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 : )

Enjoyng the Titmouse Family

We have several Titmice and fledglings coming to the feeder now. We sure enjoy watching them. I read that they're not afraid of people. My husband sat out on the deck one morning this week and here they came. I went out there and they seemed to like coming just because we were there. Also, we noticed that the Chickadees were coming, too. The Titmice like the Black Sunflower Seeds and the Chickadees like the millet. They both will sit at the feeder working at cracking the seeds open. Fun to watch.

Cardinal Feeding Fledgling

It was very overcast on the day I took these pictures. Male Cardinal feeding his fledgling.

Good day for a male Cardinal picture.

Butterflys and Ladybugs

This beautiful big butterfly landed on the deck, my husband spotted him. Luckily when I went out to get pictures he stayed still with his wings open wide! I've researched for awhile and believe we have an

"Eastern Comma"

This evening while pulling weeds in the garden, I spotted this little pink Ladybug. I assume that's what it is...according to Eric Carle's book, "The Very Grouchy Ladybug", she should be eating aphids off my zucchini.

Northern Flicker in South Dakota

I was up in South Dakota last week at my parent's place. My Dad and I spied these two unusual birds while looking out the kitchen window. These photos are taken through the window with my Canon Point n' Shoot camera. So, sorry that they're not very clear. We thought they were Woodpeckers, but when I got home and started researching, I believe they are Northern Flickers. Northern Flickers are related to the Woodpecker, I guess. We couldn't figure out why they were foraging on the ground, until I was reading about them today on the internet. Flickers like to eat bugs and beetles off the ground. The article said you may scare some up as you take a walk near a wooded area. They do stand upright on trees like Woodpeckers and make cavities and nest in trees like Woodpeckers. I am adding an interesting link about Northern Flickers...

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