Saturday, May 12, 2012

Whole lotta Grosbeak

Thanks for all the kind comments for our dear departed Muscovy duck, Squishy. Gordon especially appreciated that!

On a brighter note, the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are here for their annual invasion, and I got some decent photos yesterday...


Blowin' in the breeze! It was very windy yesterday.



"I can see you sticking that long lens through your window, you know!"



These guys are so strikingly beautiful, with a lovely song.




"Make sure you get my best side!"



Oh! Hello, Downy woodpecker!








I managed a picture of one of our resident crows, too. The other day, when I was at my beehives, I heard a crow screaming blue murder from the black walnut trees. I look up to see a large fox sauntering out from behind the barn, right where the duck and chicken runs are. He was obviously looking for a free meal, but couldn't penetrate the five-foot fence. I thanked the crow for alerting me!




And these are the lady Grosbeaks, who look utterly different from the boys!

I was out working on my garden today. I planted five types of sunflower seeds and two kinds of kale, plus two more blueberry bushes. I have a lot of other stuff to get in, and I started tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks ago, along with some basil.

Hope you are having a happy weekend!


31 comments:

  1. Various bloggers have shown pictures of these very showy grosbeaks. We have them but don't see them that often.
    When crows and jays are hollering, you always pay attention.

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  2. Such beautiful birds, and such awesome pictures!
    crows are extremely smart. Ravens are the smartest in the animal kingdom. They make excellent friends :)

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    1. We have ravens around here but I see them less often. I love those big black birds!

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  3. Oh yes, we re having a happy weekend,made even more so by the incredible amount of birdsong!
    Jane x

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    1. I went for a walk to the back of our property this evening and all I could hear was birdsong. It was beautiful.

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  4. Happy USA Mother's Day wishes from all of us at the Katnip Lounge! I miss the northern birdies so much. But not the snow!

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    1. My ingrate pets got me nothing for Mother's Day. NOTHING!! :)

      You have your own amazing birdies down there!

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  5. Never met a birdy, never met a birdy like you
    doing all the things doing all things you do..

    You're a whole lotta grosbeak!

    Ah Bon would not have sung about a large lady had he seen a grosbeak!

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  6. He was visiting our feeder, too for a couple of days.
    Yeah, we boys look good, don't we!?

    Sorry about Squishy.

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    1. You boys are all the same. Flashy and showy!

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  7. Wow! Just found your blog yesterday as I was hunting a photo of a whiptail lizard to go draw in my journal.Super photos! I am also enjoying the songbirds. My husband and I set out nesting boxes for them and the Black bellied Whistling ducks that arrived 3 days ago.
    Any ideas about wild turkeys? We have 2 females and 1 male. We moved to central Texas after living in Germany for 9 years and are so happy to have so much land, peace, and wildlife around us. Truly a joy!
    Suzanne
    Thanks again for the beautiful shared photos!

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    1. Hi Suzanne and welcome! Did you manage to find a whiptail lizard somewhere? :) I had to go Google Black-bellied Whistling ducks. What gorgeous birds!

      We get lots of wild turkeys here! We've had up to 50- 60 in our fields at one time. Lately I've been seeing females wandering around by themselves, although I wonder if they had babies nearby? Today I saw a male in a field with several crows, which was a bit odd! Sometimes they come in our garden and a few years ago, we had them coming to our bird feeders.

      You must love the wide open skies of Texas. :)

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  8. Anonymous10:06 am

    My first grosbeak! Great photos. Sorry about Squishy.

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    1. Thanks Janet! He is missed.

      When we lived out west in BC, we got Evening Grosbeaks. They are showy but I think the Rose-breasted ones are more dramatic!

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  9. Some of those birds look a little angry! Pretty but angry!

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    1. They really squabble with the woodpeckers over suet!

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  10. That is all just swell. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Your photos on the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are pretty !
    We don´t have that kind of bird in Sweden , but we do have Crows :)

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    1. I wonder if there is anywhere in the world that doesn't have some kind of crow? :) I bet you have lots of beautiful birds in Sweden.

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  12. Wow! Sweet and beautiful photos!

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    1. Thank you! I love watching them outside the window.

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  13. Anonymous7:18 pm

    Fabulous photos!

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    1. Thanks COg Dis. I'm jealous of your Sandhill cranes!

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  14. Great photos of the grosbeak! Glad you took heed at the crow's warning.
    Sorry to hear about Squishy...

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  15. The male grosbeak is beautiful, and you got some great photos of him. I saw my first hummingbird yesterday and was very excited that they have returned. Impossible to photograph, though.

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    1. You know, I got some decent hummingbird photos a while back when I had a feeder that suction-cupped to the window. Here, check out this blog post from 2007!
      http://knatolee.blogspot.ca/2007/06/turtle-eggs-in-septic-field.html

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  16. Wish we could have a feeder, but we don't have a place to put it that won't be in reach of the cat.

    Love the pics. Beautiful.

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!