...a little action going on...

Well along with the flowers and plants we bought over the weekend, I decided I wanted to attract even more birds...so I bought another bird feeder. I had to decide if I wanted to put it out in the front yard, or keep it in the back --- near, but not next to the others. I decided to keep it in the back. That way I won't find myself out front looking and wondering what I was missing in the back at the same time. This way I can see both and not miss a beat...or rather the flap of the wings flutter.

So on Sunday I spent some time watching as they all found the new food and, well it brought out the aggressive side of a few of the birds as you will see below. Also made for some good entertainment as well.

.....And not a feather out of place....err ummm; ok, well accept for one....

Oh and this is the Female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Since it's Mothers Day....

Thought I'd post a picture of a flower instead of another bird shot. However, I have many more bird shots to post from the weekend, but I think I can hold off for another day or so. This weekend we decided to buy some flowers for several pots we had that were empty and sitting on the deck. We bought $58 dollars worth of flowers and now I can't wait for the all the plants to fill in. This is a close up of one of the plants. I threw away the name tags...so I can't even say what type of flower this will be and to be honest I am not even sure what it will look like when it opens fully. So you'll have to wait till it opens and I'll post another shot...or better yet, maybe I'll go out daily and do a progression of it opening. And Mom, even though I couldn't be with you today, I thought of you all day long. I love you and hope you had a wonderful dinner over at Kay's.

Spring has sprung, the tree's are just starting to get their leaves and today was the first day I mowed the lawn. We have a ridiculous amount of dandelions coming in too, so Clayton got out the weed and feed and his twirly bird and hopefully that will green up the grass and take care of the nasty little dandelions. We will eventually get a few nice ferns growing around the rock as well, they are just starting to pop up along with a few other wild flowers. That rock in the middle of the lawn is actually the entrance to our well. Ssshhhhh it's a fake rock.

Feelin a little Artsy

This morning was a huge surprise and full of color. Unfortunately the weather is cloudy and gray and I was not able to get a good exposure without having to up the ISO to 1600 which always makes my pictures grainy and not too sharp. So I decided to use Photoshop and artisfy them into renderings that look more like paintings. And walla these are the result...

Indigo Bunting - First time ever seeing one of these beauties - what a thrill

Blue Jay - California Blue Jays do not look like this, do they?

Cardinal

Prairies on Fire!

Friday, May 1st was an incredible and exciting experience for me. Our neighbors down the road have 45 acres of prairie fields sectioned off into several fields. They had about 20 volunteers, they had their DNR permit; the weather looked favorable despite the bit of rain that started just as the first flame was set and they had a safe and successful burn. One of the men I spoke to mentioned the Arboretum in Madison, so I looked up their website and they have an article on why burning is necessary, part of article I read said, “Fire is a necessary disturbance in prairies and other fire-dependent communities because it removes plant litter, changes the soil chemistry, helps control woody plants in prairies, and favors native species over invasive exotic plants. “



What I found most interesting in watching the burn is that the fire knows exactly what to do. Ok, well I’m sure it had something to do with the talent of the fire starters who have been doing this for years. It seems that the wind was going one direction and the fire was going the other; that other being towards the middle.




The fire was set at the edges of each field and the flames just automatically moved towards the middle. Once they got to the other side they would come back in from the middle and when the flames met each other the fire would just burn out.


Fire breaks were surrounding each of the fields, they were green and had been mowed down, the fire didn’t even think about going in that direction. There were also several guys out there spraying water around the edges just at the borders as a precaution.

There were two fields I photographed and while the first field was exciting the second field had much more intense fire and flames. They said that field ‘had more fuel’. It is an adrenaline rush in a way to see and hear the burning grass. Not to mention the smoke! And Yes I got in the way of the smoke a few times, which really doesn’t feel too good in the eyes.

Now I can hardly wait to go back over there when the flowers and native plants start to come back to life and bloom in full glory. I’m sure I will be just as amazed to see all the wildflowers and native plant species growing in masses.

I have created a slide show for each field I took pictures of; the first field you can watch the slide show by clicking here.

The Second slideshow is not up yet, but will be coming soon....

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Vs Downy Woodpecker

So not long after I shot the first bird I saw this morning, I went back out to see yet another one. This Rose-breasted Grosbeak is definitely a different bird than the first one I shot below. Notice no black and white spots on the belly and the head is much darker...and on this guy you can just barely see a little red peaking underneath the wing....I really never thought I'd become such an avid birder...I swear this is like an addiction....well guess who won "this bird seed is mine match"?

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak has Landed

I do not know what type of bird this is yet! (I do now though). I will try to look him up and then will post again with its true name, he is another beautiful bird. This bird also has red under the tops of each wing as well. I noticed this bird on the deck Saturday morning, then this morning I saw he came back. So this is my first capture of him. The goal with him is to get a picture of him with his wing or both wings open some how...as to show off all his beauty....I found him on this website:

http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/4153/deltawest/plantanimal/rbgros001.asp

He is the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianu, is a member of the Family Cardinalidae (Grosbeaks & Buntings). The male is distinguished by a rosy-red, triangular breast patch, black head and upper parts, white under parts, white wing patches and rosy-red wing linings, and a black tail with white spots. The female has black and white crown strips, white under parts with extensive streaking, dark gray upper parts, and yellow to yellow-orange wing linings.The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a neotropical migrant that breeds in woodland habitat. It is a mid-story or canopy nester with a diet consisting mostly of insects, and lesser quantities of fruit, seeds, and flowers.

Now to find the female! OR is this the female and the bird posted above duking it out with the Woodpecker the male. There is a black and white crown stripe, but her wing lining is not yellow to orange...it's red hummmmm

Female Cardinal ... Artsy Version

Well it took a while for me to sneak up on this little lady...seems the cardinals, females espeically are not so comfortable around people. So I had to sneak up to the sliding glass door and quickly take a photo before she sensed me and flew. I got two pictures before she disappeared. Since it wasn't super sharp taken through the window I artsifed it by using some filters in Photoshop. I actually am happy with the way it turned out as now it looks so much more like a painting on canvas that a photograph.

This morning we saw a Blue Jay out the window, while sipping our coffee. It was the first one I've seen here, and boy is that one going to be fun to photograph...hopefully he comes back so I have time to capture him on film too.