisins this time.

This recipe really is forgiving. Somehow I turned off the oven when turning off the timer for the 15 minute soak. When I was ready to put my heavy vintage blue enameled cast iron muffin pan in the oven, the temperature registered 176° but I put them in anyway and turned the oven on and set it to 425° and set the timer to 25 minutes. They turned out fine and I took them out before the timer went off. I left them in the muffin pan for 10 minutes just in case. They are so good with the raisins!

This made me laugh.

Found on Instagram @retrieverloverz

First Ever Bluebird Twins

Four eggs (including an unusually large one, lower right) hatched into five chicks—a first report for Eastern Bluebirds. Photo by Gerald Clark. Read the article here. More sad news about the twins here.

If you are a bird lover and don't know about Cornell Labs, you are in for a treat. Homepage here.
Sorry about the poor quality of these photos. They are not mine but I wanted to share this story.

Bluebirds in February

I could not be more excited having seen lots of bluebirds circling in my backyard this morning while brewing my coffee. This is an old photo and I recently replaced this house with a larger one from the Audubon Society. Last year the house wrens claimed it and I have high hopes the bluebirds will win out this year. I worked in the yard before the ground froze and installed a new metal post that is much sturdier than the copper pipe on the house above. Bluebirds are very picky about where they live and they were always happy here before the wrens took over. Fingers crossed. Spring is definitely in the air today and the sky is blue with no clouds. So nice after several days of rain. Enjoy your weekend. xo

#BringBirds Back - 7 Simple Actions

3BillionBirds.Org

Doing even one of these things would be a wonderful Christmas present for the birds. Read more here.

Unreal Bird

This bird looks like a child's painting that was brought to life and I like it. It's so round, fluffy and colorful. It must be rare because I've never seen another. xo

STORM BOY: Another wonderful movie

I never thought of pelicans as cuddly birds until watching this movie. I am amazed it is already offered free on Kanopy as it was only released in theaters in April. I have never watched a movie with Geoffrey Rush I didn't like. The book is based on an Australian children's book and repenned for the big screen as a multi-generational bittersweet film. Image found here.

A Carolina Wren Nesting on my Balcony

I snapped these photos yesterday when this nesting wren came out for a breath of fresh air. See more information about this tiny bird here. I am looking forward to more activity when this pair has to deal with feeding their young.

Smooth Sailing

via

Safe and secure on Mother Swan's back. So sweet.

Owl Hatches a Wood Duckling Egg

This is my "feel good post of the week". A wood duck moved her last egg to another nesting box because it had been raided and only one egg had survived. Oddly enough, a mother owl sat on the duck egg for over a month and the hatched duckling thinks he's an owl. Read the charming story here with lots more photos. Am I forgiven now for being missing for almost a week?

Bluebirds Building in A Nest Box

This photo brings joy to my heart. I fear I won't have bluebirds in my box since the wrens took over two years running. So far, it's empty and cleaned out so I still have hope. Photo and a story found here. The females do all the interior decorating!

I have had this bluebird photo saved to my desktop for a long time because it's so lovely. I cannot remember where I found it but will post the source when I find it.

Barn Owl in Flight

Photographed  at The International Centre for Birds of Prey Newent, Gloucestershire, England by ©Tony Llewellyn - Flickr -- I posted this image back in 2010

See all of my former owl posts here. In case you haven't guessed, I am very fond of owls.

Beautiful Barn Owl

via

Is she on the inside looking out or on the outside looking in? My guess is the former. Have a great first weekend of spring.

Bird Camouflage

Alaskan state bird Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) blending in with winter landscape. Photo: Anthony Madden. via Isn't this photograph spectacular? Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me!

Have a great New Year's Eve. I am watching BBC World News America and it is already midnight in Japan where they celebrate the new year with oranges. I like that!

Ural Owl in Sweden

Photographed by Mattias Bergman in a dark forrest in Uppland, Sweden. He said seeing this Ural Owl against the dark background was like seeing a ghost.