Among Friends

[luvsbulldogs]

@Bird mama

You are definitely not alone....lol!  This morning we noticed that we have 3 Canadian geese in our pond.  Every year at this time we usually get 2 of them and they hang around here all day and leave just before the sun sets.

This year there are 3.  They swim in the pond and then hang around sitting on the grass!  We worry because the towns are having problems with tons of them congregating all together.  They can't seem to get rid of them.  About 7 miles from here there is a corn field that has so many you can only see geese.  

Later in the summer we usually get 1 Crane in the pond. 

Several years ago beavers built a dam and spent the winter there.  it was so interesting watching them at work.  They would take down young trees and then drag them to the water.

[luvsbulldogs]

@mousiegirl

How interesting that you had Robins nesting in your Salvia plants.  That is sort of low and I can see how you worried about them.  How cute to see the kids at the water bowl swimming around!  I was like you worrying that they would survive.  I am very relieved. 

[luvsbulldogs]

@possummink

I love hearing about all the different birds that your son has in Fla.  I would love to see a bird with blue eyes.  Must be so pretty!  You are very fortunate to see the different birds in Fla. and then go home and see others that you probably do not see in Fla.   

[luvsbulldogs]

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@possummink wrote:

Anhinga,  one of these was in the pond down the street near my son's home.  They are cool birds, but have to kind of dry off before they can fly,  No oil glands to coat their feathers like most diving birds.  They sit on the banks or a rock, branch, with their wings spread out like above till they dry a bit.   

Below is a female anhinga.  They are also called Water Turkey or Snake Bird,  They swim with only their head an neck above the surface.  They catch their fish while swimming underwater.  They can really move fast under the surface.  Charlie and I used to watch one in particular who used to sit on a rock on the bay under our bedroom balcony at the Holiday Inn in Key West.  The balcony was over the water.  That Inn has since been torn down.  Shame on them, it was wonderful there,  

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How different and beautiful!!!

[Bird mama]

I've wondered why Anhinga's sun themselves.  Never knew they didn't have the gland that helped them be water repellent :-)

The bird of the day is the Eurasian Blue T it

 

This one is for Mousie

[mousiegirl]

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@luvsbulldogs wrote:

@mousiegirl

How interesting that you had Robins nesting in your Salvia plants.  That is sort of low and I can see how you worried about them.  How cute to see the kids at the water bowl swimming around!  I was like you worrying that they would survive.  I am very relieved. 

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@luvsbulldogs  The Salvia was about nine feet tall, but the stems are not that sturdy, so suppose when in a thick stand, provided enough strength.  My friend also had a nest in a bush which was midway up the plant, like mine, but the doves are worse, making nests right out in the open.

At one time, I had about nine or so nesting Mourning Doves in my fuchsia hanging planters, and after the stress, I finally took the baskets down, and this went on for years, and trying to keep the scrub Jays away was so stressful.

 I have told the story about rescuing a baby dove.  One evening while outside grilling, I heard the Jays and saw them at a planter, so got a ladder, glove, and picnic basket and looked into the nest to see a cowering baby,  the Jays had taken the other baby.  I kept it in the basket with nesting material in front of my grow lights during the night for warmth, and the next morning drove it to the Wildlife Rescue.  Doves and their offspring will return to the same property the following year, and on and on, so I had generations nesting at one time, quite thrilling, but stressful.

[possummink]

Hi Birding Friends,  It was another really hot and humid day and tomorrow it's supposed to rain as a front is moving down and may bring some drier air after the rains.  Still the temps are forecast to be in the low 90ies. To me, that's hot weather, and I'm ready for Autumn

Mousie ,  How cool to have Robins nesting in Salvia.  I haven't had any Salvia for years it seems.  We used to have whole flower beds of it but it reseeded and we wanted to change flowers.  Same thing happened with Petunias,  We'd buy the really pretty hybrids, they'd reseed but reverted back to the old fashioned Petunias, which are pretty and have a rich scent, but they were leggy and pastels instead of the intense colors we wanted. 

Luvs, It is really nice to be able to see so many different water birds down here.  We do have some at home, like the Egrets, Herons, some Cormorants, Ospreys and White Pelicans,   Cattle Egrets are slowly advancing north too.  

We have far more species at our feeders at home than DS has in his back yard.  One of the possible reasons is that we're in a flyway for migration, but most of our birds are year round except for some of my very favorites, Chimney Swifts, Catbirds and of course Juncos, only they go north in the summer and the other go south for the winter.   Even our Robins  are becoming year round residents mainly around Shaw's Garden or Missouri Botanical Garden as it's now known.   It's in the south city and has heated greenhouses and the Climatron so there's some warmth and also lots of berry bearing trees.   

We have the berry bearing trees and my brother put in some more this spring.  Sometimes it looks like our Robins are a bit tipsy after they've eaten some of the dogwood berries.  Guess we need to 'card them' to see if they're old enough to have fermented berries. 

Have a nice weekend, Everyone and stay cool if possible.  Hard to believe that Summer is starting on Monday.  As hot as it's been here, it feels like Summer should be 1/2 over.

[possummink]

[possummink]

Rachel feeding her 3 baby Ospreys,  Maine nestcam. 

[Winifred]

Possum, the picture of the little Piggy eating ice cream is absolutely adorable. You DO find the cutes pictures.

Got really HOT and sticky yesterday. Had to break down and turn the ACs on late afternoon - suspect today and the next couple days the ACs will go on sooner - suppose to be well over 100. And of course for two years in a row the electric company really increased the rates - starting in May of course - just when you may need some AC. Rates have gone sky high. Water, electricity and garbage rates have all jumped and continue to do so, the past couple years. Strange in that the gas company has left increases alone. Weird,

Need to also get out and try and fix the broken bird feeder  = the cord that holds it broke - probably just wore out as it is the oldest one out there. The heat gets to those plastic straps. Will try and repair it with twine.

Hope all have a very good day - stay cool.