Birds,Butterflies,Furbabies, Critters and Such # 12

I will start a new thread since it has been a while. I hope you will join in with whatever you have a photo of and want to share it with us. We don't get real technical but we do have our own resident bird expert. Kim (duckmother) very kindly is teaching us to identify some of these birds at whatever state they are in at the time. I had no idea they molt look different molt again look different. grow up to breeding look different again. and most young boy birds look just like their mom instead of their dad until they grow up and want a honey. Have I totally confused you? I am , I never say this is a certain bird without doubting myself. So just ask Kim she knows.

This little bird is a Northern Parula I think he may have had an encounter with the birdie in the window.

Well, Cindy, I am not always certain either ;o) I have been studying/watching birds for a long time and find them very fascinating/entertaining. I am amazed at how we can go from state to state and see different birds...seems like they would all be everywhere in the US but nope.

Fall is certainly here...I know this not because of the temp and/or leaf color changing but by the birds that have arrived to spend the winter. And by the ones that pass through on their way south for the winter.

Lovely Parula. We have had a few pass through on their way to your house ;o) Actually, we have had quite a few warblers come by this year.

This makes me want to go bird watching and picture taking..........I just may do that!

The only one of my BST cats that I could find once they left the parsley to pupate. There were 5 eggs laid in the parsley just a few weeks ago.

Since my host plants were slim at home this year I've not seen many cats other than all the army worms. At least they attract beautiful birds. So there is always an upside to the downs. This is a picture of a Dainty Sulfur. I have yet to figure out what is going on in the pic.

This is a Common Checkered Skipper.

An interesting butterfly is the Question Mark. Wings closed very camouflaged but identifiable by the bright question mark on the lower wing.

When it is open beautiful colors

I gave my gs Luke (7) all the Audubon quick guides a couple weeks ago. He enjoyed the little on I had on butterflies so much. All these were about Mammals, Bugs, water birds. Backyard birds, insects, reptiles ect. He really liked them and was constantly reading and looking at them. Sunday I took all 5 grands down to the lake where the big gators hang out. I spotted this turtle and immediately Luke said it was a Pond Slider. I know nothing about turtles so we just took pictures and when we returned he brought his book to show me the pictures. He was right it is a Red eared Pond Slider. I enjoy these times with my grands above all.

Beautiful!!! I think my late cats were mostly parasitized by brachnid wasps. :-(

I can't believe a little sleet is falling out there. Ugh!

Just snapped this a minute ago. Quick, somebody call Alfred Hitchcock!

We spotted two more sliders on this log but they bailed when this small gator decided he wanted lunch.

Carole we are still at 66 with only dropping to 48 tonight. Sleet horror. I haven't pulled all my plants in yet. I guess I'd better do that today. I have been trying to let them drink . We are supposed to go down in to the thirties tomorrow night.
I love your dreary pic though. it looks about like that here. One last picture and I have to go out. The Blue Jays are so pretty but very skittish and fast here. I seldom can get a photo.

Gray skies and black birds.

Profile, please. :-)

Wish I could get some good tight shots of the turkey vultures flying in and landing. But this is about the best I can do. They don't usually hang out in my back yard but I can count over 20 out there right now and still arriving. Obviously they must have spotted their next meal somewhere back there in the woods but I can't see it. I hope it isn't General T Sherman (groundhog). I wouldn't miss the raccoon too much. Could be a deer too, I suppose.

Here a pic I took last week of a Black Buzzard. while in Flordia.

I assume this is a Blue Heron.

Cindy not only are those moments with grands special for you, they will also have such special memories of the times you all spent together!
It's time to fill my feeders back up again and go buy some suet. I don't feed during the summer as there is plenty for them to munch on and it gets too messy around the main feeder. I'm really seeing a lot more birds in the yard lately. Maybe they are looking for food!

Nice pictures!

Cindy, love the butterflies!

Carole, if you had that many turkey vultures, they were definitely looking for something!

Kenny, were you that close to the black vulture (buzzard)? Very nice shot! Yes, that is a blue heron.

I took a few pix yesterday but not very many...okay one...turned out fair, the rest were yucky!

Male Cardinal

I thought that might be what was happening, Kim. They were all up in the trees in the back pointed and looking in the same direction. Within an hour of those shots, they were all gone.

Here's a pic of a furbaby I snapped last week. lol. :-D)))

Great pictures everyone, Cindy thanks for the new thread. I've been away for a while and missed out lots...here is my contribution; an amazing traveler visit during its journey South. A Monarch butterfly.

Beautiful, Lily_love. I became certified as a 'Monarch Waystation' late this summer ... we have had so many bfs this year. Still have a few but these temps are probably the end of that. What a delight it has been though!

Hi Carole, it must have been beautiful- a delight to have had the experience of a certified 'Monarch Waystation'. Though, I haven't had an abundant in number of bfs this year. But what a year it has been! There were enough (butterflies) to keep me in awe with nature. I was so delighted when I spotted this 'Question Mark' in the garden. This is a rarity, that was the second or 3rd time I was graced with its present in the garden.

Oh, btw, I love your furbaby pix curled up in the sink. She/he looks just like one of my late furbaby named Sunshine once upon a time.

Oh my, look at that Question Mark! A rarity indeed! I haven't seen one of those this year, much less up close like that. Appears to be on a butterfly bush? Do you know what plants it favors?

Mr. Buster: lots of "fur" and a big "baby". LOL.

Is anyone able to photograph dragonflies or are they just too quick?

What is this? It looks vaguely familiar to me ... found it in the carport after the tornadic winds blew through. Didn't notice Grandaddy Longlegs in the picture until I loaded it. He must be camera shy. ^_^

Looks like a black walnut to me...how big is it?

Just over an inch and a half across but not totally round, a bit flattened in shape.

Yes, it's a black walnut seed ... just found a picture that's a match. It must indeed have blown in during the storms as we don't have a walnut tree nor do our next door neighbors.

Crack it open! ;o))

Can I plant it? :-)

LOL I don't see why not...but don't let the squirrels see you, they will dig it and eat it ;o)

Kim what is this bird. I thought it was some type of sparrow when I took the picture but on closer look I don't know. The bill is black and it was fighting with a house finch at the feeder.

House Sparrow

This message was edited Jan 3, 2011 2:22 PM

I'm sorry the pictures are not very clear because I was shooting through the window. They were not happy with each other.

another he seems to have some reddish brown on the wing

sorry did not mean to post this picture
Forgot to say Kenny love those pictures from Florida. Kim it is nice to see a Question Mark. They love old fruit. put out some old banana and it will draw them and the red admiral in for a picture.
Carole love your yellow furbaby. I wonder where your walnut blew in from?

Kim I have the hardest time catching a good pic of the cardinal. Good shot.


This message was edited Nov 17, 2010 12:07 AM

Chipping Sparrow

This message was edited Jan 3, 2011 2:23 PM

A Red-Tailed Hawk

A nubbin but they haven't broken the skin yet. Ahh but that feels good.

Kim I thought of you this weekend when I saw this pair of Hooded Mergansers behind the camp

these cardinals were eating the grain or seed off this tall grass

I think this is an Eastern Phoebe

same bird caught a spider