Back to Birds

Right now, the weather is fine. More than fine actually, the kind that helps a person understand why people from Northern climates flock to Florida for the winter.  Not just people, birds do as well. Many mornings, in the last week or so, the air is filled with the chattering of hundreds of American Robins feasting on the many Camphor trees on the property. Fuel for migration. Isn't it just astonishing to think about migration, how the birds know where and when to go? I, for one, find it amazing. I've looked for the film, Winged Migration, on streaming services with no luck, but I can say, unequivocally, that it was one of the most profound pieces of filmmaking that I've ever seen. And that was even before I was a bird nut!

So, without further ado, let me show you some of the birds I've been enjoying, some new ones, as well as some old favorites. 

It has been such a pleasure having these beauties visit again, some normalcy in the midst of the pandemic. 

Speaking of which, cases continue to skyrocket in Florida, making us ever so grateful that we were one of the lucky ones to receive the vaccine. A few days after I'd written the earlier post, which you can read HERE should you have missed it, the hospital just down Orange Avenue from us began giving out the vaccines and about six friends were able to receive theirs without incident. Others have not been as fortunate as all of the doses have been given out already. Here's hoping they will once again have an allotment. No one I know has had any more of a reaction than a sore arm, although Carolyn did witness one at the hospital that must have been scary! Closer to home, Peg is steadily improving, never having had to be hospitalized, and Yvette says that she feels just fine. Whew!

Try as we might there was nothing we could do to help the Anhinga who, after six days, looked like this.

The shot above was taken some days ago and I've not seen the bird since, making us wonder the outcome. It is hard to imagine that, with all that goop keeping the beak shut, it could survive. 

Ibis have been finding space in the trees out back,

as has this unidentified bird.

It happened one gray day that not only were there scores of Robins, but the above bird as well. Now you might think it is a Crow, and maybe it is some type of one, however I ran into a fellow named Andrew who worked for Florida Fish and Game Bureau who is well versed in birds, and he could not figure it out either. It did not help that with no blue sky to provide contrast, it was really hard to make out the features.

When we first moved here, it really bothered me that there were downed branches along the shoreline and I did not hesitate to retrieve them for aesthetic purposes. Well that was just plain dumb of me. Over time I've learned that they are a vital part of the ecosystem, providing a place for birds to perch when they are not swimming as evidenced by this pair of Mallards.

With glee I spotted two pairs of Hooded Merganser ducks two days ago; I'd nearly given up hope that they would visit this year. That said, they are maddeningly difficult to photograph because either they hang out in the deep shade, or swim too far out for my lens capability. Let's just say that there were dozens of trashed shots and still this one is lacking because it is only two males. I'll keep trying because the female bears very little resemblance, a characteristic which is not uncommon in the bird world.

Aren't they just awesome?? So smart with that color scheme. Speaking of color, the other morning the weather was not ideal, so instead of playing pickleball, I went for a walk around Lake Davis. I mention the gray sky because when that is the case, the water looks more like a blank slate rather than the reflected blue of the sky. I present a Blue Teal duck.

That same day I went over to the nearby wetlands adjacent to the cemetery where I saw a passel of Wood Ducks and lots of bare Cypress trees. 

I think I learned to appreciate bare trees more from living in Vancouver that glorious year. There's just something about being so close to the circle of life that feels very soothing to me. 

Walking around Lake Haven there, I saw a new bird! A tiny one, that's for sure, which I have now identified as a Black and white Warbler.  About the size of the palm of your hand.  

While thinking about small birds, holy cow, one of them, a Carolina Wren,  came into our house unbeknownst to me, that is until I saw it in Bruce's office, flying from place to place to perch. (I hate it when the formatting goes haywire and I would fix it if I knew how!)

Not to mention poop, as it seems that when they are frightened, it is a natural reaction. So, what did I do? Panic, sort of. First, of course, I grabbed my camera, followed by, "what the heck am I going to do?" thoughts. Well, before long it flew into the living room, followed by landing atop the ceiling fan in the sunroom. Quickly, I shut all of the sliding glass doors, opened the back screen door and hoped for the best. It worked, but not before it pooped on our white sofa! 

How about I show off some cookies to give you another quick visual, a somewhat sweeter one.

Made from an old recipe that called for old fashioned rolled oats, coconut and chocolate chips. Yup, lots of butter and sugar too. 

That made you feel a little better, now didn't it? 

Back to backyard birds, I could not have been more pleased than when I saw this image come off of my camera card. Although last year there were some fun shots of the Red Bellied Woodpecker and chick, it is that red bellied part I want you to appreciate, my first time showing it off to full advantage.Robins galore!

Moving back indoors, here's something completely crazy, however from what I've read, not to be entirely unexpected. This came in the mail three days ago.

Opening it up, I was astonished to find a Christmas card, mailed on December 16th from Steve and Liz in New Hampshire!! Seriously?

I learned from Matthew that they have yet to receive our Christmas card, however, they have received  thank you notes for our gifts. It was only just yesterday that the utility bill arrived, two days after being due!! What the heck?? In other mail news, are New Years cars becoming a trend? I've received three of them. 

On the other hand, the postman delivered a special birthday gift from Matt and Tom yesterday afternoon. One of Matt's photos made into a jigsaw puzzle, taken during their trip out West. Yeah, the same one that was cut short back in March due to the pandemic. That was a story that could not be made up as they dashed back to England before the borders closed!

It is seemingly impossible for me to ever sort out the edge pieces on the first go round. 

Well, I hope you've enjoyed the birds as much as I've enjoyed photographing them. I will sign off, or make that fly off, showing you a photograph that is one of those types that you hope you got, but the action was so quick, most of the time you don't. 

Taken right outside our front door.

Aren't we the lucky ones?

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Matt sent me this interesting article about Inventor of the Q code. Turns out it was based on the barcode.

Close To Home

I've heard it said that winter sunsets are the best, and who's to argue with this for a good one?

Unlike the sunset I posted the other day, this one I took after sunset, and was I ever rewarded with a breathtaking spectacle. Although Baxter was waiting by the side door, I knew I needed to rush down there before it was over. If you've ever witnessed Baxter taking a walk, you'll understand why I scooted out the back gate without his noticing!

Generally, this is where you will find Baxter, either sleeping, or watching the world go by.

Another winter happening around here is the migration of the robins. Tuesday morning, because some of the windows were open (yeah!!), I heard a lot of birds, except when I went outside to investigate, they were flying around so fast in a dingy sky, I could not make them out. That said, because I've witnessed this amazing happening for a few years now, I knew it had to be the robins. Miraculous really, that a hundred or more robins stop every year to gorge on camphor berries found on the neighborhood camphor tree. This is but a few of them:

Here's one going solo:

It seems to take them but one day to eat their full, never to be seen until next January. Astonishing that they even find the tree, isn't it?

We've had rain off and on this week, however today is cold, bright and sunny! Love.

This hibiscus is stingy with it's blooms; so happy to finally see one in the backyard!

Returning from a chilly bike ride, I got a clear shot of Mr. Cardinal having a mid-morning snack:

No sooner had he had his fill, then Mrs. Cardinal came along for hers! Isn't her little mohawk adorable? 
I was going to do a post entitled, "Brilliant Bread, Act Two", however, I suspect your interest in my bread baking efforts cannot be sustained for two posts. Just the same, I must say that I did indeed make the bread again. Having learned from my mistakes, I made sure the yeast was fully dissolved, and took his mantra--wetter is better--to heart. Here's the dough before shaping:

This time I cut the dough into two pieces. Why? Well, for one thing the previous loaf was too large to fit into the toaster and if there's one reason to bake your own bread, it is toast. Nothing like homemade bread toasted. So, all went very well and I'm pretty proud of my "crumb" from this effort.

For those who've kept their bread recipe reading to a minimum, the crumb is basically the texture and if there are holes in the finished product. There are holes aplenty! This time it is delicious. I told you it was probably my fault!

In spite of my earlier pronouncement that Matt and Tom were marrying in Chicago, plans change, as have theirs. Planning a wedding from across the ocean proved somewhat challenging, so here's the latest: they will marry at the Hackney Town Hall in late March, very close to their home. You know who is going. In fact, we'll be in the UK for fourteen days this trip. Mrs. Camera Crazy has spent time either with her guidebook,

or on the computer poring over sites like TripAdvisor, and airbnb. I was telling Matt that airbnb is quite the education on how people really decorate their homes, unlike what most "home" websites show. During hours of searching, I think one of the things that surprises me the most is how many people have bare walls. I can't understand how they do it! Because we've been to London four previous times, we are making plans to head North, following the wedding, to York, and Scotland. Maybe Dublin to the west? Still planning how to enjoy such a long holiday. Then there is the matter of Baxter's care in our absence. Bill is hard at work remodeling the home he purchased and will be living there by then...maybe that will be his home away from home.

After ten wonderful years, I've retired the fabric on the left, replacing it with the turquoisey fabric. I hadn't done a chair for a while, instead Bruce has been doing them, but this time I took on the project, and it was pretty darn easy. Highly recommended to give new life to old chairs!

I'd like to take photos a litter further afield, but interestingly enough, close to home provides new opportunities daily. We shall see what happens next, close to home.