Birds, birds, birds . . . . but still stitching!

The migrating birds have had most of my attention for the past few days.  I live on the south shore of Lake Erie and most birds coming north for the summer don't like to fly across the lake, so the woods and marshes throb with a wide variety of birds for a few weeks in May, resting and feeding to make the final leg of the trip around the lake.  

I'm indulging in the luxury of being able to drop everything else and go look for them!!

I don't photograph birds as a rule -- my camera isn't equipped for it and I prefer to watch them through my binoculars.  But this young red-shouldered hawk was posing, so I took a couple pics of him earlier this afternoon.

The late spring wildflowers are blooming -- this jack-in-the-pulpit was one of the biggest ones I saw today. 

This white wild geranium caught my eye yesterday -- usually they are a pale red-violet color.

And the camas lilies are just beginning to bloom -- they are a lovely native and work well in garden settings, too.  They are available in some bulb catalogs and natural beautifully in moist areas.  Most of them are a pale blue, but we found a white one yesterday -- another rare sight in this region.

The woods in the park nearest to my home is quite wet and today, I came across several clumps of squaw root - it looks like fungi, but it's a native parasitic plant that grows on the roots of woody plants such as oak and beech trees. 

The sewing has slowed down a bit but I did get the courthouse steps blocks for the Long Time Gone SAL pieced while watching a delightful movie (A Bird of the Air) on my Kindle the other evening. 

Do you use Hoopla to borrow movies and audio books?

I just discovered Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in the list of available movies -- love that movie so think it will be a "watch" this weekend!

I cut all the strips for these blocks with one of Marti Michell's Log Cabin rulers -- the blocks just fly together using this method and working with the lengthwise grain strips keeps the blocks square and uniform!! 

I did a slight variation in the value placement making half of the blocks with the darks dominant and the others with the lights dominant.  Its another trick I learned from Marti and I like the balance better. 

I've also started to make the pineapple blocks -- there are quite a few of them and I'm using them as my "leaders and enders" while working on the everything else!

Using Marti's Pineapple Ruler set!!

 

Here are the Courthouse Steps blocks set into three bands as they will be used in the quilt.

Relying on value (light vs. dark) to make this cheerful set work!! 

Week 9's task was four chevron log cabin blocks -- I was a bit puzzled by the fabric pull on this one since there isn't any need to do "light vs. dark".  After some floundering around, I pulled assortments of fabrics that were compatible with the starter square for each block.

I was surprised in the end by how similar they look and no blues?

Hopefully it will look okay in the quilt! 

If not, they are pretty blocks and will find another home easily.

My last bird of the day this afternoon was lurking behind this stump as I walked along the trail.

Peek-a-boo!!  See that little glint of red?

And out popped a pileated woodpecker (about the size of a chicken).  He was busy tearing up a rotten log searching for insects.  Nice!!

One more day of intense over the top birding and then I need to reel it in for a few days and attend to my garden and house.  One benefit of staying outside all day is that I'm not having any trouble sleeping!!

I hope the weekend is a good one for you!!

Mary

Birding Vacation

Two weeks ago, I left cold rainy Ohio for 10 days of (almost) non-stop birding in Central Florida!

I've birded as long as I've sewn -- my parents thought I should know how to sew and I thought I should chase down birds -- happily, I've been able to do both -- one as my vocation and the other as my avocation!

 

Since my studio has slipped into the "too messy" zone, I'm starting my re-entry with some tidying up this week, so today I'll regale you with some of my vacation photos!

 

Once I landed in Orlando and found some lunch, I was in full bird seeking mode!

This pair of Sandhill Cranes were sharing a pasture with a herd of beef cattle as I headed to the east coast.  So close and totally oblivious to me?

The Florida tourism folks cater to birders with The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, a network of 510 premier wildlife viewing sites across the state.  Their website is very helpful!

  Many of the sites I visited are man-made water treatment wetlands.  The first one I visited is located in Viera and literally throbs with birds. 

 

I was delighted to find this Limpkin with two fledglings trailing behind her hoping that she would share the snail (their favorite food) she was carrying. 

I came across a half dozen species of ducks still wintering around the region.  This Hooded Merganser drake was in full breeding plumage and strutting his stuff for a nearby hen. 

They will be heading north soon!

 Little Blue Herons are half the size of Great Blue Herons and don't migrate as far north as I live so it was a treat to see them everywhere!

These are Gulf Fritillaries (I think) -- a new butterfly for me.  It was delightful to see butterflies nearly everywhere I went -- hard to comprehend that 1000 miles north at home, there are no insects moving around at this time of year. 

One of the most numerous birds I saw were Coot -- this group of them reminded me of the clusters of 13 year old teens I see walking home from school -- prancing around, chattering happily. 

This is from a series of pictures I took for the sake of comparison.  There are four different species -- from left to right, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron, Rosette Spoonbill, and Snowy Egret.

Just as I started to snap pictures, the Snowy Egret fluffed up all his feathers and started to give chase to the two smaller herons -- it got quite comical! 

That froth of feathers on top of his head is usually plastered down.

As I traveled inland, I visited several wild river areas and this was my favorite.

The Haw Creek Preserve.

I was uncertain as I traveled country roads through cabbage and kale fields that were being harvested.  It seems quite remote, but the 1/2 mile board walk with several decks overlooking the creek was some of the most beautiful scenery I saw and very peaceful.

This has to be what I heard some folks call "old Florida".

The slow moving creek is deep enough for canoes and small motor boats.

The woods are mostly live oak and sweet gum that are covered with Spanish moss, bromeliads and tiny ferns. 

This little squirrel was the only other creature I saw during the hour I spent there. 

I found myself fascinated and frustrated by the palmetto scrub -- the texture of the leaves fascinates me but the size and density of them makes finding small birds very frustrating! 

And look at this wonderful "shadow" -- another "texture" idea?

Early one afternoon, I stumbled upon a large gathering of white birds -- it was almost as though there was a sign somewhere banning any others.  There were Great Egrets, White Ibis, Snowy Egrets, and Wood Storks.  While I was enjoying the sight, a large pink bird stood up in the midst of the crowd -- one Rosette Spoonbill. 

 A rather long, birdless walk through a patch of dry woodland that was being rehabbed was just beginning to make me wish I'd made a different choice of which way to walk when I began to come upon armadillos rooting around in the dry leaves -- they have the cutest ears which are hard to see in this photo.  The left side is his head and the ears look like leaves.  Prior to this, I've only seen dead armadillos beside the roads. 

 Several days later, I walked another dry woods and was amused by the seedlings of the long needle pines -- they look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.  This one was only 4 feet tall.

I did one all day guided trip (part of the Birds of A Feather Fest in Palm Coast) to the Sweetwater Wetlands outside of Gainesville, FL -- it's another huge waste water reclamation area.  This is a Sora and usually difficult to see since it feeds on the ground in marshy overgrown wetland edges.  This one wandered out of the grass and into these water plants while we stood overhead on an elevated walkway.  The cameras were whirring as he searched for insects -- one of the best looks I've ever had at this bird. 

 There were plenty of alligators but most of the ones I saw were all enjoying a nap in the sunshine and not at all interested in the humans with binoculars and cameras.

 I didn't spend much time on beaches for a couple reasons -- not a beach girl unless it is covered with birds like this!  Shorebirds!  It's the most difficult group of birds to identify especially since I get  limited exposure to them in Northeast Ohio.  They come through in the early spring and again in the late summer but the numbers aren't as great as at ocean beaches.

Happily this group was all the same -- Long-billed Dowitchers -- because sorting a mixed flock of dumpy brown birds can be daunting.

The most common bird everywhere I went were Yellow-rumped Warblers.  There were hundreds and they were everywhere -- but hard to photograph.  When a species is present is such large numbers, it's tempting to ignore all the small brown birds but it's usually "just another", but checking as many as possible sometimes will turn up one like this -- the Black and White Warbler.

(The person who named this one was pretty clever, huh??) 

 And sharing the tree with the B&W was this Yellow-throated Warbler -- both were only 5 or 6 feet above my head which accounts for the good photos.  The B&W is very familiar to me, but the Yellow-throated is much more uncommon in my experience.

Isn't he beautiful?

 The only disappointment of the trip was that I didn't find the three life birds I was seeking but that didn't take much away from nine days of nothing but watching birds and being outdoors.

One more day of tidying in the studio and it will be ready for me to get back at the projects.

Mary



Thanksgiving Week

After a balmy day last Friday, we had a weekend of cold weather and a bit of snow which brought the lovely part of fall to an end. The last leaves have turned golden and rust and we find ourselves on the edge of winter.

It's Thanksgiving week here in the USA and all that most everyone is thinking about is food and cleaning the house so my stitching time has been limited and poorly focused.  Facebook just reminded me that on Thanksgiving Day in 2012, we had dinner out on the patio and a red fox visited the back porch in the morning to clean up the cat's food.  We won't be having dinner out on the patio this year!!

My resident squirrels started their Thanksgiving feasting early and requisitioned the Halloween pumpkins -- I moved this one down by the bird feeders this morning to keep the mess off the back porch.  The little mob of dark-eyed juncos just ignore him as they search the grass for the cracked corn we throw out.

Sometimes a walk helps me focus (the refrigerator still needs cleaning before the big feast on Thursday) so I headed to a nearby wetland for a short late afternoon walk.  I've been helping a local group increase the survey birding along the local river corridor by visiting several different parks every week.  

The trail skirts the edge of an ancient dog-leg of the river that has attracted a pair of beaver who have re-engineered the area into an interesting pond and marsh.

The remnant of snow showed me that not only are there other folks (and dogs) who appreciate this rustic boardwalk through the marsh, it seems the white-tailed deer appreciate it as well.  It's breeding season for the deer right now and I've finally learned to pay attention during late afternoon walks -- not good to get between a buck and an attractive doe!

My walk yesterday afternoon yielded a new experience -- several coyotes howling not too far from the trail.  Upon returning home, I did some reading to see if breeding season is also beginning for them -- it's a bit early for breeding but not too early for dating.  I have to admit it was a bit unsettling and I was relieved to only spot black-capped chickadees this afternoon.  I was delighted that this one waited for me to get my camera out and set-up for a portrait.

He was foraging near these goldenrod galls -- the egg and larval case of the goldenrod gall fly.  The larva overwinters in the case and the fly hatches in the spring -- but not these!?!  Chickadees and Downy woodpeckers are the most likely culprits -- they had snacked on every one in this clump along the edge of the path.  You can read more about this HERE.

I returned home at dusk and watched to see if the cardinals were put off by the red yarn I added to my feeding pole this morning.  It's an attempt to keep the House Sparrows on the ground and out of the sunflower seed tray -- seems to have worked the first day though I wouldn't be surprised if the sparrows get over their trepidation before winter is over.  Surprisingly, the yarn doesn't seem to bother any of the other birds coming to the feeders.

Reorganizing my feeders today made me wonder if the Cornell University Feeder Cams are up and running for the winter.  They have three -- one at the lab in Ithaca, New York (click HERE), my favorite  located in Ontario, Canada (click HERE) which attracts birds we rarely get here in Northeast Ohio, and a hummingbird feeding station in West Texas (click HERE).  (If you are visiting any of these sites from other parts of the world, NY and Canada are in the Eastern North America time zone and Texas is in the Central time zone.) 

 

We are gathering a small group of family and friends, sharing the cooking duties, and looking forward to a quiet day of feasting and visiting on Thursday. 

Then with the house clean and lots of leftover food in the kitchen, I can spend the weekend starting my Christmas stitching!!

Enjoy the rest of your week!!

 

Mary

 

Sometimes I Just Need a FINISH!!

Do you have days when you just need to finish something?

I did yesterday!!

My studio is still torn up because spring has arrived and with it comes the season of bird migration.  

 I want to be outside enjoying all the "firsts of the year" -- crabapple blossoms ready to burst open.

 Or the meadows of a local park dotted with mist-bejeweled webs of orb spiders!

I want to sit and watch the pine siskins draining the finch feeder at the rate of about 1/2 pound of seed a day!?!  What began a week ago as 1 bird off and on during the day has become a flock of 12 to 15 birds for most of the day.

This feeder has not been vacant for over a week.  There is cracked corn and a wealth of fresh dandelion seeds in the surrounding lawn, but they only have beaks for the finch feeder.  Northeast Ohio is their wintering range according to Sibley's Guide to Birds but I rarely see them until late April/early May and then typically just for a day or so as they are return to Canada to breed.

A local birding acquaintance, Jon Cefus, shared this lovely close-up with me.   

Siskins are related to goldfinches, same size, but don't have the striking colors and can be easily mistaken for a sparrow.  For such a social bird, they are a bit cranky at the feeder with lots of bickering about who gets to sit on which perch.  The amount of yellow (see the wing bar) varies and they have a thinner, pointed beak unlike the other small finches.

 

Fair weather and southerly winds brings birds into our area over night during the spring so every morning brings the possibility of something new but with only northerly winds for the past 12 days, we aren't seeing much action and are getting a bit restless.  So yesterday, my birding daughter and I headed over to Northwest Ohio and Magee Marsh for 3 hours of up-close birding on a boardwalk through a lakefront marsh forest remnant that is one of the top 10 birding spots in the USA.

We had a modest 50 species and only 8 warblers but there are always interesting "firsts" to enjoy.  A whip-poor-will might have been a first for both of us -- we've heard them on trips in the southern US but I can't recall actually seeing this night insect hunting bird.

And then there was this tidy pile of feathers -- looked like a thrush was someone's breakfast. 

I wonder if anyone saw the event?

However, my lack of stitching progress is also frustrating so yesterday I decided a FINISH would be just the thing to settle my restless spirit.  So when we returned home, I set to attaching the lining to the dilly bag I've been piecing for the past month.  It's Brigitte Giblin's Nundle Dilly Bag pattern which she says should take about a week -- perhaps the decision making about the fabric slowed me down?

It turned out larger than I expected so I've decided to give it to my knitting daughter for her birthday.  I added two pockets -- a long one with several divisions for needles and a smaller one for miscellaneous bits.

It was an easy process to make the lining, add the pockets, create casings and ties.  The lining is interfaced to give the bag more body.

The only problem is that I can't seem to get a good picture of the bag which is large enough to hold enough yarn to knit a sweater.  Perhaps my iron gives you some perspective.

I think I'll make another one by machine and see how the Set-In Piecing Simplified technique works for a shaped piece like this.

 

So it was a very good day -- the best of both my worlds -- a day of birding and a stitching finish!  The frosting on the cake was looking up from my computer just now to see the first of the year ruby-throated hummingbird sucking nectar from the feeder. 

 

Maybe today, I'll paint . . . . .

 

Mary Huey