For the Birds

Oh, they are beautiful birds, grackles. 

Until they mob everything.  

You can't see the hanging feeders, but I have gone through 15 cakes of 

suet this week because the grackles have taken over. 

Very few other birds are getting into the yard. 

There were a few cardinals, but they usually eat after the grackles go home. 

A few sparrows and chickadees... and some red-winged blackbirds. 

Starlings are few and far between, the grackles have run them off. 

We have had a few other visitors that don't come really close. 

I hope to put a nesting box up for them this year. 

So, I have been watching for the Big White Bird. 

Everyday when we go down this gravel road, I look for it. 

Remember, I thought it was a pelican or something? 

I took the big lens on my way to church last night, and LOOK! 

It is a huge white hawk... I have never, ever seen them, and they appear 

to actually be from the southern U.S. and Mexico.  What it is doing here 

I do not know, but it is out there again today, we saw it. 

It has a much larger wingspan that the red-tails and red-shoulders that are around here. 

Here is some information.

If anyone thinks it is anything else, please tell me.  It is just a beautiful bird. 

On my way home from church, I saw him again. 

Okay, picture this.  I have a HUGE lens, a gift from Keith for my birthday... it is huge... 

I follow two professional photographers on Facebook and youtube... and they 

rarely use a tripod.  I have a beautiful tripod... but I got out of the 

car with this humongous lens on the camera, and I'm in the middle of 

a gravel road, snapping pictures as fast as I can.  I don't take a lot anymore, 

but this bird is too unusual. 

I took a series. 

I'm sure anyone who could see me from a quarter mile away thought I was nuts. 

It ended up in the top of this tree. 

Oddly enough, the red shouldered hawk is in this neighborhood too, but I have not seen it now for ten days. 

I HAVE seen the northern harrier. 

He is so elusive!

He has that distinctive white spot on his tail. 

Let's not forget the cheerful little harbingers of spring, either! 

PEE ESS... AS THE DOGS WOULD SAY....

I just looked more at white hawks... here is what I think I am seeing: 

A Leucistic Red Tailed Hawk that has moved into the neighborhood, however, the wing span IS huge. 

It looks almost like this picture from the web. 

A Puzzlement and Some Other Pictures

Three nights ago, I was on the way home from the old place and saw this... 

I was alone for some reason, no dogs with me. 

I have shown you the herd in this pasture many, many times, they are the 

angus herd with one black baldie and one white cow, and their calves, that always 

stand in the shrinking pond. 

This was a BRAND NEW CALF.  No cow in sight. 

I rolled the window down and called to it, and it mooed to me and came towards the fence.  It's navel was still wet, and still, no cow in sight. 

I worried for two days. 

It had looked over it's shoulder (and I had seen the herd moving over the hill, away from the pond).  It was clear by the road. 

I could not go by there the next day, because I was so afraid it would be dead.  There is a huge bull in with those cows... I was not going to try to find mom. 

I steeled myself last night. 

Do you see what I see? 

Two little bundles of Joy. 

However, I went by there tonight... 

And I saw only one tiny baby alone in the grass, no nursemaid around him. 

I could not see another baby by a cow as the herd was grazing, but that doesn't mean he wasn't there. 

This one got up... I think it's he from the other day.  

Of course, I'm worried again. 

This beautiful weed is Johnson Grass, the bane of bean and corn fields. 

Thank you, Dawn. 

This beautiful bird, by consensus (thank you Michelle, Farm Buddy, and Friend Jill) is a Northern Harrier.  I honestly was stunned!  It was a beautiful bird, and I hope, hope,  hope I see it again!  I agree with this because here is a picture from the net: 

Wow. 

I saw these girls the same night I saw the calf.  They were in one of my favorite drives... 

Is that neat or what?  It makes you want to go down the drive.  That's a martin house in the distance.  

They were there tonight, too.  Number three was across the drive. 

Today, I had to attend the county commission meeting again. 

Afterwards, I went to a cool new shop in Leavenworth where I have been trying to go for several weeks. 

Sunflower Sisters Vintage is in a beautiful old building in Leavenworth. They share it with a 

plumbing parts company... and it is full of antiques and hand-crafted items. 

Here is a beautiful hand-crafted frame. 

Here is a more masculine version. 

My purchase consisted of a lovely old low table to use as a plant stand... and two 

handcrafted pieces of jewelry.  

26.00 total.  

The jewelry was wrapped and put in an old Simplicity pattern envelope. 

I'm going back! 

Sunflower Sisters is on Facebook. 

Look whom I caught at the old house tonight! 

The Bluebirds of Happiness! 

The Bluebird of Spring

The Bluebird of Spring is out there. 

He's coming by Calamity Acres for a drink. 

Please hold on, friends on the east coast, and friends in 

the north, and in Iowa, it's own little winter country. 

The Starling of Spring is right behind him. 

This is why there is a mess on the porch, they are MeSSY. 

Uh huh. 

Not messy. 

Also not messy. 

Not messy. 

King of the Messy!!!!

They are all so grateful for fresh water in the bitter cold! 

Cold, But No Snow

At least not yet!  

We have been told for three or four days that there would be snow today... 

and indeed, there are some areas east of here that are seeing some right now. 

We are to get 1 to 3 inches at the most... nothing like what my classmates 

on the east coast have seen in the last few weeks, and were seeing today. 

My heart goes out to them! 

You see we even had some sun yesterday, on Valentine's Day. 

This is Lilly's "Don't Tread on Me" look. 

This is Jester's "Don't worry, I'm staying away from her" look. 

Geese were moving all around the sky. 

There was still a little sun at sunset, on my way home from church. 

I had stopped to turn the light out in the henhouse and make sure the water was 

full on the porch, because I knew there would be a demand for it. 

And came home to a lovely gift from Keith for Valentine's day, and a 

card from my cousin with a gift in it!  Wow! 

Here's a funny thing that happened... 

I had bought some small bacon-wrapped filet mignons on Tuesday for 

our dinner on Saturday.  I had planned the filets, a baked potato split 

between us, and some green beans. 

I duly prepared everything.  Keith sat his plate down on the counter in the kitchen to come tell me something in the tv room.  We heard a noise. 

When we went out there... Lilly was eating his steak. 

Ooops. 

So... I split mine with him and we each had some. 

The sun was slipping away as I got home from church. 

We waited until almost noon to go out today, and I wish I would have taken a picture 

of the water fountain on the front porch.  There was bird poop all around it. 

You see... yesterday... I saw these: 

The Starling Scourge, with a crow on top. 

They were in a tree across from us in the wild area. 

When I got there this morning with the dogs, there was a ring of poop around the waterer. 

You can see it was MUCH colder today. No sweatshirt as outer wear, for sure. 

I filled it as full as I could before we left... it will be interesting to see how much is in it tomorrow morning. 

There are some of the starlings... I had the camera almost missing the water bowls. 

The funny thing is, they drank, but there was still plenty of feed out for the wildings. 

Last year, they would have eaten EVERY piece. 

I have Paiton and Jax tomorrow, since they are off school for 

President's day.  I warned their dad they will have to bundle up very well, 

since I need to go out and take care of the chickens. 

We'll do that as fast as we can. 

By the way, the heated dog bowl is working great for Rooster Cogburn. 

The sparrows like the suet too! 

As well as the woodpeckers! 

Let's hope the Bluebird of Happiness brings us back to clear, sunny skies!