The weather has been most unsettled recently. Big wind (today for sure), thunder and lightning, unpredictable rains and sometimes a rainbow. All these seem to lead to wonderful sunsets.
Nothing but time to get things done at home, read books, walk the dogs, plant a garden, learn new stuff, cook, eat, sleep. Remember the stuff I miss – hanging out with friends, eating out, lingering in town, photographing weddings and other events, travel. Travel is the number one thing for me. I missed a trip to Florida last month and right now, right now, I ought to be in Utah. Hiking and exploring with the dogs, photographing the night sky, learning new stuff. I miss going places.
We – Ken and me and our dogs – and our closest friends, are doing as much as we can to shelter in place. We feel that’s best for the overall good for everyone. The dogs don’t understand it for sure.
So I dug out the hard drive from 2018 and revisited images from the last time I was in Utah. Such a wonderful place to visit. I have re-scheduled my trip for next year but it seems so far away. I am hoping for a healthy future for all of us and a return to something like normal.
With all this time, I also reworked my website. So far it’s drawn a little bit of attention. Hopefully I will learn more about online marketing and be able to generate income in the future.
Well, my mother probably would not have enjoyed watching Turkey Vultures. But I do. They are a social bird that roosts in groups and scavenges for food together. With a wing span of over 70 inches and weighing more than four pounds, they can lift off easily in warm air, seemingly effortlessly. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Turkey Vultures lack the vocal organs to make proper songs. Most of their vocalizations come down to a form of low, guttural hiss made when they are irritated or vying for a better spot on a carcass. They also may give a low, nasal whine while in flight.”
I have never seen a Turkey Vulture nest. There are lots of vultures around here and I wonder, are they all part of a non-breeding gang of teenager vultures?
A couple days ago, I noticed several vultures in the draw below our driveway. Looking closer later in the day, Ken discovered a dead deer. It probably had been hit by a car on the highway and managed to get this far before it died. The number of vultures increases each day and I don’t expect the carcass to last much longer.
Speaking of motherhood, and fatherhood, a pair of Mountain Bluebirds has chosen one of our nest boxes to set up housekeeping. This is very exciting! Normally both Mountain and Western Bluebirds nest reasonably far away from our house so we see them only on our walks or at the bird bath. The box they’ve chosen is attached to the bottom of our deck and easily seen from inside the house and from the porch so we get to see them often. The Violet-green Swallows who have traditionally used this box are not happy.
Yesterday was a perfect day for bird watching. Many hummers visited the feeder including Calliope and Rufus Hummingbirds. A House Wren sat on the deck railing chattering continually. An American Goldfinch glowed yellow under the warm sun. I saw a male Calliope Hummingbird on my walk. Also on my walk I watched a Lewis’ Woodpecker confront a European Starling over a potential nest hole in a dead tree. And a Spotted Towhee called from a high perch.
Ken’s mother used to sit and watch the hummingbirds for hours. My mother would have enjoyed them too.
My Everyday Photos 