Dawn Chorus: Open Thread

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Sunday September 01, 2019 · 6:00 AM PDT

2019/09/01 · 06:00

I don't see a diary in the queue, so here is an open thread for photos and comments about birds you seen recently or in the past.

RSD_0370
My hawk neighbors in their cozy nest May 23.

Nest last Sunday, sometime in the afternoon. It came out of the tree..don't know if it was poor construction, or the babies, wrecked it fighting for food. Parent is now feeding them on the ground, or still on the branches where the nest used to be.

RSD_1388

Dawn Chorus: Open Thread

JupiterSurf for Birds and Birdwatching

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Sunday May 31, 2015 · 7:52 AM PDT

2015/05/31 · 07:52

Its 10:30 am on the east coast, I see no diary in the line up...So here is an open thread.

Latest photo of one the juvenile hawks from the nest at the end of the street I live on. I think my neighbors think I have gone over the edge, as I am down there 2x a day to observe them.. One neighbor told my husband he thinks, the baby hawks think I am their mama, as they stop crying when I show up...Ha!

They fledged a week ago, and now its a game of "Where are the fledged hawks" they are going more now to other trees in the area..But I can be pretty sure around 10 am and 5 pm they are calling for a parent for something to eat in the nest tree...but the nest is pretty much been destroyed, I don't if its because the two babies are so much bigger or if one of the thunderstorms has wrecked havoc on it. ...I observed one parent with snake last night for dinner, and Friday night it was lizard.

RSD_1173

JupiterSurf for Birds and Birdwatching

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Sunday January 25, 2015 · 6:00 AM PST

2015/01/25 · 06:00

Subspecies: The Southeastern American Kestrel (Falco sparverius paulus). I had no idea a subspecies of the American Kestrel existed here in Florida. Its a non migratory falcon of central Florida and the southeastern U.S. It is threatened here in Florida due to decline of its habitat and nesting areas, which is open savannah, sandhills, prairies and pasture land and dead snags.

Adult male plumage
Southeastern American Kestrel male in adult plumage.

Female with nest
Southeastern American Kestrel female with eggs.

JupiterSurf for Birds and Birdwatching

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Sunday June 29, 2014 · 6:00 AM PDT

2014/06/29 · 06:00

During the second week of May the Black Swamp Bird Observatory hosts the "The Biggest Week in American Birding" at Magee Marsh, which is on the south shore of Lake Erie. It is crossroads of flyways..Birds are making their way north to Canada and stop in the area for a rest before heading across the big lake into Canada. Warblers are plenty and so are other birds. Depending on the weather they may be there a couple of days. Magee Marsh is located in Ottawa County, Ohio, which is just outside the Toledo area. On one side of the parking lot is Lake Erie and the other side is Magee Marsh an area with a maze of boardwalks, which I always fear I will get lost on one day..The trees this time of year are starting to leaf out or bare so it makes for easy spotting of warblers if your there on the right days. You see all ages of birders, with all skill levels to no skill level, just folks wanting to see what the hoopla is about...But everyone is always willing to help identify, explain to you or tell you where the birds are. There is also a small king's ransom in cameras, lens, and spotting scopes. It brings in a good deal of tourist income to an area that is farmland and a rust belt city.

JupiterSurf for Birds and Birdwatching

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Sunday April 13, 2014 · 6:00 AM PDT

2014/04/13 · 06:00

We have bird migration, going north, these days out of South Florida...Goldfinches have been gone for a few weeks, so has the yellow rumped warbler that was at my feeders, I have only 2 male painted buntings left, about 4 females still here..will be quiet at my feeders soon, except for the squirrels and the blue jays.

When I first moved to Palm Beach County way back in 1983 it was mostly residential along the coast. West of I-95 and the Florida Turnpike was farmlands. It was where winter vegetables were grown..Over the course of the last 30 years that land become very valuable and the farmers one by one sold off their land for development. Thanks to the Winsberg Family, Green Cay Wetlands did not become a residential neighborhood..But is part the Palm Beach County's Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility and was designed to naturally filter highly treated water every day. Today these wetlands are surrounded by nothing but commercial and residential property.

For more than 40 years, Ted and Trudy Winsberg worked the land at their Green Cay Farm, producing the finest bell peppers and other winter vegetables around. Through the years, surrounding farms in the area were converted one by one to large-scale developments, but the Winsbergs had a different vision for their land -- the Green Cay Wetlands. The Winsbergs' love for this land, coupled with their untold generosity and desire to make the world a better place, have resulted in world-class constructed wetlands. Prior to becoming farmland, this land consisted of an open prairie with wetland areas. By transforming it into the Green Cay Wetlands, the land's natural beauty has been restored and an oasis of green space within a suburban community has been created.

JupiterSurf for Shutterbugs

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Sunday February 23, 2014 · 9:32 AM PST

2014/02/23 · 09:32

Oops...since I messed up the time for today's diary and it published last night instead.
Here is a mish mash of photo's...enjoy.

Turtles

Mesa Verde National Park in the fall.

Untitled

Kite Surfers Lake Dillon, Co

Kite surfing contest, Lake Dillon

Detail on theater in Santa Fe, NM
Stone facade, Movie Theater in Santa Fe

My dog Coco.
coco

Sunday Shutterbugs: The I Phone

JupiterSurf for Shutterbugs

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Saturday February 22, 2014 · 4:54 PM PST

2014/02/22 · 16:54

Last weekend I went to see my cousin who lives in central Florida..I don't usually take a camera with me, because well, visiting with family not a lot of photo opps. We went to the town of Mt. Dora where I have been many times before only this time she took me to a boardwalk that runs along Lake Dora...so many great photo opportunities if I had taken a good point an shoot or my DLSR camera...so I had to make due with my IPhone camera. I could not see anything on the screen to see what I was taking photos of...So it was really just hold up the phone. Hit the button. See what I got a photo of once I found some shade.

Lesson learned always take at least a point and shoot camera with me or better yet the DLSR where you look through a view finder and not the back of screen in bright sunlight.

JupiterSurf for Birds and Birdwatching

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Sunday February 09, 2014 · 6:00 AM PST

2014/02/09 · 06:00

I got unexpected company this week...so no time to do the diary I wanted to do on pairs of birds that mate for life. Instead I am doing a photo diary from the Christmas Day Bird Count. I have done this count in my neighborhood for the past 3 years...This year we had nice warm weather, last year it was very cold for Florida. I live in a urban rural area. It is amazing, what birds have lived in my trees and neighborhood that I never knew were there for the 19 years of the 22 years, I have lived in this house..We have a large lake in the development that was dug for rain runoff. There are canals in the front and back of the development, that if you look at closely you get to see gators, turtles, and wading birds. We saw 41 species of birds which is about what we see other years..I posted some photos I took of the birds to the neighborhood facebook page..Most people in the neighborhood were surprised at so many pretty birds live here in the winter...Especially the painted buntings.

JupiterSurf for Shutterbugs

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Sunday January 19, 2014 · 9:30 AM PST

2014/01/19 · 09:30

I love to look for reflections in many places. Window fronts, ponds, lakes, oceans, cars anywhere I find them. Enjoy.

Untitled
Sunset on eastern Atlantic ocean, Cadiz, Spain March 2013

Arches National Park - 10124
Cabin window, reflects the red cliffs across the mighty Colorado River, Moab UT 2012

Arches National Park - 10067
Reflections in a antique car door. Arches National Park, 2011

Untitled
Pond where I live. Love how photo looks like a painting.

Untitled
San Francisco, CA 2013

Untitled
Loxahatchee River, Jupiter Fl at canoe potage..

Untitled
Christmas lights reflected in my swimming pool. 2012

Untitled
Gator in lake. Boynton Beach Fl

Untitled
Stained Glass reflected on ceiling in church. Seville Spain 2013

JupiterSurf for Birds and Birdwatching

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Sunday September 29, 2013 · 6:00 AM PDT

2013/09/29 · 06:00

You can put my knowledge of birds on a pinpoint..I only started really noticing different birds a couple of years ago on a trip out to Yellowstone...Now I think, wonder how many great birds, have I missed seeing in my overthehill, lifetime? Why? ?Now this interest, in birds..I grew up in Toledo Ohio, western edge of Lake Erie was at the end of street. It is a cross roads of 2 flyways, one north- south and one east-west. A mecca for birds in the spring to stop on the south shore of Lake Erie before they fly across the lake and into the Canadian north. We used to go out to Magee Marsh in the fall to look for ducks...not that I cared about ducks, but that is what my father liked to do,for our Sunday drives, His other favorite thing with birds was trying to get a cardinal to eat peanuts out of his hand. You would have thought I noticed the birds way back when.

This summer I spent 5 weeks out in the Rockies and California and 1 week in Ohio on the western edge of Lake Erie. When I go to a new place, I get one of those nice fold over folders that show birds commonly found in the region. For me its a good place to start for identification. When I think I have narrowed it down, I will then consult one of my larger bird books to see if I am right..First check is to see if they are found in the area I see them. When I am totally stumped I email a photo to my neighbor..You see I got in the bad habit of photographing birds and then looking them up..I should have started to make note of the bird, size, shape, bill and tail, before I learned to rely on the photographs..Its a habit I am trying to break...but its not easy. Cause most of time I see a bird I don't have a camera in my hand. Learning the tricks the hard way.

I have gotten fairly good at knowing the larger birds where I live here in Florida but the migrants in the winter, their different colored feathers for winter can usually throw me.

Had my first ever sighting of a American Redstart in my side yard..came and went so fast no time to grab the camera. They only winter here. Have started to notate on the calendar when I first see a bird in the fall or ones I have never spotted here before.

JupiterSurf for Saturday Morning Garden Blogging

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Saturday August 24, 2013 · 6:00 AM PDT

2013/08/24 · 06:00

Welcome, to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging..

Merry Light and I , are sharing the gardening chores today..I have the morning drive and Merry has the AH drive time shift..

I know, I know.. we are Kossack gardeners...what were we doing in the Betty Ford Alpine Garden in Vail Co..I had the chance to meet up with Merry Light this summer in Colorado..Merry suggested it as a place to meet since it is between Breckenridge where I was and Glenwood Springs where she was. I thought what could be a more perfect place to meet than in a garden seeing as how we met in a garden blog....

Merry Light is the very first Kossack I had the pleasure of meeting in the dimensional world as opposed to just meeting here in the flat blog.. "They say a stranger is just a friend we have not met yet". We had a wonderful day wandering around the garden taking photos and sharing stories of our lives...it was like we had always known each other... Merry also brought me some lovely pansies to plant on my balcony garden in the Rockies..and I enjoyed them all summer, they have since been shared with a friend of mine out there.

Jupiter Surf and I were in touch with each other by phone prior to meeting, and I warned her the parking lot next to the gardens was a pay lot that day, so we found a parking lot further down and were able to take a shuttle. I parked and walked up to the main level and saw a lady walking along with a camera - I was just starting to open my mouth to say, "Are you Jupiter Surf?", and she said, "Merry Light?" So we recognized each other without ever having seen each other!

So enter along with us under the arch and into the Betty Ford Alpine Garden.
entrance

Down the steps and into the garden. Missys Brother, we thought of you when we saw the willow railing bridge over the stream.

Steps

One of the many spaces to sit and relax..Lilacs in the back.
lilac

Bellflowers.

No Republicans were seen at the Log Cabin.
Cabin

I know these look like Coral Bells to me but the sign said Jame's Saxifrage

Jame's saxfrage

So nice to see a little one enjoying the flowers.
Boy with flowers

Peonies were spectacular in color.

Peony

JupiterSurf for Saturday Morning Garden Blogging

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Saturday May 11, 2013 · 6:00 AM PDT

2013/05/11 · 06:00

Good Morning,
I am JupiterSurf your guest hostess. Frankenoid lent me her magic, garden trowel, so she can have a well deserved week off.

This week I am taking a detour from the beauty of our gardens, and all the weather ills or thrills are gardens have been subjected to from Mother Nature over the winter and spring.

"BUD"
In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specialized to develop flowers or short shoots, or may have the potential for general shoot development. Thanks Wiki.

Most people can identify a plant by its flower when they see it..But how many of us take the time to really look at the buds on the stem?

The buds, to me have a beauty, symmetry and texture, all their own, separate from the flower they become. Some buds seem to gracefully, unfurl into flowers. Some just pop into flowers. But they all turn their faces towards the light and warmth of the sun to grow.

I have put together a "BUD" challenge. How many can guess what flower or plant the buds below are found on.

Each "Bud" has a letter to identify the photo. In the comments, give me your best guess and be sure to put the letter in the subject line so we know which one your identifying...Once someone identifies the bud, I will post a photo of the flower.

Hmmmm..wonder who will identify the most? Follow me below the twirly, orange bud.

Happy Mother's Day.

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Dawn Chorus: Open Thread

Dawn Chorus: Open Thread

Dawn Chorus: Subspecies Southeastern American Kestrel

Dawn Chorus: I know you? I don't know you? Where are you?

Dawn Chorus: Green Cay Wetlands

Sunday Shutterbugs: Redo This and That

Sunday Shutterbugs: The I Phone

Dawn Chorus: Christmas Day Bird Count Dec 29 2013

Sunday Shutterbugs: Reflections

Dawn Chorus: Da "Boids" of Summer

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging: Vol 9.27 Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging: Vol. 9.12: Is this "Bud" for you?