Image #181 – Recovering from the swirl of holidays

Back home in North Carolina after three weeks in Florida. It was a whirlwind of activity and people. I loved it all but it is good to return to the quiet of the mountains. To all whom I saw – I love you all and enjoyed every minute. To those whom I missed – forgive me. I swear someone is stealing minutes, nay, hours from my day. So I have chosen this image because it reminds me of my life: aging with deep lines and swirls but lots of color and plenty of life. Happy New Year everyone. ❧

January 13, 2014 0

Image #179 – A Stormy Gulf of Mexico

For those who savored a week of sun and fun in Florida the week has been a disappointment. It has been stormy for several days and the sky has been gray and gloomy. As always, however, the Gulf or Mexico is still beautiful. It doesn’t matter what the weather might be the Gulf is always enchanting. ❧

January 1, 2014 0

Dew on spider web

Dew on web2.2 (1) — Dew drops on spider web

Like a vast number of Americans I have traveled “home for the holidays.” Last Wednesday I packed up the dog and cat, a few clothes and the usual vast array of tech items (cameras, computers, etc.) and set off for Sarasota, Florida where I will stay for at least three weeks. It is a bit strange to be back here after six months in North Carolina. The urban nature of this ever-growing Gulf Coast city is overwhelming as is the vast wealth that is conspicuously on display. It is offset by the warmth and love of family and friends but is, nevertheless, a reminder of why I have made the decision to live full-time in Carolina for a while.

My images for the next couple of weeks will be a hodgepodge of old and new. I discovered an extensive file of old photos on the laptop and will pull some from that source. The above is an example. This is some of my first serious macro work. I’m not sure of the date but I think it is around 2006. I had just gotten a Canon 60mm macro lens and went to one of my favorite haunts, Carlton Preserve, early in the morning. The dew had settled on the hundreds of spider webs that littered the trees and shrubs, even on the grass. This is a photo of the dew drops on a web. ❧

December 22, 2013 0

Image #174 – Toulouse gosling

Toulouse goose gosling June 2010 — Toulouse goose gosling
June 2010

Here’s another shot from my encounter with friend Mary’s Toulouse Geese. This gosling is being held be Mary. Don’t let the shyness fool you. They arrive hard-wired to take a bite of you. In fact, this one was probably about to take a bit of Mary’s hand. 🙂 ❧

December 16, 2013 0

Image #173 – Grieving Geese

My friend Mary is mourning the loss of her male Toulouse Goose. His name was Doodle and he was twelve. Three and a half years ago he fathered several goslings and I was fortunate enough to get their pictures. Doodle is survived by a mate and two daughters who are greatly grieving his loss. Mary wrote on Facebook,

After 12 good years of life he has passed over the Rainbow Bridge. If dogs and cats can go over, why not a much loved goose. His much younger mate and their two daughters are very lonely without him. If anyone has or knows of anyone within 100 miles of Sarasota, Fl who has geese please put me in contact with them. Many thanks.

The new male has big wings to fill. Doodle was an excellent protector and, of course, had been with his ladies for many years. Change is hard for all of us mammals. I certainly wish the survivors well. ❧

December 15, 2013 3

Image #172 — Seasonal Bounty

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) — White-breasted Nuthatch (*Sitta carolinensis*)

Frequent followers will recall the recent post of a Tufted Titmouse with a mouthful of seed. Here is a White-breasted Nuthatch with a similar bounty. The nuthatch and titmouse are often in the company of one another and have similar feeding habits. Our friends at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology enlighten us more on this pleasant bird.

White-breasted Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them.

December 14, 2013 0

Image #171 – Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescents)

The Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescents) always seems so studious to me. It will invariably go straight to the suet as opposed to the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) who will often swing awkwardly from one of the feeders, flinging out seeds until it finds just what it wants. The Downy knows exactly what it wants.

The Downy and the Hairy Woodpeckers are very similar in appearance with the Hairy Woodpecker the larger of the two. So far I am fairly certain I have only seen the Downy here on Fawn Hill. I have seen the Hairy Woodpecker in the past and it is significantly larger. None of the black and white woodpeckers that I have seen this summer have been that large.

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopis pilestus). Taken in Florida in 2006.

Of course there is the largest of the black and white WPs, the Pileated Woodpeckers and I have to admit I was surprised to see them here in North Carolina. I have often seen the Pileated in Florida and in my head I thought of the Pileated WP as exclusively Floridian. Silly, I know. I think it has to do with their pre-historic look. They seem perfectly at home in the scrub and swamps of Florida. Catching sight of them in the woods around my home here on Fawn Hill was a pleasant surprise. ❧

December 13, 2013 0

Image #170 – Um, You May Want to Rethink that Bite

It seems this Tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor) may have over-judged his ability to swallow but with a prize that large you can understand his inclination. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers this helpful insight:

Tufted Titmice hoard food in fall and winter, a behavior they share with many of their relatives, including the chickadees and tits. Titmice take advantage of a bird feeder’s bounty by storing many of the seeds they get. Usually, the storage sites are within 130 feet of the feeder. The birds take only one seed per trip and usually shell the seeds before hiding them.

After reading this helpful tip I watched the birds more closely and, sure enough, they grab a seed (or a nut) and fly quickly away to store the prize and they are back. One enterprising titmouse has begun to stash the bounty in the nooks and crevices of the deck thereby saving time and energy. I have a Turkey Oak nearby that is, no doubt, one of the primary storage spots for the birds. The gnarly bark offers perfect hiding spots although I suspect the squirrels may be finding many of the stash sites. ❧

December 12, 2013 2

Image #169 – Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

This pretty little dove makes me think of a ballerina–it’s the lovely arch in the neck. Mourning doves are present throughout the United States and in summer months they even migrate into Canada. It’s a wonder they survive at all. They build nests that are impossibly flimsy and often in very public places. I recall a retirement home in Florida where a dove had built her nest directly above the door leading to the patio area. She would sit there all day, not moving a muscle as people by the dozens came and went. The residents of the home were delighted to have the nest so visible and I have no doubt their collective karma guaranteed the successful fledge. ❧

December 11, 2013 2

Image #168 – Female Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinals) — Female Northern Cardinal (*Cardinalis* *cardinalis*)

The flock of Northern Cardinals continues to populate my feeders and they are a joy to see. I am accustomed to seeing Cardinals as couples and I was surprised to learn that flocks are common in the winter months. With four males and three (maybe four) females they certainly bring some lovely color to an increasingly bleak landscape.

This female has beautiful color in her wings. At first I wasn’t sure if she was a juvenile or an adult. It is the crest that tells the difference and she obligingly shook her head revealing a crest of a delightfully punkish orange. On a juvenile there would be no color and a brownish crown as opposed to a crest. So, I would say she is a young adult. ❧