Category Archives: Photos-Birds

Photos that I have taken of Birds.

Cool Temperatures and Nesting Birds…..

May 23, 2013 Sheila 2 Comments

~ A Slice of my Hill ~ — A small view of my backyard hillside.

When we returned home from our six-month (half-time) RV travels back in May, we were greeted with several days of snow and cold temperatures. After several days of warm weather, I thought we would go from winter to summer. However, for several days now it has been “cool” here in northern Colorado, currently it is 55 degrees! Lovely!! These lower temperatures are welcome!

The hubby and I were sitting on the deck one evening last week enjoying a glass of red wine when all of a sudden we heard loud quacking. I turned toward the noise and saw a huge crow trying to gain altitude with a baby bird in its claws. The baby bird was heavy enough and the attack by the parents powerful enough to caused the crow to land in the middle of the street. I tried to run out to assist, but as I was making my way down the driveway the crow flew off ~ with the baby.

This crow raided the nearby nest of a pair of Western Scrub-Jays. These Jays were so upset flying in circles and “crying” for the longest time. My heart broke listening to their cries and I just hope the baby Jay died quickly. Mother Nature can be so cruel.

Since the snow melted, I am not seeing the Dark-eyed Juncos at my feeders, haven’t for two weeks now They are probably enjoying higher elevations (perhaps up in Rocky Mountain National Park) and much cooler temperatures. I guess five-thousand feet wasn’t high enough for them!

A few Western Scrub-Jays, over the years, have adopted my yard to spend their spring and summers. I often see them chasing away the Blue Jays – this is their home after all. This morning I did observe a Blue Jay grabbing a peanut! Where were you Scrub?? I delight in the Scrubs presence with their comical antics and look forward to seeing them upon our return home. In the mornings they will hear my garage door opening and will fly to greet me chattering away, because they know I am putting out bird seed and their favorite – peanuts.

Black Bird - Crow or Raven — Black Bird – Crow or Raven?

I have several species of birds nesting either in my yard or near by. Among these are: House Finches, Spotted Towhees, Black-capped Chickadees, Morning Doves and Ringed Turtle-doves. There might be more, but I have not witnessed the nesting activity of others.

~ Spotted Towhee ~ a nesting pair in my yard

Lichen Covered Boulders, Resting Dragon Flies, Sleeping Cats and a very old Grape Vine. Another view of part of my back yard.

And , of course these bird-seed eating machines What can one do, but to enjoy their antics as well!

Yeah, spring is here and I hope it lasts for a few more weeks!!!!

At Home, Photos-Birds

Nature’s Ornaments…..

April 25, 2013 Sheila 1 Comment

A lovely day today in northern Colorado! The second snow storm has finally stopped, leaving an accumulation of five inches or so. It is beautiful and will soon disappear.

The warmer mid-day temperatures begin to melt the snow laying on the broad branches of the Blue Spruce, Austrian pines and other trees in my yard. The melting snow along with lower afternoon temperatures creates icicles that hang from the tips of the tree branches. It appears as if someone decided to decorate the trees with ornaments. I don’t recall seeing such an occurrence – nature has created a delightful site!

I continue to place bird seed out for the birds. Their frantic searching for food is evidence that these early spring snow storms and freezing temperatures have caught them off guard. The American Robins seem to have moved on, possibly because they have eaten all the berries in my juniper trees! The 30+ Dark-eyed Juncos are still here enjoying the full bird feeders.

Dark-eyed Junco ~Gray-headed~ This photo was taken a few weeks back as we were traveling through New Mexico. — Dark-eyed Junco ~Gray-headed~
This photo was taken a few weeks back as we were traveling through New Mexico.

Other visitors to the feeders have included: Chipping Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, Townsend’s Solitaires, Black-capped Chickadees, Scrub-Jays, Morning Doves and Ring-necked Doves.

A simple pastime – gazing out the windows of the house, observing the wonders of nature, leaves moments of joy.

At Home, Photos-Birds

Let It Snow!…..

April 22, 2013 Sheila Leave a comment

Here is Loveland, Colorado we are experiencing our second snow storm within a week. Last week it snowed for three days straight leaving us with an accumulation of two feet. This storm, which started mid-morning, will have accumulations of 4 to 6 inches continuing over night.

During the storm last week I found two frozen Mountain Blue Birds. I think they were migrating through Loveland to higher elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park and sorry to say got caught in this usual spring weather. It left me feeling very sad.

We have several juniper trees that produce berries and the Robins and Townsend’s Solitaire are enjoying them during these snow storms!

We have always made a conscience effort to plant trees, scrubs and flowers in our yard that produce food for wildlife and it has always paid us back with many colorful creature visits!

Snow-N-Berries! — Found a few Red Berries!

On The Road, Photos-Birds

Florida Scrub-Jay…..

January 4, 2013 Sheila Leave a comment

Florida Scrub Jay, endemic to the state of Florida. This beautiful Jay is listed on both the federal and state threatened species lists with 4,000 breeding pairs estimated to be left in the state of Florida. Note the bands on the legs.

These Jays are omnivorous – they eat acorns, seeds, peanuts, insects, tree frogs, turtles, snakes, lizards and mice.

Here is a photo I took this summer of “my” Western Scrub-Jay.

On The Road, Photos-Birds

An unincorporated town, an inlet and a beautiful bay…..

January 1, 2013 Sheila Leave a comment

A fun place to walk around, eat lunch and take photos! Port Salerno, Florida!

Port Salerno, Florida is an unincorporated town located in Martin County, Florida. Presently, it is a functioning fishing village with lots of activity – boats coming in to port with their catch-of-the-day and going back out with hopes of more and tourists looking for a fun time and some good food.

A Little History of Port Salerno….In the 1920s a small settlement was created on the southern shores of the St. Lucie River Inlet. It was named “Salerno” because the main settlers were emigrants from the Italian city of Salerno.

The area increased in population and importance after World War II, with many snowbirds from the northeast moving south to live in warm Florida. In 1960 the name was changed to Port Salerno, in order to differentiate it from that of the Italian city of Salerno.

The St Lucie River Inlet is a very dynamic and ever-changing entrance to what some people call the “crossroads of the Intracoastal Waterway.” Just inside the inlet, the Indian River, Saint Lucie River, Okeechobee Waterway and the Intracoastal Waterway meet.

Manatee Pocket is a gorgeous bay about a mile from the main Intracoastal Waterway channel located within the St Lucie River Inlet. The bay is easily accessible for boats, which makes it a very popular stopping off point.

The Manatee Pocket bay area within Port Salerno hosts several marinas, fabulous restaurants and an array of other businesses such as galleries, resorts and even ship builders.

We love going to Manatee Pocket either by car or boat. Howard’s brother has a boat and we are sometimes lucky enough to be treated to a ride and lunch! It is always fun to dock the boat at a restaurant, hop off and eat lunch.

I can spend a lot of time in this area watching the boats and the birds. The ambiance of this unique area is funky, playful, intriguing, and serious all rolled into one.