Did I mention we have new wildlife in our backyard ... at least it's the first time I saw this guy!

No, seriously, on Sunday we had a Coyote padding around the edges of our yard and fields most of the morning.
He looked more like this:

He came and went using the same path as the bears ... we are going to rename the paths with highway names, or perhaps "Interyard 127"

Posted by sunybank at 04:58 AM

While spending a few minutes (such as these) on my computer, catching up on Facebook, e-mails, my Grace Blog and here before work yesterday, I was about to get up and let the dogs out one more time when I got a timely phone call from my very nice neighbor informing me of what was going on in my backyard:

Needless to say, we didn't let the dogs out!

Posted by sunybank at 12:57 PM

Well... if you're a bird geek that is ...
If this tag applies to you PLEASE go check out Bird Post!

The union of satelite location sites and birding sites.
You can plot on a satelite map WHERE you spotted a bird, and see where others have sighted the same species.
You can also keep your personal life list, date time and location sighted, with pictures and personal comments.
I've started mine, but it will take forever to get my entire life list on the site, my free time being what it is lately.
Perhaps in the winter months when I'm more apt to want to stay indoors.

Posted by sunybank at 12:02 PM

First off, I am obliged to say that it was not my idea to grab the camera ... that was birding dad's suggestion after I called him out on the deck tonight to see this Hummingbird hawk moth sampling our flowers.

(click for a closer look)
I have to admit ... the night-time photo is striking!

Posted by sunybank at 03:11 AM

It's not often you catch a glimpse of a bird that you have never seen before ... although I would venture that there are those who actually don't keep track, who don't even HAVE a life list ... but I digress ...
Where I was going was ... what are the chances that you are sitting in your kitchen finishing a gourmet weeknight dinner of KFC and there! ... on your DECK ... coming RIGHT UP TO THE WINDOW ... is a bird that you KNOW you have never seen before, and you are not even sure you know what it is!?
Small, crisp, streaked, short tail ... bobbing like a stumpy little Killdeer ... long pink legs and a white eye stripe. Something about the shape kept saying "Ovenbird" to me, and I can't even remember ever seeing an Ovenbird ... at least not since I was maybe 12 on a hike in Linwood.

And no, this is not my photo ... did any of us think to grab the camera? no, I was too busy saying things like "Pink Legs" ... "White Eye Stripe" ... "Bobbing tail" so that I would remember these when he flew away.
All three of us were right up at the window, birding dad had the scope and I went for the Peterson's. Then quickly from the Peterson's to the Smithsonian searching for a discription of that tail bobbing that would confirm it for me.
and the final verdict is I AM NOT SURE!
We saw either a Louisiana Waterthrush, or a Northern Waterthrush. But I think I'm leaning Northern, although he was not as Yellow as Peterson's portrays it...
still want more? ...

the Cornell U website confused me even more with these two photos:

Northern

Louisiana

One website I found says that early ornithologists believed there were THREE Waterthrush species ... and their ranges do crossover ...

Posted by sunybank at 03:32 AM

Had to do a little research on this one.
Birding Dad has three times now hear this bird call.
Happens only after dusk or before sunrise, close to the house and repeats every 5 or 10 seconds.
Twice now he has approached the "sound" and once caught a glimpse of the bird which at first he thought looked like a small rabbit on the ground (remember please it was after dusk). When he got close (almost too close) he flushed the bird which flew with a whistling bristle of wings, off to the lower yard and pond area.
This morning he was out there again, and having a little time we did the research ... American Woodcock! A first for our property that we know of.

They are seldom seen, as they are nocturnal, very camoflaged and close to the ground.

Posted by sunybank at 12:46 PM

And then ... we went for a walk.

Posted by sunybank at 11:08 PM

Willa and I were walking today and on the way back through the yard I came upon THIS
HUGE caterpillar ...
who at first glance might have been a Wooly Bear Caterpillar except for his size and the lack of an orange band. He was easily 3 - 3 1/2 inches long. When I picked him up he curled into a ball and I saw the red/orange stripes on his skin.
Sadly I am without a caterpillar/butterfly field guide (but hey, my bithday is coming who knows?)so of course I went to the internet.
E-nature had nothing that looked like this except the wooly bear, so I had some searching to do.
He is a Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar ... and I can truely say I have never seen this moth on our property or anywhere else, but now I will be looking!
The best write-up I found was on the Hilton Pond site ... and the embedded photo is borrowed from this site. Go take a look.

Posted by sunybank at 09:08 PM

Finally a meme for us birders (or Bird Geeks as some might say)
I won't bore you with it if you are not into wild birds, but if you are ... read on!

1. What is the coolest bird you have seen from your home?
Birding dad would tell you that it's the Indigo Bunting we had last year, but for me, the morning I saw the Bald Eagle soaring over our property is the high point of birding from my deck! He circled once, so I was able to get the binoculars on him and watched breathless for several minutes.

2. If you compose lists of bird species seen, what is your favorite list and why?
Aside from my life list, the only list I have is from Shenendoah National Park where we vacationed for several years in a row. Now THERE was a list - I saw my first ever Yellow-Billed Cuccoo there!

3. What sparked your interest in birds?
When I was little, we lived in a city, my parents took us to weekend camps and family camps, as well as a yearly vacation at H Lakes. Friends of my parents, would take us on birding/nature hikes, and Bill M. was inspiring an interest in my parents about birding. He took us under his "wing" (pardon the pun), and we had our first binoculars by age 6. I remember that in Fourth Grade, I was the only one in my class who could name all the birds on the flash cards when the science teacher came to our classroom.

4. If you could only bird in one place for the rest of your life where would it be and why?
My backyard. We have 12 acres, woods, fields, pond, stream and overgrown meadows not to mention our birdfeeders. We are actually a NWF Certified Backyard Habitat so where else would I need to go? I am so blessed with this property I just wish I had more time (less work) to sit and enjoy! That said ... it's always fun to go to other regions and see birds that are not native to our area.

5. Do you have a jinx bird? What is it and why is it jinxed?
Well, I don't have one per say...but remember that Bald Eagle from number one? No one was home ... I had the binoculars in one hand and the phone in the other ... could not reach Birding dad on his cell, could not reach cool birding stepdaughter, finally called my Dad who thought by the excitement in my voice that some near tragedy had occured. Since then I have had two other Bald Eagle sightings, both when I was alone in my car. Never when I am with anyone.

6. Who is your favorite birder? and why?
My stepdaughter, of course ... because she has far surpassed me in her birding knowledge (and I like to think I had something to do with her interest in birds), therefore SHE is the person I call when I need help with identification (especially raptors). But, my favorite birding partner, is of course my husband because we get such a kick out of seeing new birds together.

7. Do you tell non-birders you are a birder?
If people ask me about my interests, yes, of course I do. My daughter is very interested in the birds, and at 14 she is not ashamed to enlighten her friends on the name of a bird when they see one.

Thanks to Birding Step-Daughter over at Blue From Hollow for this meme and a kudos to Wandering Tattler where she got it. Now it's YOUR turn!

Posted by sunybank at 02:55 AM

Yesterday birding girl found this caterpillar feeding on my tomato plants in the planters on my deck (because if I tried to have a garden at ground level the groundhogs, rabbits and deer would take over).

I have determined to identify him as a tomato hornworm, although at first we thought a Wild Cherry Sphinx Moth larvae and I am not completely convinced yet that it is not. But the real question was the affliction! What's that white stuff you ask? Well, we looked that up too and they are cucoons of the Braconid Wasp.
Unfortunately for this little fellow, everything I read says that he will die. He will never reach the moth stage. Good I suppose if you're a farmer. Indeed many farmers buy quantities of the wasp to control the population of Tomato or Tobacco Hornworms. Me? With six tomato plants it's just as easy to pick them off. Birding girl wants to destroy all the larvae before they become wasps. I would like to try and save this little guys life ... however silly the "real" farmers out there think this is.
The photo in the exteded entry shows the "hook" a little better.

Posted by sunybank at 03:56 PM

How did I manage a day off and it's not even Saturday?
Had coffee out on the deck this morning with my husband while watching the tree swallows overhead and a frantic female merganser circling the stream for a place to touch down. She seemed in a hurry, quite indecisive and always at the last minute second-guessing her choice of a landing spot only to pull up and try again - lest she not get it quite right. All the time she seemed in a great rush to accomplish this feat. She reminded me of myself - if I were at work today, which I am not, and for that I am thankful to leave all of that behind.

Birding Girl and her friend are sleeping in of course, and then we will go shopping for shoes for next weeks Eight-Grade Formal. Lets pray for her to be Decisive, and we won't have to spend the entire day at the mall!

Posted by sunybank at 02:23 PM

The newest addition to our family, albeit temporary - adopted us ... we did not adopt him.

Chased off the porch one earlier today, he came back, and refused to be daunted.
This baby mouse does not know enough to have fear of us, and neither did he seem to be able to defend himself. And he is SO TINY!
When he climbed into Birding Dad's hand and fell asleep, we knew we could not leave him to be out in the night air all alone, so ........
needless to say, Birding Girl is squealing with the delight of having a new "pet", and makes the baby animal sound (you know the one that goes "AAWWWWWWwwwwww" when he eats, or drinks, or burrows back under the towel pieces whe put in the cage with him.

Posted by sunybank at 02:49 AM | TrackBack

This morning on the stream there were a pair of Common Mergansers.

Of all things they appeared to be checking out the Wood Duck house, which would be fine with us as Wood Ducks have NEVER nested in it in the four years it's been there.
I'm just not sure if the hole is big enough for this large duck. I know they will nest in a tree hollow ... one can only hope.
The female stood on the house for quite a while, as the male checked out the stream below.
We watched through the binoculars and the spotting scope while eating breakfast and listening to the Flicker hammer on the top of our chimmney with a melodic - metalic drilling sound (what he wants there I'll never know).

photo courtesy of e-nature.com

....since you asked;~)

Posted by sunybank at 02:22 PM

Stopped over at Blue Frog Hollow, and she was going on ... and on ... about her bird sightings (her last two posts!)and I remembered with a sudden GASP! that I forgot to tell you about the visitor to our backyard last week!
Not a new bird for me, but definitely a new life lister for my daughter!
Imagine seeing for the first time, through the spotting scope ... a Kestrel!

He inspected all corners of the property, tried out numerous perches, hit the ground several times ... although seemingly in vain. But for over an hour he afforded us many opportunities to bring him up in the scope and get great views from all angles. .. no, if you're asking, I didn't get a picture because he didn't get THAT close, and when I did try to sneak out on the deck with the camera ... he found the tallest tree and just watched until I went back in.

Posted by sunybank at 07:30 AM

During the winter months I am never envious of Birding Dad as he works outdoors surveying in all sorts of harsh winter weather.
However, in the spring, when I feel cooped up inside my office (with a window overlooking the mall of all things), he gets to be out and see things like this!

Posted by sunybank at 01:25 PM

We do, and LOTS of it!

Posted by sunybank at 12:17 AM

Today's sighting?
Not a bird of any sort ... well, then again there was a plethora of birds at our feeder this morning taking advantage of the easy meal given the four inches of new snow that fell overnight ... but the really exciting sighting of the day was a mink!

We've seen mink before, but certainly not often. In fact the last one we saw was cavorting over the ice on the frozen pond last winter, slipping in and out of holes in the ice and hunting along the frozen bank.
Today I caught sight of him from my bedroom window. He was this side of the stream, standing up like the photo (no, I didn't take this photo) and at first I was not sure of what type of mammal he was, squirrel??? cat?? then he ran and the gait was unmistakable. Half an hour later Birding Dad saw him running along the far side of the stream. We watched him run the entire length of the property, up and down the stream bank.
I love the snow especially for that reason. I'm sure he is around more often, but as he is so dark in color, and relatively small, we can't spot him against the dark undergrowth and the stream bank.

Often in the summer months we see the prints in the mud, but my favorite "hunting" is to look for tracks in the snow.
After a light snowfall there are so many clues to look for as to who has been sneaking around the woods or stream bank.

Posted by sunybank at 05:38 AM

Ooooh ooooh ... I got in!
Did you check out the "I and the Bird" web site? Remember I asked you to do so yesterday?


Well, I made it in to the IATB Web Carnival for this week, so go check it out over at this weeks host Earth, Wind and Water.
Who has a virtual multiplex theater full of birding web sites.
My blog is showing on Screen #17, but don't stop there, there are lots of great web sites featured in "IATB at the Movies"

Thanks guys for getting me into this weeks edition!!

Posted by sunybank at 07:41 AM

In the winter, when there is snow covering the ground, the trees are bare, the stream is frozen and nothing looks alive, we have our birds.

This morning at the feeder there is a crowd of Mourning Doves who flew in from somewhere over the pond. They gather and cluck like the quiet county cousins of NYC pigeons, and if startled, will take off in a flurry as a group, some landing on the roof, others in the trees over the pond. They are joined on the ground by the Slate-Colored Juncos who hide somewhere all year until the snow, then they flee from the woods to the open field. They will hop around under the feeder to glean the seeds tossed off by the more agressive feeder birds.
Our Red-Bellied Woodpecker is at the suet feeder adding a splash of color and some acrobatic display as he hangs on and works at the suet.
Today we have a White-Throated Sparrow, I don't see him every day, but his is distinctive by both his size and his bright white patch under his throat, but when you look closely, you see that yellow spot by his eye that makes him stand out adding some Spring-like yellow to my stark winter landscape. More color is added with the Northern Cardinals of course, who have a habit of flying off into the apple tree which makes a classic "photo op" or perhaps next years Christmas Card ... red Cardinal - snow-covered tree.
Shall I go on ... there are at least five other species of birds out there now as I write this ... maybe tomorrow I'll show them to you. As for today, I am thankful that in the winter there is SO MUCH life and color outside my window - I could watch for hours! You are missing out on something indeed, if you do not have a bird feeder within sight of your window.

So do you have a feeder?
Who are your common (or uncommon) visitors this time of year?

Posted by sunybank at 12:56 PM

In the form of this brand new addition:

You have to look closely - he's there under mom - ( hint - he's the one with the spots)

This is the TRUTH as to why I was late for work yesterday morning. I mean - you can't walk away from this scene outside your window! - Well, I can't.
Just take a closer look -

Sorry the pictures aren't better - but I just quietly slid open the window in the spare room, and she knew I was there. I zoomed in as much as possible, but it was of course more important not to disturb this delicate miracle.

Just to watch her clean him up, and nudge him up onto those "wobbly" legs. Almost immediately he began to nurse - and simultaneoulsy that bright white tail of his was wagging furiously!!!
Afterwards, she walked him over behind the pond, and disappeared into one of the huge wild rose bushes where I'm sure she hid him securely.
We'll watch now - may be a few days before she brings him back into the open.
Stay tuned!
We were trying to choose a name for him last night - any ideas???

Posted by sunybank at 04:33 PM

My stepdaughter has been writing in her blog about the excitement of spring revealing itself all around her home.
Me? Ranting about work and emotions gone amuk!
So, I'll take the cue, and clue you in on what's been up around here.
For the past two years, I have put a birdhouse that my daughter painted in school, on our front porch for decoration. It's quite small ... with only a wren-sized opening at best ...
Well, can you guess?
Carolina Wrens have decided to build their home in it this spring. We just discovered the activity this past weekend, and birding dad was quick to secure it to the rail, as it has had a tendency to blow off in severe wind conditions (eeeekkk!)
We will all listen and watch carefully for the hatch - Thanks Birding Girl for making me (and the wren family) that adorable colorful home!
The moral of this story is:

Don't ever discard those school projects, they may serve a need some day!

Posted by sunybank at 11:57 AM

I read this on one of my favorite blogs today - and it really spoke to me, and about me. I am exhilarated by the morning - the sounds, the birds, the awakening of day - just as I am by that first scent of Spring in the air .... and yes ... Saturday afternoon our yard was graced by not one but 6 transient bluebirds! I may be a bit of a bird geek, but I can't tell you how exciting it was to see them!

Saturday, February 25, 2006 Thoreau's Journal: 25-Feb-1859 Measure your health by your sympathy with morning and spring. If there is no response in you to the awakening of nature,—if the prospect of an early morning walk does not banish sleep, if the warble of the first bluebird does not thrill you,—know that the morning and the spring of your life are past. Thus may you feel your pulse.

posted by Greg at 12:08 PM

The blog is courtesy of Greg - the Quote is Henry David Thoreau.
Check out Thoreau's Blog!

Posted by sunybank at 01:20 PM

Did you know that Ground Hogs climb trees?
Yup, they do, and we watch them climb our apple tree in the back yard this time of year, for the apples, of course.
What you may NOT know, is that they actually do not fly ... but they do become airborne if threatened by us opening the door to let the dog out.
They panic, and simply LET GO of whatever branch they are clumsily clinging to ... and THWOP themselve onto the ground, quickly recovering to scramble to their nearest hole.
I'll try to get a picture for you, as it happens so fast, this may be difficult.
There is just never a dull view from our window!

Posted by sunybank at 08:00 AM | TrackBack

Birds to see ...
I found this interesting (if you're a birdwatcher) article via Pixie's Birdwatcher's Notebook. She then proceded to post her Top 10 most-want-to see birds, and ask everyone to post theirs on her message board.
I'll go one step further and post mine here.

1. Painted Bunting (have wanted to see this ever since I read my first Peterson's Guide at age 9)
2. Ivory-Billed Wodpecker (What birder doesn't?)
3. Frigate Bird (again, since I was a child, and my parent's had a "Birds of the World" encyclopedia)
4. Golden Eagle (Now that I've seen a Bald Eagle)
5. California Condor (only seen in zoos)
6. Snow Goose (a flock, I want to see a large flock overhead)
7. Whooping Crane (My Uncle saw these out in Texas once ... always fascinated me)
8. Pileated Woodpecker (again ~ there is one on our property, he just chooses to be elusive)
9. Snowy Owl (Even before there was a "Hedwig")
10. Perrigrine Falcon (Saw them with my sister and brother-in-law one spring at Shenendoah National Park)
Oh, and by the way, If I get a #11, I doso want to see that little Saw Whet Owl.

Posted by sunybank at 07:43 AM | TrackBack

Another wonderful discovery - sort of revives your hope in the world.
Wildflower thought to be Extinct - Found on in Claifornia

Posted by sunybank at 10:45 AM | TrackBack

The hummers are back!
Put the hummingbird feeder up on Sunday ... today we had our first visitor.

Posted by sunybank at 01:06 PM | TrackBack

If feels like, looks like and smells like spring.
I love that early morning outdoors smell in the spring
(I DO NOT LOVE the TREE POLLEN that goes along with it).
We have bluebirds, wood ducks, tree swallows, BRIGHT yellow goldfinches and my Phoebe is back! This weekend we had swarms of Chimney Swifts over the back yard - they are gone now, leaving only a few tree and barn swallows to handle the spring swarms of insects in the air.
Last evening Birding Dad took me on a long quiet golf-cart ride around the property. We haven't done that since last summer and it was perhaps the defining moment of my Spring awareness.
I am blessed, I love my yard (I do not love all the work that is yet to be done) and our wildlife (I do not love the numerous groundhog holes).
I invite you all to come visit ... any spring/summer evening ... to listen to the peepers, watch the deer and maybe a glass of wine on the deck.
This could be the entire reason we kill ourselves work, to support our "habit" of loving this place!
You can visit the "our backyard" album on the sidebar for some pictures from seasons past.

Posted by sunybank at 01:13 PM | TrackBack

Had a new bird visit our feeder this morning:

This hen turkey has been hanging around our yard for about 2 weeks, today is the first time we caught her at the feeder. Yesterday I saw the Tom follow her into the brush ... hmmm... nesting?

Posted by sunybank at 07:39 AM | TrackBack

OK folks, now it gets REALLY geeky ...
Today birding dad and I saw a bird we have never seen ... and right in our own backyard!
An American Bittern!
My Smithsonian Handbook to Birds of North America, Eastern Region" says "When it senses danger, the American Bittern hides by standing motionless with it's bill pointed upwards and it's body tightly contracted. Thus it can be mistaken for a wooden stake in the marshes, - - - - and wetland ponds it inhabits."
Just in case you don't believe them ... we got some photos!
Go see!

In both photos he is in the very center. OK, if you can't see him, look HERE!

**Simply Amazing, she sighs as she trots off to update her "life list"**

Posted by sunybank at 11:57 AM | TrackBack

Found THIS at the Nature Conservancy.

More great articles on the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.

Posted by sunybank at 04:46 PM | TrackBack

OK, so call me a geek, I don't care ...
For those of us who grew up trying to imagine ever seeing the Ivory Billed Woodpecker that we only could see on page 189 of Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to Easter Birds ~~ where it is listed as "very close to extinction, if, indeed it still exists" (in my 1980 copyright edition).
Today's news is VERY EXCITING!
There have been no confirmed sightings of this bird since the 50's. Imagine if there are other species thought to be extinct that are still out there somewhere in the untouched secluded forests of this earth!
Please go here and click the link to listen to the story.

I am going to order this book tonight ... I have wanted to read it for a few years.
If you have ever seen a Pileated Woodpecker in the wild, you know how striking that can be. Imagine a bird larger than this! Imagine SEEING a bird thought to be extinct!
Now we just have to hope and pray that there are several nesting pairs somewhere in those woods, and that all the media attention will not sabotoge their brave efforts at survival!

Posted by sunybank at 07:02 AM | TrackBack

They have been hanging out at the creek all weekend

... a pair of wood ducks.

For three years they come in the early spring to scout out a nesting site. Last year we were ready and hung a wood duck house before the spring. They came ... they checked it out ... they checked out various holes in various trees ... they left.
Now they are back. We spotted them last Thursday, and Friday ... and Saturday ~ the day the rains came!

Wood duck houses are to be mounted on trees, over water. (when the ducklings are old enough, they get "pushed" out of the nest - land in the water and start swimming!) The house should be mounted five feet above the water level. Done.
Problem is that early Sunday morning, after Saturdays monsoons ... the wood duck house was IN the creek!! That's right, the water level had risen five and a half feet above normal!
By this morning the water has receeded a few feet, but I am sure the inside of the house (filled with wood shavings) is a mess! - So, as fortune would have it, guess who comes to inspect the house today?

That's right! After inspecting the house from the roof, and the surrounding tree branches, Momma dropped down into the creek and flew up and into the house ... but then ... they left (probably thinking we are rotten housekeepers, as well as not knowing the proper height to mount their house).
Birding dad is not sure if he should go down and try to clean it out, in hopes that they take a second look, after the water receeds some more.

Posted by sunybank at 08:03 AM | TrackBack

Have you checked out Thoreau's Blog? Yeah, THAT Thoreau.
Today's entry is an excerpt from his journal that I felt deep in my soul, and in my lungs ... as I went immediately outside to breathe the (very tiny) hint of Spring in the air.

Posted by sunybank at 12:24 PM

In case you missed the news - Score one for Pale Male and Lola!

WITH YOUR HELP, AUDUBON WINS VICTORY FOR FAMED HAWK
As a follow up to my entry the other day ... sometimes you actually DO win in this world!

WITH YOUR HELP, AUDUBON WINS VICTORY FOR FAMED HAWK

Great news! Audubon Society negotiators and the Co-op Board of a posh Manhattan building reached an agreement that will allow Pale Male and his mate Lola to rebuild their nest! Within days, a network of steel spikes that previously held Pale Male’s nest in place, and will hold his new nest in place, should return to the hawks' 12th-floor home, just in time for mating season.

Many thanks for your inspiring commitment to help Pale Male by signing our petition. Your signature, and that of thousands upon thousands of other concerned citizens will help ensure Pale Male is going home for the holidays! As this is not the only or last fight we’ll see on issues that impact bird like Pale Male across the nation, we hope we can count on you to participate in future efforts to protect America’s special birds, as your involvement is truly effective! Just as our fight to save Pale Male’s nest proves, your help makes a world of difference! For more information, visit our website at: http://www.capitolconnect.com/audubon/

For more on this story visit NY Times On-line
Now let's hope it's not too late, and they actually do return to rebuild!

Posted by sunybank at 05:33 PM

OK, you may all think I am nuts ... but today we started Project Feeder Watch.
We are excited to be a part of it this year. So far today in our first watch we have seen
* 2 Eastern Bluebirds (a suprise for this time of year, they are "just passing through")
* 2 American Goldfinches
* 1 White-breasted Nuthatch
* 3 House Sparrows
* 3 Slate-colored (or Dark-Eyed) Juncos
* 1 Downy Woodpecker
* 1 Song Sparrow
* 1 White-throated Sparrow
It's fun to be part of this project!
Thanks to Bluefrog Hollow - who got me started....and to Backyard Birding who reminded me it was time!
***NOTE ~ another nature sighting later today!

Birding Dad was on the roof hanging the christmas lights when he saw two deer, being chased by a coyote run down our driveway - past the house - disappear into the woods - crash across the stream and re-appear (still running full-out) in the upper field!
He called to Birding Girl and I, but we were not quick enough to see. This is the first coyote we have actually seen on our property ... birding girl is still praying for the safety of the deer.

Posted by sunybank at 02:09 PM

Last night, while driving home from work (quite late as usual) ... I had a close encounter with (no I'm not telling, you have to click on the link to find out)
He crossed the road, and I slowed down, he came towards me on the opposite side of the road watching my car. I stopped and he came (with all the natural curiosity of the species) almost up to my window --- then another car was coming up behind me and I had to move on.
Wow!
Not the first one I have seen in this area - but the closest I've been yet!

Posted by sunybank at 08:31 AM

First frost of the season ... first frost ever for the pup ... she asked to go out about 12 times, just to stick her nose in the frozen grass and rub her chin in it.
I love the fall, I don't mind a little frost in the morning, what I do mind is ...

NO HEAT IN MY DAMN CAR!
I drove home last night from work (my Tuesday night midnight run) with NO HEAT + ONE HOUR = COLD FINGERS AND TOES!
Birding Dad checked it out when I got home, apparently it is a relapse of a problem I had last year, and it will need to go in for service.
So today my generous, loving husband drove that car, and I have his. Mmmm ... lots of heat this morning. Now if his tape player only worked, I could find out what's happening in my current Book-On-Tape (some people are never happy, ya know?)

Posted by sunybank at 10:07 AM

My very favorite time of year!

The scents, the colors, the food,
the crisp air, getting out the sweaters ...
What do you love about the fall?

Posted by sunybank at 08:04 AM

Some people associate this Nat King Cole song with Christmas.
For us, it's autumn.
The chestnuts hulls are splitting and falling off the trees on the side of the house. While we painted porch railings today, birding girl took a basket and collected chestnuts.
You have to be quick, because come dusk, the deer will get all that have dropped during the day. You also have to wear gloves, because the hulls are painfully covered with sharp spines! So, she wore her gardening gloves and picked about two pounds of chestnuts. So what are we doing now? You guessed it! Roasting chestnuts ! Not exactly on an open fire, more like in the oven, but the result is the same, and the smell while they are roasting is wonderful. If you live in the northeast, it is the smell of New York City sidewalks in the winter.

Now please excuse me while I get out the skillet and the butter for the next step in the process. You guys don't know what you're missing!
What's your favorite seasonal treat in the fall?

Posted by sunybank at 07:45 PM

I have a pet peeve ... it's mice.
Not just mice but mice in my kitchen!
I am not afraid of mice, I just want them to keep to their place, not mine.
Now, we live in the country, and in the country there are Peromyscus Leucopus (mice). This I know. I also know that there may be mice in the garage, and mice in the basement, but when the mice are in my kitchen ... then I have a problem. Oh, wait, I shouldn't have a problem, I have a cat! But alas, I have an old cat. While he is normally an effective mouser, he's not too good in the tight spots and this mouse is into tight spots. Spots like behind the toaster oven, behind the canisters ... Morning after morning I see "evidence" of him on my kitchen counter, my stove and my sink. OK, THIS IS WAR MISTER!

There are easy solutions are available, right? Well, you don't know us that well if you think we're setting the traditional mouse trap that snaps his little back and kill him dead. We are animal lovers ~ bar none. All of us, but mostly birding dad. No creatures die in this house, no creatures are left wounded on roadways, every creature that wanders through our yard (and there are many) gets a name and a persona.
Last week I left a bowl of cherries on the counter, and in the morning I found a well-cleaned cherry pit surrounded by mouse droppings. Birding girls response to that was "Awwwww" Then after I said the mouse would be leaving us shortly she quickly created this sign.
Now, they do make mouse have-a-heart traps (the kind that don't kill), but they also don't work very well. Morning after morning I say, "honey, (as I wipe up mouse droppings) please do something about this mouse!"
The reply is usually "Do what? Kill it?"
So this past Sunday he comes upstairs after spending an hour in the basement and declares that he has a present for me! It's this ... a better mousetrap! He spent the evening spreading Peanut Butter (Skippy, creamy) on a Ritz (the cracker of choice for the discerning mouse), secures a thread through the cracker with a sewing needle, ties the thread to the tooth pick holding up the box (which, by-the-way has air holes drilled in the top so the little thief guy can breathe) and we go to bed.
In the morning I find this! So I go shake my sleeping husband and say "Oh, Great White Hunterrrrr ... you have a mousssssse! Please get up and do whatever you are going to do with him." Then I take the dog out for her walk.
I come back in to find the cat on the counter trying to open the box! "No!" "Scat!" (no, I don't think I really did ever use the word "scat", it just sounds good here in the narrative). I retun to the bedroom and repeat the above paragraph, this time adding "before Birding Girl is so excited, she must get up and go (camera in hand) with her dad to release the thief mouse.
Alls well that ends well. Three days have gone by and no "evidence" of mice ... then again, it will probably take him 4 days to find his way back to my kitchen from WAY FAR ACROSS THE YARD!

Posted by sunybank at 08:26 AM

 

July 01, 2004

caught a glimpse

Caught a glimpse of the fawns this morning, about 6:00 am.
One doe with the twins and the other with a single fawn.
Like a day-care out for a morning walk.

I did capture some other photos with my SLR camera +telephoto.
I'll have them processed soon.

Posted by sunybank at 08:03 AM

 

June 12, 2004

Our New Arrival!

Hooray!
The crowning evert of the year has happened!
What we wait for every year!
We have a FAWN!
Just saw him for the first time 10 minutes ago. Best guess is that he was born yesterday. Too cute. Birding Girl made her best baby animal noise "AAwwwwww..."
I got a few pictures, but not with my digital camera ... and not too good as he's just "hopping" throught the high growth. But we all saw him, actually it was me ... a mouth full of Cooler Ranch Nachos - going "mmmm.." ugmph... and pointing out the window until I could finally say "Fawn!"

Momma deer, who birthed her fawn in our side yard last year, has been hanging around in the same spot for the past week.
Last yesterday we suspected ....
and this morning...
she was acting elusive, yet not leaving when we went into the yard.
That's our sign, because now she will "stash" her fawn in the thicket, and browse the back and side yard all day. There will never be a time that she is not peering at us from the woods, or the thicket somewhere. And now we'll watch and catch a glimspe of the little guy each morning and evening when she brings him out.
Watch for pictures!

Posted by sunybank at 06:02 PM

 

June 02, 2004

musings

Light gossamer threads
That caress my cheek and eyelash
Glistening in the early-morning sunlight
The lightest touch
Yet I know its there
I can not free myself from it's hold
Softly, gently clinging to my face
A diaphanous connection … to ...

Don't you just HATE it when you walk through a spider web?

Posted by sunybank at 07:25 AM

 

May 26, 2004

Under Attack

HELP!
They're back! These guys are out to get me! I truely believe they are trying to kill me. Every year they do this! And every year my allergies get worse
Now I love my yard, and I love the wildlife, and I love the spring ... I even love wildflowers ... but there are at least 50 75 of these wild rose or "Multiflora Rose" bushes on our property, so I think I have to find a new place to live for the next month.
.... ummmm... anyone got a room?

Posted by sunybank at 07:25 AM

 

May 24, 2004

Nature Sunday

Yesterday THIS GUY had a run in with some woodchucks, but it seems the woodchucks chased him away!
Then, an hour later we spotted the OLD LADY on her usual trek from the stream to the pond.

The snapping turtle is bigger than she was last year. Now I have to be sure the pup doesn't come upon her in the tall grass - that could be a disaster!

Posted by sunybank at 07:13 AM

 

May 08, 2004

More "Nature Notebook"

Again this morning Brandy and I shared our morning walk with the four whitetail deer that come through our yard twice a day.
I love that they see us, and don't run, rather just watch us and keep their distance. I love that Brandy sees them, but as does not bark, or chase. She just looks at me with that "what's that?" look, and watches.
I love the quiet of 6 am, the songs of the birds, the rhythmic rapping of the Pileated Woodpecker, walking past the bird house where Mr. House Sparrow sits, unmovable and chastising me loudly as I walk past (apparently too close).
This week found the return of our Indigo Bunting
He is at the feeder every evening now for the past four days. (Don't let Blue Frog Hollow try to tell you that she saw one first. She was three days behind me.

Posted by sunybank at 06:24 AM

 

March 21, 2004

Thanks for the show!

Had a family gathering yesterday for my husband's birthday.
Unfortunately one of his daughters, and one grandson could not make it due to the awful-awful stomach flu going around. ~missed them both~
But the day went well, and nature cooperated on this the vernal equinox.
The fox returned, trotting across the lower yard - and then back again - and then towards the house - leisurely enough for everyone to see him, even the kids.
Shortly after this, the deer came, 12 of them, and gathered at the bird feeders (could be the cracked corn) in the gathering twilight and my guests all stood at the windows watching the deer vie for position, jostling and prodding one another (the deer, not my family) for the prime places to feed. Of course, all this while I was trying to keep the dinner warm on the table ~ timing is everything. But it was quite entertaining ~ and we were glad that nature put on such a show for our guests.
We are truely blessed, and mostly with family.

Posted by sunybank at 07:00 PM

 

March 19, 2004

some redeeming qualities

I AM TIRED OF THE SNOW!
I am tired of figuring out what to do with someone when there is a delayed opening, or in today's case NO SCHOOL!
I work, my husband works, and she just wants to stay home and "veg"
All that said, the snow is quite beautiful today, hanging thick on all the trees, still falling softly... and as we took in the View from My Window this morning, this is what we saw:

Can't complain ~ just beautiful!

Posted by sunybank at 08:22 AM

 

March 11, 2004

spring

spring called to me today
called to me by name ...
was it in the sound of the wind
or the keee-yahhh of the Redtail
swooping over my head as I got out of the car?
was it the tree-top song of the Cardinal?
or the soft rushing of water?

She called to me ... and I went
down the yard,
feeling myself pulled across the field by the voices,
trodding on soft earth, on light feet,
~ almost at a run
to the stream, that spot long neglected these winter months

and it was there that I found her
no, not at first
she begged me search ~ inspect ~ seek
and there, at the waters edge
on the muddy bank
I found her
THERE! ~ HERE!
a shoot of yellow-green
another!
hundreds, as I search
all reaching their delicate heads out of the soft earth
they called "here we are"
she said "here I am"

and in the still-cool sunshine,
the soft breeze and rushing water
she temped me ~ "stay"
the sights yet to see,
the sounds, the scent of the woods,
"stay ~ explore ~ discover ... "
and I would,
though I can not.
for I am off to other demands,
responsibilities call me away
with a voice more demanding,
more insistent,
yet, not as soft,
not as kind,
and not nearly as seductive.

Oh yes, Spring called to me today
and I answered.
I've found her, will she wait for me again?

Posted by sunybank at 01:44 PM

 

February 07, 2004

If you feed them ...

... they will come.
Our night-time visitors are getting braver, or perhaps just really hungry with all this snow on the ground.

Posted by sunybank at 08:36 PM

 

January 28, 2004

Visitors

Don't you just LOVE snow?
Snowed all night and still snowing(7:00am). The deer have been busy through the night as you can see they visited our bird feeders early this morning;

Want to see more?

You can see across the back, behind the bluebird house(upper left), the usual deer trail (it's that one narrow line that arcs across the corner of the photo). They went through there last night before we went to bed, and that trail will get well-worn over the next few days. But this morining, it appears they were interested in the bird seed.

The snow-covered basin had some cracked corn in it for them a few days ago, but I think it was all gone before the snow, anyway, I don't think they could have gotten down to the bottom.
I'll post more photos of the snow in the gallery (view from my window) later today ... 'cause ... it's a SNOW DAY!

Posted by sunybank at 07:10 AM

 

January 13, 2004

Time to stop and smell the roses

... or the coffee! An underrated pleasure. 15 free minutes, a cup of fresh coffee (in my new Longaberger mug) with half-and-half and a quiet house.

Noticing nature this morning. A quick walk out for the bus and we counted all the tracks we could find in the dusting of snow that came (again) last night. I love the wonder of who's about at night, or early morning while we sleep and the snow gives us a chance to find out!
Want to know what we found?

At least four deer crossed the driveway and continued across the front lawn.
Two cats (one large, one small), all along the driveway, and up by the garage (our cat stays indoors). Birds tracks (dangerously close to the cats), a mouse or a mole traces from one side of the driveway to the other at the end by the stone wall.
A rabbit came out of the brush and up to the road.

This is one of very few reasons I love the winter! I may go out in the back by the stream to see what else I can find!

Posted by sunybank at 08:37 AM

 

December 29, 2003

Fox

Did I mention that I am a nature-lover?
(No - not "loving" in the all-together in the great-outdoors)
I mean I love wild birds, animals, and nature itself.
We live in a great place for me to persue these things, so often I'll add entries to my "nature notebook" about the sightings-of-the-day.
Check out our "National Wildlife Federation - Certified Backyard Habitat"
here Sunybank of the Waywayanda
So ... today? A fox! trotting across the back yard, while we were getting ready to go to work. Beautiful! Red with black stockings and ears, incredible full red/grey tail. The fun part was that as we watched him (note: any animal or bird sighting is cause for all three of us to stop our morning preparations and glue ourselves to the windows for 15 minutes), he was "hunting" through the tall grass when his hunt uncovered a neighbors black-and-white cat! Well the cat chased the fox up the path and into the woods! Not exactly the outcome we would have expected!

Posted by sunybank at 01:58 PM