Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Week 1

Today my good friend and fellow blogger started a new photo challenge.  Her blog is called Bacardi Mama and today's post can be accessed by clicking here.

The premise of her photo challenge is to post your best picture of the week and share it with other bloggers and Facebookers.

I had a hard time deciding on a very best photo so I'm actually posting three.  I just don't want to leave any of them out.

First of all cardinals are always fun to photograph but never more so than when the back ground is so white. This first one was shot on a blustery wintry day and I love that I caught one in flight and also how you can see the snow so clearly.

The second one was at a calmer time and this guy was wary of me but still couldn't stop eating.

And I've included the third one not only because it's so cute, but because it's so unusual to see a bird taking a bath when it's so cold out.  This one seems to be wondering what he just did.

So those are my shots for this week and I'm hoping the name gets changed soon to Hit Me With Your Best Shots, lol.  To see more best shots, visit Nancy at Bacardi Mama.

Birds of Summer

The birds of summer have flown the coop.  I miss them more than they'll ever know.

But I do have my old picture files to go back to and I've decided to post a few of my favorite birdbath pictures from July.

Oh how I love the bluebirds whether they're staring at me.

Or drinking water.

Male and female are equally beautiful.

Even when she's doing all the talking.

I love the vibrant colors of the goldfinch.

 

And I'm not sure what kind of birds these are - some kind of sparrow maybe - but I love how the pictures turned out and the kind of unusual poses.

And now I wonder where all the birds have gone.  Is it possible they're gone by this time every year.  Or did they look for better bug hunting when we were having our drought.  I'm a little worried about them.

And I can't believe I'm already looking forward to Spring.

Coping With The Heat

Like almost everyone else in this country, we're in the middle of an epic heat spell.  Fortunately most of us have air conditioning and many are able to visit pools and beaches to cool off.

But not all citizens of this earth have the same options and opportunities.  I've recently observed some rather unusual behavior among the neighborhood wildlife and I suspect it's heat related.

Take this bunny, for example.  I suspect she found a shady spot where we'd recently watered the .... weeds and found that by stretching out on the cooler grass, she could cool off a little bit.
 
So that made me wonder about this posture that I've seen bluebirds assume before.  I always wondered why they did it and now I suspect they're trying to cool off too.

It's really disturbing to see, isn't it; but I can assure you that after a few minute's breather, he flew off.  I've read that the bluebird might be showing off his brilliant colors in order to attract a mate or that he might be playing dead for some reason but I don't really subscribe to either of these theories since this guy already has a mate whose sitting on his four eggs in their nest box and I can't think why he'd want to play dead.

I wonder if another possibility might be to look formidable.  A picture I snapped a couple of minutes later shows another bird on the scene.  It looks like a young bird to me so I want to think this dad is trying to offer protection to one of his youngsters on the ground but it doesn't look like a bluebird fledgling to me.  So maybe this guy is trying to scare off the interloper.  That doesn't really fit either because I've seen the brave little bluebirds attack much larger birds and they're not only brave and tenacious but relentless.


So, it's back to the cooling off theory.  Perhaps he should have just visited the old watering hole like these guys.  Obviously, all he'd have to do is sit there while another bird takes a bath and he'd be the recipient of a nice, cool shower.

Here's hoping this hot, dry spell ends soon.  Although in about 6 months we'll be wishing it were back.

Nature At Its Cutest!

Time for my morning toilette.
I just love getting up with the birds and ready for my day!

So refreshing!

May I have a little privacy please!

Now this side

And my underarms.....errr....underwings!

I think I need to get a little more vigorous

I feel so clean and fresh..and pretty!

Now let me at those WORMS!!!!!