Our Sunset Chickadee

Song - Little Bird, Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell

 As many of you know, we have had a Chestnut Backed Chickadee living in our outdoor light fixture on our back deck.  He/she comes every evening at sunset and although the last few nights I have set up my tripod & camera to catch this fast little being coming in for a landing, I just can not seem to be fast enough......

 .....until now!  

She comes just before sunset and gets a drink of water and a bite to eat.  Sometimes she will stay in the nearby tree and other times she flies off for awhile only to return shortly.

 She always lands on this same branch on our October Glory Maple tree and checks out the situation.  Some evenings she calls out and other times she just observes for awhile.

 The other night I had everything set up and I focused my camera on the light fixture instead of the tree.  And I waited.....and waited......

 ....she flew from the tree, under the umbrella and up to the fixture quickly.

 She grabbed hold of the base of the fixture.....

 ....and pushed herself up inside.......

....and left me waiting right where I began!

Only now I had a big smile on my face.....



"The chickadee and the nuthatch are more inspiring society than statesmen and philosophers, and we shall return to these last as more vulgar companions."

--Henry David Thoreau

The Sky is Falling

Song - The Sky is Falling by Chicken Little

 Last week I woke up early and went out on the deck to watch the sun come up.  

I love this time of year when it's comfortably warm in the day time but at night and in the early morning it's crisp. 

Later in the week we had a sky full of clouds with only a few drops of rain.  It was fun to watch the clouds sweep across the dark sky. It defiantly felt like fall.

Most nights Mr. B and I like to sit on our back deck in the evening.  We have a glass of wine and talk about our day or make a plan for the future and enjoy the various birds in the yard.


One little chickadee has lived in the light fixture shown above for the past two years. We are not real sure why he or she has chosen this as her permanent home but it has been fun to greet her each evening right before sunset as she first lands in a nearby tree and makes a little call.  She checks to make sure that it is safe and in the blink of an eye she flies from the tree, under the deck umbrella and up into the light fixture!


Last night I thought I would finally catch a photo of her.

I set up my tripod about an hour before sunset and put the camera on "Machine gun fire" so I would hopefully capture her approach and quick entrance.


But nope....with no warning call...........she was in there lickety-split......dang......

 
It was a wonderful evening and we lit a candle as the sky darkened and then I saw this......

Aliens?



Helicopters?


It lasted for several minutes and then "poof" it just disappeared.

Later we found out that Vandenberg Air Force Base had launched a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the west coast.  We didn't know about it before hand but were glad that our little bird helped us to experience the sight!

"It's not the falling down that counts.  

It's the getting up."

--Mary Pickford

And For Todays Entertainment

Song - Birds the Word by The Rivingtons

It's been so warm in Northern California lately that for the past few weeks Mr. B and I have been relaxing by the side of the pool in the early evenings. We have a glass of wine and he plays me a little air guitar!

 This patio is near the shade garden, under some oak & maple trees.  While the rest of the garden has fried from the hot weather, the shade garden is still refreshing to look at.

Some evenings we take a swim and other evenings we just watch the birds flit by getting their last meal of the day.

Hi there Mr. Chickadee!

 I have several platform feeders hanging off the deck over the creek. The Tufted Titmouse enjoys the freedom of feeding near large trees that he can escape to if needed.

 Other birds like the standard tube feeder. I have an assortment of seeds for them so no one is left out. As well as several (well maybe 8) bird baths placed all around the yard.  When it's really hot I try to put in a few ice cubes to cool the water for them.

A House Finch in the tree is patiently waiting her turn at the feeder below.

 When the House Finch finally gets a turn, the Titmouse returns and is surprised to find someone in his dinner dish!

 Mr. B and I love watching the birds.  I don't know if it's that we finally have the time to do so or if it is that "at our age" we appreciate them so much more.  Basically our kids think we are nuts when we tell them what our garden birds were doing that day.

 And just look who is in the lavender!  

Mr. and Mrs. American Goldfinch

I love that brilliant yellow against the purple lavender.

Thanks for entertaining us for one more night! 

See you tomorrow.

“Slow down and enjoy life.  

 It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast-

you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”

 – Eddie Cantor

An Invasion

Song - Bird on a Wire by Willie Nelson


Saturday at noon we were invaded.....

...by a little Chickadee....

And a Cedar Waxwing.

Then two.....

They came to pick the ripe berries off of our Privet tree.

They hung upside down to find the perfect berry

And they came by the hundreds.....

No wonder why we have Privet seedlings coming up all over our garden!

Yes.....I'm talking about you Mister!

Two Waxwings each with a mouthful !!!

A Robin tried to join the berry picking but left shortly after he arrived...

...as these guys had taken over!

This guy has hair like Woody Woodpecker.

Can you tell that I was trying to avoid work and chose to be entertained by these flying beauties?

Because Friday was so calm in the trees..... 

Did you spot him?

"The early bird gets a choice which, to me, 

is more important than the worm itself."

--Stacey Alcorn

H is for Hawk

Song - Bird On A Wire by KD Lang

Ever since we returned from Tahoe, I have been waking up with the morning sun.  To my delight it is a beautiful time to enjoy the birds.

The little Black Capped Chickadee.....

.....and the Oak Titmouse waiting his turn at the feeder......

.....several American Goldfinch's nibbling at my Salvia........

.....a grumpy looking Black Headed Grosbeak - that plops onto the feeder and chases all the other songbirds away......

And almost every morning I wake to a hawk calling but he seems too close to the house so I go out on the deck and spot a bird about the size of a Robin that is making this hawk-like noise.  But he is too small and does not have a raptor type beak. As he flies away, I notice the red feathers under his wings and realize that he is actually a Northern Flicker!

The next morning, I am ready for him with my camera.

 

Isn't he a beauty?

Love that morning light on him!

 (If you click HERE, you will open a new tab from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Then click on the top call - The Kyeer Call to play - doesn't it sound like a Hawk?) 

I also caught this little Hummer sitting patiently waiting for the sun to warm him up.

And yesterday afternoon, I spotted this Red Shouldered Hawk in front of our house.  A big guy with beautiful wings that I saw when he got tired of his "photo shoot" and flew away.

"Be like the bird who, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing she hath wings."  --  Victor Hugo

 

In Flight

Song - Fly Like an Eagle by the Steve Miller Band

Titmouse

Right after I took the photo in my last post (of Baby Huey - the extra large baby Mourning Dove) my beloved camera died.  Just stopped working - suddenly.  I had two full batteries and I tried them both but she was a goner. 

Female House Finch

I was devastated and felt lost.  It's like going somewhere without a purse or cell phone.  You know you will survive but it's a little unsettling.

Crow

So last week I knew I would have to take it to our local camera store to be repaired - it took me three days to adjust to the idea of being without a camera for awhile.  The man at the store was very helpful and quoted me repair prices and length of time I would be "camera less". 


SIX WEEKS! 

Chickadee

But right now I can hear you saying "But Jeanette, how did you get all of these photo's that you are inserting in your blog?" Well......

American Goldfinch

......the helpful camera man told me that for just a few dollars more than the cost of the repair, I could get a whole new camera body that all of my old lenses would fit on. 

Yes!  They were having a SALE!

Green Hummingbird that is imitating an Oak leaf

Be still my heart!  You mean I could walk out of this store with a new working camera? 


What a concept! 



A store that sells cameras!!!

A Hawk that was chased up into this tree by that little Hummingbird!

Now I have to tell you that part of me felt guilty, as my old camera was only four and a half years old.  And it feels very un-ecological of me to not repair my ailing camera but then I would of had an outdated camera that still had a lot of worn parts.  Kind of like putting a new engine in a 1967 Volkswagen - there are still other parts of the car to be considered. 

Titmouse & House Finch

Weighing all of this information while holding a bright shiny new camera was a little like holding a new puppy.  Hard to put down (maybe just one more sniff of puppy breath).


I was a goner......

Forgive me world - I purchased the new camera!

You WHAT?

Yup, I did. 

I could hardly wait the three hours to charge the new batteries before I could start rapid firing my new partner in crime.


And I have to say, I am loving her!

THE END