Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Bull in a China Closet


So glad you all liked my little mason jars filled with twinkle lights from last year!  I have to give credit where credit is due though, my sister "M" is the one who inspired me to try it.  She puts a bowl full of lights on the mantle in her living room each year, and it really is lovely!




Today was a good day...I got things ticked off the "to do" list, including a story that was due, and I even made homemade beef stew for dinner!  And I never got out of my sweats...you gotta love a day like that!

Every time I got up to let the dogs out today, I would catch a flash of movement off to my left over near the field.  After seeing it several times, I finally paused long enough to look outside before heading out and saw this on the fence.  It was a small hawk who was happily hunting the large open field next to us and then coming back to feast on whatever he found while sitting on one of our fence posts.




Now, like any good blogger, or maybe a crazed photographer, I grabbed my camera and frantically attached my telephoto lens.  I wish I had a better telephoto lens (add it to my wish list of photography equipment) or maybe a steadier hand, but I was happy with how close I was able to get to this little fella since he was very far away!

The look on his face pretty much says it all though, I'm thinking his inner monologue was something like "what the heck is that, and why is it moving towards me?!"




So in the blink of an eye, off he flew to higher ground, and he even put his back to me as a kind of message...saying "hey I'm trying to make a livin' here...give a guy a break would ya and go back inside!"

Mr. Tide informed me when he got home that our little visitor was an American Kestrel Hawk.  It's one of the smallest hawks in North America and it really was beautiful!




Of course when I go outside I have a whole entourage.  And see the look on Miss Kylee's face?  That's the crazy look every Border Collie learns to use to scare the sheep and get them to move.  It's also quite effective at getting all wildlife to scatter when she comes outside!



Mr. Quinn isn't afraid of Kylee's "collie eye," but he still insists on coming out just to make sure that he scares away anything she misses!

Add in the fact that the cable guys were here burying cable and that means loud barking and more scattering of wildlife...are you getting the picture yet...think bulls in a china closet!




The other part of my entourage is this one.  Actually I told him to come outside to see the hawk so he doesn't really count as being an uninvited disruptor of nature!  He mostly walks quietly down to the dock and checks the fishing prospects.




After the two furry ones had scared away everything from herons to Larry the cable guy, I was left with these birds, who seemed oblivious to two very noisy humans and their dogs.

I even had to wander around to get a better shot of them, and they just continued to sit and sing.




These birds sat way high up in our dead tree and sang the most unusual songs.  I've never really heard anything like it, and I don't recall ever seeing this type of bird in our yard before, so maybe they stopped by on their migration elsewhere?!




If anyone is familiar with these unusual little birds I would love to hear what their name is, they really are perfect looking autumn birds with their black, brown, and gold coloring!

Tomorrow I'm off to a photo shoot...and I get to go out to lunch, looks like another good day!  I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday too!!

24 comments:

  1. Great photos! Miss Kylee is very pretty.

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  2. Kat, I have never seen that small hawk. I don't think we have them here. We just have the large ones. I don't know what the other ones are. I looked all through my bird book.

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  3. I am so glad that you got things done and in your sweats even! Those are the best days :) your pics are beautiful, the hawk is just amazing and I am not sure what those birds are. I am glad that you got a moment to take pictures and take a break from writing. Have a wonderful time at the photo shoot tomorrow, I can't wait to hear about it and see your pictures! :) (the picture of Miss Kylee and her "look" is just gorgeous Kat!)

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  4. Fantastic photos! The hawk looks like an American Kestrel which is actually a small falcon and the others appear to be European Starlings, which can be very annoying!
    Miss Kylee is beautiful.

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  5. your pup is soooo pretty. love the eyes even if they are slightly spooky when on high alert :)

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  6. Yes, they are Starlings - very chatty and talkative when they roost together in the mornings and evenings. They are famous for the 'murmuring' that they perform - this has nothing to do with their voices, it is the way that they fly in tight clouds at sunset, liked winged smoke. I'll post a You Tube video up to show you. They are also great mimicks, which is probably why you didn't recognise the songs. We had some around when I was a kid, and they learnt to mimick the outside telephone bell, so we would go running to answer the phone for no reason all the time! Lots of them migrate too, which is why they've paid you a visit.

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  7. I've put up some amazing footage of these birds here:
    http://stephensonlifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/11/starlings-on-otmoor.html

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  8. Kat, the pictures of the Kestrel are amazing!! Just gorgeous! I love birds and this picture made my day. The other birds are definitely starlings. Alot of people don't like starling because they are messy birds. They do like to chatter away too! Your pup looks wonderful in that picture. Reminds me of our Abby (our border collie that is now gone to doggie heaven)! They do have a distinct look sometimes don't they!!

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  9. What gorgeous photos. The hawk series is beautiful, how neat that he stayed long enough for a photo session! Love the shots of your dogs too, they are just the handsomest babies. Sounds like you have another great day lined up, enjoy! Kat

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  10. Just great nature photographs. I can't get over how pretty your dogs are.

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  11. Kat, I love the intensity of a border collie. Such a thinking dog. And those eyes. They get that "Look". Charming dogs.

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  12. The birds look like a form of starling to me.. We have alot of redtail hawks around here, yours is beautiful, never seen one!...

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  13. You have so many beautiful visitors in your parts. My boys have taught to to appreciate hawks and we love to watch them in action. Such a treat.

    -Rene

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  14. Pretty bird but I'm so demented I see rug colors in the photo! Thanks for stopping by. Nice to see you are still having fun with your camera. And you're right about your kitchen -- the 20s really come through. It's on the the terrific ones for sure. Jane F.

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  15. Mine's been ok so far. The photos of the hawk are really nice!

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  16. I love all these great photos~ the kestrel is beautiful! And love Miss Kylee's crazy dog stare!

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  17. This is my first visit to your blogsite. The pictures are just amazing. Love the two of Miss Kylee!!

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  18. Enjoyed all of your bird shots today Kat. And particularly the way the sun is hitting on that dead tree. Glorious! How you described Miss Kylee's crazy look cracked me up. Very cool picture of her, I could almost feel her warm breath coming through that image. xo ~Lili

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  19. These are beautiful photos, Kat. I especially like the ones of the baby hawk. I didn't realize they were that colorful when young. You got some great shots!! And that Miss Kylee is just so lovable! What a perfect day to be outdoors!! We are having some spectacular weather, too. Now if it just holds for Christmas shopping!

    XO,
    Jane

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  20. Hi Kat,

    I loved seeing your wonderful nature photos, and the story that accompanied the images was fascinating (and amusingly told!).

    Hope the rest of your week goes well.
    -bill

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  21. My daughter and I
    love Kestrels! What
    a treat to see one through
    your lens. Loved the
    bright blue skies and
    well, loved it all : )
    Hope your day is off on
    a happy note!
    xx Suzanne
    PS: Loved your last post,
    too. WHERE do you get this
    energy? I want some!!

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  22. Wonderful hawk photos... you did an excellent job with the lens you have. Lenses are so dang pricey so I too try to make do with the ones I have. Hope to have an arsenal of them someday.

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  23. Fabulous photos Kat! I love the Kestrel. I am glad to find out what the birds are in the last photos. I saw some down here last year but could not identify them. They do sing beautiful songs. I hope to see and hear them again this year. I love Miss Kylee's "collie eye!"

    ~ Tracy

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