May the counting begin!

Project FeederWatch got underway this past weekend. This will be my 7th season counting for this citizen science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and I can't wait to see what kind of new and interesting things I'll see at my feeders this winter, whether it be a new species, a record-breaking flock of Grackles, or a never before seen behavior or interaction among the birds.

Already I have some interesting data to look at from my first counting session. Looks like things are getting off to a start that is practically identical to last season. The exact same species showed up, with only the tiniest variation in the numbers of each. How about that?

species	wknd of 11.13.10	wknd of 11.12.11
Mourning Dove	13	13
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1	1
Downy Woodpecker	2	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1	2
Carolina Chickadee	4	5
Tufted Titmouse	3	2
White-breasted Nuthatch	3	4
Northern Cardinal	2	2
American Goldfinch	9	10
Total individuals	38	41

Looking back on past seasons' data, I should expect to see some Juncos next weekend. I have seen a few in town already, but none yet in our own yard.

I can tell that my fascination with goldfinches and their striking plumage is going to continue.

Here we got a nice look at their white patches above the tail, not feathers you see terribly often
And the nuthatches will continue with their bold antics, running each other off from the feeders. I hope to catch some good shots of them with their various displays of aggression, but they are fast and hard to keep up with the camera. Unless they're eating, that is.

One new bird that I hope to draw in this year is the Brown Creeper. They are definitely in our woods, but they're not exactly a bird that takes to traditional bird feeders. I'm going to try some homemade "bark butter" to see if that will bring them in.

And, it will be time to start making homemade bird dough soon, once the temps actually decide to get cold (as I write this at 8:30 in the evening, it's still 69 degrees outside... I'm not complaining, but it is a bit odd for mid-November!). Will my Pileated Woodpecker come back again this year for a sample of that tasty treat? I surely hope so!

Chickadee love

I've been going through some photos in preparation for an upcoming post, and just couldn't wait any longer to share these 2 photos of a Carolina Chickadee at our feeders. It's a gorgeous, tough little bird, and I can't quite get over how handsome it is. While they won't eat from my hand (yet!), our chickadees are pretty fearless when I'm outside, and I was only about 3 feet away while taking these pictures.




More to come!

Watery world

When I make a blog post, it has to fill one of two purposes for me: it either has to be educational, or creative. When I'm lucky, it's both. Once in a while I struggle to make it either! When I take pictures, I try to sometimes try to compose a narrative to go with it. And sometimes, there just aren't adequate words to improve upon what the images say for themselves. I took some photos a few weeks ago after we had had some heavy rains. The local creek was running hard, and the color of the water was dreamy, and the mud told stories, and I felt like I was in another world. That's about all I can say.

FeederWatch record smashed

Ahhhh, yet another great weekend of feeder watching has come and gone. There's lots of snow on the ground, and there were lots of birds at the feeders. I was very excited to finally hit a new record for total number of species observed during the 2-day count period. Up until now, 18 species has been the number to beat, but 2 surprise birds on Sunday took it up to 19, and then 20. I've watched the species diversity at our feeders climb slowly year by year, with 15 being the high number during the '05-'06 season, and that figure was reached only once at that. The extra 2 species of woodpeckers this year has certainly contributed to this rise in diversity, and also semi-regular appearances of Common Grackles. I've recorded over 15 species 4 times already this season, and there are still a number of harsh weeks of winter weather yet to go. March usually proves to be a record-setting time, due to a combination of the beginning of spring migration and one last bout of horrible weather conditions. Given that knowledge, I will continue to watch with interest over the next few months as to what may show up.


Species #19, Pine Siskin - I've been waiting for this one to show up for months. I only saw 1 individual, and time will tell if more of them will come visit over the next few days and weeks.

Species #20, Brown-headed Cowbird - a most unusual visitor at our feeders this time of year. They are more common in our yard during spring and summer.
Interestingly, the Cowbird was mixed into a large flock of other blackbirds. Yes, the Common Grackles showed up again. I'm not sure what's going on with these birds this year, but they have been frequenting my feeders, and also my neighbor's feeders about a mile down the road. Whatever the reason may be, I'll take it - they are such stunning birds!

Common Grackle sampling one of my freshly-made suet cakes. Have you figured out yet that I like making food for my birds?

Their dark coloring shows up nicely against the backdrop of beech bark.

Ha! I caught this one mid-scratch.

I was fortunate to get some good shots of both Downy (on the left) and Hairy (on the right) Woodpeckers to use as comparisons between the two. I'll be using these images in my upcoming "Backyard Birding" presentation next week.

How could I pass up sharing a photo of this blazing red beauty? That flaming 'do is like a fiery beacon.

Oh look, another birdie tongue shot! I love it when a shot like this happens.
While we're on the subject of woodpeckers, dare I tell you that there were TWO Pileated Woodpeckers around our feeders this morning? A female and a male. I could hardly contain my excitement. Could this mean that baby Pileateds are in the offing for us? I can only dream...

Moon

This evening, after topping off the bird feeders and walking around with the dog, I looked skyward and saw perhaps the whitest moon I've ever seen.  It made me smile. Something that beautiful is meant to be shared.




Beech leaves back-lit by moon

Lazy summer days

Pollination, you're doin' it right!

This bee was found a few days ago busily pollinating this Black-eyed Susan. Look how covered in pollen it is!
Speaking of busy, I'm glad someone is busy around here. Me, I've been sitting on my duff reading books and paddling around a lake, exerting very little effort to do much else. Isn't vacation grand?!  I haven't even had my camera out very much.

As you can see in the background behind this Ox-eye Daisy, the dock leads your eye to the beautiful clear water...



Dragonflies and damselflies are plentiful here, and big Dragon Hunters fly over the lake in search of easy prey. When they get tired, they like to land on the knee of an unsuspecting kayak paddler and take a little rest.

Unidentified (I didn't bring my field guide) damselfly resting on the dock. Beautiful.


I HOPE to get back on a regular blogging schedule soon. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

Finding the small in the big

As the days grow shorter, the color slowly drains away from all things living. I find I am now surrounded by muted tones, the truly earthen hues, so it seems only right that color terms like ash, ochre, umber and sienna come easily to my mind. BUT, I have photos from just one month ago showing some little bits of color that remained in a landscape that was slowly becoming blunt and dry. I will share some of those over the next few posts.

I am always delighted to find color at this time of year, and "find" is the key word here. It is there, I just have to have my eyes open to see it. For example, what color could I possibly hope to see here, in this virtual sea of green?


I was looking for something specific. I had seen it the day before, but didn't have my camera with me at the time. When I came back with my camera, I had to hunt a little to find it again. Here, I will give you an idea of where we are looking.


See anything yet? Me neither. Let's get in a little closer... I think I see a peep of something in there, but what is it?


We're a lot closer now, and the color is obvious. Do you know what it is?


The answer will be revealed tomorrow!

Can you help me pick a winner?

Once again I'm coming to you, my blogging friends, to help me out with something. I have some decisions to make, and it's a case of the more pairs of eyes the better.

There's a photo contest deadline looming over my head (July 24th, to be exact). The Athens Soil and Water Conservation District is sponsoring the contest.

The 2009 All Athens County Photo Contest is open to amateur photographers of all ages who are residents of Athens County, Ohio. Participants can enter as many as three photos total. All photos must fit in one of the three photo categories.

One overall first place winner will be chosen and will receive a $50 cash prize. Honorable mentions will also be selected but won’t receive a monetary award. Winning photos will be displayed at our annual Athens SWCD Meeting held in October. It is hoped that a 2010 calendar can be produced using the 1st place winner and the top 12 honorable mention photographs. The top 12 photos will be selected by public vote at the 2009 Athens County Fair in the Agricultural Resources Tent during the fair.

The categories are:
• Close Up Conservation
• Conservation in Action
• Ag/Conservation/Natural Resources/ Environment and Landscapes Across Athens County

That's a pretty broad range of options for the categories, as far as I'm concerned, but I'll be concentrating my entries in the Close Up Conservation category. Examples for this category, to name a few, are:
• Plants/flowers/crops
• Prairie Plants/Wildflowers
• Recycling
• Water drops/drips/splashes
• Worms/roots/compost

The photos cannot be edited in any way, so I wouldn't be able to submit any of my B&W photos, nor any of the others that I have added subtle effects to. They must be submitted as they came out of the camera.

I have a Top 10, which needs to be whittled down to 3. I have some ideas, but sometimes what is eye-catching to me isn't the same as what's eye-catching to others. So please, help me out by telling me which are your favorite 3 of these 10:



1. - Fluffy Dandelion head


2. - Awesome Osteopernum


3. - Lost in the crowd


4. - Care and Maintenance


5. - Tulip surprise


6. - Dogwood flower


7. - Squirrel's dining table


8. - Preserved in ice


9. - Gentle Giants


10. - Fall mushroom


Thanks for your time and help. You guys are awesome! (I just realized I don't tell you that enough!)

Funky Friday Fungi

The weather lately has been warm and moist, perfect conditions for fungal growth...



















As I was sorting through all my fungus photos, I noticed that some of them reminded me of food... breakfast food, to be specific


mmmm.... bacon


Blueberry pancakes, anyone?

Shooting the Hills

Well folks, today is the day. The Shoot the Hills photo competition will officially begin at 1pm today, and will run for 24 hours. Then we will have until 4pm on Saturday to select the photos we want to enter, copy them onto our submission CD and turn them into the judges. Then we get to wait 24 more hours until the awards ceremony at 4pm on Sunday.

I plan to kill some of those 24 hours of waiting by taking pictures of raptors and other critters at the nature center late Saturday afternoon, and kayaking on Lake Logan with Dave early Sunday.

The weather forecast sounds next to perfect, and I'm looking forward to getting out there and capturing some great nature photos.

I'll surely have plenty of images to share from the weekend come early next week. I'll get caught up with you then!


The artist in her element