Our Most Exciting Bird Viewing Day Ever

I almost had a heart attack this afternoon when I saw this gorgeous Baltimore oriole perched on our hummingbird feeder.  I slowly felt my way to my camera and started shooting pictures.  He was only a couple of feet from the sliding glass door that I was standing near.



I was SO VERY, VERY excited.  I kept taking picture after picture after picture, for fear I might never see him again.

I was tickled and surprised to see him helping himself to the sugar water we'd put out for hummingbirds.  I called Jared right away to tell him.  He told me he had read or heard that Baltimore orioles are known to like sugar water.  In fact, he said that orange colored sugar water feeders are available with larger perches and larger beak openings especially for Baltimore orioles.    

I was pleased that his next stop was at our oriole feeder for some grape jelly and oranges.  With their appetite for sweets, thank God orioles don't have to worry about tooth decay!

I watched when he flew up in our pin oak tree.  Guess what?  I saw there were two more orioles on a branch near where he alit. My adrenalin was really flowing by then.  I called Lon and filled him in on my afternoon.  Normally, I work on Thursday afternoons so I was fortunate to be home.   

 

I'd barely told Lon about the orioles when I had to cut the call short so I could pick up my camera again.  Our first hummingbird sighting was yesterday but I hadn't taken a picture and what do you know; here he was again.

I wonder if he'd seen the oriole drinking from what we'd previously considered to be exclusively a hummingbird feeder.  If he had, he seemed quite unaffected. 

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, another new comer flew  in.  By now, Lon was home from work.  He looked in our bird book and identified this newbie as a rose-breasted grosbeak.  I like birds that are easy to identify and that red bib really stands out.   

 

Sporting the same colors, this woodpecker came to join in the festivities this evening.  He's a familiar sight around here.  I've seen him regularly for quite a while.

Close to a dozen gold finches fluttered between the seed feeders all afternoon.  We've been enjoying them for several weeks.



Even the rain showers didn't chase them away.

I'd love to have a pair of shoes in that "look at me" color.

Sorry, but I'm rather taken by the Baltimore orioles.  I bet I took at least thirty pictures of them today.

As bright as the orange appears in these photos, the color is even more beautiful seen with the naked eye.

The way this grosbeak is eyeing me, I think if he'd had a camera, he'd have taken my picture.

We saw robins, cardinals, sparrows, starlings and house finches coming and going as well today. 

What a grand day this was, right in our own backyard.

(For more birds, go to my previous blog posts).

A Blue Jay, Gold Finch and Hummingbird

Yesterday morning (Wednesday), I looked for the Baltimore orioles that we saw Tuesday morning.  I saw neither hide nor feather of them, but I was pleased to see this Blue Jay on the ground under one of our feeders.  Blue Jays aren't regular visitors to our yard so it was a treat.

I marvel at the beautiful shades of blue on its feathers.  The black markings on the wings and tail also accentuate this rather large bird.  As I mentioned yesterday, the brighter the bird, the more I like it.

I wish I looked this good from the rear.

He was completely satisfied to hunt through the seeds that had fallen from the feeder above.

He flew up in a tree and then flew back down to the grass this time. 

Today, Thursday, this gold finch and several of his siblings didn't seem to mind the warm rain.



 

This chickadee opted to stay dry under the overhang on our screen porch.

Unfortunately, the only things I saw on our Baltimore oriole feeder were raindrops dripping off the roof.

 

I almost forgot to mention that yesterday evening we saw a ruby-throated hummingbird come to one of our sugar water feeders.  That was our first hummingbird sighting this year.  I didn't have my camera in hand so I have no photo to show. 

It's been a good week for bird watching in our backyard.  For weeks, we've been looking forward to sighting Baltimore orioles and hummingbirds.  We saw both and a blue jay to boot. 

(For more bird photos, see my previous and following blog posts).   

Baltimore Orioles Sighted in Our Backyard

We saw two Baltimore orioles at this feeder this morning.  We were thrilled.  I took this picture of our new feeder a few weeks ago.  Since then, we filled the two cups that fit into the base with grape jelly and placed fresh oranges.

I got a good picture of one of the orioles before I left for work today.  This afternoon, I downloaded the photo from my camera to my computer.  Just now, I tried to upload the picture to this blog post, but I can't find it anywhere in my picture archives.   It's no longer in my camera's memory either.

Hopefully, we'll see the Baltimore orioles again, soon.  We'll be looking for them at 7:15 AM tomorrow morning, for sure.  That's when we noticed them today.

They were a bright, beautiful orange and black.  My favorite birds are colorful.  I love the vibrant red of cardinals and bright yellow of gold finches.

If anyone has seen my photo, please let me know!!   

(Please go to my next two blog posts for more bird info and awesome pictures of Baltimore orioles).

Shoes or Tattoos?

Remember these?

 

Well, they've got company.

Three is a crowd.

Four pair is getting ridiculous.

Five is, well, I think it's a sign than I should stop buying shoes.

My young coworker and friend, Angela, is sporting a new tattoo.  She suggested I get one that says "Young At Heart."  I'm not against a very, very small tattoo in an inconspicuous place, but for now, I'm sporting bright and colorful shoes to express my youthful spirit.

Perhaps when I turn 70, I'll get the tattoo!!   

Let's Make A Deal

We have tiny hooks between our kitchen and family room.  We like to hang seasonal doodads from them.  I found these cute metal, painted characters at a craft shop. 

This one's a grasshopper.

On the next hook hangs this multi-colored fish.

I call this one a frog.

On account of the beak, I suspect this is a bird.

Lastly, a parrot.



Hanging from springs, here's the lineup.

I thought Lon would love my animated pets.  He was speechless when I drew his attention to them.  So we made a deal. 

I found five of these lanterns at Menards.  They had red ones but we hang red ornaments during the winter months so we opted for the black.

I must admit they present a more dignified look, but I love my colorful pets.

We made a deal.  During spring and summer, each month we'll switch between my no-maintenance pets and Lon's preference, the lanterns.  I've marked the calendar so we won't forget.

Don't you just love a good deal!!?? 

How Sweet It Is!

How sweet it is!   

After 21 years, my boss did it again.

The Harry Potter Book Series

I'll be finishing book 5 in the Harry Potter series this evening. Picking up Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and reading its 870 pages is a challenge. On top of that, handling it is an upper body workout challenge.

I may not continue on with the sixth and seventh books, for fear that I might blow a gasket in my 64 year old brain.  Keeping track of all the characters is mind-boggling.  To mention a few:  Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Mrs. Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Sirius, Mad-Eye Alastor Moody, Albus Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort, Fred Weasley, George, Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Percy Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, James Potter, Lily Potter, Madam Bones, Lupin, Fudge, Lucius Malfoy, Kreacher, , Bill Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Tonks, Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang, Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, Hagrid, Draco Malfoy, Nearly Headless Nick, Parvati Patil, Professor Grubbly-Plank, Professor Sprout, Professor Umbridge, Professor McGonagall, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Cedric Diggory, Professor Binns, Professor Snape, Professor Trelawney, Lavender Brown, Lee Jordan, Angelina, Professor Flitwick, Ernie Macmillan, Zacharias Smith, Katie Bell, Dobby, Colin Creevey, Buckbeak, Argus Filch, Fawkes, Mrs. Norris, Peeves, Montague, Firenze, Grawp, Madam Pomfrey and so on, and so on and...

Can anyone tell me if it will be worth my while to finish the series?