Wings UP!

I’ve finally added a new album in my Picasa Web Albums.  You can view all of the latest uploads in “Wings Up”.

Downy Woodpecker (male)

Northern Cardinal (male)

Cardinal on a Snowy Branch

Frozen Fog

  Early yesterday morning the temp was –1 and we had freezing fog.  It was gorgeous

 

 

 

 

Birds are cold this morning ….

Hey …… did you know it snowed and it’s COLD out here

 

I have to stay all fluffed up to keep warm

Please bring us some seeds out NOW!

 

This Titmouse looks a little PO’d because I haven’t filled up the feeders yet :o)

Cardinals (male & female)

Taken during our little snow and BIG COLD spell ..  shot through the window!

Woodpecker Stack

Click on the Woodpecker to go to the “stack”

 

Last of the Leaves

Floating on Dolans Lake

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

He had his eye on “lunch” so he let me walk very close to him. 

Among the bird world’s most skilful flyers, Cooper’s Hawks are common woodland hawks that tear through cluttered tree canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds. You’re most likely to see one prowling above a forest edge or field using just a few stiff wingbeats followed by a glide. With their smaller lookalike, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawks make for famously tricky identifications. Both species are sometimes unwanted guests at bird feeders, looking for an easy meal (but not one of sunflower seeds).

Look for Cooper’s Hawks to fly with a flap-flap-glide pattern typical of accipiters. Even when crossing large open areas they rarely flap continuously. Another attack maneuver is to fly fast and low to the ground, then up and over an obstruction to surprise prey on the other side.

CHICKADEE

Cutie!

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris)

Two more hummer shots from several days ago.  Most of the hummingbirds have departed from this area.  I have a couple that are still buzzing around the feeders.

 

Hummingbirds

I haven’t shot any hummers this summer so I decided to take a few shots today. 

 

Fungi …..

I took this photo in August when I was at Dolans Lake.  It is some kind of Fungi but I don’t have any idea what kind it is.  It was just gorgeous!

I grabbed the little Canon P&S, jumped out of the car and started taking shots  …. Mother was with me and she was just amazed at the beauty of this thing.  Now, I could kick myself for not taking the time to change lenses on the DSLR and getting some decent images.

View this image at the larger size to see how pretty it is.

A Double-crested Cormorant Take-off (Phalacrocorax auritus)

One lone Double-crested Cormorant on the lake yesterday ….

 

 

 

 

The double-crested cormorant is a little more than two feet long with a wingspan of about four feet. It has dark brown to black feathers, a long hooked bill with an orange throat pouch, a long tail, and webbed black feet. Adults have tufts of feathers over their eyes. Males and females look alike.

Cormorants dive for fish and marine invertebrates from the water's surface. After catching a fish, the cormorant surfaces, flips the fish in the air and swallows it head-first.

The double-crested cormorant doesn't have well-developed oil glands and isn't waterproofed very well. It often dries its feathers by perching on a pole or tree limb and stretching its wings out.

Leaves in the early morning …….

 

 

 

Assassin Bug

Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus

This silver-gray insect is the largest assassin bug.  The “Wheel Bug” gets its name from the structure on its thorax which resembles a gear or saw blade.  It has a 

hinged Beak used to inject poisonous digestive fluids into its prey, which can immobilize it in seconds.
It is then used to extract the digested Insect or Caterpillar,
leaving only the empty skin of its victim as evidence of the event

Although assassin bugs  are not considered dangerous, most can bite, and should not be handled.

I was outside talking on the phone with Jan when I saw this  “assassin” on my old petunias.  They are truly one ugly bug!

Look at the larger size to see just how ugly he is :)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

  The Great Egret is a large bird with all-white plumage that can reach one meter in height and weigh up to 950 grams (2.1 lb)  It is thus only slightly smaller than the Great Blue Heron.  The Great Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults.

There were plenty of Great Egrets at the river yesterday, along with several Great Blue Herons and Cormorants.  This image is my favorite of the day. 

Red-headed & Pileated Woodpeckers

He was far away but I got off one shot!

 

Nearly as large as a crow, the Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in most of North America. Its loud ringing calls and huge, rectangular excavations in dead trees announce its presence in forests across the continent.

 

I was trying to hide in some low hanging tree branches but the Red-headed Woody  spotted me anyway .. ha

 

An unmistakable bird, the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)  is striking at rest and in flight, showing its colors of red, black, and white. It is one of the most aggressive members of the family and one of the most omnivorous

 

 

Wild Flowers

In the early morning sunlight ….

 

 

 

 

 

The little orange flowers are “Jewel Weed” (Impatiens capensis)

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.