The 'Courtship' Has Begun......

The definition for Courting is: To behave so as to attract (a mate)

or to gain the favor of by attention or flattery or even
to gain 'love or affection'... but seeing as we are talking
about Kestrels the first definition is probably right on
although I would love to Romanticize it!!

As I get to work everyday... I look at this tree through my lens.
Most days She is there... He only comes to bring a prize
which is usually a juicy mouse. She's the dot at the
tippy top in the middle.

I arrived early and she already had the mouse on the
side of the building... She's not liking me watching.

He's sitting a little further down at the entrance to
last year's nest sight.

He watches her as she decided where to eat out of my sight.

She flies a little further away and up towards the roof
landing on the decorative wood...her mouse in tow

That wasn't working so she flies to the 'Tree'..

It's time to go into work, so as soon as I can I set up
the look out at the window and snap some more pictures

This is the scene I get to witness on most days.
I'll try not to be repetitious ... and post the same old
same old each time...

I am still in awe that I can actually witness this unfolding
again this year. Twice blessed I would say!

Soon I will catch them copulating and that will be
a great post... I saw it yesterday for the first but
missed the photo. So soon...............

The Courtship will last only about 9 days before egg laying
according to a web site called PubMed..
Then 30 days later the first little kestrel head will pop
up at the nesting cavity.. but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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

I'll Sing in the Sunshine....

I just posted on another blog last week how I covet

a certain bird and never see them....
Well!!!! I looked out my window over the week end
and about 300 yards away ... yes very far ... I saw
two shining dots in the sunlight in the top of a very
tall tree.

I took the shot and zoomed in and OH MY GOSH!! My
first thought was Eastern Meadowlark!! Could it be?
Sure looked like one 'singing' to me

If you click and look closely you can see the black V on
the chest.. a dead give away.

Yep, outer tail feathers are white and partly barred
with dark brown and black
The one on the bottom is fanning the tail... click to see.

Another interesting fact about the Meadowlark...A male can
have up to 3 mates at one time.

I was 'Singing in the Sunshine' for sure until Mr. Crow
came along and chased them off.

It might have been far far away but I was thankful
that I got to see them. I felt like I was given a little gift.

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

The Kestrels Return

These are the sights I am seeing daily from my window
at work and in the ally and across to the top of the
building next door.

So far both Male and Female are hanging out at all these
different locations during my work day.

The Female on top of the building next door... right after a
meal I would bet. You can tell by her puffed up appearance.

The beautiful Male in the top of the tree watching.

On any day now you can look out and see the Male

The Female

Or both of them in the top of 'The Tree'

Sometimes far apart and at other times they are close together.

It's a photographer's paradise because they are establishing
their territory and hang around for hours and are not scared
away even if you walk under the tree.

Day before yesterday I caught the Female with a mouse...
click and you will see the tiny little feet of the mouse in the
crack of the wood.

She was screaming and moved to the top of the pole to finish her
meal.

You can see fragments of the mouse clinging to her beak

At lift off I got the full picture of the mouse.

Check out that bulge in her crop after eating.

The lightening rod next door is a favorite look out both for the
Male

And for the Female

You will see many pictures of the pealing fading
building where the Male is checking out the nest site
from last year.

These last two pictures were snapped by my friend
Barb. Thank you for letting me use them!
No copulation yet, but I hope to catch it soon..

Aren't they a handsome couple?

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

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