My Weekly Bird ABC

The wonderful world of 'W'.

Today we have a lot of birds to explore,so,

sit back and join me as we look at the 'W' birds.

The first bird is the colorful male Wood Duck.

Without a doubt this is my favorite duck.

Here we see him perched in a tree,something other ducks don't do.

The Wilson's Phalorope is also quite colorful.

In this species it is the female who has the brighter color.

The reason for this is that the males incubate the eggs,

while the girls are out doing what female Phaloropes do. Here is the White-throated Sparrow.

This bird passes through our area in early spring and fall. The small Winter Wren is a relative of the more common House Wren.

A Wilson's Snipe is most unusual looking.

It seems that the bill is too long for him.

In the spring we hear them winnowing in the fields.

The above photos are by Ruth

Western Grebes are sleek birds.

These are the one that run on the water during courtship displays.

Here we see them during part of the courtship display. The following pictures are done by Jake

The song of the Western Meadowlark is so clear and flute like.

In our area when we hear the Meadowlarks we know it's spring.

Another spring migrant is the White-crowned Sparrow.

The Western Kingbird is not as common in our area as it's cousin

the Eastern Kingbird.

I do think this bird is lovely to look at.

Not quite as pretty,is the Wild Turkey.

We have flocks of them in the rural areas.

A bird which is around all year is the White-breasted Nuthatch.

This picture shows him in his normal pose,

going down a tree head first.

The last bird for today is very special.

The Western Tanager is not supposed to be in our part of the country.

A few years ago this bird stopped by in spring.

He stayed just long enough to get a few pictures and was not seen again.

You can learn a great deal about God by studying His creation.

Some More Macro

Jake and I are having fun with the new Macro lens.

The first three pictures were done by Ruth,

the last two by Jake.

This Columbine is just plain pretty as far as I'm concerned.

An nameless bug was willing to pose for me.

I am sure he has a name,but I don't know what it is. This flower is no bigger than half an inch across.

I have not taken the time to identify it,so it too is nameless. These last two pictures were taken after a rain. The water droplets look like beads on a string.

Some more water droplets,this time on a Lupin leaf.

When you see God in the small stuff,

your life becomes more meaningful.

My Weekly BIrd ABC

The letter 'V' has proved to be more difficult.

Fortunately I found two pictures,both taken by Jake.

This first bird is a Vesper Sparrow.

The bird is fairly pain looking,but is identified as a Vesper

by the white feathers on the sides of the tail.

You may have to enlarge the picture to see them. Bird number two is in the thrush family.

This is a Veery,and could easily be mistaken for some of the other thrushes.

I personally have not seen this bird,or heard it.

I am thankful that Jake had this chance years ago to photograph the Veery.

I am told that their song is quite unique as well.

If the identification is wrong,please let me know.

You can learn a great deal about God by studying His creation.

It's a Macro!

Guess who got a new toy?

Yes,I am now the proud owner of a Macro lens.

This will open up a whole new world of photography for me.

Here are a few of my shots from today. Above is a Goatsbeard. Wild Honeysuckle.

Up close and personal with a Lady Slipper.

Last but not least is Blue Flax.

All pictures were taken with a Tamron 90 mm,f 2.8 lens.

Oh God,who made the summer

And warmed the earth with beauty,

Warm our hearts with gratitude

And devotion to our duty.

Manitoba Wildflowers

We are supposed to get thunder storms tonight,

so before they hit come with me back before the time of

digital cameras.

All of the following pictures were taken by Jake,

using slide film,and were later scanned to the computer.

Let's take a walk through some of our local wildflowers.

This first one is often sen in wet ditches.

This is called Water Smartweed.

The color is vibrant among the green grasses. Here we can take a look at the delicate bells of the Harebell.

The foliage of this plant is like slender stems of grass,

but those little bells are held high.

Clusters of these along the roadsides are gorgeous.

he Prairie Crocus grows wild in pastures.

This plant stays low to the ground and blooms very early in spring. Yellow Ladyslipper is a very showy flower. These are protected and not to be picked or dug up. We a have a favorite spot to go for these pictures. The plants also prefer a moist place in which to grow. Goldenrod is a fall flower. The tall plants are also great for drying,they hold up well.

Cosed Gentian is a flower I have only seen twice.

It seems that they do not bloom every year.

The flower does not open as one would expect;

but stays closed this way.

Wild Asters are everywhere in fall.

Roadsides are filled with both the purple and the white ones.

The flowers are small but together they put on quite a show.

Canada Thistle is not appreciated by all,especially the farmers.

I think the flowers are beautiful,but to keep the neighbors happy

I just have pictures and no plants.

This is called Goat's Beard.

Flowers that resemble a Dandelion and the seed head is also very similar.

I hope you have enjoyed some of our wildflowers.

This is the day to marvel as you discover a bit of God in People,

in nature and in happenings.

My Weekly Bird ABC

I have to admit that today's letter,the 'U' gave be some trouble.

Since we don't have any 'U' birds,I needed to think of something else.

This is what I came up with,I will first show you some

Usual birds.These are seen on a regular basis.

The Blue Jay is indeed a true regular as we have them all year.

I am thankful that we see them often.Such color will brighten any day. Another Usual bird is the American Robin.

These birds do leave us in winter but are quick to return in early spring. Just so you don't forget about winter,here is our winter Robin. This last winter at least three robins stayed with us. What a treat to see them all winter. Today the weather is quite warm,so to cool things off, here is a winter Blue Jay.

Another Usual bird is the Black-capped Chickadee.

in the coldest of winter days the cheery call of these birds warms the heart.

Here is a final look at our mama Robin. She is tenderly tending to her babies.

On the flip-side allow me to show you some Unusual birds.

This past winter Jake and I had the privilege of photographing

some Eurasian-collared Doves.

According to all the maps they should not be in our area.

I do believe this would qualify them for the Unusual category.

As with the Mourning Doves,these birds look so soft and gentle.

You can learn a great deal about God by studying His creation.

Friendships

The most important things in life aren't things.

Today's post is for all my friends,

you are all so special to me.

Friendship is a golden chain;

The links are friends so dear,

And like a rare and precious jewel

It's treasured more each year.

A Special Day

June 9,1972

My Weekly Bird ABC

'T' is for Tennessee,Tree and Turkey.

The small Tennessee Warbler is sitting pretty on top of some Apricot blossoms. A Tree Swallow is one of the more trusting birds I have encountered.

They will allow you to get very close even when they are sitting on eggs. From the small to the large,this Turkey Vulture has a wingspan of 6ft. This is not the most beautiful bird around.

Here is another view of the Tennessee Warbler.

And yet another Turkey Vulture soaring in the sky.

You can learn great deal about God by studying His creation.

Pretty in Pink

Allow me to share with you some flowers in one of my favorite colors.

This pink Tulip was blooming in our garden earlier this spring.

The Cape May Warbler is not pink but is sitting on the soft pink

blossoms of a friends Apricot tree. Another pink Tulip from our garden. These buds are on one of the many ornamental crab apple trees in Morden. Some of our streets are lined with these trees and put on quite a show in springtime.

Here is a view with the blossoms open.

The trees are so covered with flowers one cannot see any

branches or leaves.

Later these same trees have small apples on them,

good only to attract the birds.

In everything both great and small,

We see the hand of God in all.

Bio Blitz with A Rocha

A Rocha,what does this mean?

A Rocha is a Portuguese word meaning 'The Rock'.

A Rocha is an international conservation organization

working to show God's love for all creation.

Here is a link to their website:http://www.arocha.org/

Jake and I spent most of the day on Saturday,May 30

involved in a Bio Blitz put on by A Rocha.

This was a 12 hour period where specialists from many

fields were present to identify all plants,insects,birds and mammals

found in one small park in Morden,Manitoba.

Here is a sampling of some of our photos from this exciting day.

We are by no means experts in any of the above mentioned fields,

but we can take pictures and that is why we were there.

Above is a Great-crested Flycatcher.I particularly enjoy this bird. This is a Basswood Tree in flower.

Thanks to one of the tree specialists present I know this. Here is one of the trails in the park. The park may be small and in town,but once in side one hardly notices the surrounding houses and traffic. A baby Cottontail stopped just long enough for a picture. The creek which runs through the park gave some fantastic reflections The name of the creek is The Dead Horse Creek Now that name is another story for another time. Looking through the trees one could frequently see other participants.

Another view of the trail.

We were treated to a lovely coffee break as well as a delicious lunch.

Paul and Val Goossen who spearheaded this event were most gracious and

took great care to see that all needs were met.Thanks Paul & Val

You can learn a great deal about God by studying His creation.