Sisters

Me and a couple of my four sisters...Somebody had to take the picture!  The man on the left is my husband not my sister!

This will be a short post, but very important!  I am about to reveal my favorite photo ever....Well so far....Well of more than just a bird!  I took this picture while with some of the MOST amazing and important people in my life....My sisters!  Yep!  I love them....All of them....Even the one who was not with us on this trip!  I have been blessed with some amazing people in my life, but none have given me encouragement and love like my sisters.  They've seen me ugly, sick, delirious and too skinny, but always loved me.  Always encouraged me.  I can't paint a picture with words that describes the incredible love of a sister.

Each year we sisters go on a birding trip in the spring.  In an area predominately dominated by men, we sisters go boldly, laughingly, joyfully to share wonderful times and make new memories and friends!  One friend we jokingly refer to as "Frenchy".  He is holding this Yellow Breasted Chat right after it was banded.  He spoke very little English, but had quite a good handle on French!  I must admit he was quite . . .Handsome, too!  Ready for the picture?  Here it is....

You are right....I love both of these pictures of the same bird!  

But this is my favorite!  Doesn't it look like they are chatting to each other?
Somewhere in Essex County Ontario, Canada...A great place to bird, but I can't remember the name of the place.  Sisters, help me out!
Photo Challenge!

This year will be better than ever.  We are planning our trip to Kelly's Island.  The last two years have been to Point Pelee in Canada.  Each year we have said that it couldn't be worse birding than this!  We are hopeful that it will be an excellent year and will not involve any breaking and entering....Inside joke!

Time to call it quits, but I'd rather be birding!

Jenny

Dinner Guest

I'm really surprised that people invite me over for dinner when the dinner party is outside.  I show up with my camera, binoculars, and field guides. Then other guests start pointing things out and I can't help myself I get giddy and start talking about birds and I just can't stop!  Sometimes I get invited back and sometimes I don't...




I was at a dinner party this weekend.  It has been unseasonably warm and it was a perfect evening to be outside.  Our friends live on a lake. It wasn't entirely my fault that I had to frequently look out over the lake to view birds or answer questions.  Everyone seemed completly interested in birds so I just kept spouting talking.  Wouldn't you know it this guy showed up.  I'm sure hoping you know what this is... 

Snow Goose?

Ross's x Snow Goose?

or Graylag Goose?

I hope someone can help me.  I felt completely flustered  by this bird.  I may not be invited back because I couldn't ID this guy.  I actually left my guide at home, but I'm not sure it would have helped!

Luckily this guy I could identify....

Crow...I was eating it!

I was happy to see this friend, too....

Common Merganser...The host wondered what the others looked like if this guy was "common"!

Well I'm off to bed, but I'd rather be birding!

Jenny

Family VS Birds

Though my family finds it very difficult to believe,  I do love them more than I love birds.  It is true that I have more bird pictures than I have baby pictures.  It is true that the birds often eat more expensive food.  To prove my love to my 13 year old girl who is deathly afraid of fresh air, I skipped my planned bird hike and suffered through a trip to the mall. enjoyed a delightful shopping trip to the mall.  It was sunny warm and beautiful outside.  I was in the mall but dreaming of my trip to the Muskegon Lake bike trail last week.  . . .

This Song Sparrow was singing his song...ahh spring!

Red-Winged Black Birds galore!

Last years cattails are ready for this years nests.

Watch out little minnows....I heard and saw a belted king-fisher!

I don't recall another March day that was so delightful!  Turtles were all around this small pond sunning themselves.

I was quite thrilled when I discovered that I can ride a bike, carry a camera and binoculars at the same time!

I was happy to spend time with my daughter who is allergic to fresh air, but I'd rather have takin' her birding!

Drink Your Tea!

Spring is definetly here!  Isn't it wonderful to wake up to the sound of birds singing?  Today I heard one of my favorite bird songs..."Drink your tea".  I thought he sang coffee, so I had coffee instead of tea.  Do any birders drink tea?  Coffee has just always seemed more effective to me.  Have you guessed which bird was in my yard today?  Here is another clue.  This one is a picture.

This is the picture I took before church.  He was there before I snapped the picture.  I told my family I wouldn't be going  to church because of a to(e) emergency.  They didn't fall for it...

We had to rush right home after church.  I was greeted by  his cherwink call and later by the Eastern Towhee's "drink your tea" song.

Classified as a large sparrow, you can see them hopping back and forth with both feet in leaf litter.

I'm off to do laundry, but I'd rather be birding!

Jenny

Dark Eyed-Junco

My neighbor's house with bird feeder now filled!

Wren house ready willing and able!

I love moving!  It allows you to get rid of the old and not get quite so much new.  I moved my first items across the street today.  A birdbath and a wren house!  It should be a simple move, right?  What could be easier than moving across the street?  I'll let you know when we're all done.  Unfortunately we are in no hurry.  We know it may take a while for our house to sell, so what's the rush.  We just have to unfurnish our new house in order to furnish it.  My mother-in-law passed away in November and we are moving into my husband's childhood home.  I'm really quite excited...It's a beautiful home.

This IS going to be filled with birding. My goal is to blog at least once a week about the birds that I see in my backyard.  Perhaps boring to some, but I hope fun for others!  Please, please, please comment if I make a wrong id or give wrong information!  Most of my birding is done in my backyard, but I am able to go to an exciting location from time to time.  I have to admit around migration time my old backyard was filled with awesome birds and I'm hoping my new one will be, too!

After moving my birdbath and house I filled an old feeder with seed and sat and waited.  I was mostly visited by Dark Eyed Juncos.  This was a fitting bird to see this time of year.  They won't be around much longer as they head north to breed in forests across Canada.  I'll be excited to see them again when summer comes to an end...but let's not go there!  They are silent all winter long, but now there song has made me stop and wonder.

The bird of the day....The Dark Eyed Junco.

I'm thinking a female Hairy Woodpecker, but it's a little tricky to tell!  What do you think?

A nice sign of spring.

Sentinel of the back yard!

I was happy to see these cheerful friends on a trip last summer to the Smoky Mountains!  They nest there, too!  Keep your eyes open to see these sweet little birds that are most likely to hit your windows!