Sunday, May 18, 2008

Home and Hasty

A quick Sunday morning post here. Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in Minnesota. Sunshine, and breezy. Except when it was gusty and raining. A little bit of everything ! Art and I spent most of the day outside watching Molly play her opening day softball games. I so enjoy watching girl's softball. We keep lawn chairs in the car all summer. We bring along jug of water or iced tea and a bag of "spitters" (sunflower seeds) and we're good to go. I always bring binoculars and a camera too.
Art is leaving this afternoon for a week in Nashville to get his A and P. He's been working on the testing to get his Airframe and Powerplant FAA license for the last two years. When he's finished he'll be certified to be a aircraft mechanic. He's been an actuary since I've known him but was a helicopter crew chief years ago in the Army and working toward his A&P is something he's always wanted to do. Because of all of the losses in my family this last year he's postponed this final step in the training until now. I'm so proud of him. GO ART!!
I have just a few thing to share from this last week before I forget about them.
I liked this picture of a Blackpoll Warbler twisting around to investigate the tip of an oak branch.

Hey lady! Can you spell Welch's?

A Lincoln's Sparrow has been hanging around under me back yard feeders all week.

A pretty Nashville Warbler spent the morning in my plum tree yesterday. He carefully examined the blossoms looking for insects. He seemed to be licking the centers. Do they eat nectar too or was he just getting bugs that way?


I drove up to Hasty Brook on Friday by myself for a day alone. The bear took my feeders apart from two weeks ago when Art and I went. Three of them were repairable and the rest were smashed. He bent the shepherd's hook feeder poles right over at the ground level. I straightened them and filled two feeders just for the day and took them down when I left. I don't think I want to encourage bears to make our campsite a regular stop on their shopping trips. The Black and White Warblers were singing up a storm. They nest up there and sing all summer.

Yellow-rumped Warblers were everywhere. My favorite bird watching spot up there is a place where you can look down about 25 feet to the creek level. It leaves me able to scan easily near the tree tops and also to see the woods floor from above, at least until the undergrowth leafs out. The butter-butts were zipping through the trees along the creek fast and furious, almost enough to make my eyes wiggle.
It was from my birding spot that I spied this Northern Waterthrush. Thomas pointed one out to me last week at Eagle Lake (that was a life bird for me) but I was thrilled to find and photograph this one on my own. This bird walked so slowly and was able to slip along on top of the submerged grasses and twigs so that it seemed it was walking on water. I watched this bird for a long time until he slipped from my sight.

12 comments:

Ruth said...

Nice pictures. The Nashville warbler is lovely. My favourite trails are the ones on a high bank where I can look down on the treetops. Much easier than walking looking upwards all the time!

NCmountainwoman said...

Great pictures. You certainly learned how to use the new lens. Wonderful birds.

Hurrah for the actuary turned mechanic!

Jayne said...

So many birds I've never seen (other than the butterbutt)! Wonderful photos Lynne. :c)

Yay Art!

Anonymous said...

What a great post! I'm going to start calling sunflower seeds, spitters, ha. We watch our hockey games with diet coke and "spitters." Go Penguins! What a shame about the bears tearing up your feeders. I love the Black and White Warblers. Your bird photos are just terrific. I cant' wait to see Minnesota again this summer. We are debating whether to go seethe Boundary Waters area after the Twin Cities, Mille Lacs Lake and Duluth or spend more time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I hope some great birds stay for the summer.

Eve said...

Lynne you are so lucky to have all those warblers around and what great photos!!
HEY it is a very small world! My hubby was a crew chief and mechanic on Black Hawk Helicopters in the Army at Ft. Drum, he got his A&P a few years ago. He is a TI on the helicopters still (a civilian now). Maybe they know each other!!
Keep sending in those great birding photo and Congrats on the Northern Waterthrush. I don't have that one on my list!

Mary said...

The Nashville Warbler take the prize, for ME. Lovely photos, Linne. What peace you have!

Enjoy the kids, Art and his trip, and Spitters ;o) LOL!

Good days for you...

Hugs,
May

Anonymous said...

You are getting some GREAT pictures with your new camera, Lynne!
I did get your phone message last week (or was it the week before?) but I was neck deep in finals at the time, and I suck at remembering to call people back. I usually go "Oh, I need to call Xxxxx." then look at the clock and see that it's after 10pm. I'm sorry!
I'll give you a call some time this week though because we should figure out a day & time to go hunt down some birds.

~other Sharon

Unknown said...

no need or no words i get to write after i saw your blog , nice blog , i suppose are you very busy with your work ,these lines is saying by your work , nice work you have done.

keep it up in forward direction

god bless you

RuthieJ said...

Good luck to Art -- hope all goes well.

Your bird pictures are great, as usual Lynne. I especially liked the oriole--reminded me of the "Mad Bluebird."

Sounds like the bears are pretty hungry! Will they leave the feeders alone once berries start ripening, or are bears a problem all summer long?

Marsha said...

How lucky to see all these beauties at your own private retreat! It is too bad that the bears had to wreck havoc with your feeders while you were away. Have you ever seen one while spending time there? I love the little b/w warblers but have never managed a photo...yours is great!

Q said...

Oh my goodness, wonderful photos. I have seen so few warblers in my life. I enjoy seeing yours. Delightful photos.
WOW!
I do serve lots of grape jelly too.
Sherry

Kathie Brown said...

Lynne, glad to see you back and posting again! I'm jealous of all the warblers you have. The blackpoll would confuse me as it looks like a chickadee! I've never seen it, the Nashville, the black and white or the waterthrush! Good birding!