Canadian Geese on the Lake

This is as close as I could get with my camera. We went to the lake to cool off with the family. I was ready to take pictures of the kids, which I was doing, when one of them yelled, "Grandma! There's some geese!" And I'm like, oh yeah...I'm a birder...! Grandkids get just as excited about birding as I do.

It's not a bird...but it still has wings : ) isn't this a beauty. With the help of a Blog I follow, I found out that this butterfly is called a Black Swallowtail. If you're needing butterfly information, check out the link on my sidebar. Thanks to Alan Tilmouth, Northumbria Nature Blog.

My daughter used my camera and got this photo. Another nice day at the beach in Kansas.

Thunderheads on the Plains

We were in Nebraska traveling back home. I said that cloud looks like it's right over our home...home being way southern Kansas. We called our kids, and sure enough, the weather service had just issued a tornado warning. I was just enjoying taking pictures of the beautiful cloud with the prairie in the background before that. Anyway, it rained and hailed, but thankfully no tornado formed. By the time we arrived home, late that night, there were stars in the sky.

House Finches Are Visiting

A beautiful male House Finch.

I am thinking this may be a female House Finch, but a fledgling.

Doesn't he look fierce : D

Now he looks goofy : D

A proud beautiful couple : )

A female House Finch.

A pair of House Finches made a nest in my Boston Fern last Summer. They ended up raising 2 chicks. We really enjoyed watching them and got quite attached.

Tufted Titmouse

I love these little guys. They are so cute, perky, and fast! I believe this one is a fledgling because he was so awkward and curious. He wasn't afraid to pose for the camera.

Sorry this picture was so fuzzy, but they move so fast...I was lucky to get this one. They land, grab a sunflower seed and take off to the trees or bushes to crack it open. Sometimes they'll stay and work on it at the feeder. One was doing that today, but not insight for the camera. I'll keep trying : )

This would have been a good picture were it not for the shadow : (
but, I thought it shows his coloring, especiallly the peachy color down his flanks.

Carolina Chickadees Enjoy Feeder

I believe this is an adult Chickadee with a fledgling.

Fledgling waiting to use the feeder. The feeder was being dominated by some House Sparrows at the time. He was just waiting patiently.

When he got into the feeder, he decided to take full advantage of it and relax, flex, and stretch. He was so tiny he fit right inside the trough.

After stretching, he ate a few seeds.

Here he's doing a little preening. He was quite at home : )

This scene was so cute. You know how birds get into the dust and ruffle their feathers to get sand into their feathers, well that's what he was doing in the feeder trough.

At the Beach on the Prairie

Franklin's Gull

I believe these are Franklin's Gull adolescents.

Franklin's Gulls in flight.

The beautiful prairie lake.

We took a cooler of sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and water to the lake to experience the great outdoors. It was a bit windy, but that didn't bother us because it was in the 90's. The wind off the lake made it feel like the 70's. The wind also made great waves for floating on the innertube : ) Since becoming a birder, I decided I'd better check out the birds around also. We had always called these birds I have pictured seagulls. But, on further investigation I believe they are Franklin's Gulls. Please feel free to correct me if you believe they are something else.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/franklins_gull/id

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/472/overview/Franklins_Gull.aspx