Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Long Live the Irish!!!

I'm not Irish but like to decorate for the seasons....so
I decked out my Playhouse for St. Patty's Day. Now if I
just drank beer and ate corned beef and cabbage I would
really be into the Irish Tradition!!

I even got my birds in on the act this year.I hope you
watched my video I made in honor of St. Patrick.. The star is a
crazy 'Nuthatch' who was defending some peanuts from
another bird on the feeder... Watch him dance!!
Oh! And Happy St. Patrick's Day to all you Irish folk and
even those who aren't.

Spring and it's Many Signs...

In keeping with my promise to show 'signs of spring'

Here goes:
Usually when I see a flock of Wild Turkeys it looks like this
far away and spread over a field..

On my way to take my dog to the groomer last week I was
lucky enough to catch a small flock close up and personal.
(It was early, cloudy, and I am having trouble with
focus on my camera) That being said proceed..

I guessed that someone is putting out some food, as they
were gathered around this tall stump...check out the bird
on the top of the stump. I'm thinking it is 'fake'..Didn't see
that until I came to the computer images.

Not far away Old Tom Turkey is strutting his stuff and
displaying those long tail feathers for the feline group
He is in the upper left of the picture.

Don't they just remind you of an American Indian doing
a strut and dance? The male will have his tail fanned and
held up vertically, lowers his wings so that the wingtips
drag on the ground, raises the feathers on his back,
throws his head back onto his back with the bill forward,
and inflates his crop. During the strut his facial skin
engorges and the colors intensify, especially the white forehead.

Male wild turkeys grow spurs on the backs of their lower legs.
These spurs are pointed, bony spikes and are
used for defense and to establish dominance.

• Spurs can grow up to 2 inches in length.
  
• The longest spurs on record are 2.25 inches long.

His beard is long and obvious,(longest beard on record is
18 inches long. You can tell the age by how long the

beard is.The wild turkey is the largest
of North America's game birds.

MY FAVORITE PHOTO TODAY

Turkey butt??? looks like a 'moon' from a turkey
or at second glance turkey 'pantaloons'

We can't let out the obvious sign on Spring...Robins.
They are everywhere and I have all the pictures to
prove it... This one is in the top of my apple tree.

And, returning to the earth... Hard to believe two weeks ago
we still had ice clinging to trees, cold cold winds and freezing temps.

My daffodils are emerging and so are these plants
I think they are a lily, but can't remember... dah!

This day as the rain came down... I ventured out to see what
was 'sprouting up'

My Lilac is bursting forth with green nodules

And the Honeysuckle is following suit...forming a cradle
for a few rain drops to rest.

The Forsythia, although not yet green is emerging from the
dormant winter sprigs.

What better sign of Spring... I caught this little boy with his
shirt off playing on a pile of gravel. Only a week before the
temps were in the single digits and this day it hit 71.

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done..

Cookies anyone?

The next few posts will be dedicated to what I feel
are "Signs of Spring" and there are many
varied and sundry signs out there.

I went shopping at my local Walmart last week end and
what to my wondering eyes should appear but some
'daddies' selling Girlscout cookies.

I discreetly took the picture and many 'captions' were
running through my mind as I looked at this scene.
Can you think of any? Mine was:
Which Big Daddy is a Girlscout?

By the way I did buy 3 boxes and was received very warmly
by the 'daddy' on the right.

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

I am SO Excited.........

I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!!! HE'S BACK!!!!

Funny I would see the Merlin in 'that' tree just a few days ago and
today I looked out and there was my beloved Kestrel on top
of the building next door atop the pole they always perched on.

I grabbed my camera (which I always have with me at work)
and fired away. He was making his 'klee klee klee' call......
such music to my ears.

I was so excited I didn't know which end was up....
He flew from his high perch to the 'tree' and landed in the
tippy top

Another 20 pix or so....

What a welcome delightful sight it was.....

And then he was gone... I'm almost certain now
we may have another adventure to come..
.I'll keep you posted.

Oh...To God be The Glory ~~ GREAT Things He Hath done
Thank you Lord.

Identifying a bird from bad pictures

Now, you have to realize the tree outside of my work gave me

the most exciting adventure ever when I identified a Female
American Kestrel and watched and documented it's journey
with a mate, nesting, and fledging 6 babies... If you are new to
my blog you can check it out here

That being said I look at the tree many times a day
just waiting to see the Kestrel return. Last week one day
I looked out and was just beside myself thinking 'It's
back'! My pictures are just awful as I had to shoot into
the sun...but I thought it was the right shape and size..

I came home and joyfully announced my discovery to my
Best friend Barbie and she and I together started to look
at what identifying marks we could find..
I wanted to believe it was the Kestrel, but she informed me
she had seen a Merlin in that vicinity just a few days before.
So we looked at the chest.... darker streaks than the Kestrel
We looked at the eye stripes... much lighter than the Kestrel

This is the Am. Kestrel and you can see the lighter chest

And much stronger darker eye stripes

Then came the tell -tale proof... the Tail feathers.

The Merlin here has white barring and the Kestrel does not
Their feathers are brown and black.
I was so disappointed, but hey! the Merlin is a life bird for me.

I can't wait until I look out and(in good light) see an
American Kestrel like this one from last year.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Pussy Willow Shouts Spring

There are willow pussies

Clad in furry goods,
And a robin singing
In the maple woods.
There's a springing crocus,
And a budding larch,
Who'd ever think the Springtime

Came along in March.
Author Unknown

My best friend Barb, several years ago, bought both of us
a 'Pussy Willow'. Mine grew to be quite a large tall
tree while hers remained small growing only a few feet. Every
year in February I get excited to see the tiny little pussies
become furry and sprout out of the tan-grey wood.


I hang little buckets in the tree and fill them with sunflower seeds

The Cardinals are the first to come..
Mrs. C is perched above a bucket which you can't see, but
she is giving it the 'eye'. click for a closer look

Pretty Pretty Pretty perched among the pads of the
furry pussy willows

I dont know why but the pads of my willow look pink.. do all
look pink or just mine?

The pretty blue feathers of Mr. Blue adds color

More signs of Spring.

On one of my travels last week I caught a glimpse of
a Red Winged Blackbird... It was a dark rainy day but
he was singing loud and strong announcing that
Spring Cometh!

He was perched on a nesting box at a local bog

Around the yard Mrs. Downy looked so cute watching
me through the window

The Mocking-grape snatcher was getting some lift
by standing on an orange

And this little cutie Titmouse surprised me by giving the grapes
a once over and then.....

snagging one on the end of his cute little beak!

The Mockingbird looks so different when perched in a bush
and he says "Spring is Coming!" soon.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done