Thursday, May 21, 2009

More Young Robin

More of the young Robin, not looking very much like a Robin at this point.






The mother Robin and the baby, with a lot of sun glare...
Posted by Picasa

Robins from Below

More shots of the Robins from below, as they look at me wondering what the hell I'm doing.





Posted by Picasa

Mama Robin

This series of four looks like stop motion animation if you can view them quickly, one after the other. The Robins didn't like that I was (again) so close to their young one, and kept getting closer to me to lure me away from him. I love to see their feathers when they flap their wings... so beautiful....





Posted by Picasa

Mystery Bird

I haven't seen this bird in our yard before, so I don't know what kind it is.
When I find out what it is, I'll repost about it.




Posted by Picasa

Friday, May 15, 2009

Young Robin

This morning I had my coffee in the yard, in the sun, with the three dogs and my roommate's cat, Kitty. I walked around scoping out the place I'd put a small vegetable garden and noticed a pair of Robins chirping furiously at me (and I'm sure the cat as well). I thought there might be a nest nearby and I was partly right.



The Robins weren't protecting a nest, but a juvenile Robin.
I was able to catch this picture of him below.

-----


This is Kitty.



This is a Stellar Jay that I also saw this morning. It's not a conventionally great picture, but I like it because if you zoom in, you can see a front view of his face. Hopefully soon I will use it as reference for a bird sketch.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The Tanagers Are Back!


The Tanagers arrived today! I took these pictures this morning from my dining room window. They were here last year, and this year I was prepared to get better shots of them. These four photos are of the male with his orange breeding feathers. There are more photos of them to follow.





Yard Flickers

Some people don't like Flickers because they peck at and nest in people's roofs. They do not peck at my roof, and they are a nice change in size compared to the normal small birds I see in the yard.




Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

The Day's Treasures



While riding my bike along Lake Washington, I somehow noticed an orange feather sticking out of the grass at the side of the road. When I got off my bike to pick it up I found a few more. I'm certain they are the tailfeathers of a Flicker. Looking at the Flickers that visit my yard convinced me that was right.



Dead Bumble Bee






Giant Pacific Dogwood Flowers at Seward Park

Ferns




Posted by Picasa

Mother's Day



On mother's day I walked the dogs (Bella - German Shepherd Mix; Gretel - Rough Coat Jack Russell Terrier) with my friend Miriam and her French Bulldog, Clovis, in Seward Park. Afterward, I rode my bike along Lake Washington Blvd (Bike Day - Yay!) and saw more interesting natural wonders. I'm always surprised how many "wild" things I see so close to the city! Photos in this blog contain images or Eagles, a Falcon (?) and a Beaver, Flicker Tail Feathers that I found and a Bumble Bee.

I've posted the photos on Flickr.