For the Love of Hummers ~

I am dedicating this blog post to my Grandmother....

She means the world to me and I love her very much....

We both share our love for birds.  Sometimes, I will call her and ask her if she saw this kind of bird, or that kind of bird, or I will say, "Can you check the bird book Gran", but one thing we know for certain is, we love our hummers.... and Gran always says, ''Make sure you put a little extra sugar in their water before they fly south.  It gives them extra energy to make their long journey".  So, that is what we do....

They are amazing little creatures.... iridescent powerhouses

This is an adult male....

He is called a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

but I call him ''Sweetie'' because he is exactly that....

Hummingbirds are known for their ability to fly backwards, upside down, and to hover. Few other birds compare in their ability to perform such aerial tricks. They also possess the fewest number of feathers ever counted on a bird.

Hummingbirds are known for their ability to fly backwards, upside down, and to hover. Few other birds compare in their ability to perform such aerial tricks. They also possess the fewest number of feathers ever counted on a bird.

Hummingbirds are known for their ability to fly backwards, upside down, and to hover. Few other birds compare in their ability to perform such aerial tricks. They also possess the fewest number of feathers ever counted on a bird.

Hummingbirds are known for their awesome abilities....!!

They can hover, fly backwards and even upside down....!!

I remember last year, we rescued a hummer.... That turned out to be a lot of fun!!  And, she had a cozy crib for the night... You can read all about her adventure right here !!!!

I am hoping one of these days, that I will be able to find the female in her nest.  I would quietly photograph her from a distance with her babies....That would be awesome!!

Until next time.... or as Gran J would say "Loads of Love" xoxo

Duck Olympics !!

" Water Duck Race "

At the starting line:  "Lucky" our 1.5 pound call duck, and "Tony" our 10 pound Pekin/Mallard duck

ON YOUR MARK.... GET SET.... GO !!!!

Uh oh !! Lucky just stumbled !!

By the look on his face, it seems like he is fearing for his life rather than winning the race !!

Hey wait.... !! Look at Lucky go....he is back in the race !! .... It looks like he is running across the water....

Can he catch up ?

It's a race to the finish line and Lucky wins by a feather !!!!

Your race officials for the day !!!! (Three sweet chicks)

The Canada Geese Stopped By ~

A breeding pair of wild Canada Geese made their

designated rest stop in our pond this morning....

I was outside at the time letting our free-ranged ducks and chickens out of the barn when I spotted them. The female was very vocal when she saw me and our border collie. At that point, I thought they would fly away, but they didn't. They are sharing the pond with our ducks, Lucky and Squirt....

I managed to get a bit closer....

They swim by the rest of the ducks and chickens....

 

And, we cannot forget about Skittles....

he is our very friendly Barred Rock rooster!!

And there they go.... they will make their way to their nesting area and hopefully have a successful brood in about a month....

Northern Flicker Staking His Claim

These two male Northern Flickers are battling it out for top spot this nesting season!!

Who will win?

Northern Flickers come from the woodpecker family and these ones pictured are also known as Eastern Flickers and some also call them Yellowhammers !!

And the winner is....
We are hoping for another successful hatch in the coming weeks and happy to have front row seats to watch mom and dad prepare the nest and take care of the nestlings !!

Yellow-Rumped Warbler ~ (day 2)

The Yellow-Rumped Warblers were feeding all day around our pond....and I couldn't pass up the chance to photograph these beautiful birds once again!!

Yellow-Rumped Warbler ~

Adult male Yellow-Rumped Warbler (eastern "Myrtle")

The warblers are back and lots of them!!!! it is amazing to watch them catching the flying insects over our pond... they share their space with the tree swallows.... it is great entertainment and we are looking forward to another nesting season!!

Splish Splash ~

Getting ready for summer!

Our baby Pekin duck who we named ' Squirt ' was only a few days old here and having some fun splashing around in the water for the first time!!

The Common House Fly .................... Up Close and Personal

A large population of house flies were occupying our deck railing and performing their mating ritual.

• Did you know: 4 to 20 days after mating, females are ready to lay eggs.
• They lay an average of 75 to 150 eggs every day up to four days

That's a lot of eggs and a lot of flies!!!!

Heart Rock in the Sand ~

Found this neat heart rock in the sand today....

What a special find!!

Happy Easter ~

 

Easter fills us with hope, joy and warmth.

May your heart and home be filled

with the blessings of Easter!

 

 

After the Rain ~

 

Had a great hike to the falls today after the rain....We hike these falls regularly and this was the highest we have ever seen the water level.  The water was raging and went over the concrete wall and into the fish ladders.

With the spring thaw in full force, there is a lot of water and flooding from the ice and snow we had this past winter.

Frozen Tamarack Tree !!

This photo of our latest winter, (oops !! ) spring storm was taken on April 1, but this was definitely no April fools joke!!  It started off with two days of freezing rain and then lots of snow, oh and not to mention, the never ending wind!! But, we survived and there's no denying that it was also, in a way, very beautiful!! Now, if mother nature can just give us a little sign that spring is ''really here'', that would be great !!

Enough of Winter Already ?

I have two words..... HURRY SPRING !!!!

Blue Jay ~

Blue Jay posing in exchange for some sunflower seeds!

Male Evening Grosbeaks

Pair of Male Evening Grosbeaks

Assuming three is a crowd??

These plump, yellow-bellied Grosbeaks were a pleasant sight for us to see and hear while enjoying our morning coffee!!  They love sunflower seeds and flock to the feeders when there is a good supply.  They don't mind sharing with some of the regulars, mainly our blue jays, gray jays, juncos and chickadees and we cannot forget the downy woodpeckers.

Do you want to hear an evening grosbeak? click on this link for their unique chirps and calls!!

Iridescent Clouds

These rainbow clouds or iridescent clouds happen when small ice crystals or tiny water droplets scatter light, which causes the light to be diffracted or spread out, creating a rainbow-like effect in the clouds. Basically, it is just the combination of icy clouds and sunlight that create this effect!!  You never know what you will see when you look up!!  Pretty cool!!

Happy Valentines Day ~

Happy Valentines Day <3
Wishes for a special Valentine's Day filled

with love and happiness

from Shamik Photography ~

Devoted to the Natural Elements

Like my Mascara ?

Our feathered friends are doing everything they can to stay warm this winter....the temperature this morning was -25 degrees C  (-13 degrees F) and this little Gray Jay had icicles growing on his eyelashes!! Looks like a frosty mascara!!

We make sure their feeders are full and everyone has plenty to eat during these cold winter months.... Nothing goes to waste at the breakfast table here....This little fella is our regular and we enjoy his presence over our morning coffee!!

It's a Blizzard!!

....Not a good day for a photo op!!

Next Christmas I am asking Santa for some ski goggles !!

".... Ok, I am out of here... !!!!

After a quick ''pee'' and "a photo", it was back to

curling up by the woodstove for me!!!!"

Footprints

Well, the time for the snow and ice is once again upon us and I just had to share this cute photo.... Remember Squirt our Pekin duck? Well, today we went out for our first walk in the snow together!! Some of the snow melted and then it turned to ice, creating these wonderful frozen footprints!! As you can see, I was dragging my heels and Squirt was dragging her toes!!  It was a great day...........