Wordless Wednesday - Pelicans At Dusk

Eagle Eating SHRIKE??

Well, no, not really.
But I got your attention didn't I?
This Loggerhead Shrike is enjoying a tasty worm.
The Eagle-eating part is an old joke I played on my oldest daughter when she was around 12.
We had spotted our first yard bird Shrike and I hooked her on how it ate eagles.
Tiny vicious bird.
I suppose it's not that funny now. But I always think of them as "Eagle-eating Shrikes".
Amazing how this one impaled the worm on the barbed wire fence.
Then ate it bit by bit.
I didn't see any eagles in the vicinity either.

Eagle Eating SHRIKE??

Well, no, not really.
But I got your attention didn't I?
This Loggerhead Shrike is enjoying a tasty worm.
The Eagle-eating part is an old joke I played on my oldest daughter when she was around 12.
We had spotted our first yard bird Shrike and I hooked her on how it ate eagles.
Tiny vicious bird.
I suppose it's not that funny now. But I always think of them as "Eagle-eating Shrikes".
Amazing how this one impaled the worm on the barbed wire fence.
Then ate it bit by bit.
I didn't see any eagles in the vicinity either.

Time To Simplify!

Hey everyone, I'd love it if you'd follow my sister blog Aslan's Own. I'm going to simplify my life and post all my musings there. I'd say MOST of the posts will be about birds and Nature, but you'll get some other stuff too.

I hope to see you all there!

Connie

Last Days Of Summer

I've really been enjoying these last days of summer. We've been eating dinner on the patio almost every night - only when it's too wet have we not. Ace entertains us by getting the "zoomies" right as we're finishing dinner. He's great at doing somersaults and recovering at full speed while grabbing whatever toy snatches his attention.

I've had a few afternoon snoozes in the hammock, seeing fall migrating birds fly or come through the yard while I'm out there.

I have a renewed interest in producing my own food in the garden. I did this for many years while we were on our small farms and had many kids at home and I loved it. I think the biggest garden I ever had was about a half an acre, which is how big the lot we own now is. I've got plenty of room to grow food, but chickens aren't allowed here. A serious shame. We ate a lot of food out of our garden this summer, but I didn't grow enough to put by. But we'll see about next year.

I'm focused on building more garden beds in back and hopefully getting many loads of manure and old hay to build a couple of larger gardening areas in front. I've had five years to get the place into shape and have enjoyed landscaping and growing flowers and bushes, but now I'm ready to increase our vegetable garden.

Last year I added 3 beds, starting out by tilling the whole area.. This year we boxed them in and I've begun building another. It's gonna be fun.

Wordless Wednesday

Garden Design Ideas Needed!

Well this isn't particularly about birds, but they do love my garden. We added the beds on the left this year, and they've been great. (You can see my "bird meadow" on the right, behind the garden. Another view of my meadow behind the garden and the pathway. I had to mow the meadow in mid-summer because of my new puppy Ace. but that's another post.
My tomatoes didn't do that great this year, either because I didn't water them enough or they didn't get enough sun.

I want to add more beds in the back yard, but it does get a lot of shade. I'm thinking of 4x4 boxes (but I REALLY would like 4-5 diameter circles), along the left side of the yard about every 5 feet or so - what do you think? What could I use that would make circular beds?

Garden Design Ideas Needed!

Well this isn't particularly about birds, but they do love my garden. We added the beds on the left this year, and they've been great. (You can see my "bird meadow" on the right, behind the garden. Another view of my meadow behind the garden and the pathway. I had to mow the meadow in mid-summer because of my new puppy Ace. but that's another post.
My tomatoes didn't do that great this year, either because I didn't water them enough or they didn't get enough sun.

I want to add more beds in the back yard, but it does get a lot of shade. I'm thinking of 4x4 boxes (but I REALLY would like 4-5 diameter circles), along the left side of the yard about every 5 feet or so - what do you think? What could I use that would make circular beds?

Northern Colorado Birding Fair!

It's Been Quiet Around Here

This is one of the most quiet late summers I've had here. Very few grackles or blackbirds yet. A few hummingbirds; Calliope and Broad-tailed females. Lots of juvenile Lesser Goldfinches which are surprisingly loud, they love all the sunflowers I have planted.I did have one day last week where Wilson's and Yellow-rumped Warblers swarmed the trees. I'm expecting to see more of that soon.

Of course, I just looked out my window to a feeder full of house sparrows and Eurasian-Collared Doves!

What's going on in your yard and garden?