A Rare Visitor to Tingsgrove, Stayed all Winter~

Happy almost April to everyone!

  

I am hoping that this will be the last, or nearly the last of any snow bird images for the season.  

One of the birds that has shown up in my garden for the Winter has only been noted a few times and then they were gone.  

This past Winter we were fortunate to have 2 Fox Sparrows stay around the entire season.  

They are such beautiful birds and I am happy that whatever it was they found and liked, that they decided to stay.  

Every day, I would peek out the windows to see if they were near, and now that the tease of Spring weather is approaching, they have moved on. 

The image just below this summary is our rehab and release of wildlife house that I used for 8 years, from housing Screech Owls for the government to raising 63 Gray Squirrels and 6 Red Fox Squirrels, and many an Opossum.  

It was a snowy morning and the sun was about to rise from behind and the lamp light was shinning from below and these were the colours that I saw. 

I hope that you will enjoy these image shares, as well as your week ahead.  

Remember to double click on the image, to view a larger slide show of the images shared

   

 I will also be linking up with Mary at:

Mosaic Monday

at: 

  http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.

As well as I am linking up with Stewart at:

   Wild Bird Wednesday

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

We lost yet another tree 2 weeks ago, the one on the far right in the image below, fell really close to our home~

The little country lane that runs our 2 acres leading home~

Shades of Yellow and Gold~

 Can you believe it...that is Silvie the 8 month old pup-cub on the husby's right and Meaka the 5 1/2 year old to his left.
Silvie already weighs over 71 pounds and Meaka 74 pounds full grown~

Remember to double click on the image, to view a larger slide show of the images shared ~

*** I am going to at least try and link up to Mosaic Monday and Wild Bird Wednesday...will be on the road for a while and so, it all depends on Internet access. 
The weather across the country looks bleak, as well as the SHUTDOWN of our government...what stress this brings our way!

I am linking up with Mary for:

"Mosaic Monday"

at: 

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com

and

I am linking up with Stewart at:

Wild Bird Wednesday

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

It seems that with family members in need, and having to run errands since the husby began a little kitchen project a while back, that we are always on the go into town.
It does not bother me so much, just have the camera on ready...good to go.
What do you think of the tin barn and old silo...I thought it was wonderful!
Love the rust stains...that gives that barn real character~

The images that I will be sharing, like the one below, were taken last Sunday morning.
This is the Icelandic Horse farm that I often photograph in Prospect. 
These hues are all natural, as the sun was rising over a fog covered Lily pond~

Lots of berry bushes ready for the birds to come calling. 
I have tons of the Honeysuckle variety here~

Non breeding American Tree Sparrow~

 

This Gray Squirrel was totally taken by surprise, as he made his way with a Hickory nut toward me. 
Once he realized there was "danger' before him...he scampered in the other direction~

I shared this with family and friends on Facebook the other day. 
Rudolph the red nosed Chipmunk... ;)
The way the berry was positioned in front of this little chap, that was all that I could think of~

 

 

 

 

Mallard Ducks preening at Long Run Park, at sunrise~

 

 

American Goldfinches collecting Thistle and Cone Flower seeds at Fox Hollow Farm in Prospect.

 

 

Wow, a very late clutch. 
This image was taken of a young Goldfinch being fed by parent, just the other day~

 

Every year this time, we can be walking on our property and come across one of these beautiful Box Turtles. 
This was quite a large male, and he was en route to where he would hibernate this Winter. 
If you ever help a turtle out, that may be crossing a road, always point them in the direction they were going.
I have had a pet Box Turtle for a few years now.
One day, she will be released, but not until such time that she would not make such good Raccoon fodder~

Celebrating Birthdays, Anniversaries and Special Blog Entries for the Year~

A very Merry Christmas from our home to yours~

I celebrate my birthday today, December 21.

 Bill celebrated his on Tuesday and we shall celebrate our 43 rd wedding anniversary tomorrow, December 22~

Meaka with me, and Meaka with husby Bill~

I am linking up with Mary for:

"Mosaic Monday"

at:http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com

and

I am linking up with Stewart at:

Wild Bird Wednesday

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

One of the highlights of this past year, was in traveling to Tennessee and viewing thousands of Sandhill Cranes...Amazing!

Our precious, precious family~

We have lots of Blue Jays in our area, but this turned out to be one of my favorite images for this year~

Meaka turned 5 on December 2.  Here she poses in front of the Christmas tree~

The female Cardinal to me, is a gorgeous as are the all red males~

Our oldest daughter and her husby Andrew and twin sons Cullen and Kerrick~

Male Cardinal and female above, were also some of my favorite shares for this past season~

Twins Cullen and Kerrick, will turn 4 in March. 
They are full of energy, and quite smart for their age, even knowing the US President, Vice President and Secretary of State's names, among other fun facts~

As many know, one of my favorite birds, are Swallows and the images below, were most assuredly 2 of my favorites shares for the year~

Our middle daughter Brittany, for whom many have been lifting up these past few weeks, and her husby Dale and new pup-cub Lexi. 
Brittany continues to recover, very slowly.
It will take another good month for full strength to return.
Thanking each of you so very, very much for your wonderful comments, thoughts and prayers. 
We have felt them~

I just really, really liked this mosaic when I created it, and still do~


This is Brittany and Dale's oldest son Thomas 9, with our Meaka and Survhee cat. 
He is so bright and loves math and being big brother to his 2 siblings, and part time care giver to their new pup-cub~

Last winter the European Starling population brought news crews from all over the US to film, and I had to get in a series also~

Brittany and Dale's youngest son is Braden 4. 
He called this cloud his "little boy cloud";')~
Braden can explain all kinds of big machine facts...like his daddy, he knows his cars and big rigs~

More from the series on European Starling invasion last winter~

Our first grand-daughter Maci was introduced to us on November 19 and she is absolutely adorable and so adored by all~

The husby and I had driven to the "big city" and I was trying to get some interesting snow images...

thought this one was interesting then and now~

We had our first German Shepherd growing up briefly in Portland Oregon.  His name was Silver, and when the family moved to Kentucky, Silver was given to the Post Master there.
My father would many years later get another German Shepherd and named him Silver also. 
My husby got our first German Shepherd when he was on the Sheriff's department back in 1972, and her name was Belit'. 
Then came Vanda  11 years later, who grew up along side our 3 daughters.
Our first Long Haired German Shepherd was Muschka and we now have our second one of the Long Haired breed...and of course her name is Meaka.
With this all being said, it was not a huge surprise, when one of our daughters chose this breed as their own...Enter Lexi~

Many of you may remember the amazing encounter that I had with this gorgeous hybrid raptor. 

It is a cross breed of a Red-Shouldered Hawk and a Red-tailed Hawk...evidently quite rare~

About 6 weeks later and a few miles away as a bird flies, I came across a male Red-Shouldered Hawk, in copulation mode with a Red-tailed Hawk...the above may have been a past seasons's offspring. 
After photographing this rare pair, I went to location a couple of days later and the male had been accidentally hit, or flew into a vehicle and was blinded. 
He survived for several months, but finally had to be gently put down. 
This is one encounter in nature that was all so very incredible, as well as heart wrenching~

Sometimes what we see in nature is not always beautiful and yet, we accept it, as nature at it's best. 
That was what I felt when I took the captures below of another pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks with a Blue Jay and a Skink~

Our youngest daughter Ashleigh...full of fun, adventure, so very bright...
a delight to be around. 
She is home for the holidays from her home of LA, and hopefully will stay on a few months beyond the season~

I had a lot of comments about this Canada Goose collage when I first shared it...

What a cold day, that was too~

I have also had a cat most of my life. 
My first growing up was Smokie, and then as a young lady out on my own, I had a Siamese. 
In between, there have been many, all inside cats. 
The black Spencer Ivy is now 16 and the fluffy survivor cat, I named Survhee Pipka is

approximately 18 months old now. 

They get on swell with Meaka, but not so much each other. 

Spencer is too old, for Survhee's antics~

I took the image below of the American Robin as spring tree buds were beginning to open, always a sign of hope to me~

I am especially thinking today, about the special time of the season, but also for those precious lives lost a week ago today in an act of total evil. 
I pray for peace to come to those families who are grieving...

The last favorite image share for this past year is the juvie Red-Tailed Hawk below.  The branches may be in the way, but there was something really very natural about this share. 

I probably like it as one of my best for this past blogging year~