cindyzlogic

Spring Birds are Arriving

2012-02-08T00:07:00.002-06:00

Cardinal

House Finch

Harris's Sparrows

Collage of backyard birds

American Goldfinches

We noticed Goldfinches on the deck and we weren't prepared

at all. Well, hubby went and bought some Nyjer Thistle

and filled the feeder. It has been full of finches ever since.

We haven't seen any Pine Siskins yet. The House Finches and

Robins arrived about the same time. I took all but one of these photos

through the window. I captured the pic of the Mockingbird

while out on my walk. He sits in the same bush, so I brought my

camera and captured the shot. He's a big, juicy, fat one :-)

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

Mosaic Maker

2012-01-23T01:05:00.001-06:00

I'm experimenting with "Big Huge Labs" website.

One of the blogs I follow has her pictures arranged

in mosaic format, 4 panels, 3 pics, etc. She posted

a tutorial...and it works. I linked to my flickr account

for the photos I'm using above.

Here is a link to her blog and the tutorial:

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2009/07/making-photo-mosaics-tutorial.html

Winter Birds in January

2012-01-20T00:30:00.003-06:00

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Juncos

Black-capped Chickadees

Harris's Sparrow

Downy Woodpecker

These are some of the birds that have been visiting

the feeders. We've been having a mild Winter with

just a small dusting of snow. It's quite dry out so we

could use the moisture. Some health issues have

been keeping me away from the computer as of late

but, I'm feeling better, so here is my first post

for the new year :-)

Happy New Year !!

My Backyard in November

2011-11-16T15:10:00.001-06:00

An unwanted visitor!

Harris's Sparrow

Black-capped Chickadee

Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse

Black-capped Chickadee

Today, it is cold and blustery and is suppose

to get down to 24 degrees tonight. This kind of

weather is usually what brings our Winter migrants.

We (my husband and I) hadn't put out any birdseed

for about a month. We purchased new seed, put it

out, then began having House Sparrow visits the first week.

The next week we put out some suet and began seeing the

Chickadees arrive. Last week we had more frequent

Chickadee visits and then the Titmice began to come. I love their

sweet little faces! The last few days the Cardinals have

found their way back to our feeding station :-)) and we saw our

first Dark-eyed Junco.

I looked out the window this afternoon...and lo & behold,

there were 2 Harris's Sparrows!! Next, we'll be waiting in anticipation

for the arrival of the White-crowned Sparrows. I know the White-crowns

are here because we spotted them at the Chaplin Nature Center earlier this

week. We also saw Harris's and what I believe was a Vesper Sparrow. I

saw one that looked like a Harris, but had too much white coloration. I

may have been looking at a Lapland Longspur.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope everyone gets to spend it with those you love :-))

A Walk in the Woods, Part 3

2011-11-12T14:09:00.001-06:00

A leaf strewn path

Doe a Deer

This sweet little doe was not afraid of me at all.

The light wasn't good enough for clear photos with my point and shoot,

but I couldn't resist showing her to you. She was checking

me out from time to time, but would shake her

tail and continue foraging.

The Woods

Coralberry

Goldenrod

Native Grasses of Kansas

Coralberry

The Arkansas River

Heart~shaped Redbud Leaf

The End.

Hi! I want you to know it's the end of this series, but

not the end of my birds and nature blog. Doesn't

that make you happy...HaHa!

Winter backyard birds are beginning to arrive, like

the Dark-eyed Junco we saw this week :-))

I'm looking forward to posting about them and

other naturey things happening here in

middle America.

Have a GREAT week!!

A Walk in the Woods, Part 2

2011-11-07T01:53:00.001-06:00

Bull Thistle

Plains Chinese Lanterns

Common Sunflower in Kansas

The birds will really enjoy these seed heads.

Snow on the Mountain

Maximilian Sunflower in Kansas

http://kswildflower.org/flower_details.php?flowerID=163

Goldenrod

Virginia Creeper

The Virginia Creeper turns a gorgeous red

in the Fall. Here you see it clinging to this huge

Cottonwood tree.

A quiet place in the woods to sit and take

it all in. I saw a sweet little Doe...she wasn't

scared of me either. The squirrels were busy.

I could hear them scampering through the leaves

making a rustling, crunching sound.

The woods are changing so fast. I took a walk through them

last week with my family and the paths were thickly strewn

with fallen leaves. It was exquisite walking the paths with

the thick carpet of leaves swishing and crunching under

our feet.

Next week, a "Walk in the Woods" part 3.

Have a great week! :-)

A Walk in the Woods

2011-10-27T21:27:00.000-05:00

On a beautiful sunny, warm October day, I decided it's

time to take a walk in the woods. The wildflowers

would be presenting their autumnal beauty bathed in the golden light

of the Sun. A great opportunity for a photo opp!

http://www.wichitaaudubon.org/CNCTrailmap.html

Plains Chinese Lanterns

These are the seed pods of a Plains Chinese Lantern

or Purple Ground Cherry plant. The plant gets it's name

because the shape of the seed pod looks like

a Chinese Lantern. The flower is a blueish/purple bloom and

the fruit is like a cherry. Native Americans made

jelly from the berries.

http://kswildflower.org/flower_details.php?flowerID=212

Wingstem

This is a pretty little yellow bloom called

Wingstem. It's a wildflower native to Kansas.

Snow on the Mountain

This native plant is one of my favorites. I love the

variegated, soft green leaves.

White Snakeroot

Pretty, but toxic to animals and humans.

Bull Thistle

Goldenrod

There are many different kinds of Goldenrod.

I'm sorry but I can't figure this one out.

They are very pretty, though, and really light up the prairie.

My plan is to post again next week with more images

from Chaplin Nature Center.

sincerely,

cindy

Wings on Wednesday

2011-10-19T15:14:00.000-05:00

Wooly Bear

(no wings yet)

Happy Fall !!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T15:05:00.001-05:00

Wings on Wednesday

2011-10-05T15:07:00.000-05:00

White ~ lined Sphinx Moth sipping nectar

from a Bull Thistle.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!!

Butterfly Walk

2011-09-29T01:07:00.000-05:00

Hackberry Emperor

A Skipper on a Sawtooth Sunflower

Sawtooth Sunflower, native to Kansas

Painted Lady

In flight

Sulphur on a Sunflower

Take off


Painted Lady, ventral view, notice the small caterpillar

Painted Lady, my favorite

Painted Lady: Dorsal View

Wings on Wednesday

2011-09-21T15:19:00.000-05:00

Ruby~throated Hummingbird

The Ruby~throats are doing their fattening up

process prior to heading South. My husband sat

patiently out on the deck to capture these images.

We have been observing 1 adult male, 1 adult female,

and 2 juveniles. Today the 2 juvies are

chasing each other all over the place. I read

that the young ones may stay longer before migrating.

We are so blessed to have 1 family use our backyard

every season :-))

"Happy Wednesday, Everyone"

Wings on Wednesday

2011-09-14T15:28:00.006-05:00

Pearl Crescent
I took this photo during my visit to
South Dakota (my stomping grounds)
My in~laws have a gorgeous garden and
there were butterflies all over. This one
sat still enough to capture a few pics.

Here is another view. To find their IDs, I
get on the internet and go to butterflies and moths of
north america (google that) that site posts
lots of butterfly and moth species. Then I study my
photograph or butterfly/moth specimen and compare
it to ID'd photos on the website :-))
I'm definitely not an expert!

I'm a beginning artist as well...I've always
enjoyed drawing and sketching. I've begun
to study watercolor painting and watercolor
pencil art. I'm combining my love of the
beauty of nature with my art. I've started a
"nature sketchbook" to record sketches of nature.
Right now I'm on a kick of sketching all the real butterfly
and moth specimens that I and my family have captured.
One of the sketches is pictured above.

I'm still into birds...it's just that its been too hot
to go out looking for them. And there haven't
been many in the backyard. It turned cool today
YAYYYYY!! It was 96 degrees yesterday and it's 77 today :-))
"it's such a blessin'...it doesn't seem natural" (a quote from
the movie The Yearling)

Happy Wednesday!! Everyone!!

Butterfly & Skipper

2011-08-30T02:16:00.004-05:00

Sachem Skipper
I took this picture in my backyard.

Gray Hairstreak

This beautiful little butterfly was posing so
nicely for me.

God's Little Creatures

2011-08-24T23:57:00.004-05:00

Spicebush Swallowtail

Ruby~throated Hummingbird

Monarch Butterfly

Tree Frog

Wednesday Wonders

2011-08-10T01:14:00.005-05:00

House Finch Chicks
I would say these 2 little chicks are almost
ready to fledge. I was afraid that if I took the
plant down to water it they would
try to fly too early. But, they stayed hunkered
down and very quiet as I snapped a couple
pics and proceeded to water the plant. I hung the
plant back up and thought, "that'll be the
last time I see these 2 little guys." They are
so sweet...it's amazing how they survived the heat.
This plant has hosted 2 H. Finch families and
will have successfully launched 5 chicks
this Spring/Summer.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

Wednesday Wonders

2011-08-03T00:33:00.005-05:00

Mississippi Kite

Moth (unidentified)

Sunset at the Arkansas River in Kansas

House Finch Chicks

They look a little gross here with their
craws stuffed full, but they've gotten
a little bigger. It amazes me how they
can survive the heat. We are having temps
over 100 degrees with no end in sight.

Happy Wednesday !!

Wednesday Wonders

2011-07-27T02:37:00.007-05:00

Young Cardinal
I've been having a few young Cardinals
at the feeder. They look like a mess and
need to grow into their beaks :-)
But, I am so glad to have them!

New House Finch Babies
The House Finches have hatched! They are
so tiny and fuzzy. The pink you see are their
necks and the little round fuzzy at the
end is the back of their heads.

Rose of Sharon Blooms
We had a small rain a couple of days
ago which made the Rose of Sharon bush
burst into bloom. Kansas has been in the
100's temperature wise for quite awhile
which hasn't done the gardens, plants
and flowers any good. Tomorrow it's suppose
to be 107 degrees...I'm not sure about
the heat index. That's Summer in Kansas for you!

Happy Wednesday!!

Wings on Wednesday

2011-07-20T09:33:00.002-05:00

Wings on Wednesday

2011-07-13T00:58:00.007-05:00

Keep your eye on the sky while eating young
Cardinals. There are many Mississippi Kites around.

Two sweet friends :-)
This Sparrow and Finch have been with each
other the last couple of days. The House
Finch seems to be watching over the House Sparrow.

Is this a male or female? No crest...

I was so happy to find that a House Finch pair
have started another nest in the fern outside! That'll
be something new to observe through these long
hot Summer days ahead.

I'm not sure about the ID of this bird.
He is sure showing an attitude and a half!
I'm thinking it reminded me of a Grackle. It
could be a young one.

We have several Mississippi Kites cruising our area.
I see their shadows swooping over the backyard. All the young birds
will need to keep an eye out.

Lots of young Cardinals coming to get a drink
and eat some Sunflower seeds.

Summer Sightings

2011-07-08T12:41:00.010-05:00

Hi, I know I haven't posted in quite awhile. The bird
action has been way down in my backyard and I've gotten
sidetracked with "this, that, or the other".
We (my husband & I) keep the food & water
out for the birds, but we have a young squirrel who thinks it's for him.

Look at this Robin above, he tells the story
of our extra early HOT Summer.
It has been so hot here that all the birds have
their beaks hanging open. It makes a person
wonder how they can survive.
Some manage to cool off while the sprinkler
is running on the garden. My husband got a shot
of a young Chickadee doing just that :-)
(pictured way below)

Pesky, the Squirrel

House Finch

Baltimore Oriole

The Oriole feeder looked like it had a whole
colony of ants floating in it...yuck! We are seeing the
occasional Oriole but not like we had in the Spring.

Tufted Titmouse
(where's his tuft?)

My husband captured this shot, too. We haven't seen
any Titmice for some time and "pop", there he is! Hubby
grabbed the camera and took a quick shot
before he flew away. Sometimes when you do that...
it chops off the top of their head :-)
I wanted to include this image in the post because
the bird life has been mighty scarce around here. I like
how the picture shows his pretty eye, beautiful plumage,
and clean conical beak.

American Robin

I didn't want to leave you in suspense regarding
the HOT and thirsty Robin. He finally worked his way toward the
water source and took a couple drinks.

Carolina Chickadee

Here is the Chickadee enjoying a shower :-))

Next, is a hodge~podge of photos from my
backyard. I'm happy about the flowers as I
started them from seed last year.

Notice the "itsy, bitsy spider" on the
Black~eyed Susan.

Happy Friday!! everyone!!

Wings on Wednesday

2011-06-22T14:54:00.006-05:00

Eastern Kingbird

I know these aren't the best photos in the world but
an Eastern Kingbird is a lifer for me!
We were walking around the lake last evening and it kept
following us quite close. My "point and shoot" doesn't
work well without light but good enough for ID purposes.

Hackberry Emperor

That is my guess. Here is a link with
info on this butterfly.
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Asterocampa-celtis

Happy Wednesday!!

Hummingbird Treat

2011-06-06T15:13:00.003-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-01T01:59:00.003-05:00

Wings on Wednesday: May 18

2011-05-18T11:53:00.007-05:00

House Finch Family

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Drama

Baltimore Oriole Family

In this photo the male is keeping watch while the younger
Oriole is drinking.

Sweet Little Visitor

He came right up to the window to check me out
whether I was friend or foe.