Happy New Year 2021

 This past year has been such a strange and awful thing.  Who knew way back in March that we would all be hunkering down at home, cutting out travels, foregoing hugs and generally becoming hermits?  We spent last January in Arizona near Phoenix where I did considerable birding, adding to my life bird list, visiting with family members and friends,  and enjoying the sunshine.  

Burrowing Owls

On our way home we went to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon where I had never been. 

 Then we detoured to Socorro, NM to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.  

Sandhill Cranes coming in for the night

Thus ended the fun part of the year.  Our drive home from that trip carried us through some nasty stuff in Oklahoma and through lots of rain in Tennessee.  We arrived here at home just in time for an overnight snowfall of several inches.

We had planned to go to Iowa in May for two graduation ceremonies but those trips got cancelled.  Then we were to return in July for our granddaughter's wedding.  That also did not happen, much to our dismay.  The wedding went forward mostly because they could not change dates or cancel without losing much money in deposits to the venue.  Two family gatherings got cancelled, one in May and one in November.  Quilt guild activities were cancelled and have not resumed.  My husband's bridge games were cancelled and have not resumed.  We were supposed to be on our way to Arizona again at the moment but that had to be cancelled also.  We just did not want to take the risk. 

Thankfully, we are resilient people for the most part.  We've spent the year at home mostly, going out for groceries, medical appointments and the walks at the park where we can maintain distance.   I did take one short trip for a quilting retreat but it was only after a whole lot of deliberation.  So far as I know, everyone who attended was fine.  It sure was hard to forego hugs with friends, though. 

I have spent most of my time quilting and reading.  Thankfully those hobbies can consume many hours.  We also enjoy our home and the many birds around us.   My husband caught up on some maintenance chores as well. 

I won't even go into the turmoil concerning the elections and its not over yet.  

I'm truly hoping and praying that 2021 will be a much happier and healthy year for all of us.  I'll leave you with the quilting projects I've worked on this year. 

Finished this one off this year

For the high school graduate

I've also been working on wool applique projects but none are completed as yet.  Anyway, it keeps me busy. 

Y'all take care of yourselves and please stay safe until such time as we can all move freely about our worlds.

Happy New Year, friends

Waiting for Spring

Yes, I'm still alive and well.   About to grow webbed feet but still alive and well.   We have had an unusual amount of rain from last fall and on through the winter.  Doesn't appear that the end is in sight either.  We've not had major flooding like some areas but our soil hasn't dried out for months. 

I've been up to my usual stuff.  I took a quilting friend who is a new birder over to see the sandhill cranes at the Hiawassee Wildlife Refuge northeast of Chattanooga.  It was a gorgeous day but very cold and windy.  She didn't believe me when I was emphasizing how warm she should dress for the day, but she complied.  Once we got out of the car and headed up the little rise, she knew exactly what I was talking about.  Although the numbers of cranes were lower than some years, there were still some to see.  

All in all it was a good day even if it did take the whole day for the trip. 

I've been doing some sewing and have three tops at the long arm quilter for completion.  They should be home in three weeks or so.  One is a hand applique quilt called Across the Wide Missouri that I started several years ago when I began learning how to do needle turn applique.  I figured that by the time I got the top done, I ought to have a good grasp of the technique. 

I admit that my stitching did improve but its still far from perfect.  

I attended a quilting retreat with friends from Florida and Alabama back at the end of January.  We met at he Grand Oaks retreat center near Scottsboro, Alabama overlooking Lake Guntersville.  I worked pretty much solely on a top using Australian fabrics.  The mixture of so many patterns and colors was way out of my wheelhouse but I will say that I love the way it finished up.  The pattern is a variation of a log cabin block and is very simple.  It's the colors and patterns in the fabric that makes it so stunning.  

It's a quite large quilt.  I'm looking forward to seeing it all quilted up. 

I also made another modern looking quilt top.  The colors simply called to me and I used grunge fabric from Moda.  The colors are very rich and lush. 

This picture doesn't do it justice.  

I made a day trip over to Lake Junaluska in North Carolina with the Franklin Bird Club last month.  I knew where the town was but had never done any birding there.  We were able to see a good number of ducks there.    I had planned a trip to the Outer Banks this winter but due to medical issues in the family did not get to go.  It's too late now as the ducks, geese and swans have already started migrating.  Oh well, let's hope next year will be the one. 

I find it so hard to believe that we will be switching to daylight savings time this weekend.  Seems to be way too early, what with Easter coming late on April 21.  

I'll do my best to be back more frequently.  Meanwhile, thanks for hanging in there with me. 

Y'all take care 

Bird Pals and Trips

You know, if you dug out your trusty Webster's dictionary and looked up the word "procrastinator" you'd find my picture right there.  'nuf said. 

I did make my trip to Texas in April for the spring bird migration.  It was a different trip in that my Birdlady friend couldn't go because of her health.  Unfortunately, her Parkinson's disease will no longer allow her to hold binoculars steady enough to view birds.  Her heart is broken as is mine.  She was and is such a mentor to me when it comes to the birding world. 

Birdlady in green fleece

She taught kindergarden and second grade all her teaching career so she knows how to impart information well.  Dang, I miss birding with her.  We rambled all over northwest Florida, southern Alabama and on trips to Texas, Mississippi and northern Alabama.  Many happy days were spent in the Blackwater State Forest on unnamed roads, not seeing another vehicle or person for hours at a time.  Our lunches were packed along and we ate wherever looked good.  

Anyway, my friend, Larry, was also along with us on most of those outings and he went with me to Texas this time too.  We didn't have much luck seeing raptors at all.  Then, one day on the way back up to our motel we were cruising along when I noticed "something" out in a field.  Since I was buzzing along about 65 mph at the time,  it took me a minute to get pulled over and stopped after I registered what it was.  I then threw the jeep in reverse and buzzed back down the road to get a good look.  Yeah, I made sure no traffic was coming behind me before doing that.  Anyway, it was a great horned owl being dive bombed by mockingbirds. 

Photo by Larry Goodman

Larry took this shot from the car.  It's obvious to me that they had a nest in that bush and they wanted no part of an owl being nearby.  

We usually also see Crested Caracaras some time on the trip.  I think it might have been the same day as the owl, but as we were scooting down that same highway toward the gulf, there on the shoulder of the highway was a caracara just strutting toward us on the ground like he owned the place.  Didn't even fly as we passed each other.  

We didn't see any unusual birds on the trip but we still enjoyed seeing the same old, same old.  We never get tired of them. 

Laughing Gulls 

Yellow crowned night heron 

Red-breasted Merganser

Rookery in full swing

Nesting birds decimate any vegetation under trees 

Sanderling

Black bellied plover

Great Blue Heron 

Least Bittern, little thing and a bugger to catch

One of our favorite birds that are just wonderful in their large flocks is the American Avocet.

American Avocet

And no trip would be complete without seeing the nesting swallows on the bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway.

Bank swallows

Lots and lots of swallows

At the end of Bolivar Peninsula where it meets up with Galveston Bay, here's the view across the way.   We do our very best to avoid looking in that direction.

So, who's up for a trip next April?

Y'all take care.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

The Farm Girl is gonna be hibernating today.  Even though the sun is shining, its still cold outside.  Now, cold is relevant, of course.   We've had two dustings of snow thus far this winter and there's a forecast for a mix of snow and rain later in the week.  We'll see.  Good thing I like being tucked inside my snug house.   Except.......tomorrow is the beginning of the winter birding session through a local college.  Thankfully, there will be a classroom gathering before we head off to a local spot to see what we can find.  Hey, the sun is supposed to be shining so it'll work.   It's been done before.  

Birding February 2011 near Wheeler Nat Wildlife Refuge.  Yeah, snow.  

Saw my first whooping cranes in the wild that day, so it was totally worth the effort. 

After procrastinating for months, I broke down and bought myself a new toy for my birthday/Christmas present.  Got a new lens for my camera.  Now, to learn how to use it properly.  Otherwise, it'll be an expensive paperweight!!

Hope everybody is doing well.  We're staying warm and trying to keep the birds fed, the little pigs! 

Y'all take care. 

Texas Birding Trip, Spring 2014

Oh, how do I begin?  It's been a long time and as each day goes by, I seem to be more intimidated.   Anyway, here goes. 

The last few weeks have been very full.  I traveled to High Island, Texas in mid-April for my annual bird migration trip.  Had a great time, as usual.  After a few trips, you get familiar with the area and terrain and its like going home.  You never know what you'll see on these trips and that is the thrill of it.  

Male Red-Winged Black Bird showing off for the ladies 

Besides, catching migrant birds as they just reach the shore after their trans-gulf flight allows to seeing things you might not ever get to see at home.   

Male Scarlet Tanager (with leaf in the way!)

Male Rose Breasted Grosbeak

I have to admit that I like being in the presence of so many other birders.  It's the same among anyone with a shared passion, I suppose, whether its birding, painting, or baseball.

Heck, you don't even have to get out of the car to see good birds, as evidenced above.  

Anybody care to count how many birds are in this next photo?

Rookery at Smith's Woods, High Island, Texas 

In addition to the obvious birds, there was lots of other interesting and gorgeous scenery to take in. 

Bluebonnets

This was the only patch of bluebonnets anywhere around, but there was fields and fields of Mexican primroses.

Thistle in bloom

I'll quit boring you for the moment.    Y'all take care. 

Christmas Bird Count

It's that time of the year again, time for the Christmas Bird Count.  This was my first outing and it really wasn't much different from any other birdwatching day except we started at 6:20 a.m. and didn't stop until 5 p.m., when it got so dark we couldn't see another bird!!  Oh, and the record keeping was more detailed.   I was elected to be the driver yesterday, so it was a little more taxing on me than the passengers.  

Our day started by getting up at 4:15 a.m. and heading out the door by 5:30.  It didn't take us as long to drive to the count location as we had anticipated.  Anyway, we got to our first stop in time to watch dawn break and to hear the birds start to wake up.  I can't  say we got to watch sunrise, because we didn't see the sun all day yesterday.

Common loons, winter plumage

We did, however, get some wonderful rain about midday.  I don't even remember when it rained last here and certainly enough to be measurable.    We were in and out of the car, trekking down paths and wandering in parks.  Our count was in a small town, but one with tons of trees and natural areas.   Didn't bother with photos to speak of because it was so dark..

After meeting up at the coordinator's home for a count tally and dinner, we drove back and I dropped the other girls off at about 9 p.m. and I was home by about 9:40 p.m.   Today, I'm a bit draggy, if you know what I mean.  

Brown Pelican on a dreary, dark day 

But, I get to do it again on Thursday when we will be surveying an area along the Choctawhatchee River.  It will be as isolated and wild as our trip yesterday was urban.  I'm looking forward to this one because I've never had a chance to explore that area before.  

Y'all take care.  

All is Well

All is well on our home front.  Isaac turned out to be pretty much a non-event here at our house, thanks to its westward track, but certainly was a major event in other places. 

The shuttered house got to me after a while and my dear hubby agreed to take a few panels off so that light could come in and I could see out.  Of course, by that time, we knew that our weather wouldn't be bad and that it would be safe to do so.  

My sincere thoughts and prayers go out to all those folks affected by this storm. 

One of the good things to come from this storm, at least from a birder's perspective, was a collection of southbound migrants along the coast.  They reach the coast and due to the inclement weather over the gulf they can't continue their trip.  Therefore, they are gathered in our area.  Birdlady and I met up with Mz. B and let our noses lead us.  On the way to the meeting point, Birdlady saw frigate birds, so those were our first targets.  Now, I'd never seen frigate birds before, so I was excited at the prospect. 

Magnificent Frigate bird 

These are normally seen only around the Florida Keys and do not venture to the Gulf Coast except when blown up here by storms, such as Isaac. 

We saw more and more of them all along the sound.  When we went to some friends' house to check out the birds in their yard, Mr. D.  quickly herded us to the pier to look at the large number of birds roosting in the trees just down the way.  There must have been 50 or 75 of them in the trees.  And all along the coast, more were soaring on the currents.   All total, I bet we saw at least 150 frigate birds that day and reports from Dauphin Island show they were over there as well.

Now, after that excitement, we trooped inside Mr. & Mrs. D's home to take a look through their front windows.  My, what a sight to behold.  Their naturalized yard and water feature pond were being thronged by warblers of all kinds!!   I've never seen so many different little birds in one place, and I didn't even have to trek around to find them!!  We sat or stood in air conditioned comfort.  There were warblers of all kinds -- Kentucky, Worm eating, Hooded, Yellow Throated, Prothonotary, Yellow, Canada, Cerulean, Black and White, Parulas, American Redstart and Blue-winged.  There probably were more that I didn't see.  The Canada Warbler was a rarity, and I had never seen it or the Kentucky warbler.  The bright colors were magnificent as they fed, splashed and bathed in the water.  Of course, we had the usual yard birds -- cardinals, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers of various sorts, doves, wrens, brown thrasher and pewees.  We also had blue-gray gnatcatchers and one yellow billed cuckoo.  This was a real treat and we took our sweet time viewing them.

I have no pictures of all these lovelies.  My camera just won't reach far enough to do them justice, particularly shooting through the windows. 

After we left there, we headed over toward the shore to see what kinds of birds were there.  We didn't even get to our first stop when Birdlady and Mz. B. spotted a struggling bird right on the edge of the road.  The vehicle was quickly turned around and they both jumped out to rescue the bird before it was hit by a car.  Getting soaking wet from a sudden downpour, they scooped up the bird in a towel and got back in.  Birdlady held the poor bird in her lap as we headed back to Mr. & Mrs. D's to get a box to transport it to the wildlife sanctuary.  Turns out that the bird was a Greater Shearwater, a pelagic species, a bird not seen near land except when blown there by the storms or for nesting.  The poor bird was checked out and found to only be exhausted from a three day battle with the wind and no time to feed.  He's in good hands and will be released as soon as he's had a chance to recover and may, in fact, already be gone.  

Mr. & Mrs. D. went over to the beach immediately after we left and found many of the pelagics there.   This is a very infrequent occurrence.  Birders look for these unusual events to bring visitors to the area.  

I'll leave you with a prothonotary warbler that I photographed a couple of years ago in Louisiana. 

Prothonotary Warbler

Y'all take care. 

My Current Backyard

I have become accustomed to the sound as the water in the Moose River rushes by our campsite.  It gets louder when there's higher water from rain, but then diminishes as the weather dries.  It was such a wonderful surprise when we realized that this was to be our backyard view for a bit. 

And another view.

And, of course, the sunset view looking down the river.

We get to see common mergansers with their little ones, and mallards with little ones, too.  The cedar waxwings nest in the area, so they are out and about.  There's robins, chickadees, kingfishers, lots of crows, grackles, and ruby throated hummingbirds.  Up near the office, the goldfinches make an appearance, as well as the downy and hairy woodpeckers.  Oh, and the house finches, too.  The unusual birds I've seen thus far from my "backyard" are a spotted sandpiper and a golden winged warbler.  


Y'all  take care.