Wild Bird Wednesday

It's been a lousy week weather wise, and I haven't been anywhere to take pictures of birds. There have been a few regulars at my feeders, and I do have this small flock of Pine Siskins that have been hanging around. I don't remember seeing them this early in the season. Maybe they are sticking around till all threat of the hurricane is gone??? We are safe here, with only moderate winds, and the creek got very high, but we didn't have any water damage. We lost one tree, but it was a Sumac on one of the trails, so no big loss. We have plenty of Sumac.
Have a wonderful rest of the week, and sorry about the small font. I didn't catch it till I was done with this post :~( Do click on http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com to see what Stewart has done with this fun bird meme.

Barn Charm

This is one of the Amish communities near us, and you can see on some of the house roofs they have installed solar panels. They use these to charge batteries.
We made it through the hurricane fairly well. The creek behind our home is very high, but we have little water in the basement. All the schools are closed in the area, and plenty of power out too.
Have a great day.
Click on  http://bluffareadaily.blogspot.com to see lots more barns.

Macro Monday

Since it has been raining here all weekend, I thought I'd try some raindrop shots. Here is a close up of the water reflection on one of our Spruce trees.
Happy Monday, and if you are in the path of"Sandy" take care.
Click on over to http://lisaschaos.com to see more macro shots.

A cold and raining Sunday

Since it is a miserable day here, cold, raining and as we wait for whatever "Sandy" will dump on us, I decided to post some pictures that I took last week when we had a few beautiful days.
This is a shot of the Mum farm about 20 miles from us. They have acres and acres of gorgeous flowers. Some you can buy at their stand, and also you can dig up your own.

Another shot of the Mums.

I took a walk down by the creek, and the beavers have been busy this Fall. They have built 2 dams, and as soon as the water gets high it will wash away all the hard work they have done.

I was lucky enough to see this female Belted-kingfisher, and she didn't stick around very long and as soon as she spotted me she flew away.

Here is one of the trees that the beavers have cut down. There are quite a few, and this one fell partly onto the road. This stump is about 7" in diameter, and they never even took the branches.
OK, enough for now. Have a wonderful day, and do stay tuned to all the weather reports.

Weekend Reflections

I can't believe it's the weekend again. Driving past the neighboring town, I spotted a few reflections in the local pond, and will be posting more in the coming weeks.
Happy weekend to everyone, and if you are in the path of Sandy, do take care!
To see more reflections, click on over to http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com

Friday's Fences

My post for Friday's Fences isn't really about the fence, but what's behind the fence. I LOVE Alpacas. Love the barn too.
Happy Friday everyone. Have a wonderful weekend.
Click on over to http://lifeaccordingtojanandjer.blogspot.com to see lots more fences.

Wild Bird Wednesday

I've seen a few birds this week, and I'd better get them posted before they get lost in cyber space.
This  male Red-bellied woodpecker has been hanging around for a few days.

Taking a ride around Chautauqua lake I spotted these Coots paddling around the shore line. I don't usually see these till Spring migration.

They are skittish most of the time, but these guys let me get fairly close.

This Bald eagle has been around our area for a while now, and you can find him hanging around the creek that runs behind our house.

It was a very windy day, and this guy was doing a bit of scratching.

This was a real find for me. A couple female Hooded mergansers, and one has just caught a fish. Another spooky duck, and I felt so lucky to get close enough to get a couple shots.

This one had just come up to the surface from a dive, and you can see the water droplets on the bill and on her back.
Click on over to http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com to see lots more birds.