The Awwwwww Pose

An oldy but goody........Awwwwwwww!

Who scares you more?

.....this intimidating Blue Jay?






....or the snow monster in my backyard?

A winter favorite

I've mentioned before how our chickadees at the cabin are quite friendly. I love when they land on my shoulder while I'm filling the feeder. And of course my heart melts when they land in my hand to take that one perfect seed. The photo above is one I took of my husband feeding this angel when we were at Hartwick Pines State Park. They are such brave and nosey birds. I always laugh when I put out a new feeder and a chickadee will appear out of thin air to immediately investigate it.

P.S. Speaking of new bird feeders, where do you like to buy yours? I've been searching online for a good platform, fly through feeder that won't break the bank.

Winter Visitors

There are many reasons why I love winter but one of the biggest ones is the birding opportunities it brings. I see an increase of some of my regular visitors and I have some winter ones to look forward to. Hoping the Redpolls and Pine Siskins come back and eat out of my hand this year. I am also hoping to see the elusive Snowy Owl this winter.....a girl can dream....

Here are some of my feeder regulars. What are you seeing right now?

My nutty White-breasted nuthatch. I love watching him store suet on the trees around our cabin property.





My chickadees are much loved and are very sassy, I can't tell you how many times they scold me when the feeder is empty. Some of them will even land on my shoulder and head as I'm refilling the feeders as if to say hurry up!




My sweet goldfinches are so shy. I love listening to their pretty chirps.





The purple finches are starting to come around more and may rival the chickadees in being a feeder hog.

My holy grail bird

Do you have those one or two birds you are constantly seeking and when you do see it, you are in awe? I call those my holy grail birds. One of mine is the Pileated Woodpecker. Such a shy and alert bird - I can't tell you how many missed photo opportunities I have had with this fellow! I swear, it can hear me breathing even when I'm in my cabin, and if I dare to look at my camera, he flies away screeching in protest. Well yesterday I got my brief moment to memorialize him on film......I was doing the happy dance afterwards. (And of course he was screeching louder than my blue jays through the trees shortly thereafter.) So what's your holy grail of birds to see and photograph?

Downy Woodpecker enjoying Autumn

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

~George Eliot

A good investment...

Sweet Chickadee

Is there anything more sweet than a little chickadee?





Oh yes....young children discovering the beauty of the chickadee and trying to feed them by hand.


(My friend's son did have one land in his hand, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera!)

Quack Quack!

Just peeking in to see if you're still here! Summer classes are over and I'm taking a fall break. More time for blogging! (Well that and other things of course!)

The invasion continues...

We are being mobbed by Rose-breasted grosbeaks at the cabin. The other day I counted 7 babies crying on our deck railing to be fed by their parents. It's wonderful to see, but they are becoming little bullies at the feeders. I had to hang some new feeders in back of the cabin so the chickadees, nuthatches and finches could get some food. Take a look at my gang...


Isn't this guy a dashing fellow?




How many grosbeaks do you count in this photo?





A fat baby!






A baby fluttering his wings so his parents will see her and feed her.









Feeding a demanding baby....






And finally an evil grosbeak.....

I Love Loons

My Loon pair still visit our lake but alas they did not attempt to nest again. Their night music is beautiful....I cannot think of a more beautiful sound to hear at the cabin when I am headed to sleep. (I've posted a video link I found on You Tube below so you can hear them.)

A little visitor

My hubby opened the door to our cabin and a baby Chickadee flew in. He hit the window and was stunned. I put my fingers by him and he hopped right up. He clung to me for a while and kept panting, probably in shock. I checked him over and he looked okay. Of course you all know how much I enjoyed holding that little angel in my hand, I kept wanting to pet him like a dog, but I did refrain!





I took him outside and after about 5 minutes, he flew away. What was funny is earlier the adult chickadees kept landing on my shoulder while I was trying to fill the bird feeders. They really are cheeky little things!

From 2010_07_10

And winner of the biggest bird feed hogs goes to...

....Mr. and Mrs. Grosbeak! Seriously, my Grosbeak family (they have 2 babies) are at the feeders from morning till night eating away. But I do love them!

My Nature Day

I'm still in a birding drought at the cabin. Thought I would share what else was going on around me.


These are lily pads by our dock. Tons of frogs have been hopping around here. The Green Heron fishes here daily but I haven't been able to get a decent shot of him.




Even the turtles are hiding from me!






One of my favorite ways to photograph birds is by kayak. It makes it easy to stay quiet and get a little closer without being too intrusive. You can get a glimpse of my cabin to the right of this photo.





This isn't a nature photo, but I thought in the spirit of World Cup Soccer, I'd share my favorite soccer player...

Not a bird....

...but a bird dog!


Couldn't resist posting a photo of my beautiful girl since I had no bird photos today. Scout is now 1 years old and a little over 75 pounds. She will continue to fill in so I believe she will hit 80 lbs +. She is so sweet natured and will still crawl into anybody's lap who will let her. And yes, I let her!

Nutty Birds

No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut.

~Channing Pollock

Loon Fever

How many photos can I snap of Loons? Not enough in my case! To me, they are such interesting and complex birds. I am fascinated by their behaviors and of course love their haunting calls across the lake. Here are some of the many faces of the Loon....


An alert Loon....





A sleepy Loon.....







A messy Loon....








A curious Loon! (When the female sees me on my dock, she actually swims toward me and hangs around in front of our cabin. The male is more cautious. I am careful to give them their space and am hopeful that they will try to nest again.)

Peek-a-boo

Surprises at the Log Cabin

If we are strong, and have faith in life and its richness of surprises, and hold the rudder steadily in our hands. I am sure we will sail into quiet and pleasant waters for our old age.
-Freya Stark

First surprise - seeing a fox for the 1st time in my life. She had a few kits with her too. We definitely locked eyes through my cabin window. I bet she could see me smiling....







2nd surprise was having baby Robins hatch in the eaves of our log cabin. Anytime I made a sound on the deck, 3 little heads would pop up looking for food.







And my best surprise........was my Loons coming back to our lake. I believe they are going to try to nest again. And I'm going to do whatever is in my power to help them. I am looking into getting an artificial nesting raft for my Loons as well as buoys to protect them. More on that later......but can you hear my heart singing once again? :-)

Birds that tease me

Do you have birds that tease you? Well I do! Come meet some of my bullies.....


Why oh why does the Oriole have to hang out in the tops of tall trees, far, far away from me? One good close up photo, that's all I ask....






And this guy! He teases me with his incessant calls. Hush already! Your voice isn't that great!





And come on Mr. Purple Finch! Can't you look at the camera for one second so I can get a full frontal shot of your handsome face?


So, who are some of your bird bullies?? :-)

Broken Heart

See the 2 beautiful Loon eggs in the nest above? It breaks my heart to know they will never hatch due to the unfortunate (and dare I say it - IDIOTIC) actions of a person who got too close to the nest. On the day I found the nest, I posted signs at the boat launch warning everyone and to please give the Loons their space. According to one resident on our lake, it was the first time in 30 years that the Loons had attempted to nest on our lake.

I found the nest last Sunday, came back to the cabin on Thursday and found no Loon parents. After investigating, I inadvertently found out who the culprit was who got too close (I'm pretty sure, but have to admit other factors go in to Loons abandoning the nest) and was just devastated. I admit, I went inside my cabin and cried. (I know Bird Girl will know how I feel, I still remember when her bluebird babies died.) My heart is completely broken...