Eastern towhee
Finally captured a picture of the towhee that I have been looking for since I first heard its “Drink your tea” call a month or more ago. And he’s celebrating with a song!
Spring has gone missing!
I wonder where it went and when it will return? Last week we were basking in sunshine and wonderfully warm days. Trees and flowers burst into blossoms. I saw an oriole, a rose-breasted grosbeak, and a few ducklings on the bog. And I concluded that the long (very long) and slow (very slow) winter were finally drawing to a close. And then something strange happened. In the words of the cashier at Lowe’s Hardware Store where I purchased some birdseed and new feeders today, “We went backwards!” Back to winter…or so it seems. Rain, sleet, even a few snowflakes, and temperatures nearing the freezing mark…what a wakeup call! “Dont become complacent!” it seems to say. “Be thankful for the sights and sounds of spring; for the warm breezes, colorful flowers, and the sweet scent of blossoming fruit trees; but don’t take them for granted! Remember to “Take time to smell the roses.” Make the most of every moment. Sunshine and blue skies are not a guarantee. They are a gift!
This has been a public service announcement by Carolyn aka Skip
Red, white, black, and prehistoric
The pileated woodpecker was in the park today. Because it has been more than a month since I last saw him, I was pretty excited. I thought perhaps he had moved on, so spotting him today was a treat. I have an iBird app on my phone that includes the songs of many different birds, so when I caught sight of him, I dug out my phone, opened the app, and played the song of the pileated woodpecker. To my surprise, he reacted by swooping across the trail in front of me, landing on a nearby tree. Eventually he flew out of my sight and up to the top of the sledding hill. I followed and found him again, bagging a few more pictures. In several of the pictures, I was actually above the W.P. because I was on the observation platform at the top of the hill, and he flew to one of the trees slightly below me. From that point, I had a pretty amazing view of Mr. Woodpecker! If you want to see larger pictures, click on one of them. I think the pileated is a pretty fascinating bird.Even on a cloudy and chilly day like today, spring photo walks can be filled with fun.I hope you enjoy the gallery.
Carolyn aka Skip
P.S. In the title, “prehistoric” refers to the look of the bird. To me, it looks like a throwback to prehistoric times.
Bluebird and more!
On my walk in the park today, I netted two spring birds and a chipmunk that I couldn’t resist snapping multiple times. I am aware that chipmunks can be pests, and they certainly can do a lot of damage, if given half a chance. A few years ago, one little chippy took out the air conditioning unit at our daughter’s house. Not just a little window AC unit, mind you, but the whole house unit. It was done for, and so was the chippy! Consequently my son-in-law is not one bit fond of chipmunks, but then he isn’t a photographer, and I am, so I like chippies because they are such photogenic little critters. Take a look!
A thunderstorm put an end to my walk today, but not before I had captured a bluebird. It’s not the greatest picture because he flew away before I could creep any closer, but bluebirds are beautiful, and I don’t get too many opportunities to photograph them, so here he is in all his glory:
Finally, here is one of our summer residents, an American goldfinch:
That’s it for today! Hope you enjoy them.
Skip aka Carolyn
Red-bellied surprise!
Red-bellied woodpecker times two!
The red-bellied woodpecker is one of my favorite birds, which makes this photo doubly pleasing to me. Seeing a RBW is not uncommon in our neighborhood park where there are lots of old trees and a bog nearby; however, until today I had never seen two of them sitting on the same tree stump. I am guessing that the one in the foreground is a female because it has a grey cap, but I am not certain. At any rate, this was a red-bellied day! Here are a few other birds from today’s walk. Click on any picture to see it in large.
No doubt about it…
Spring has arrived! I wouldn’t be silly enough to believe we won’t have any more cold, wet weather, but I’ve seen the signs, and I am announcing the arrival of spring! Today, on my walk in the park, I spotted a golden-crowned kinglet and a yellow-bellied sapsucker for the first time, and there were lots of people enjoying some sunshine and warmer temperatures. Yay for spring! We’ve waited a long time for it to arrive. Here are my favorite pictures from today:
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- Chipper the chipmunk
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- Looking around
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- White-tail deer
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- Downy woodpecker
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- Downy with a sunflower seed
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- Another view
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- Yellow-bellied sapsucker
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- Golden-crowned kinglet
Hope you enjoyed them!
Carolyn aka Skip
Is it spring yet?
That’s the question everyone is asking these days. Even today, although it seemed a little milder and I didn’t wear my winter jacket for our trip to the Cleveland Aquarium, the temperature barely inched above 40 degrees. In the afternoon I took a photowalk in the park. For that I wore my winter jacket and hat, and I wasn’t any too warm. Here are my favorite photos from the walk. I hope you like them.
Carolyn aka Skip
