Birds and Blossoms

During the month of July,Jake and I have watched a Cooper's Hawk nest.

Friends of ours live in this park like setting,just down the road from us,

they have this nest right on the yard.

Please bear with me as I realize that once again I have uploaded the pictures backwards.

So now you will see the progression from fledglings to nestlings in reverse order.

This young bird was proudly sitting several feet from the nest.

On the opposite side of the nest it's sibling was checking us out.

This view shows both the nest and one adventurous bird. About a week earlier this was the scene at the nest. Three very alert youngsters.

Here is one of the parents just giving us that look.

One of our first visits showed three white puff balls in the nest.

These friends of ours are excellent gardeners and it is evident as soon as you enter the yard.

The spacious yard has mature trees all around it,with an open park like

setting in the middle.

Flower beds curve gracefully around the perimeter of the yard.

Each season yield another burst of color from the various flowers.

Here is one of many Day lilies growing on the premises.

This Lily is a knockout.

In a bed close to the house she has several of these plants.

Here I pointed the camera along one flower bed.

This is another view of one of the beds.

I enjoy every visit to this yard,it's like visiting a beautiful park.

Thanks to our friends for allowing us to spend all this time

photographing the birds and blossoms.

Enjoy happiness,treasure joy.

A Walk Down Memory Lane 1

This is the start of my new series.Let me explain the title.

I remember times at family gatherings where we would pull out the old

photo albums and look back at years gone by.

This series will sort of do that,so pull up a chair and lets look at some older pictures.

All the photos in this series are done by Jake and were

first taken with slide film and then scanned to the computer.

The pictures will be in no particular order and most are without a date.

Some of these go back to the 1960s and some are taken much later

even as late as 2005.

A cloud outlined by shadows.

A bolt of lightening in the night sky.

The sun trying to peek through the clouds. Here's looking at you. Another White-tailed deer.

Of course 'Bambi' needs no description.

The Robin family is doing well.

This Great Blue Heron was photographed at Rainbow Falls in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

Mourning Dove quietly sitting on her nest.

The male Canvasback duck is a handsome bird.

I hope you will come back each week as we look at more older photos.

The Lord is a great God. Psalm 95:3

It's Hot Outside

I know that some of you have been experiencing very hot temperatures

so I thought I could help you cool down.

Here are three pictures taken in December ,2008.

Take time to enjoy them and feel the cooling air.

We are having some warmer weather today,but the farmers are waiting for this.

With the cool temperature,the crops are about a week or two behind schedule.

I will try not to complain about the heat as we need good crops to keep us all fed.

The Lord is a great God. Psalm 95:3

My Weekly Bird ABC

Well here we are at the end of the alphabet.

Today we take a look at the letter 'Z'.

Since I have not seen a Zebra bird I had to find something else.

The first bird is more commonly known as a White-crowned Sparrow,

BUT,

for today I will use it's scientific name of 'Zonotrichia levcophrys'.

Aside from a name like that,this is a beautiful bird.

The plaintive whistle is a welcome sound in early spring.

We usually see this bird on the ground,scratching for food.

I believe this bird was waiting his turn at the feed on the ground.

Here is another view of this spring bird. Next I want to show you another common bird,the Mourning Dove. Yes,this bird too has a special scientific name,'Zenaida macroura'. Below is a picture I took last summer. It seems as though the Mourning Doves were having a convention. Mourning Doves look so soft and gentle. You can almost see the tenderness in this dove's eyes. Their gentle cooing is one that I look forward to in spring. Jake was lucky enough to capture this one in flight.

Well folks that's it for the ABC.

I am almost sorry to have it end,it has been most enjoyable for me.

Because I don't want this to end too quickly,here is a quick review of all the letters.

Enjoy.

I might add that I have another series in the works.

This one will be titled 'A Walk Down Memory Lane'.

Stay tuned next week for more.

The Lord is a great God.Psalm 92:5

A few Reflections- Plus

Most of you know by now that I love reflection shots.

Well,here are a few of mine.

This is our creek running through town.

The picture was taken at the beginning of June,2009.

Another view of the same creek,taken the same day.

No,this is not a reflection.

This is taken at the nature preserve NW of here,called Binney Corner.

Looking north,I noticed the wind turbines in the distance.

The cattle is grazing peacefully,oblivious of the technology nearby.

I like how the reeds look in the water.

The depth of the color is what caught my eye. This scene greeted me on a walk with some school children. I had taken one class to a farm and we were out walking in the pasture. At some time this wheel will have been useful,today it is resting in the shade. This made me think that we have times to work and times to rest. It is comforting to know that not only the steps, but also the stops of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

My Weekly Bird ABC

The letter 'Y' is a sigh that this series is winding down.

Thankfully I have more 'Y' birds to show today.

Our first bird is the small Yellow-throated Vireo.

As you can see the yellow extends into the breast as well,

but,I didn't give him his name.

Both pictures were taken right in front of our door.

We were fortunate to be able to watch one of these birds build a nest last year.

Unfortunately the nest was not on our yard,but a a nearby park.

This bird who is in the Woodpecker family is called a

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

To see the yellow belly one has to see him from the bottom.

There is a faint yellow wash on his belly.

In fact it is so faint that it is hard to see.

Once again I had no part in the naming process.

The bird seen here is a gorgeous male,

the female lacks the red throat.

The Yellow Warbler is easy to identify,he is all yellow.

There is some variation as to color,some birds have very distinct

rusty streaks on the breast,others lack these and may be a duller yellow.

The Yellow Warbler is a persistent singer as well.

Here is another view of the Yellow-belled Sapsucker.

This is near a nest hole,so the bird was quite tame. One of our first spring migrants is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. The males are particularly beautiful.

I apologize for my pictures not being in order,but another look at the Yellow Warble.

You will notice the darker streaks on this bird.

Take a close look at the Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Is that not a cute little fellow?

Although these pictures do not show it,they really do have a bright yellow rump.

The females are generally more dull,but that yellow rump is

a good identifying mark.

Well folks it looks like next week I need to wrap this up.

It should be fun,stay tuned.

The Lord is a great God. Psalm 95:3

Photo Fun

Today I am showing a few more Macro images,

using the Tamron 90 mm f2.8 lens on my Canon XTI camera.

Below is a close-up of a Gallardia bud.

I like all the detail in the fine hair.

The Gallardia is a very colorful flower.

Here I captured the edge of just a few petals. We have a lot of Daisies growing on our yard.

This shot taken from below,with the sun shining through the petals.

I know this is not exactly a Macro photo,but I do like the Peony against the dark background. I am not sure of the name of these flowers. They are on a small shrub,so if someone has a name for them,please let me know. Looking at all the lovely flowers I can say with the Psalmist: The Lord is a great God. Psalm 95:3