Red Trucks and Birds

You may recall me saying "All I want for Christmas is a vintage truck..."

Well, my sweet sister-in-law and family got me one for Christmas! Only this red truck is a bird house and feeder! I hung it from the gazebo and filled the bed up with bird seed. Seems as if the birds finally discovered it while I was eating my lunch yesterday! I looked out the window to find a mockingbird perched on the truck, so of course that meant I had to get my camera out! 

I'm not sure what this first little bird is (can anyone help me out?) I knew if I went out the door, it would scare him away, so I shot through the glass door.

I called this one "You looking at me?"

 Our "screen door" is missing its screen. I was able to raise the glass and still stay in the house to get a few more pictures, so I wouldn't scare the birds away. I was able to catch the mockingbird's picture this way.

 I got the stink eye for telling her she was "an over-sized load!"

Love all of the birds expressions! I had fun watching them for a few minutes and capturing a few pictures, before I got back to work. The tree limbs around the yard added to the blurred effects on the pictures.

They just about emptied the truck bed this afternoon, so it looks like I need to load her up again soon! There was several more birds in the yard this afternoon and their was a line to take a turn in the red truck! It'll be fun to see the activity and maybe I'll get a cardinal picture.  Hopefully this spring, we can also get pictures of someone nesting in the cab of the truck.

Do you feed the birds? It's been a while since we've put out seed in a feeder, although judging by the bird population, they have been finding things to eat and shelter in our yard. 

Baby Cardinals

Last Monday, I discovered a nest of baby cardinals in the bushes right beside the gazebo. In fact, as I watered plants, I could look over the gazebo rail and see them. You may remember my Cardinals and Grandmama story from the winter. All year, I've been working on a "For The Birds" theme and found something bird related on every junkin' trip leading up to our show last weekend. Sunday when I came home from the show, there was a different bird sitting on the gazebo rail as he was learning how to fly. Then on Monday, I found this nest. When the cardinals flew out of the bushes, I was able to identify what these ugly little things were! Today, one week after finding the nest, Jeff alerts me that my babies are leaving the nest. I was really surprised it was so soon, but according to my search, they are only in the nest 9-11 days before flying away. They have chirped all day as they cling to tree branches and get brave enough to flutter through the yard. The daddy cardinal has been coaxing them along a lot and give me a few ugly looks as I observed them. Hope you enjoy the pictures of the cardinals!

Monday - the day I discovered the babies.

Monday - wee little babies.

Friday afternoon - yikes!

Saturday evening - big difference in a day! 

Sunday evening - that nest is getting crowded.

Monday morning - Baby number 1 made his way to the Bridal Wreath in the yard. 

Monday morning - bird #2 left the nest

Monday morning baby 3

"What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?" - e.h.

 I finally got a picture of the red bird, although he wasn't too happy with me! (I've tried off and on since December to get his picture.)

 He would coax and call to the babies and bringing them food. I can't tell exactly what he has in his mouth. I left them alone and went back inside to work, expecting that they would be gone this afternoon.

Late this evening, I went outside to photograph some wedding bouquets I had finished today and heard lots of little chirping going on. They were still here! Bird 1 was sitting in the crepe myrtle in the center of the yard, eye height, and I was able to get lots of pictures of him. I could have reached out and grabbed him up easily, instead, I just took lots more pictures and a video of him. 

 I mean, they are so ugly they're cute!

 Those toes, that fuzz! I shot some of these in macro, about a foot away from him!

 Birdy #2 was in another bush in the yard, but I never found the last one. I think he was in the trees beyond the yard fence.

 I'm glad my yard can be a place for the birds to live. I don't buy feed for them, but our yard and surroundings provide for them and I sure like getting to witness their journey as they find their wings and fly away (or maybe they will all stay here!)

Now, I'm an empty nester...

Cedar Wax Wings

Last week, on one of my many trips outside, I noticed a huge flock of pretty birds in the variegated bush in the yard. It was a grab your big girl camera and zoom lense moment! We later determined they were cedar wax wing birds and they stopped in to completely remove all the berries off this bush / tree in the yard. 

At times, there was several dozen birds in the tree and several more waiting their turn in nearby trees. 

About 12-13 years ago, I planted this bush, from a small one gallon pot and now it stands about 15+ feet tall and has a huge canopy. There was a sweet lady who we went to church with and she had one on her yard and I just loved it and had to plant one for myself. It reminds me of variegated pittosporum, although I think it's got another name. I'm glad the tree can be beneficial to the wildlife and I was able to capture a few shots of their visit. 

To me they are pretty and have such unusual markings, the mask on the eyes, the red drops on the wings and the tip of the tail feathers looked like it has been dipped in yellow paint.

I'm glad I was able to pause a few minutes and enjoy watching them and capture the moment. 

The Birds Approve of the Junk!

We've had baby birds this week! It has been exciting to watch as mama bird made her nest in my junky, rusty flower bucket on the gazebo. Its made for easy and convenient bird watching. We discovered yesterday that we had babies and tonight as I watered outside, I notice mama wren was out hunting for food. I grabbed my camera and stood on the front porch and watched them.

 These birds are lovers of all things rustic and junky! Makes me like them that much more!

This was mama bird sitting her nest a few days ago.

As I watched the wren, I suddenly realized there was two wrens working on feeding the babies. This is a family affair! They both landed on this set of old bed springs before moving up to the gazebo rail, then into the bucket.

I shot this picture with my phone, so forgive the blurriness. Here's a glimpse of the babies! Sadly mama bird has taken two pieces of plastic into her nest.

 

 

 

I love being able to watch mother nature and photograph the life of these babies!

Woodpeckers and Land Mark Directions

Our recent travels have taken us down several country back roads and we noticed this woodpecker perched in this tree. Farmall Man backed up, so I could get a couple of pictures of the bird.

 

 We passed by the same tree three days later and the woodpecker was in the same location, observing the area.

Last night on my way home, I was talking on the phone to Farmall Man when he ask me where I was at. I told him I was passing the woodpecker's tree and he knew exactly where I was at! This bird has now become a landmark!

Around our parts, we like to give directions by landmarks. I've taken lots of directions to the tune of:

 "once you pass the big pine tree" (ummm this is East Texas, and we all have pine trees, yet I knew I had arrived at the right place, cause yes, it was a big pine tree!)

"turn at the brown farm gate" (everyone on that road had a brown or rusty gate)

 "just past the hay field" (hay is everywhere in the summer...err a typical summer anyways.)

 "the road in front of the old store" (the store hasn't existed since I was a child, is now torn down, yet the road is still in front of the old store!)

 "down at one-eyed horse corner" (when my dad was growing up, there was a  one-eyed horse that lived at this particular corner - never saw him myself, but all these years later, I still refer to the place as one-eyed horse corner. I may be the only person left that refers to the place as such!)

"turn right and go two shakes of a pick-up truck" (had to bust out laughing after being told that one!)

"when you see the smiling dog, you're at the right house" (I never did see the famous smiling dog, but I found the right people to deliver to.)

We refer to lots of buildings by their previous tenants...you know, the old Wal-Mart, now turned three other stores, but its still "in front of the old Wal-Mart"

The old locker plant - never seen it in my life, but tell people where the beauty shop is and you must say "it's at the old locker plant" and you get an immediate, "oh yeah."

The drug store and grocery store changed names years ago, but are still occasionally referred to by the previous name.

I could go on and on about land mark directions...Do you give directions by "go down to such and such place, cross the creek, go up the hill, round the curve, yada, yada, yada" or do you use exact road number and mileage for reference?  What's your favorite, funny directions?