The Pond in the Woods (Part 3)

The first things I see moving are the mallard ducks.

Two male mallard ducks...swimming and "duck"ing

their heads underwater to find food.

I also see a turtle with his head just above the water...

He sees me, too, and quickly submerges!

I hear the frogs...where are they?

(To be continued in tomorrow's blog...)

Carole

[Photos and text copyright Cloudk9.com   All rights reserved.]

Things are Just Ducky!

I saw a pair of Mallard Ducks land in the neighbor's yard a few days ago.  Now I see that the female duck is hanging out in the yard.

Is is correct to say that this duck

is pigeon toed? :-)

When she saw that I had some bread, she came running as fast as she could.

While she doesn't have the vivid geen coloring as does the

male mallard duck , I think she is very pretty!

Things are just ducky!

Carole

[Text and Photos copyrighted. All rights reserved.]

Spring is Here!

Spring is in the here. The weather is beautiful...sunny, and temperatures in the 80's.

So what better time than for 2 little birds to look for a place for their new nest?

I heard a bird singing on the front porch and took a peek out the window.  There was a purple finch and his mate.  She flew to the grapevine wreath hanging on the porch and sat there.  She seemed to be trying it out as a location for her nest.  He flew up higher and then started singing again.

I did not see them later in the day, so I don't know if they found a better location or not.

I guess this is the same pair that built a nest on the porch late last Summer.  They will be a topic of a future post.  Here is a preview of the little baby birds from last year...

Happy Spring!

Carole

[Text and photo copyright Carole of cloudk9.com  All rights reserved.]

In Search of the Elusive Barred Owl

A few days ago, a little before 5 am, I heard the hoot of the Barred Owl.  There is no mistaking this bird's call...often described as sounding like "Who cooks for you?"

Two days later, as evening approached, I heard the hoot of the Barred Owl while a friend and I were sitting on the deck.

So, my friend and I took off for the nature area near my house to see if we could spot the owl.  When we arrived, a woman with binoculars was leaving.  I asked if she had seen the owl, and she said "Yes!"  She described in detail where the owl was sitting.  So my friend and I entered the woods hoping for a sighting.

Within about the first 60 seconds, I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk in a tree. Unfortunately, the lighting was not in my favor for taking a crisp photo...but when the bird flew away, we knew for sure it was a Red Tail.

As we approached the pond, there was a pair of Mallards. The male lifted his head, realized we were "OK" and went back to sleep.

Finally, we approached the area where the owl was supposed to be. Try as we might, we never spotted the owl.

Hopefully, I will get to see this very vocal owl...if so, I will post the photo!

Carole
[Text and photos copyright Carole of Cloudk9.com  All rights reserved.]

What a Difference a Few Days Make...

From the holly bushes brimming with berries on Christmas Day...

to the berries being gobbled up by hungry birds leaving nothing behind but the leaves and stems!

I'm glad the birds found something to eat during this extremely cold weather!

Carole

[photos and text copyright Carole of CloudK9.com  All rights reserved.]

Story in the Snow

It is cold here. Wicked cold! Temperatures are in the teens during the day, and the low at night is in the single digits!
So I always think of the wild birds and animals outside who may have trouble finding food.

On Saturday, I put out some bread for the birds and whoever else would want some.  Later, the bread was gone and I saw some bird footprints in the snow.  So I put out more bread.  Later, I peeked out and saw a Flicker (a woodpecker).

Doing a little snooping, I found several sets of footprints which tell an interesting story.

The first set of footprints (above) may belong

to the Mockingbirds that frequent the yard. I am not sure.

There are 3 toes in front and one in back.

Next, I saw an entirely different set of bird footprints.

There are 2 toes in front and 2 toes in back.

I am assuming these footprints belong to the Flicker.

Being a woodpecker and having to stand on trees,

they probably need to have a different type of foot than songbirds.

Then there were these little round footprints…

I think they belong to the squirrels who live in the oak trees.

I also saw a large footprint!  Was it Sasquatch?

No, it's only me!

Pretty interesting story. And well worth the price of a few pieces of bread!

Please remember the wild birds and animals outside when it's cold!
Carole
[Text and photos copyright Carole of Cloud K9.  All rights reserved.]

A Little Bird Told Me

On Saturday, I received this little bird ornament as an early stocking stuffer. It looks like a male house sparrow with the black throat patch.

So I was very surprised on Monday when I found out that there is a little sparrow (that looks like the ornament) living on the front porch!  This is the fourth different bird that has taken up residence on the porch over the past few years.  The porch (under the eaves) is a smart place for a bird to live in winter: protected from rain and snow, benefitting from the warmth of the house, and limited exposure to preditors.

This makes the little ornament even more special.  I was planning on leaving it out all year, and now I will for sure!

Carole

[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in only one week away! So it's a good time to think about what we're thankful for.

Next week, I will post some of the things on my list.

What are You thankful for this year?

Carole

Here is a nature picture of a wild turkey to go with the Thanksgiving theme.

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!


[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]

Today I Reveal the Amazing Phenomenon of How a Parakeet Changed Colors Overnight!

When I was about 5 years old, the neighbors in the house behind us had a pet parakeet.  It was a pretty blue parakeet and the three kids in the family enjoyed watching it, and letting it fly around the room.

One day, the kids told me that their parakeet had changed colors overnight!  That’s right, it changed from blue to green overnight!  Could that even be possible?  Well, as proof, they showed me the little bird sitting happily in its cage.  To my complete amazement, the little budgie was now green!  Wow!  That was incredible!  In my 5 short years on the planet, I had never, ever heard of such a thing!

I ran home to tell my Mom!  At the end of the story, she had a knowing look on her face, but didn’t say a word!  Well, now I understand that the same phenomenon that allows children to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy allows them to believe that their sweet little bird changed colors overnight.

Behind the scenes, the frantic parents knew the truth.  When the little bird went to that big parakeet cage in the sky, one of them raced to the pet store for a replacement bird, only to find that none of the little winged creatures was blue (which was a far rarer color back then).  The only available parakeets were green.  Rather than tell the kids the awful truth, the story of a bird changing colors overnight would smooth over the situation with “no ruffled feathers” so to speak.

Ahhh! If only life were as simple as when we were 5 years old!

Carole

PS: Be sure to look for the key words "November Contest" for how to win either the Paw Print Locket Necklace or the Paw Print Business Card Case!

[Text Copyright 2009 Carole of CloudK9.com All Rights Reserved.]