TnNature Photography

Sometimes ya just gotta really get *into* your work ya know? Foxy is adamant about her birdwatching. Since one of the birdfeeders blew off the hook, she decided what better way to keep a watchful eye than to just sit in the feeder itself.

If that doesn’t work..prepare yourself for a longer stay. Get comfortable.

Sometimes they see you coming..

And sometimes they watch you from above…

But in the end.. it all pays off..

Have a beautiful day!

Sunday, hubby & I went back to the Hop-In Refuge, hoping this time we’d see the Sandhill Cranes. (if you remember, our trip the weekend before , we came up dry). Luck was on our side and skies were busy with cranes flying around but we couldn’t see any landing in the nearby cornfields they usually roost in. We followed a flock a few miles down the road to field not in the refuge and it paid off. We also saw our first owl in the wild..not one but two!  Tuesday, my fellow photographer buddy, Susan, and I went back to the Hop-In Refuge to see the cranes again. The weather was mild and we hoped the warmth hadn’t driven the cranes into colder temperatures. We didn’t see a thing in the sky and the fields around the refuge were bare as well so we went back towards the location we’d seen them in earlier in the week and luck was on side again. We didn’t see any owls in this outing but we did see a ton of hawks. We had bird fever!

Sunday the skies were dotted with Sandhill Cranes

And the fields weren’t too shabby either.

We saw our first Short-Eared Owl.

And our first Barred Owl

Tuesday they had moved into various other cornfields….always just out of the reach of the zoom. lol

We found a few *couples* here and there..I guess they wanted to be alone.

(Red Shouldered Hawk) The fields were full of hawks this day too. Must have been lunchtime.

Listen closely to that familiar sound…I love it.

This morning I awoke to the sounds of BlueJays in the trees so I thought I’d put out some catfood and see if I could draw them back to the deck. I didn’t have to wait long. They love catfood! So far I haven’t seen a bird who doesn’t though. Hope you enjoy the video. (ignore the last 30 seconds)

Blue Jays & Sparrows

Then came the Cardinals

And more Sparrows

And then more Blue Jays

Woo-Hoo for Christmas Break!!! Let’s hope these next 2 weeks go by slowly and aren’t hectic.

It’s been so cold lately and I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had time or energy to get out with the camera so I’m going thru the archives today. Two years ago on this day we had a little dusting of snow on the ground and a TON of starlings in the yard. I took these shots through the frosty glass.

It was crazy!

Forward-wind to last yr on this day and the weather was a little different. It was sunny and not near as cold, a perfect day for a a sunset stroll on the boardwalk at Tigrett Wildlife Management Area.

What was the weather like a yr or two ago in your neck of the woods?

So most of you know that we have a new baby in the house, a clumsy footed yellow lab mix we call Abi. It all started with hubby. One day he headed into town and saw 3 puppies on the side of the road, obviously just dumped off. He was afraid they would be hit by traffic so he brought them home. They were adorable and how anyone could just dump them off was beyond us. We found homes for all 3 within a week thanks to the power of Facebooking friends reposting their story.

Since then we’ve helped home a few more until a few weeks ago when hubby went visiting his mother a few towns over. There under his mother’s carport lay a very scared, very skinny Abi, just waiting on hubby’s good heart to take her home. I couldn’t believe how pitiful she looked when he brought her in. You could easily see her ribs and hip bones and she was covered in huge fleas. She ate like it was her last meal and then we quickly gave her a bath to get rid of those fleas. We thought once she gets fattened up and learns to trust us, we’d be able to find her a home as well. That is… until she grew on us. Or shall I say “me”? She won me over with that sweet face and good nature so it looks like she’s here to stay. Here’s Abi’s story in pictures.

Starving and skinny, her tail never stopped wagging.

She was so sad.. her right ear so eaten by fleas, the fur was coming off.

A very wet but clean Abi on her first night here. She looked terrified!

Abi today..happy and full of life..er squeaky bone.

I wuff you mama.. now take the picture already.

She still carries a few signs from her life on the street, a small scar under her right eye, her taste for eating poo..yes poo, ugh, and she wants to grab up mouthfuls of her dog food and carry it off to another room to eat it. I figured this was something she had to do to survive with other dogs around.  Her ears have healed nicely and she’s had her first round of shots, dewormer, flea control and heartworm meds (she was heartworm negative! woo hoo!) She’s decided she likes being an inside dog but she still has her days and nights mixed up and wakes me at 2am every night to go out. We’ve gotta work on that!

I haven’t had much to blog about this week. The temps have been cold (but no snow Tammy) and when it’s cold, I sleep. lol I’ve been going to bed early every night. Geez I feel like my mother suddenly but even my mother stays awake longer than I have lately. I think it’s the whole *new puppy in the house* syndrome. Her days and nights are mixed up and she’s wide awake at 2am wanting to play. UGH But she’s a sweetheart and I love her so hopefully we can nip this in the bud soon.

So this blog is entitled sweet sights because it’s things that make you go *awe*.

Sunset from the front window

Abi getting her snooze on. Who would want to wake her when she looks like this?? lol

*When I grow up I wanna be a catbird!*

Foxy you’re in SO much trouble!

Hope everyone has a good wknd!

I sooo wanted to get out and about today and do some birding but it’s just too darn cold. Just standing outside waiting on the chickadees to appear froze my hands off. If it’s going to be this cold, it needs to just snow and get it over with. lol It’s supposed to drop to 23 tonight and feel like 19. UGH The older I get the more I despise the cold. Moving to Florida when we retire is looking better and better. ha

This is what I did manage to see today, despite the cold weather.

Mockingbird

Chickadee

Great Blue Heron

And a crazy Blue Heron sitting in the middle of a field with no water around, standing against the cold wind. He was really far away and from the road, I couldn’t make out if I was seeing a heron or not. I felt so sorry for him.

The weather today was simply gorgeous. A perfect early Winter day in the south. Everything was moving and flying about when I got home from work, except my fish. They’re water was still too cold from the 29F degree morning and they were still as…well as fish in cold water. lol

It’s been a looong week at work and we only have 2 weeks left before Christmas Break. Woo-Hoo!! Plenty of time off for bird watching. In the meantime I noticed the bluebirds are still around, as well as a few woodpeckers and pine siskins. The Mockingbirds are starting to frequent the cat food more often too.

Daddy Bluebird in the Pin Oak tree

Woodpecker in the same tree

Wait that’s not a bird…it’s a plane! (sorry I couldn’t resist lol)

And when you have good weather, you naturally have good sunsets.

That’s about it from me today…more to come this wknd.

Seems like the birds are beginning to return to the feeders more this wknd. Maybe they knew the coldfront was coming through and wanted to stock up? I’ve been seeing a lot more hawks around lately too.

Kasey & I took a trip to the Hop-In Wildlife Refuge this wknd hoping to see the Sandhill Cranes that migrate there every Winter. Not a crane was to be found though. I guess I was rushing the season a little. I normally don’t see them till Dec. but with the nice cold air and sun shining this wknd., I couldn’t stay in the house. (those who know me, know I love to go Go GO!)

Even though our crane hunt was a bust, we saw plenty of hawks.

A few birds of another feather that we didn’t have to leave the house to see.

The bluebirds are still around on warm days…

Mr Mocker eyeing his sunflower seeds

The sparrows had rather have the cats food than seeds

Here’s a few shots from previous excursions to the refuge to see the Sandhills.

		Sandhill Cranes VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL