Oh that silly Squirrel

This little squirrel has become my buddy over the past few weeks.  I put out pecans for him so he hangs around most of day.  He always manages to keep me laughing with his silly antics.  He is a very young squirrel so he is just learning the ropes!  I've seen him fall out of the maple tree twice and I'm sure it's not the only two times he has made a crash landing.

I opened the front door a couple of days ago and there he sat on the porch eating a pecan.  Needless to say, I scared him and away he went like a streak of lightning .... out to the road and climed up a pole.  He sat up there for about 10 minutes just staring at me and then decided he would cross the wire to another pole.  A couple of times he nearly fell but he kept right on truckin. He's a wreckless little guy so I have named him "Kamikaze".

He makes it over to the next pole ….

He almost didn’t make the “swing” around

Oh yeah … he’s gonna make it … LOL

He’s looking at me as if to say “I knew I could do it”

Little “Kamikaze” is quite the entertainer!

(all photos are clickable for a larger view)

Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

I’m always delighted to see these beautiful little moths.  At first glance, you might think it is just a bumblebee  ….. some people think it is a hummingbird because their wings are constantly fluttering. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)

I was looking out the kitchen window at one of the feeders and saw what I thought was a male House Finch.   I left the kitchen and headed for the front door and it hit me …. no, not a House Finch, a Purple Finch!  So I grabbed the camera and took some shots of him.  He certainly is a beautiful little thing.  I haven’t seen one around here for over a year.

The Purple Finch is the bird that Roger Tory Peterson famously described as a “sparrow dipped in raspberry juice.” For many of us, they’re irregular winter visitors to our feeders, although these chunky, big-beaked finches do breed in northern North America and the West Coast. Separating them from House Finches requires a careful look, but the reward is a delicately colored, cleaner version of that red finch.

 

Purple Finches are numerous and conspicuous during spring migration; pairs are territorial, the brightly colored male displaying in front of the female with his rich, spirited, warbling song. After the clutch is raised, they may be seen in large flocks visiting orchards, parks, and other woodlands. In winter they visit feeding stations in large numbers, showing a fondness for sunflower seeds.

 

Female Purple Finch 

This image was made in February 2008

Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

One of the cutest little warblers ever!

 

The male.

Small warbler with olive-yellow upperparts and bright yellow underparts with rust-brown streaks on breast, sides. Wings are dark with two white bars. Tail is dark with yellow-tinged edges. Has a wider range than any other North American warbler. Eats insects, larvae, and some fruit. 

Preferred habitats include edges of marshes and swamps, willow-lined streams, leafy bogs, thickets, orchards, farmlands, forest edges, and suburban yards and gardens.

 

This is the female.

The nests of the Yellow Warbler are frequently parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird. The warbler often builds a new nest directly on top of the parasitized one, sometimes resulting in nests with up to six tiers.

Preferred habitats include edges of marshes and swamps, willow-lined streams, leafy bogs, thickets, orchards, farmlands, forest edges, and suburban yards and gardens.

 

The basic mating song of the yellow warbler is often written as “sweet-sweet-sweeter-than-sweet” or “sweet-sweet-I’m-so-sweet”, but males sing various other songs as well, some of which resemble those of the magnolia or chestnut-sided warbler or the American redstart.

Enough Already with the RAIN!

I’m sick of RAIN …. look what’s coming right at us.

Rain Rain Go Away …………..

Dogwood Flowers

 

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)

 

Three to five brown and gray marked, white to creamy white eggs are laid in a bulky nest made of twigs, rootlets, and grass, lined with hair and feathers, and built in a conifer. Incubation ranges from 12 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

 

In summer, both sexes are a smart gray with flashes of white in the wings and yellow on the face, sides, and rump. Males are very strikingly shaded; females are duller and may show some brown. Winter birds are paler brown, with bright yellow rump and usually some yellow on the sides.

 

 

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the only warbler able to digest the waxes found in bayberries and wax myrtles. Its ability to use these fruits allows it to winter farther north than other warblers, sometimes as far north as Newfoundland.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are common and widespread. Their populations are stable or increasing in most areas. Migrating Yellow-rumped Warblers, like many migrants, are frequently killed in collisions with radio towers, buildings, and other obstructions.

Duckies and Geese

I went off without my good camera and lens today so all I had was a little Point & Shoot in my purse!  Someday I will learn not to leave the house without the “big guns”.  These images are totally blown out but that is to be expected with the camera that I was using :(

The  little ones were just adorable.  

And the geese ……

 

Happy Easter

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

I went to Burrell’s Woods today to find some little birds.  Imagine my surprise when I saw a pair of Wood Ducks!  I got some good shots of the Male but the female was hiding in the shade behind a bunch of tree branches. 

 

I was out there last week to leave a turtle by the water (don’t ask, long story).  I saw these two ducks then but didn’t know what they were.  They didn’t hang around long enough for me to get a good look.

 

 

 

I’m thinking that this pair have a nest in one of the trees close to the water.  I’ll be going back next week to see if they are still in the area.  This is the female …. a really bad shot of her too!

 

I didn’t realize they nested in trees.  Below are some interesting facts about the Wood Duck.

“A colorful duck of wooded swamps and streamsides, the Wood Duck is one of only a few North American ducks that nest in trees. Many people consider it to be the most beautiful of all waterfowl.

The Wood Duck nests in trees near water, sometimes directly over water, but other times up to 2 km (1.2 mi) away. After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest tree and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them in any way. The ducklings may jump from heights of up to 89 m (290 ft) without injury.

Predators and Competitors: Starlings, common goldeneyes, hooded mergansers, American kestrels, squirrels, screech owls, and wasps will compete for the nest cavities and boxes. Nesting hens, eggs, and ducklings are preyed upon by raccoons, fox squirrels, gray squirrels, mink, opossums, rat snakes, snapping turtles, fish, and predatory birds”

Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)

They are such cute little birds ….

 

 

Guiding Light is over ….

Guiding Light is currently in its final season on CBS, as the network announced on April 1, 2009 that due to low ratings the series was being canceled. The final episode is scheduled to air on September 18, 2009. Series producer Procter & Gamble Productions has said that they are not going to give up on the series and are exploring other options, including cable networks (a move similar to the one employed by the producers of Passions when the show was canceled by NBC) and Internet broadcasts.

 

Guiding Light was created by soap writer Irna Phillips, and began as an NBC radio serial on January 25, 1937 before moving to CBS on June 30, 1952, as a televised serial.

My great grandmother watched this show when I was a little girl.  She would pull her chair right in front of that old black & white tv and crank the volume up so loud that it could be heard from at least three blocks away.   The daily episode only lasted for 15 minutes back then …. that was many years ago.  I don’t know for sure but my guess would be that she started with the program when it was on the radio.

It’s rather sad to see this old “soap” come to an end.  I even watched it for awhile during the 60’ and 70’s.

White-tailed Deer

While driving through the country, I spotted these four deer running across an open field.  

 

 

 

 

They finally saw me watching them and decided to retreat into the woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red-winged Blackbirds

Took these photos today at the lake.  These beauties entertained Mother and I while we had lunch.  Lots of males but no sign of any females today … I’m sure they were close by though.   All these shots were taken especially for Jan (the redwings are her favorite).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the images can be seen in my Picasa Web Albums.

The Toaster turns 100 today

 

The cleverest little kitchen ­gadget since – well, long before sliced bread surprisingly – celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

When Frank Shailor, a technician with General Electric, dreamed up his D12 toaster in 1909, it was 20 years before there was such a thing as a sliced loaf.

He invented it so people could still eat bread that was going stale and it was an overnight success. Bits of bread were simply wedged inside the exposed “wire fence”.

Unfortunately, this would prove quite hazardous because the bread had to be turned by hand to make sure both sides were toasted.

After a decade of people getting their fingers burnt came the first covered, pop-up toaster in 1919.

This led to the world’s first ­automatic electric toaster, the Toastmaster, in 1926.

When Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented a machine to slice bread in 1928, no home could be without a toaster.

The gadget has been through so many incarnations, there is a ­museum in Kettwig, Germany, with almost every toaster ever made, ­including the willow-patterned Pan Electric Toastrite and the modernist 1930s Saluta revolving toaster in nickel-plated steel and red Bakelite.

A spokesman for breadmakers Kings­mill said: “Bread has been a staple part of our diet for 6,000 years, but toasting is relatively new and it’s interesting that the process hasn’t changed that much in 100 years.

(Daily Express)   (image found at Jitterbuzz)

The Lazy Way

What do you do when you wake up with a headache and don’t feel like getting out of bed?  You just roll over, grab the laptop and stay in bed?  Who wants to get up anyway …. it is dark, gloomy and raining (probably the reason for the headache).  I would love to be able to stay right where I am all day long … do nothing but play on the laptop …… ain’t gonna happen though.  I have never been the type of person that could sleep late or stay in bed all day … no, not even when I was young.  I had friends in High School that could sleep until the afternoon  ……. never understood why anyone would want to sleep the day away.  Sunrise is the best part of the day.  Robins swear by the old saying “the early bird catches the worm”

Linux … always the winner!

Always secure, fast and FREE

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

I saw this woodpecker when I was driving down the road … not a very good shot but at least I got him

 

ALL ABOUT BIRDS

 “Although most non-birders believe that the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a fictitious bird created just for the humorous name, in fact it is a widespread species of small woodpecker. Its habit of making shallow holes in trees to get sap is exploited by other bird species, and the sapsucker can be considered a "keystone" species, one whose existence is vital for the maintenance of a community.”

Seagull and Greylag

I think he was conducting the “River Orchestra”

 

Actually, we had two maestro’s that afternoon.  The Greylag Goose decided he would join in too

 

Common Merganser Duck (Mergus merganser)

I saw these two ducks at the river yesterday morning.  I think most people around here call them “diver ducks”.  They were fun to watch and what wicked looking hair … LOL

 

 

 

 

 

Eastern Bluebird

I went to the river today in hopes of finding the Bald Eagles.  I found them but they were across the river and high up in the trees.  I got some shots of them but the quality is not too good ... I may post some of them later.

 

The little Bluebirds were all over the place and I did get some decent shots of them.  They are just the cutest little bird and their coloring is beautiful.

 

 

 

 

  

Seems like this little guy is "flipping me the wing" ha.  He was having a grooming session .... he put on quite a show.

  

 

 

 

 

Here is another male sitting a bit farther away from me.  I was shooting out of the car window.

 

 

 

 

 

This one was sitting in the tree behind a branch peeking at me.  He decided to move to the sign so I could get a better shot of him.  Sometimes I think they know what us humans are doing so they sit and pose for us. ha

 

 

The females seemed rather shy today and didn't come as close as the males.  Finally managed to get a shot of this sweet little lady.

First Look: Burger King’s New ‘Whopper Bar’

Next time you have a rough day at the office, Burger King hopes you’ll cozy up to one of its new Whopper Bars set to open around America. Just don’t stay for too many rounds, or you might regret it the next day.

The Whopper Bar: All Beef

To be clear, the Whopper Bar won’t actually be serving alcohol — but it will be serving plenty of beef. The Burger King venture will offer Whoppers, Double Whoppers, and Steakhouse XT burgers, along with new Bourbon Whoppers, Three-Cheese Steakhouse XT burgers, and Pepper Bacon Steakhouse XT burgers. Each will come with options for 22 different toppings. Among the choices: guacamole, smoked bacon, or steak sauce.

found at Inquisitr.com

 

At this bar, it's all about the Whopper

Burger King Corp. opens its first Whopper Bar on Tuesday. The Universal CityWalk location will share dining space with Panda Express and Moe's Southwest Grill. (RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA, ORLANDO SENTINEL / March 10, 2009)

 

The second Whopper Bar is scheduled to open this spring in Munich, Germany. The company plans to have six to 10 outlets operating by the end of June, Klein said. It has selected locations on the West Coast as well as in Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

OrlandoSentinel.com