A Sky Diary #SkywatchFriday

I kept a little sky diary of this past week.  Let's watch how the sky changes over four days where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.

Monday (June 15).  I had blogged a couple of weeks ago about the birds nest up against our eaves.  That bird is an American robin although it looks black and white.  I saw it in color, singing near the nest just before it flew off.  It probably didn't like me staring at it.

Tuesday, June 16.  You can just about see the robin sitting on the nest. Taken with an iPhone 13 mini, I don't have a telescopic lens for it. (Yes, I know they make them.  I just don't have one).  I have no idea why the bird looks black.

Earlier that day, the clouds looked like the bones of a creature.

 Later that day, the clouds turned puffy.  It was warm and humid.

Not shown, my spouse thought there was a fledgling robin sitting on the edge of the nest. 

Thursday was an interesting weather day.  It had rained some overnight, but wasn't raining by the time we started our day.

At an appointment, it was breezy and the flag was highlighted against clouds.  It started to rain a few minutes later.

When we got home, we found that we were under a tornado watch.  We ended up experiencing a thunderstorm with some brief but heavy showers, a few minutes apart. 

The rest of the afternoon, lovely skies alternated with brief rain showers.  And I saw a bird was still sitting on that nest (not shown).

Today is supposed to be a pleasant day.  What are you seeing in the sky today?

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.
 

 

January vs June #AtoZChallenge #ShadowshotSunday

January - the time of snow and cold where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.

June - warm, sometimes hot, full of plant life.

Let's compare the beauty of each in the area where I live.  Is there a winner? 

It's J day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I am also joining Lisa at This and That:  A Blog for her #ShadowshotSunday. Yes, it's Saturday but why not?  Please enjoy the shadows in some of these pictures.

These photos are mainly from years past. 

Shadows on the ground on a January day, complete with male Northern Cardinal on feeder (the little red dot in the middle)  and reflections on the ground.  Sorry for the window reflection spots. 

June, same yard but with a woodpecker. 

January 2020, snow squall, downtown Binghamton, New York. 

June, Broome County Courthouse, downtown Binghamton, New York.

January, snow on a bush. 

June 2024, flower in same yard.

But it's April now, and flowers are back.  Jonquils, April 5. 

All is beautiful. 

J day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  Beauty of our Land.
 

Feathers #WordlessWednesday

Feathers on a lawn.

What story do they tell?

Were they just shed there as part of molting?

Or was a bird attacked?  Did he or her escape?

We may never know the story.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday 

Bald Regal Eagle #WordlessWednesday

Today, I am borrowing from my guest photographer's portfolio. Because my friend has a DSLR and lives in a rural area, she can capture a lot of bird pictures that I can't with my iPhone 13 mini.

While visiting Owego in mid-March, someone pointed out a tree to us that had a bald eagle nest.  With a little patience my friend got these pictures of one of these majestic eagles.

Bald Eagle looking Regal.

Yes, I'm talking to you!

Stop staring at me!

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Northern Cardinal #ShadowshotSunday

The sun came out on Wednesday.

 

Enjoy this male Northern Cardinal contemplating some nearby shadows.  No, really, he was singing.  After all, spring is nearly here.

Well, maybe, as we are back in the freezer today.  But it was good while it lasted.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventure for her #ShadowshotSunday.

Have a shadowy picture?  Why not join us at the linky on Lisa's blog, link above.

Pumpkins and Preparing for Winter

 As we close in on the last days of October here are some sights of the season.

Found Sunday in Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, New York.  Someone left a random pumpkin in this scenic spot.  There were two other pumpkins nearby.  I suspect these were part of displays for the Scarecrow contest that ended Thursday.   I'm sure the wildlife will enjoy these.

This was nearby.

Big pumpkins/small pumpkins at a farm stand.  Those big pumpkins were big.

Speaking of wildlife, here's an Eastern chipmunk (right center) preparing for its winter torpor.  Fun fact, chipmunks do not hibernate.  They gather food in their burrows or nests and enter a semi-hibernation state, where they will occasionally eat.

Meanwhile our Northern cardinals stay colorful all year.  I wish I could zoom in better with my iPhone.  The red male Northern cardinal is sitting on the fence.

I have to prepare for winter, but right now I'm spending some time raking leaves.  Here, this is an annual ritual.

What are you doing?

Magical Mystery Feeder Bird

Christmas is rapidly approaching.

I've been gifted Santas through the years, and have bought some on my own.  Here are some of them.

Nature, though, has its own plans, and they don't include Santa.

On this first full day of winter we are about to get a big blast of winter weather. But, through the worst of weather, wildlife perseveres.  With shrinking habitats, we feel some responsibility.

Especially, I admire songbirds.  They weigh so little but are out there foraging in the winter weather, armed only with feathers, beak, and feet.  To help them out, we have four feeders in our backyard.  This is our second winter of feeding and watching our backyard birds.  

During our Southern Tier of New York Decembers, our feeders and the ground below them host various native birds including Northern Cardinals, black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, house finches, gold finches, white throated sparrows, Carolina wrens, downy and hairy woodpeckers, red bellied woodpeckers, dark-eyed juncos, and mourning doves.  In nearby trees, we hear blue jays, American crows, and (a species relatively new to our area) fish crows.  In our neighborhood, there are additional birds - European starlings and house sparrows, among others.

Sometimes, though, there is a magical surprise.

Back on Monday, my spouse saw a bird he had never seen before on our suet feeder.  Later that day, I saw it, too. To me, it looked like a robin sized bird whose feathers have been totally mussed up.  

Maybe a late migrator?  A late juvenile?  We are still new to birding, and our Wild Birds Unlimited closed recently.  We have no one right now to ask.

We tried using Merlin, a free ID app, for ID.  First we tried Picture ID with a picture my spouse took (we also have a video but it's not too good). and it guessed the bird was a house finch, but it isn't.  It's bigger than a house finch.

Trying an ID based on color, size and behavior, we got birds we are already familiar with.

We need help!  I hope one of my readers familiar with New York (near the Pennsylvania border) birds can help out.

Here's the one picture spouse took that came out (and it's not that great - it was also taken out of a window so there is some glare).  The bird in question is in the brown bird in the center of the photo.  We also caught (to its left) a downy woodpecker, fortunately, so there is a way to estimate the size of our mystery bird.

Here are some observations: 

The bird seemed to have black (or dark brown) and whitish spots on its belly, which is hidden in this photo.  The wings seemed mottled.  The beak was not stout.  Its eyes were dark.

It's not a great photo but I hope some one out there has ideas.  We saw this bird Monday and Tuesday.  We haven't seen it since. 

I thank you, and I wish you many happy moments with beautiful birds.

Hummingbird on Clothesline #WordlessWednesday

I was sitting in the backyard near this hummingbird's favorite flower container when she (a female ruby throated hummingbird) came by.

She made kissing sounds at me - no, it wasn't the buzzing sound her wings make. Rather, it was a quick series of chirps.  Maybe it was a greeting, but I don't think so.  This hummer does not go to our feeder when I am in the yard.

Instead, she flew to a nearby clothesline.

I slowly lifted my iPhone while she sat there looking at me.  To my amazement she let me take her picture.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Rapidly Changing #SkywatchFriday

March is a transitional time here in the Northeast United States. Strong winds blow.  The sun shines one day and not the next.  The ground is bare one day, and the next, snow falls.

Let's see what happened since the last Skywatch.  Let's watch those rapidly changing skies.

March 4 - ice still in our local park.

March 5 - needing a camera and not a phone - there's a bald eagle in a tree in this picture.  No, don't strain your eyes.

March 5 - spooky sky as the sun starts its march to its nighttime home.

March 8 - blue skies and the first tree I've seen in bloom. 

March 9 - snow. Wet, gloppy, snow, with the white sky that accompanies snow.

I was working and saw what I think is a male house finch on a branch near my window.  I grabbed my came...I mean, my phone, and took this picture, framed against the window.

March 10 - clear skies and a snowy hill.

And later, reflections in snow melt.

Tomorrow, another winter storm.  Winter isn't done with us yet but the signs of spring are here.

Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers each Friday for #SkywatchFriday.

Halfway Through October #SkywatchFriday

If you are looking for my Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post, it will go up a little later this morning.

If you are looking for skies, though, you've come to the right place. 

We are halfway through October - so hard to believe but the weather has not been typical.  It's been absolutely wonderful, even though, part of the time, it was cloudy and overcast.  But the other part of the time - ahhh. Temperatures in the low 70's (21 C).  No frost yet (unlike last year, when we had a frost in September.)

Here are some highlights of a sky week in the Southern Tier of New York.

October 11, mare's tails in the afternoon.

Sunset October 11, against an overcast sky.

Sunrise October 12, complete with power lines.

Just a little dot in on the right side, middle

October 12, spouse and I took our lunchtime walk in our local park.  To our amazement, there was a big bird lazily circling in the sky, hardly flapping at all.  At one point the sun glinted off of the bird, and you could see a white head and white tipped tail feathers.  

Still talking myself into getting a camera

We think it was a bald eagle, but all you will see is a small dot.  But this is Skywatch, not Birdwatch, so let's move on.

That afternoon, the sun glinted off the river.

Wednesday, back to the overcast.

Thursday, back to the sunshine.
 

Last one - doesn't this black walnut tree look spooky?  I was tempted to post this one in black and white. Maybe I'll try that another time.

Joining up again, as I do each Friday, with Yogi and other skywatchers at #SkywatchFriday.

Loch Ness Duck #WordlessWednesday

I was intending to write a 50 word story today, inspired by a fellow blogger, Adela, over at Black Tortoise Press, and her "Fifty Word Wednesday".   But it didn't work out this week.  Sorry, Adela.

Instead, I want to talk about the Loch Ness Duck.

It's in the lower center near bottom of page

OK, this photo wasn't taken in Scotland. And it's definitely not the Loch Ness Monster but it reminded me of Nessie.  No, it was taken along the Susquehanna River just outside Johnson City, New York on October 3. It's a waterfowl. It might be a diving duck, but I am not sure it is even a duck. (Please note we are only beginning birders!)

We just can't ID it, even after looking at our trusty bird guide and a couple of birding websites.  It didn't spend that much time above the water, as it dove constantly.  It had a long neck and you couldn't see much else, with all the diving.

We saw a similar waterfowl on Seneca Lake the end of August and watched that bird, and this one, for a while. Both times, the bird was feeding in deeper waters (not along the shore) by diving, and then coming up feet from where it dove. 

On Sunday, after it fed, it floated down the river a bit.  Then, the bird finally raised itself up, flapping vigorously and showing all black wings.  Finally, it flew, just feet above the water, down the center of the river, against the current, and out of our sight.  I know colors can be deceptive, depending on light and other factors, and individual birds can differ in color.  But to us, it looked all black, including the wings, which we saw when it raised itself up in the water and flapped.

Can anyone give us a helpful hint?

 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Hummingbird at Feeder #WordlessWednesday

 It's so hard to capture a hummingbird's picture with an iPhone SE first edition, but when I saw "our" hummer feeding on our backyard fuschia basket, I aimed the phone in advance, hoping the hummer would also sip at our feeder.

She did.

I finally got a good picture of her!  I didn't want to crop the pictures any more than this, so I hope you can see her clearly in the upper part of the photo, just right of center.  These pictures won't win me any awards, but I was so happy at how they came out.

I love how she feeds.  Takes sips, rises up, comes back down, takes more sips.  Right after this photo was taken, she headed for one more flower (not in picture) and then zipped out of our yard.

Joining Sandee of Comedy Plus for #WordlessWednesday.

Robin Nesting Time #WordlessWednesday

For the second straight year, a pair of American Robins is nesting on my patio's roof ledge.

 I took this photo a couple of days ago.  There are at least three baby robins in that nest, and both parents take turns feeding the ravenous young.  You can see two beaks on the right side of the nest, as they await a parent's food delivery.

Robin in a pawpaw tree

Both robins guard that nest as well as they can.  I don't know if this is a male or female - the female is slightly lighter in color but, as a beginning birder, I really can't tell them apart.  This one was eyeing a threat.  They don't harass the cardinals, goldfinches or finches that visit our feeders (to the left of the robin) but should a squirrel dare to enter our yard - watch out! 

Here's some more info about robins and how they nest and raise their young.

This isn't from "our" nest but we saw this juvenile robin (bottom right of photo) a week or so ago on a street in Binghamton, New York.  Will it survive its leaving of the nest?  We'll never know.

Joining up with Sandee for her #WordlessWednesday.