06/11/2022 50! A milestone in my USA travel.

 At long last, I have now been in all 50 states of these United States of America. It took over 30 years to get this last one - North Dakota - and well worth the wait. I have been very fortunate and greatly appreciate the opportunities to travel, whether for work or recreation. 

I had gone on a bird watching tour and it was a great experience. It was a small group with some very expert birders, so there was a lot for me to learn and absorb from this group. The trip started in Minneapolis, Minnesota and extended into western Wisconsin, the western shore of Lake Superior and Duluth and then a cross through upper Minnesota into North Dakota. If you cross the state line 4 times, does that mean I have been to North Dakota four times?!

The trip did start on a hectic note with several flights cancelled and my flight delayed by over an hour. That cut it so very close to make the connection, which was boarding while we were landing in our connecting flight. A good test of nerves. But I made it and more impressive, so did my luggage.

Did you know the mighty Mississippi River has its origins in Lake Itasca, a small glacial lake approximately 1.8 square miles in area? The lake is notable for being the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and is located in southeastern Clearwater County, in the Headwaters area of north central Minnesota. We drove past it, but our tour guide was not too interested in seeing the lake itself. We saw the remarkable change in the wide fast-moving river to a very small stream as we drove north.

It was good to get out of the office and work and stretch my legs on a few hikes. Days start early - if you want to see the little warblers you must be ready to roll by 5 AM. So, this was a vacation without much sleep. But then that is what the plane ride home is all about - right?

Here are a few bird pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

Nelson's warbler.

American bittern. You have to look closely to see this camouflaged bird.

Ruddy duck. Not the clearest picture as it was taken through a window with the van motor running. But he is a handsome duck so I am including him in this blog.

Nesting Western Grebes. They were nesting on one of many ponds in North Dakota. 

Turtles and eggs. Just checking to see if you are paying attention! No birds in this picture!

Can you find the piping plover eggs in the middle of this road?

Female crackle with insect in bill. A very common bird but this was one of the few days we had blue skies. Most of the trip was done in the rain or with heavy winds or substantial cloud cover. I could not resist the opportunity for a bird in clear view with blues skies!

Gray partridge hiding in the grasses.

A handsome grey owl. Look at the claws under her feathers.

We were fortunate to see a pair sitting on one tree branch. This picture gives a good view of the back of one of the owls.

The owl on the far end of the branch flew to another tree and was partially obscured.  I do like this picture of his eye visible as he is peering at us. He is telling us he can still see us even if he is rather hidden in the trees.

Here she is in all her glory. A gorgeous grey owl, very accommodating to the viewing eyes of us birders.

Philadelphia warbler.

Baird's sparrow.

Pied billed grebe.

He, too, is a handsome waterfowl.

Closer views of the partridge. Also a handsome bird.

It was a great trip and I added many birds to my life list. My list is really incomplete as I lost the original one with over 300 birds on it. But this is a chance for me to add some previously viewed birds. 

One day I would like to take a photographic birding trip so I can learn some techniques for photographing birds. These photographs are mostly hit or miss as we walk or take them through the van windows, and I feel lucky to have a couple of nice ones. I hope you enjoy them!

And of course, the boys missed me. Fionnegan is recovering well from Lyme disease and Gunnarr will have his operation for bladder stones in just over a week. Shorty is watching over everyone!

The gardens are beautiful and the peonies were just blooming when I came back home.

One pink rose that just started growing in the yard last year. It will bloom once.

Pink Mountain Laurel.

White Mountain Laurel.

The irises were gorgeous. And they proved to be the protective home of a momma rabbit and her two bunnies. O what fun the boys are having when they pick up their scents in the garden. I am cheering for the bunnies to stay just a few hops ahead of the dogs. So I make a lot of noise to warn the bunnies to run before the dogs are let out. They seem to know to run through the fence, yet they keep coming back to sleep in one garden in particular. Dumb bunnies!

Mock orange blossoms are sweet smelling.

I do hope you all are well and enjoy these photographs. Will try to post more often as I have time. Shorty needs to write his blog and he has a few stories to tell. But now they want to go to sleep upstairs.

To be continued..............

04.11.2021 A belated Happy Easter

 How did the day get away from me!  It was a beautiful Easter Sunday. First, went to Mass in the morning - many people were there. The Church was beautifully decorated with Spring flowers inside and outside. There was even Mass outside in the courtyard. It had a very fresh and renewal feeling. A good Easter Sunday start.

Then it was time with the boys. Ran around the yard with them and they do have Spring fever! They ran and chased each other and were smiling and exhausted when they finished. They stood on the deck panting with a bright glimmer in their eyes and a big smile on their faces.

Now, I had to write Shorty's blog (mydogShorty.blogspot.com). Yes, he takes priority! Then there was no time for mine. I did prepare an Easter brunch for a few friends and we had a wonderful time. I am not a good cook, so I am always pleased when the meal is presentable and palatable! I even made a bunny cake - had that cake mold for 15 years and it was still in its original package! No time like the present. It leaned a little to the right, but otherwise stood as the table centerpiece until we ate him. I think the new stove with a proper functioning oven was the deciding factor to bake. He was even decorated with raison eyes and a nose, green grass to hide a few chocolate covered peanuts by his side. Maybe I'll bake another one in 15 years!

Here he the bunny fresh out of his mold - no frosting yet and standing upright! I was amazed he did not fall over on his side, so I put him in the refrigerator with two small jelly glasses by his side to give him support until he firmed enough to stand without the threat of falling. It worked. Also used a bit of chocolate icing on the plate so he would stick to the bottom. That was a really good suggestion found on the instructions on how to bake this cake. Good thing I kept everything.

The gardens are also showing signs of life - with a few snow drops and crocuses and daffodils in blooms. The hyacinths are just starting to bud, too. Still a lot of work to do and I am taking advantage of every nice day to clean the beds and prepare for mulching. In the fall I will need to plant more bulbs for more Spring time color.

Flowering shrub - I need to find out its name. These are at least 20 years old and still flower every Spring. They are my first shrubs to bloom.

A hyacinth and johnny jump ups (violets) emerging. More picture to come when they are in bloom!

                                                

We also have a pair of nesting cardinals in the shrub by the front door and the carolina wrens are also near the house. Wonder where they will build their nest this year. Last year it was on the wreath on the front door. And we are looking forward to the hummingbirds returning soon.

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday with good friends and a good meal. This Sunday the weather told cold within a short time while we were outside with a very cold wind. So probably not much yard work today!

I hope you all are well and enjoying life.  Stay well.

Gunnarr, Shorty, Fionnegan. Yes they do pose for me!

Until next time.......

05.03.2020 My resident house wren

The house wren is a special bird for me. It is the first bird where I purposefully tried to identify the bird by its song. Yes, we did know the song of the cardinal and robin, but this was different. It was a real attempt to learn new birds by song. It was not easy!

A couple of years ago I saw a nesting box for wrens so I took the "if you build it they will come" approach - and it worked. I had a wren around the yard and something nesting in the box - just not the wren. 

But this year the wren was back. And she built a nest, a crooked nest at that, in my Christmas wreath. Yes, I was going to take it down when Spring came, but then it was cold so I left it up. I noticed some pieces of the lily leaves from last year on the porch and as I was cleaning up the dead plants, I saw it. A nest. First I thought maybe it was a house finch - they have nested on my front door in the past. But then I saw her - a beautiful little wren. She built her nest in my wreath on the front door. I was surprised as they are very shy and I do have three dogs that run past that door many times a day, not to mention just lounging on the porch. Apparently they do not bother her.

I am so looking forward to seeing if there are eggs and then watching to see when they hatch. However, her nest is just a little bit high for me to see inside and I now want to give her some peace and quiet so I do not use that door. I have also re-routed the dogs so they do not startle her too often.

This is her crooked little nest in the Christmas wreath.




Every time I approach the door to go outside she flies off her nest. We have one at right angles from this door that leads from the atrium that we use rather than the front door even without a nest.

An empty nest and no chirping sounds. So no little ones at this point.




I was determined to get a picture of her on the nest but every time I was by the door off she flew. And when I had a camera she was even more skittish.  So after many attempts and much patience, I got some of her through the glass door but you can still tell it is a wren. She is a pretty little bird, peering out from her nest.




Having a little more light made a big difference. This was taken with the morning light shining towards the door - it is always in shadow. But there she is, probably trying to decide to stay of fly. I got one picture and that was it.



And then she flew. Lucky shot! We are all staying away from the door so she can keep her eggs warm. I am guessing there are eggs as she spends a lot of time now on the nest. She very much is a welcome visitor to my home!




The gardens are doing very well. A lot of rain this past week and they are growing tall. Here are a few pictures of several flowers and plants. I hope you enjoy them.

Periwinkles.


Quince.







Johnny jump-ups.


Azaleas.






Daffodil. Not as many as I had hoped for this year. Guess you know what I will need to do in the Fall!



Rhododendron in bud.


Every garden has a dandelion or two!


There used to be two huge bleeding heart plants on either side of hte waklway. Not I have only this one little one.



Fionnegan and Gunnarr are two happy dogs and always keeping an eye on me! They are good and do stay behind the gate whenever I need to go back and forth.



Shorty likes to sit in the driveway and keep an eye on everyone and everything. He always knows where I am and keeps an eye on me as I work or take pictures.



Fionnegan.


Gunnarr - still camera shy.


The end. Something good to sniff along the fence.




I do hope you all are well during these challenging days. But we will get through them.
Please stay well.