right now. I’m very frustrated with a certain whatever named Blogger. I started trying to catch up with all my buddies this evening and part way through the process, the big “B” decided I shouldn’t be allowed to post comments anymore. Big ol’ Error 400 or something such. So please forgive me for not commenting, but I have been able to at least see and read all your posts. So I am caught up and will be working forward from here.
On first spotting this shy creature in the woods around Strawberry, I wasn’t sure what I had found.
She was doing her best to fade into the background and I’m sure wishing I would just go away.
She made a break heading for cover (and the back porch). She’s quick, but I got a shot of her zipping through the pine needles.
After a lot of hard work and doggie treats, we were able to domesticate the wild beast.
She did seem to have previous training…possibly in a lion training act.
She eventually got tired of all the attention and….
tried to lick the camera. :)
I’m back from Strawberry and will spend time in the morning catching up with all of you. I’ve missed you terribly!!
Do you think she’s having a conversation with the fly? I didn’t even see the fly until I put the photos on the computer. Actually there are two flies in this picture…well and maybe a little bird poo. Sorry.
Don’t you just love their little, itty, bitty feet?
Hope you’re all having a great weekend. I’m sure I am up in the cool country. Didn’t even take my laptop with me this trip. But I did take my camera!
The grass was getting kinda high and hubby came home from work to mow it. I had already made two trips out trying to get just the right picture. Third time was a charm…but now I’m all itchy. But on a positive note…I was able to lay down AND get up three times. Yippee! That’s progress and I’ll take all I can get.
My blogging buddy Lizzie at Bellingham Daily Photo posted a wonderful picture of grass and I told her I was going to give it a shot too. Now our grass is bermuda and only gets about six or seven inches tall. But I was game to try.
Click on Lizzie’s link above and you’ll see some really nice grass.
I am not doing very well at this blogging thing right now. Sorry, about that. Between mom and myself, we have had lots of appointments this last couple of weeks.
But while working at my desk this morning, I did spot these two little lovelies perched to protect their territory…the feeder.
One was keeping watch in one direction while the other kept an eye out in the other.
Now I think they’re just talking strategy. I do find it funny that they never chase other hummers away from the flowers in the yard…just the feeders. Maybe we should ponder on that awhile.
I’m not nearly as blessed with wildlife as my brother, Glen, but I do have fun with the birds and critters that live in my yard.
I noticed a bird sitting right at the edge of our driveway. This is our driveway….
If you were to draw a line from the top fence post to the left and stop at a little brown dot at the edge of the driveway, you would find this….
Do you see her there? She’s right above the two green weeds. She has been there for several days and quietly moves away when we drive by and goes right back to this….
She is a killdeer and is so fascinating to watch. I couldn’t get a closer shot of her in the driveway because as soon as I got to within about 100 feet of her, she moved away from the nest. Here is some information about killdeers….
“The nest itself is merely a shallow depression or bowl in the ground, fringed by some stones and blades of grass. The precious nest is well camouflaged, as the spots of the eggs disguise them as stones, and the simple structure of the nest resembles its surroundings.Like many other waders, Killdeer hatchlings are precocial birds and are able to see and forage soon after hatching.”
“Their name comes from their frequently heard call. These birds will frequently use a distraction display ("broken-wing act") to distract predators from their nests. This involves the bird walking away from its nesting area holding its wing in a position that simulates an injury and then flapping around on the ground emitting a distress call. The predators then think they have easy prey and are attracted to this seemingly injured bird and away from the nest. If the parent sees that a potential predator is not following them, they will move closer and get louder until they get the attention of the predator. This is repeated until the predator is far from the nest, and the killdeer suddenly "heals" and flies away.” Wikipedia
And here she is doing just that very thing….
It took her over five minutes to go back to the nest even after I had moved back up to the house. I don’t want to disturb her anymore, but I'm hoping I get some shots of the babies. I have seen them around the yard before. They run along following her like little fluff balls.
I love to hear their call in the late evening.
My oldest brother, Glen, lives in Tucson and has been featured on my blog as a guest photographer. In one of the shots from that post, there is a bobcat up in a tree in his backyard. It is one of a pair of kittens that were taking a stroll with their mother that day. That was back in May of 2010 and this year things have gotten even more interesting.
This is the mother of……
these two little cuties. Can you imagine! They live in a den under his garden shed. These two are quite a bit younger than the ones he saw before. Some people have all the luck!!
He’s trying to not be too invasive about his picture taking so that the momma doesn’t move them somewhere else. I’m looking forward to several more pictures in the future. I’ll be sure and share them with you.
what has been going on with me. I can’t seem to find my muse or my energy. But as my brother (whom I listen to in most all things) has taken it upon himself to chide me into “fishing or cutting bait” because he has become bored with the same posting for almost two weeks….ouch….did I say “two weeks”? That’s bad isn’t it?
This evening was really very lovely and as close to cool as we’ll see in a long time. So I took my camera outside to play with my tripod and some light and night shots.
This is a fiber optic, solar powered flower. It was a gift from my brother, Richard, and sister-in-law, Lisa. It’s lovely in the garden at night.
I decided I wanted to play with long exposures and movement….
Guess what? I had fun. I enjoyed myself. I moved outside of my head and quit thinking so much. I think I’ll try doing that again tomorrow. :)
Thank you, Richard, for poking me when I needed it.
Kathy!!! Yes, indeed it was “Riders of the Purple Sage” by Zane Grey. You all make this so much fun and I’m already looking forward to the next one.
As Diane said, this bush is known by several different names. I have heard them called Texas Rangers, Chihuahuan Sage, Green Cloud, Silverleaf, and Convent just to name a few. It is not truly a sage as it belongs to the figwort family and not the salvia family. (Don’t I sound smart! Thank God for Wikipedia) I have always known the plant by the name Texas Sage and as it’s purple….well you get it.
Thank you all for playing!
