A Very Special Winter Guest and More~

Happy Late New Year, Happy Almost Valentines Day ;)

On my way home from my visits with my sister who is still among us, now 9 months after the diagnosis of Small Cell Carcinoma of the lungs.  I will take my favorites back roads home and reach out to nature for it's peace and tranquility that it brings.  My stress level has been off the charts and I know for a fact that I have aged more in the past 9 months then at any other time in my adult life.  I am trying to take care of me as well and so these excursions with wildlife are my peacefulness.  

I am sharing today a pair of American Kestrels that hang out along the "Prospect Bridge" or rather the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Prospect.  The Bald Eagles have reclaimed the land where they were for 9 years prior to last breeding season.  The entire nest season last year was a huge disaster and one that I hope I shall never witness again.  Not only that, I have located also a second Bald Eagle nest that is only a few miles from the one I am familiar with.  What exciting times coming...I so hope it all goes well.

Here is to hoping that you will enjoy the shares here as much as I have in placing them together for this very tardy post presentation.

Hoping all is well with each of you and that you are enjoying those things that make you happy~

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:

Saturday's Critter

http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/

Anni at:

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

I'd Rather Be Birdin'

 Linking to I'd Rather B Birdin' 

   

Angie at:  

Mosaic Monday

https://tentoesinthewater.blogspot.com/

& 

Stewart for:

Wild Bird Wednesday

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

American Kestrel~

Red-Shouldered Hawk near home~

I watched this Great Blue Heron fly along the Ohio River last week, near one of the Bald Eagle nest sites~

Belted Kingfisher~

Eastern Bluebird in my side garden last week~

I cannot begin to say how very Happy I am in seeing our two Bald Eagles busy with their nest site once again.  I had not seen the female after July 3, for quite some time.  I learned from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife as well as Raptor Rehab of Kentucky people that possibly the female had been taken and was getting ready to be released back into the wild following an injury.  That however was a mistake and this pair is still very much together~

What a beautiful scene this is coming from the Indiana side of the Ohio River.  The nest is huge and hopefully it will stay secure for this season and for many seasons to come~

Our new bridge opened December 18, 2018.  I have walked over to Indiana now some 8 times.  Each time I visit the Bald Eagle site, I must walk up to the beginning of the bridge to get the best views, about a 15 minute walk from the car lot.  I watched as the very first large sections of bridge were being placed 5 years ago.  The Eagles put up with dynamiting near by over and over again and stayed right on point~

And here is the second Bald Eagle site location.  My daughter Hillary has a friend that lives very near this one and told her to let me know where it is.  How exciting~

These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago and then some have been done this past week~

It's very peaceful along the river and the eagles seem to sense that for right now~

Meet Petey, a Winter visitor to Kentucky.  Petey is fondly called that by as it happens a gentleman that I went to school with from St. Matthews back in the 1960's.  Lee Squires and his wife Linda are hosting Petey.  He is a Western Tanager and is far, far from his home range of the Northwest of the United States and up into Canada.  They migrate down into Mexico along the Gulf side.  Petey is only the second documented Western Tanager to show up in Kentucky.  Lee and his wife are enjoying their visitor and he is being well cared for.  Every morning right on time Petey appears in a favorite tree near the feeding station attached to the kitchen window.  He partakes of live and dehydrated meal worms and he enjoys fresh fruit salad ;) with blueberries, apples slices and bananas to name a few of his favorites.  I have been fortunate enough to make a few visits into the city to stop by and see this beauty.  We all hope he survives the remainder of the Winter and will decide to return to his home grounds.  If he decides to stay he will be well taken care of~

Petey face to face with a Tufted Titmouse  and to personify the image...

Are you one of me?                                                                                        

;) 

I snagged this gorgeous Red-tailed Hawk in pouring down rain one afternoon~

Sunrise at one of the lanes around the block from home...my country lanes where I travel to enjoy the tranquility of nature.  

Do you have favorite places that bring about tranquility?

Wild and Crazy Week for Spring Forward and Arrival~

Wild and crazy week for Spring forward and arrival.  The nation has had so much crazy weather this past several months.  I was told quite some time ago that Kentucky is one of the fastest changing weather states in the USA.  I am beginning to think that is true for the whole country.  

What about where you live outside of the USA? 

Sometimes you just need to be alone, doing something, yet nothing, other than breathing and using your natural senses. Yesterday was touched by the sweetness of talks with old friends, with sharing life, it's difficult moments as well as it's joys. Last evening I was torn as to what I would be doing this morning, and then I tried to sleep, but rest would not come. Laying there trying to figure out my morning and then I knew where I was going...to the Ohio River and I was going to walk the little over two mile walk path from Kentucky over into Indiana. Once before I did it before my knee surgery and I was about to do it again. Done! Taking in lots of fresh air, and quieting the spirit, whew so nice... I needed that. I took in the beauty that was surrounding me and felt the warmth of the sun upon my face, even though my toes were freezing...yikes. Warmed by the walk, by the time I was crossing back over, they were toasty. 

Yes, I talked with Father God too and He gave me newness for the day, the week, that I just craved deep within my soul~

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

There was a flock of Wild Turkeys on display and tugboats along the shore~

A touch of HDR to show the colour that I saw as well as the current...an improvement on the otherwise very muddy Ohio River~

Made it, above and below the Indiana side of the river walk~

As I was walking the path back I came upon a gorgeous American Kestrel and snagged a few sweet shots~

The mystery of this beauty is finally answered.  I introduced you to this handsome Friesian gelding two weeks ago.  As many of you know, one of my favorite lanes to drive in Oldham County, is Covered Bridge Road.  I always find wonderful subjects to photograph.  Some of you may even remember the beautiful Icelandic Horses that I have photographed and posted in years past.

Part of that same land belongs to the Aspiring Heights Equestrian Center.  This wonderful facility has plenty of stalls for boarding horses, they also house their own horses that they give riding lessons with, as well as have trail rides. 

So now I can introduce you respectfully to Zeke aka Pedro fan de Klaster. 

Zeke was born in Northern Holland  5 years ago this coming May 14, and was shipped here a year ago this May.  His blessed owner is Elena, who shared with me that Zeke is a "kind hearted horse who loves to flip switches on and off, grab blankets, brushes and pick your pockets for treats."  We have texted each other and will get to meet soon so that I can gift her the photo prints that I have for her.  I took these images the other day while running errands in the city~

The Young Deer and the Little Squirrel~

We had 7" of snow on the first day of Spring and may get more this weekend.

Our land on Tingsgrove~

A wee little butter butt ;) Yellow-rumped Warbler came for suet and kept having territorial disputes with it's own kind will visiting.  It could hear my camera through the glass and I loved watching it try to figure out where the noise was coming from.  

Forsythia and Daffodils in the snow~

 

 The other day on Facebook I watched a video clip on Acrylic Pour Painting and got the desire to try it myself.  It's supposed to look like marbling and is to form large cells.  Well I have since then watched several more video clips and each one is similar, each one is different.  I got the ingredients ordered and then made my first attempt.  It is based on the colours of my Emilio Pucci Braniff International Airlines uniform scarf.  

Pretty yes, but it is not what I was going for.

My second attempt was this one based on the colours found in a male Peacock's feathers.  Well... let's just say that the painting beneath the image below now covers this one.  While it is pretty and two people shared with me that they loved it and thought that it looked like Koi Fish in a pond...the little splats that look like fish was made using a metallic acrylic paint and by the time it dried, the paint had pulled away from the canvas...huge sigh~

I am going to figure this out, you just watch and see ;)  

This is my current challenge, what is something special  you are working on?

The canvas that I did both of the above on, ended up being used to create this painting~