yard | Change Is Hard

July 24, 2026
by dawnkinster 13 Comments

It’s all fun and games

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?

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 can’t stop my happy feet from running!*

*I’ll kick up my heels and release the joy!*

*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…*

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 shot 300+ pictures. Some of them almost in focus.

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?

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.

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.

July 9, 2026
by dawnkinster 23 Comments

Got a little damp

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.

So I’m sharing it with you. I hope you smile too.

Wordless Wednesday

July 8, 2026 by dawnkinster 19 Comments

July 7, 2026
by dawnkinster 21 Comments

Kids today

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: *Guess I’ll get my own darn jelly. Can’t depend on anybody these days.*

June 2, 2026
by dawnkinster 21 Comments

Backyard beech tree birds

May 13, 2026
by dawnkinster 23 Comments

Wordless Wednesday

May 8, 2026
by dawnkinster 33 Comments

The orioles are back!

Historically the orioles (bright orange migrating birds) come back to my feeder from their winters in South America about (and almost always ON) May 5th.

*I would like to announce my arrival, lady!*

This year people were reporting them returning to their yards in lower Michigan at the end of April. So I put my oriole feeder out then. And then I waited. Every day I thought “this will be the day.”

*Have you filled my royal feeder with my royal jelly?*

And suddenly it was. My first sighting was May 1st and I was very excited. He was extra hungry and between him and the house finches I started going through a lot of jelly. Of course I didn’t mind at all.

Today I figured out there are actually two males. And possibly two females now. Though today I saw a picture online by a bird photographer who does a lot of educating with her images. She said her photograph was probably a young male, perhaps last years youngster. She said they look like females but have more black on them, like a male.

So now I’m considering that the two ‘females’ I’ve had might just be last year baby boys. That would make sense, as the males always arrive first.

*A female? Or a young male?* *I think young male.*

Either way the four of them have been at the feeder all day, every day since at least the 5th. AND I also get hummingbirds the next day (the 6th) of May, and a rose breasted gross beak!

*Ahem….what have you planned for MY dinner?*

The hummers and the gross beak arrived a day late, but I was just as happy to see them.

*I hope she has safflower seed for me. That’s my favorite.*

I don’t have an image of the male hummingbird yet, he’s very skittish. But the gross beak has always been something of a photo hog. He’s not skittish at all, as long as you move slowly. And your dog doesn’t bark.

The same day that the gross beak and the hummer arrived I saw a catbird, also a migrating bird that isn’t here in the winter.

*Hey! Don’t be so grumpy. It’s OK to share a little of your royal jelly.*

And across the street in the pond was an egret. Though my pictures of that bird are just bad. I always have trouble with the bright white of egrets. I know I’ll have more opportunities so I’ll wait until I get a better image before I share.

BUT, I have to say that the 5th and 6th were very big bird days in and around my yard!

*Red bellied woodpecker also likes grape jelly.*

All the photos here were taken through a window, working through reflections and grime. But I didn’t care, I was just thrilled to see them all.

Wordless Wednesday

April 1, 2026 by dawnkinster 8 Comments

March 26, 2026
by dawnkinster 20 Comments

Experimenting with flight

No, not my flight, though when I was young I did think I’d like to fly a plane, and when I was even younger I used to dream that I could fly like a bird.

*This is the scene from the window and what I had to shoot around.*

No, this morning I put some peanuts in the flat feeder, and that quickly brought in my merry band of noisy bluejays. I swear they sit up in the trees and wait for me to fill the feeders. They always arrive immediately and with great fanfare.

*Trying to focus on the bird among the branches.*

And while I was standing at the window, watching them come and go in the morning light, I realized I could try to capture their flight. They were much too busy hogging the peanuts to notice me.

*He has 3 peanuts in his beak and more in his throat. But he’s not really in focus.*

You need a very short shutter speed to stop those wings in mid-flight, at least 1/2000 per second. If there is sunlight that’s easier to accomplish.

I took 84 images before the sun was hidden by the clouds of the latest incoming storm front. Out of that barely a handful are passable. But I learned a lot and some day I will try again.