This week I was washing dishes and caught this Coopers Hawk sitting on my deck railing.
I quietly slid away and walked silently to the living room to grab my camera. Amazingly enough Penny moved silently next to me.
I didn’t really expect the bird to still be there when I returned. They generally don’t wait for me.
But he (or she) was still there, seemingly unfazed. I watch it for a long time, even moving to a better window. It picked up one foot and tucked it into it’s chest feathers.
And then suddenly it flew. I expected that to be it.
But it only flew about 3 feet, to the corner of the deck where it could inspect the ground under some shrubs.
We used to have quite a few chipmunks. I haven’t seen one in awhile.
Then it flew away, and I figured that was it. But it showed up again about 10 minutes later, back on the deck railing, watching the back yard, inspecting the ground and the sky.
Turns out he or she was being harassed by bees.
When it left, being pursued by the bees, I was SURE I wouldn’t see it again.
Until about 30 minutes later when I walked through the master bedroom and guess who was on the bedroom deck railing? I didn’t have my camera with me, so these were taken with my phone.
Yep, our favorite (or perhaps least liked, depending on whether you’re a chipmunk) bird.
But…is this the same bird? Or a different one? Perhaps they’re a couple? Or parent and child?
This juvenile male oriole learned all about bathing this week. When I first noticed him he was standing on the edge while a little brown bird splashed around. He stared at the brown bird. I went to get my camera. By the time I got back he was in the bath too.
So you just shake your feathers?
He seemed a bit unsure, but it didn’t take long until he was fully immersed in the experience. Literally.
Like this, right?Brown bird: I’m outta here!That’s OK…more water for me!Rub a dub, dub. One bird in a tub!Look! I can draw a heart with my tail!Oh what a wonderful feeling, oh what a wonderful day!A little more tail action. I wonder if any girls are around.Hey…did I hear mom or dad call me?Time to go!It’s supper time!
This morning I was headed out the back door when I saw, directly in front of me, a deer staring back. We both had that kind of ‘deer in headlights’ look. I quickly sidestepped out of sight and walked quietly over to the living room to get my camera. And then it hit me. It was a fawn I saw. By the time I slowly and quietly slid back to the door the fawn had moved.
Nom, nom, nom. This hydrangea is very tasty!
I felt disappointed that I had missed the beautiful, full faced, shot. But I was also very happy.
Very happy because in early summer we had seen only one mama deer with one baby. And a few days after seeing mama with her newborn, I came across a fawn stretched out in the road as if asleep, but clearly not. I have only seen mama once since, with no baby in tow. I silently told her how sorry I was.
All summer I haven’t seen the mama deer. I assumed she had left the area to grieve alone. But this morning, here was a large fawn, so maybe our little one hadn’t been killed? And where was mama during this visit?
What is that kid getting into now?
Oh, yes, there she is. Watchful as always.
And then the baby took off across the yard so fast I couldn’t see where he or she went. I switched windows to watch the yard. And then this happened.
I’m just so happy!I can’t stop my happy feet from running!I feel happy, dancing without a roof!I’ll kick up my heels and release the joy!Hey, quit fooling around!I’m just a kid, mom, don’t you remember how fun it was to be young?It’s my favorite time of the year. OK, it’s my only time of the year so far in my young life…I just can’t stop leaping for joy!I’m a race car!
Such joyful running, in big loops around the backyard. Racing from behind shrubs, circling the white pine, at full speed. Over and over and over this little one danced with glee through the yard.
I’m a kangaroo!
I shot 300+ pictures. Some of them almost in focus.
I’m exhausted!
He or she kept on running. I kept on taking pictures. Until finally he (I’ve decided it’s a he) stopped behind a blue spruce and snuck a peek over near where mama stood. I think he was tuckered out. He went over to mom who had come out from behind the bush to reign in her kid.
I hope you got THAT out of your system!
But what is this?
It takes 2 mamas to corral me!
A 2nd mama? Is my little guy being mothered by two moms? Or is this daddy and mama and baby?
But wait….what’s this?
You, little one, are a bad influence on my kid!
Another baby! Two mamas and two babies!
The little group hung around in the shadows for a bit of time before moving off.
It’s all fun and games until somebody breaks a leg. Let me check to make sure you’re alright.
But not without one last look at the house.
Just so you know. I see you, lady.
By mama and baby. Just so I knew they knew they were being watched.
I’m watching you too, lady. (Hope you liked the show!)
Glad to have you in the neighborhood, family. You made me smile.
I wasn’t going to post today. I’ve got lots of stuff I need to do and posting wasn’t high on my to-do list. But moving the images from my camera to storage was. And I promised myself I wasn’t going to look at them. Because I don’t have time, you know.
But I did. It was raining one morning this week and I was shooting birds (not literally) through the window. This one made me laugh out loud. You never know what you’ve got until you look at them on a bigger screen.
Youngster: Dad! Hey Dad! I’m hungry!Youngster: Huh. Dad’s not listening.Youngster: DAD! I’m HUNGRY!Youngster: Well what the heck.Dad?Dad: Darn! Now there are TWO of them bugging me!Dad: Geeze. Where’s these kids’ mother? I need reinforcement here.Dad: These kids need to find their own supper. They’re plenty old enough. Dad out.Youngster: Dad? Where’d you go, dad?Youngster: Hey dad! I’m still HUNGRY!Youngster: Guess I’ll get my own darn jelly. Can’t depend on anybody these days.
A week ago today I took three people to Kensington to feed the birds. They had never done that before but they’d heard about it and wanted to have the experience.
Hey, toss that peanut over here!
They had to drive almost 2 hours but they thought it was worth it. I do too. Though we arrived early in the morning, when the birds are most likely to be hungry, we weren’t inundated with begging feathered ones. But we had our fair share.
It rained all night and I’m not looking my best, but I sure am hungry!
Mostly it was the woodpeckers, in different varieties that were interested in us. Though an occasional red-winged blackbird stopped by.
I’m really interested in that peanut you have, could you toss it here?
And the bluejays were always nearby.
I’m faster than any darn woodpecker, just watch me!
In fact this visit turned into a ‘toss a peanut’ experience. The red-bellied and the red-headed woodpeckers and of course the bluejays are all very talented at plucking a tossed peanut out of the sky.
We spent much of our walk through the woods tossing peanuts into the air where they were eagerly snatched by a winged one.
Got it!
And of course we walked out onto the boardwalk to check on the blue heron rookery.
Ms. Red-winged was startled as we walked by.
The heron babies are now teenagers, testing their wings and making a great deal of noise whenever an adult ventures by. Just in case there might be breakfast arriving.
I can flap my wings faster than you. Oh will you two just settle down? I’m trying to nap here.
All in all, though we weren’t swarmed by birds I think everybody had a great time and I hope they come back for another adventure!
Last week a storm on the sun was predicted to send some major northern lights our way. A storm big enough to be seen even down here in southeast Michigan. But since there’s so much light down here, what with cities and towns all over, a friend and I decided we’d drive the three hours up to the tip of Michigan’s thumb and try our luck.
A misty evening looking out over Lake Huron.
When we arrived there was a kind of mist hanging over the lake. It was several hours until sunset, but we didn’t mind hanging out on the beach and waiting.
Waiting.
Or photograph the swans hanging out just up the beach.
Relaxing in the evening light.
But finally the sun began to set and we became hopeful.
Bye bye sun, sleep tight.
Maybe the night would be the night we’d dreamed of. We were ready.
As the sky darkened we could see two planets, Venus and Jupiter. They were the perfect “stars” to practice our camera focus as we waited for the light show to start.
The first ‘stars’ to appear.
We waited. We noticed clouds in a bank along the horizon and some in the sky. But aurora would look spectacular among the clouds. So we waited some more and practiced focusing on more stars.
Thousands of stars, and there would be more to see if it were truly dark.
As time passed the bank of clouds rolled across the lake toward us and we had to change our focus and practice on the stars directly above us where the sky was still clear.
Before the clouds covered it all up.
But by midnight the sky was completely clouded over and the light storm hadn’t yet hit earth. We decided to pack it up and head home. No amazing aurora. No milky way.
A pretty little beach at a roadside park.
Were we disappointed? Or course. But we had hours on the beach, little waves rolling up on the sand, and stars overhead. Sometimes you don’t get what you want, but you always get what you need when you head out into the night to photograph the sky.
Apparently it’s turtle season around here. That time of year when the females leave their ponds and swamps and wander out into our yards, roads and gardens to find the perfect place to lay a few eggs.
Yesterday late afternoon I backed out of my driveway, watching behind me via the car’s rear camera. When I got to the road I paused and glanced up, looking back toward the house. What was that pile of brownish green stuff up there at the edge of the driveway?
A big ole mama snapping turtle, that’s what it was. I (and she) was lucky she wasn’t in the middle of the driveway because I don’t know that I would have seen her. She’s around every spring, and I should know to look around before I take off these days.
This late afternoon the ring camera doorbell chimed. That sound is supposed to tell us there’s someone at the front door. Out here in the country it can mean all sorts of other things, like cats, raccoons, possums, and even a neighborhood dog. Today when the chimes rang I checked out front and at first didn’t see anything. But Penny was insistent that something was out there, mom!
Husband checked his phone where the doorbell reports, and found the notice “a tortoise is crossing the yard.” And there she was, up along the side of the porch.
She’s a Blanding’s turtle, and she and others like her are endangered around here. I was glad she was in our garden, and after taking her picture, I tiptoed away.
But of course Pen wants to go outside, and I can’t let her go out the front until the turtle has moved along. Last time I checked she was on our front step.
I don’t know where she plans to go next.
Meanwhile Pen and I will stay inside – she’s abandoned me because obviously I am incompetent – and has retreated to her daddy’s lap.
I guess going outside is not as high a priority as I thought.
Change Is Hard 