Fall is Almost Here

Fledgling Cardinal

Black-capped Chickadee


Juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird
I got a kick out of this pose...he was really checking us out. The adult RT Hummingbird that had dominated the feeder all Summer has gone South. I guess this little guy decided to stay and fattin' up a bit more.


Wild Sunflowers along the lane where we walk each evening.


I love this quaint log cabin style nestbox.

Milkweed Tussock Moth

This fast-moving guy had quite the plummage! I haven't figured out what species he is yet. You can research with me by clicking the the "butterfly and moth" link in my sidebar. I did some research and found out that this species of caterpillar is a Milkweed Tussock Moth.

Watercolor Pencil Lilies

This is my first try at painting with watercolor pencils. I did this rendering of one of our pink Lilies that I photographed this Summer. I liked the control of using a pencil, but could brush over it with water to get the painterly effect. The next subject I'm going to try is from a photo I took of a Semipalmated Sandpiper at the wildlife refuge.



Young Cardinals are visiting the feeder now. We still have Chickadees, House Sparrows, and the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds.

Chaplin Nature Center

Migrating Monarch

Beautiful wild grasses.

The Arkansas River in the background.

I loved the purple color of these wild grasses.

State flower of Kansas, the Sunflower.

My husband and I decided we'd better check out another local place for some birding so we visited the Chaplin Nature Center. It has nice walking trails and we took the one that heads down to the river. It's about a mile hike. Well, we saw a Great-horned Owl flying away and a Great Blue Heron flying away down the river. It was almost dusk, so we couldn't stay long. We need to go again and allow ourselves more time. On the way back to the parking area we were rewarded with seeing a doe with her two fawns. The fawns still had their spots. She didn't see us right away...I tryed to get a picture...but all I managed to do was scare the "dickens " out of them.

End of Summer

Killdeer

Great Blue Heron

pictures by cindyzlogic

It's the end of Summer in Kansas. The Spring birds, like Robins, must have migrated South. My husband and I took one of our Grand-daughters to a local lake to enjoy the last day of Summer for her. She would be starting school on Monday. The lake is known as a good birding spot as well. I saw a couple of different Terns, I think one was a Least Tern. I saw it through small binoculars, it looked to have a black & white striped head. It was perched on a buoy. Another larger Tern flew at it and took the Least Tern's spot on the buoy. It looked to have an all black cap. I checked the field guide and can only deduce it was a Forster's Tern. We saw 3 Great Blue Heron's, several Canadian Geese, and lots of Killdeer. I love these little Plovers! An hour before sunset there were a dozen or so Killdeer together. They would stand in a certain way, then bob their heads like they were hiccupping. They seemed to be doing some sort of ritual of which I would have no clue.

Lastly, and the most exciting for us, was finding a Belted Kingfisher. I took some pictures, but he was too far away for a decent photo with my camera. We watched him for quite some time. When we first spotted him he had a fish in his beak. It took him awhile to work on swallowing it. Then he dived into the water about 4 more times, but came up empty. He then flew closer and perched on some power lines. He seemingly came closer to check us out. We also got a chance to hear his call...very different. We have never seen one of these birds before!

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

Black-necked Stilt

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Snowy Egret

Western Great Egret

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Pied-billed Grebe

My favorite, Snowy Plover Fledgling

White-faced Ibis

White-faced Ibis

female, Yellow-headed Blackbird

American White Pelican

Lesser Yellowlegs

Eastern Kingbird

Dusk at the refuge

We had an exciting, adventurous day at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Our oldest son, Will, his wife Morgan, and their kids (6 of our grandchildren) traveled up there. We brought along binoculars, cameras, a picnic lunch, and a curiosity to learn, first hand, about the birds that migrate through Kansas. It has been a very wet summer, so the marshes were lush with plant life and aquatic life, I could see fish jumping out of the water, wildlife and bird life. There was also LOTS of water! When we first got there, we had to watch out not to run over a Red-eared Slider. The kids were thrilled with the turtle. Later my son spotted a huge bullfrog. We saw several White-tailed Deer and a Swift Fox. The refuge had many walking trails, interpretive trails, driving scenic by-ways, camera blinds, and a couple of spotting scopes set-up for people to use. We are looking forward to visiting again later this Fall when many more shorebirds, cranes, ducks, and geese migrate through the refuge.

Mississippi Kites

Mississippi Kites

My husband and I were out walking and we heard this "phewww" sound of a hawk. Ken spotted the fledgling Mississippi Kite right above us. Fortunately I had brought my camera along! The parents soared around above looking for food for the fledge and kept their sharp eyes on us. They seemed to tolerate us quite well, as they didn't dive bomb us! We saw the adult bring food to the fledge...meat of some sort. Then the adults landed nearby as long as we were standing beneath their baby.

The Kites are known to feed on Cicadas and other large insects. Cicadas are plentiful here.

Today while out walking we located another Mississippi Kite family nearby. We couldn't see the Fledgling, but could hear it calling out for food. We did see the two parents perched on the electrical lines.

In Memory of My Mom

My Mom passed away on August 1, 2009.

These are pictures of wildflowers that are located right around the farm. We are a family who have put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His promise of a home in Heaven. We know Mom is safe in the arms of the Lord Jesus, pain free and all well and happy! We know we will see her again at the resurrection.

Jesus said,..."I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die..."

John 11:25

Cardinal Fledgling

I think this a pretty sweet fledgling Northern Cardinal. It hasn't taken him long to figure out the situation.

Tufted Titmice Part II

Grab a seed and go!

Resting on his elbow.

Let's get cracking!

Checking to see if the coast is clear.

We are really enjoying the Tufted Titmice and fledglings. It is really tough to get good pictures of them because they move so quickly. I really like the 2nd picture of the fledgling and the little one in the flower pot : )