Ponderings of an Elect Exile: August 2011

8.27.2011

The Birds

It's been weeks since it's been cool enough for Billy and I to sit outside with our birds...and when we have been out for a few minutes at a time, they've been pretty scarce. But this morning they were everywhere...I think they were enjoying the tad bit cooler morning as much as we were!

We've been hearing the doves occasionally, but we haven't seen them much at all since the heat wave began. It was good to have a yard full again this morning!

The cardinals were cracking us up...there was a bird bath full of fresh water right over their heads, but they were drinking water out of the end of the hose. :)

This is the fattest, friendliest little female cardinal. She hopped right up on the porch yesterday!

I love the brown thrashers, but this one was giving me fits about taking his picture this morning. I was shooting through a small opening between two trees, and would have to wait until he moved his head into *just* the right position before I could shoot.

Then he moved to a spot right above my head, again through a small gap in the trees. Not easy to keep a non-image-stablized zoom lens still enough to shoot overhead. :)

The brown thrashers have really, really sharp beaks.

I love the feathers on the juvenile doves...they look almost like scales.

The juveniles are so much fun to watch this time of year! This juvenile blue jay is just plain funny looking! :)

8.23.2011

I Heart Faces...Pets

I Heart Faces this week is all about "Pets", or as they add, "any animal, bird, or critter". As I've said before, our backyard squirrels and birds have become more like pets than wildlife...I haven't seen squirrels this spoiled since the ones that used to eat pecans from Aunt Sis's pecan grove out of Papaw Brown's hand on his back patio. :) They sit and wait for us to feed them, and if we come out without food in hand, they badger us until we go back and get some. :)

This is Apollonia. Usually Billy will hand the squirrels a piece of bread or a bun and they will grab it and run back up the tree a ways with it. But today, Apollonia was literally eating out of Billy's hand. She didn't take the bun from him, just nibbled while he patiently held it up where she could reach it. Spoiled little critter!

8.22.2011

Happy 76th Birthday, Lake Catherine!

We LOVE Lake Catherine State Park. The cabins are clean and comfy, the staff is superb, the scenery is beautiful, the wildlife is wonderful, the atmosphere is tranquil. Today is Lake Catherine's 76 birthday, so I thought I'd do a quick posting of some of our favorite Lake Catherine photos (unfortunately, some of my favorites are still on my old hard drive...hopefully I'll get them transferred soon.)