Showing posts with label Hummingbird. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hummingbird. Show all posts

Sunday, November 11, 2018

We Are Going For a Ride in the WABAC Machine!



 This is not a real Robin if you remember from your recent lesson.
What is it now called children?
Correct!
An Orange-breasted Ground Thrush.
Now tell your friends.

Yeah, yeah I know..."You've fallen WAY behind in your posts!" Get over it. I'm back to annoy you as much as I can...and maybe give you a giggle now and then and help you forget about the morons running this asylum.

We set the date in the way back machine to July 4th, 2018. The day Britain celebrates getting rid of us...or something like that. The place, Brust Park in Munroe Falls. If I remember correctly (ha!) it was quite a hot day and I was surprised that not many people were out. There was a group of teens jumping off of a low bridge into the Cuyahoga River, and I was tempted to join them...but that would make me the weird old man. Or should I say weirder?

Anyway, enough of the wordy stuff...

 This Orange-breasted Ground Thrush had the right idea!



 Splish splash! And it wasn't even Saturday night!

 This is still a Baltimore Oriole.
It was named after a baseball team for some odd reason.

This pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds weren't singing, they were trying to cool down in the heat.
Maybe Cleveland should name their footyball team after them!
Bird names are trendy in sporty sports.

 I always have a nice walk in this park. You have to dodge the occasional bicyclist, butt many of the birds enjoy sitting still for portraits, such as this delightful Cedar Waxwing.

 This Eastern Kingbird kept a close eye on me and followed me through the woods around a small pond. (I like being off the trail a lot!)

 When I arrived at the pond and scanned the trees, I discovered why I was being watched so closely.
He has a family on the nest!

 Stoopid Starling was yelling at me to keep my watercraft out of the water.
"And don't even think about swimming!"
Stoopid Starlings are soooo bossy. 
I should have asked for his green card.
(That was politically incorrect humor.)

 Damselflies confuse more than dragonflies...While not swimming in the pond I saw this Stream Bluet.

 Speaking of Britain...
A Gray Catbird made a visit to England last month.
He must have rode the hurricane winds over.

 "Wow! I'll bet they mispronounce his name!"
"It's HARRY, not 'ARRY!"
(You see, the catbird call sounds like he's saying Harry. That's a funny joke, You can laugh now.)

Another British import, the House Sparrow. 
He's reminiscing about the punk look...

 This is now my favorite photo of a Mallard.
And I thought I was the only one that couldn't swim...

 This poor Osprey was losing his nest piece by piece thanks to the Stoopid Starlings and the House Sparrows.

 Portrait of a frustrated Osprey.

 I never noticed the buggy eyes on a Red-bellied Woodpecker before.
Must be all the bugs in their diet...mahahahaha!

 You must appreciate the following photos...

 So, I heard a loud commotion in the woods. Dozens of songbirds making a racket.
I wandered in to see what the ruckus was all about...through poison ivy...

 Fortunately my dear readers that were hoping I would be suffering through and insufferable rash and scratching fest, I am not affected by poison ivy, so nyah!

 Where was I?
Oh, the ruckus among us...this poor and starving Red-shouldered Hawk was simply minding his own business while trying to eat the face off of one of the aforementioned songbirds and they seemed to take offense  and chased him off.
I followed in quick pursuit to get these lovely photos for your pleasure.
You're welcome.

This young Red-winged Blackbird was yelling for his mom because I was following him.
Red-winged Chickenbird.

 Picture for you to go "Aw..."
A lil Ruby-throated Hummingbird just chillin'.

 My woodsy wanders would never be complete without my favorite Song Sparrow!

 I'm sorry to say, I have many hundreds more photos to make you suffer through until I get caught up...which doesn't look likely...tata for now!

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Back to the Present...

 A hot day in the neighborhood! Even the Ruby-throated Hummers were sitting still.

 Hard to believe, but I'm actually posting from this weekend! Yes, there's more from the crazy migration month...we'll save that for later...In the meantime...YOIKS! It was hot on Sunday when I went to Tallmadge Meadows for a "short" walk through the woodland and around the meadow. The temps were already in the low 90's when I got there in the morning. By the time I finished my "short" walk it was 99 on the car thermometer! And I could feel it. I wonder why the birds were all hiding in the leaves and scrub?

I planned on leaving before lunch when the temps were going to burn me alive, butt I kept seeing a bird here and there...AND THEN...the wild call of a Yellow-breasted Chat...the non-warbly warbly! I followed him back and forth through the scrub and into the trees...for an hour and a half...back and forth...forth and back...and...anyway...stoopid burd never came out. Nope, time spent on fire in the full sun and not a single photo to chat about...jerk burd. All I got was a sun burn. Stoopid human...

Oh well, I had a good time anyway and even managed a few good shots!

 This is a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird winding up for a take off...

 You could even hear the sonic boom when he let loose!
This photo was taken at one millionth of a second...really...fast camera...maybe...
  (Alternative facts are my life.)

 Please note the "rising" icon and the temp alert.
I should have noticed that earlier...

 A smarter than me American Goldfinch, aka imitation warbly, hiding in the shade.

 I could clearly hear this Brown Thrasher laughing at me...a lot...another burd that's a jerk.

 Uh...Cedar Waxwing being fluffy?

 These two were confused by the fluffiness as well...

 This is a Chipmunk frozen in time pretending to be not there.
He needs a little more practice.

 Any day I can sneak up on a "Common" Yellowthroat and get his photo is a good day!

 There was at least a dozen singing in the meadow, I found two!
This one yelled at me for blowing his cover.
Angry little guy...

 This is a dragonfly.
It's not really a dragon or a fly...

 This is another dragonfly that isn't a dragon or a fly.
I need to find a "Dragonflies From Behind" field guide.

 This is a guilty looking Eastern Gray Squirrel.
I think he stole that nut from the frozen Chipmunk.

 Lots of flycatchers out today catching flies.
Except for this Eastern Kingbird.
Please note the juicy bumble bee in the upper right.
Flew right past his face.
Must not like sweet bees.

 Speaking of far sighted birds.
This Eastern Wood-Pewee almost got clobbered by that Virginia Ctenucha moth!

 The moth was being a daredevil and strafed him again!

 "Doh...did you see a juicy bug fly by?"
Love that look of bewilderment...

 Wow...when a Field Sparrow sings, his whole body shakes with those trills!
I need to learn to shoot and post video...

 Okay, first, to the lady that was standing behind me while I was calling out "HARRY!," that's how you talk to a Gray Catbird. I'm not crazy...well...mostly not.
By the way, the catbird called back "David!"
I heard it.
I'll bet that lady talks to herself...at least I only talk to birds...and chipmunks...and bugs...and snakes...

 I also occasionally talk to Midland Painted Turtles when they're sneaking through the wetland.

 ...and sometimes Raccoons...

 I don't talk to Red-bellied Woodpeckers.
That would be silly.

 Enough of that...this Red-winged Blackbird told me to be quiet...

 Um...excuse me, butt you got a little something stuck in your beak. Might want to wipe yer face.
Those Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are messy eaters...
 
 All the Ruby-throats I saw were just chillin' out...or trying to.

 This poor Song Sparrow was singing his brains out, butt sinking lower and lower on that branch.
He needed to take a break.

 This one told me he just wanted to sit for a few minutes and rest.
Me too.

 This is the look you get when you ask a Tree Swallow if he's ever swallowed a tree.
Not evne a chuckle out of him.
Nothing.

 Just the crazy eye...
I think feeding all of those kids did a number on his sense of humor.

 Hey Look!!
It's that Virginia Ctenucha moth that the flycatcher couldn't catch!

 Hmmm...those wacky Empidonax flycatchers...
I think it was a Willow, he disappeared right after this shot...

 Lots of Yellow Warblies were singing...and hiding except for this one!
I got you!

 Just like this Pewee, I waving bye-bye for now!
See ya soon!