Two Life Birds in a Single Week and I am Thrilled~

~Hellebore and double blossom Daffodils from my garden view~

Thanking those who spoke such kind thoughts about my dear friend who had been so very ill.  He is doing so much better and in fact has been released from physical therapy and may be heading back to work soon.  He and his wife have a planned journey to Spain the end of the month and I am beginning to think that I will be watching little Mister again ;)

I have been on an email list for several years now that shows what birds are flying our way, whether returning from migration, or simply migrating through thousands of miles from where they came.  My life bird list is not huge like many others have.  In fact maybe only ten in recent years including top of the list Great Gray Owl which I still long to view in the wild, Snowy Owl, Common Loon, which for the life of me, I can't understand why they use the word Common for such beauty...

Common...some of the meanings...widespread (Not here ;), frequent occurrence ( Not here ;), usual (Not exactly ;)~  I think their name should have been called something like Exquisite Loons ;)

 And a few other birds are on the short list to one day get to see and photograph.

Last week I saw the Common Loons for the first time and went on 3 occasions to try and get better quality photos.  The first time it was absolutely pouring down rain. The second time the sun was glaring right on them and the water.  The third time, they were just too far out on the water, BUT I saw them...check mark!

Many years ago my husband and I were invited to be some of the few that would be allowed to see a rare visitor to our area.  A Snowy Owl.  We went the next day and I was so excited at the thought, but the bird was no longer there.  It had already moved on.  Then we received a nice pair at our Louisville Zoo and I saw them there.  Just not the same as one in the wild, I was certain of that.

About three weeks ago I began to get the alerts that a Snowy was a two hour drive from Tingsgrove and it had been there since mid-January.  It took me until this past Monday to try and get there.  My oldest daughter Hillary, her two twin boys and I made the journey which was beautiful scenery along the way.  My heart began to race...I know kind of over the top.  Thoughts began to come, like what if it left during the night, what if we can't locate it, what if... and then we spotted 5 photographers standing along the roadway in front of a brick home, out in the middle of pastureland.  Now what else could they be there for but to be photographing a rare visitor to Kentucky from the far off Arctic thousands of miles away... They come from Canada, Greenland and the North Pole and here it was in our state with very little snow and doing well.  It was ID'd positively just last week as a juvenile/first year male.  I am still stunned that of all places, not far away I had the privilege of seeing this beautiful bird and it was just amazing~   

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slideshow presentation after    you have read the narratives~

I am joining in the fun with Eileen at:

http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/

Saturday's Critter

Anni at:

http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com/ 

I'd Rather Be Birdin'

 Linking to I'd Rather B Birdin' 

   

Maggie's  MOSAIC MONDAY

https://normandylife.blogspot.com/

 Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global 

   http://communalglobal.blogspot.ca/

& 

Stewart for:

http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

Wild Bird Wednesday

Male and female Wood Ducks...a single female and several males at a near by park~

     There were several Buffleheads  at the location of the Loons~

                   We had visitors to our creek last week...Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Ducks~

Our local Red-Shouldered Hawk pair have finally built a nice nest this year following two years of disastrous attempts.  I am so hoping that the owners of the land will allow me to pend the one tree as Raccoons are notorious for robbing the hawks of their young~  

The female takes a long break and catches a frog for her meal~

On my way to my daughter's this past Monday, I went to her local park and just missed seeing this Great Blue Heron fly through this bridge tunnel.  I was standing on the other side and heard it vocalize as it flew out my side~

Here is a very nicely written and brief article about the rare visitor in our state~

http://www.cknj.com/content/snowy-owl-pays-visit-taylor-county

~ Snowy Owl~

I took 430 photographs, slimmed that number down to 375 and came up with a few favorites to share~

I kept my distance which is not what everyone was doing evidently, and so all of my images are heavily cropped.  It turns out that no one lives in this ranch style brick home right now and so the bird has been using this porch covering as one of it's favorite safe places~

On the way home from seeing the Snowy Owl I took a few photographs through the car window~

Peach trees a long way from their fruit explosion~

A very old grave yard out in the middle of a corn field~

After my daughter dropped me off at my car I took a few images of the Bradford Pear trees that line the lane behind their home~

This mosaic shows the flooded field that I shared a few weeks ago and the same field now with White-tailed Deer grazing~

Some of my Spring Posies popping up.  More snow coming in tomorrow evening~