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Nothing but Time

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.

Mothers’ Day Birds Part Three

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.

 

 

Mothers’ Day Birds Part Two

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.

Violet-green Swallow
female Mountain Bluebird
male Mountain Bluebirds

Mothers’ Day Birds Part 1

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.

female Rufus Hummingbird
female Calliope Hummingbird
male Rufus Hummingbird
House Wren
American Goldfinch
male Calliope Hummingbird
European Starling and Lewis’s Woodpecker
Spotted Towhee

Black-chinned Hummingbird

There are up to four species of hummingbirds in our region and I think the Black-chinned is my favorite. It is more slender than other hummers making it appear ‘tall’ but really, it’s no bigger than the other hummingbirds around here with an average weight of .12 ounce. Twelve one hundredths of an ounce! Imagine. The wing span is 4.3 inches.

We are near the most northern part of their range. Can you imagine such a small animal making the long migration from central Mexico? While the chin is black, as you might expect, when the sun hits it just right, there is a vibrant strip of purple on the males. I photographed this one at the feeder last week.