Looking Back: A Dozen Photos

My grandfather clock. My pantry with Dutch door closed. An early sundial on the counter before I had a microwave there. The outlet behind it was broken and I finally had it fixed when I needed an electrician for a more pressing repair.

An amazing winter golden hour. Photo was taken from the balcony off my living room.

Footprints in the snow. I walked halfway down my property a cold winter's day and these were the first prints I encountered.

One of my cardinals.

Bluebirds are my favorites. They love this corner of my balcony railing.

Geraniums on the lower level deck next to the sliding glass doors.

A favorite photo of my kitchen showing my tongue and groove ceiling.

The wreath on my front door last year photographed from inside.

A lovely notecard with a real shell on it.

My favorite photo of my cottage after it was painted summer 2022.

A nook in my kitchen.

One of the first photos I ever took in my kitchen.

I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane with old photos you have probably already seen. I had a great Thanksgiving and hope you did too. My new eyes are just wonderful after my cataract surgery. It will be three weeks on Thursday since I had my rught eye done and a month since the left one. I was a little concerned about the "floaters" in my right eye but they went away after two weeks. I couldn't be more pleased.

xo

Bluebirds Galore and a Boss Baby

Proud Father.

Father, trying to teach baby everything.

Baby is on railing to the right,

Boss Baby, trying to bluebird.

Isn't he adorable? I love him💙

Buttercups, my favorite wildflowers (right now) outside my front door.

It's supposed to get quite cold tonight but I am not going to cover my geraniums. I think they will be fine, fingers crossed.

xo

Bluebird Nest Building 30 Day Video

I couldn't post the live high speed video from Pinterest. It is so fascinating to watch the 30-day high speed action video and watch a bluebird build a nest building from start to finish, lay 4 eggs, see them hatch one by one, and be fed. I wanted to whet your appetite with these 4 screenshots. Watch the complete video HERE. Aren't nest box cams fantastic? This is the best one I have ever seen because it was so clear. I wish it were longer so we could watch the tiny ones grow and fledge. This inside view was a real treat for me and I hope for you too. xo

UPDATE: I had to remove a "dummy" house wren nest from my bluebird box this week. I am doing everything I possibly can this year to get bluebirds to have the opportunity to use my nesting box. Read an interesting article about this problem HERE and another article HERE. I have never had chickadees or other birds take over my box, only house wrens. They have the ability to nest almost anywhere so I don't feel guilty when I remove one of their dummy nests early in the year before the final nest is constructed for their eggs. The dummy nests are just a big pile of small sticks.

Bluebird Sighting This Morning

February is the month Eastern bluebirds start their search for a nesting spot. I looked out my bathroom window and saw one sitting atop my bluebird house this morning and I was thrilled. By the time I returned with my camera he was gone. This photo was one of my bluebirds that landed on my balcony railing and you can understand why I find them so thrilling, can't you. There is another photo of this handsome guy on an old blog post of mine HERE. Have a great Sunday.

xo

Natural Pest Control Has Wings

Barn Owls have the best ♡ shaped faces.

Shy barn owlet peeking out.

It's a lot to read but this article is very rewarding if you are at all concerned about pesticides on your fruit or in your wine. Fruit growers in California have begun putting up nest boxes in their orchards and vineyards and letting the occupants help with pest and insect control. They are finding the birds are outperforming the pesticides and I find that to be quite thrilling. I always enjoy Penelope Bianchi's owl videos on Instagram showing her barn owls bringing vermin back to the nest box to feed their young. Of course, bluebirds in nest boxes help with insect control as do other small birds.

I have two more dahlia photos awaiting processing which I will add to this post later. I have to transfer them from my Nikon camera on my attic computer which has a card reader. I am waiting for my generator to come on for the weekly 15 minute test cycle before I turn on the computer. I'm glad so many of you are still enjoying my cottage flower photos. xo

The green background seems to fighting the green dahlia foliage of this Black Velvet beauty in my backyard.

I enlarged this dahlia by cropping out all but the flower. It's the same photo I posted yesterday minus the rooster.

Bluebird Eggs Destroyed

I weeded the flower bed under the bluebird box 2 days ago and found 4 eggs like this in the weed patch that were destroyed by a House Wren. I have done a lot of research and this is not uncommon. The Carolina Wren doesn't try to evict bluebirds but the House Wren does. See this website with a photo just like mine. I was sitting outside yesterday late and a wren flew into the bluebird house and a male bluebird went in after him and chased him out. I was thrilled. Will keep you posted. xo

This video of a house wren removing newborn bluebirds from a nest is one of the most upsetting things I have ever seen. I have removed all of the nesting material from my bluebird box and I will keep monitoring it to see which bird starts building a nest. Nature can be very cruel😢

"I Wish You Bluebirds" Bluebirds are bedazzling creatures.
This website (http://www.sialis.org/index.html) was developed as a resource for people interested in helping bluebirds and other native cavity-nesters survive and thrive. 

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New Acquisition with 16 Drawers

There are no words that can express the turmoil of the last two days buying and arranging pick up and delivery of this 7'4" wide oak piece with 16 drawers and wonderful original brass pulls. But I did it thanks to two good friends; one with  with big truck and a trailer and both with strong arms. I had the perfect wall down on my lower level where my mother lived until 2012. I have just been using that entire lower level where she lived as storage but buying this piece is giving new life to that area. I have enjoyed being down there because I can walk out of this particular room and be on ground the level with my nesting bluebirds. 

It's cooler down there too and I think I will enjoy it immensely this summer. These tired bones are ready for bed now. xo

The quality of the antique brass drawer pulls is unsurpassed. They are very thick and even the screws are beautiful. This piece was originally in a science lab in a New England girls' college.

The Bluebird Man - Video

I watched this PBS Documentary about Al Larson and it is simply wonderful. It's 30 minutes long and there is a lot of archival footage. I know you will enjoy his complete single-handed devotion to enlarging the bluebird population in Southern Idaho after he retired and beyond.

Read this article first and you will be encouraged to watch the video.

Meet the 96-Year-Old Man Who Turned Southern Idaho Into a Bluebird Haven

Al Larson is responsible for bringing 27,000 bluebirds into his hand-made nest boxes he nailed up on his ranch and along the numerous trails in the area. At least I think that was the figure mentioned in the documentary. Be prepared to fall in love with him. I know I did! 

Tomorrow I will update this post and put in a video about his wife.

A Memorial to Al Larson's wife Hilda.

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Bluebird Family Coming Soon

I am very excited that this bluebird and his mate are building a nest in my bluebird box for the first time in about three years. The Carolina wrens have always beat them to it. I made a few changes to the surrounding area that might have made a difference. I moved my bird feeder from my balcony to a spot near this nesting box and the bluebirds are enjoying perching atop the tall shepherd's hook to look for insects. I took this photo from inside the house with my telephoto lens on my Nikon. They perch here also looking for insects to eat themselves and feed their young after they hatch,

I also moved this tall chicken planter to the flower bed in front of the bluebird box where my poppies were last year. The female bluebird pulled a lot of the Spanish moss out from under this clay hen to "feather" her nest and I thought that was a good sign she was moving in and would soon lay her blue eggs. Fingers crossed for baby bluebirds once again. You know I love them so! Bluebirds are also perching all over this fancy wire plant stand to look for insects in the grass.

I took down this birdhouse and replaced it with the one with a copper roof. This is one of my bluebirds on an older post. I always thought this birdhouse was too small but I still have it and plan to put it up again in a different location on my property.

This is one of my bluebird photos from a post in 2009. As you can see, I sometimes add more photos to an existing post rather than make a totally new one. I started out with bluebirds last night and this morning they are still on my mind.

Listen to the birdsong of the Eastern Bluebird on YouTube.

My dog friend Missy is staying with me for three days and she settled right in. This is her second long weekend with me and the weather is perfect for our walks. I honestly don't know how people with dogs managed during the long winter with two feet of snow on the ground for so long. I guess I must be fair-weather dog person. 

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Bluebirds in The Snow

What a thrilling photograph!

Bluebirds are my favorite birds and a winter sighting is always exciting. This shelter is perfect protection from the snow or for feeding them dried meal worms. via

Activity at My Birdfeeder

As you can see, the birds have discovered my feeder. I have identified goldfinches, several nuthatches, cardinals, downy woodpeckers, red-headed woodpeckers, starlings (ugh), bluejays, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and mourning doves. Some are ground feeders only to clean up the mess on the decking for me. I am enjoying having them around once again and my new arrangement is working beautifully. I don't have trees near my balcony so there are no squirrels and that's a big plus. No bears can get up there either and yes, they are in my area. I thought I might have to take the feeder in at night but I don't. I am definitely going to have to hunt for less expensive bird food and will go to the bulk feed store nearby to see what they have. I don't want the unshelled sunflower seeds for sure because of the debris I would have to sweep up. I took this photo with my Nikon to get the action. I'll keep you posted on new bird sightings as the weather gets colder. The bluebirds have been going in and out of the bluebird house. They stay all winter and it's always a thrill to see them. See you later. 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

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.

American Robin in the Snow

I saw some winter Bluebirds flying around on a bitter cold and windy day last week. Guess this robin is doing some winter house hunting. via

Winter Blues

Fooled you, didn't I? You probably weren't expecting Winter Bluebirds! via

Juvenile Bluebirds at My Birdbath

I took quite a few photos of these young bluebirds and decided to show you more.

I didn't know they were bluebirds at first. They visited this site the day before these photos were taken and there was a lot more water in the bowl. They were quite skittish testing the depth of the water to make sure they wouldn't drown. The next day they took the plunge after the sun had evaporated the water to their preferred depth. This was thrilling to watch. I hope these juveniles come back and I'm sure they will. Have a great Monday. xo

Juvenile bluebirds at Birdbath

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1ruOUo8
Juvenile bluebirds return for a drink and a bath. Hatched at my cottage.