Pollinator Week

You all know how I feel about enjoying and preserving nature.

No need for me to reinvent the wheel when

Michelle did such an awesome job

sharing this very important information.

 

I know most of you love your gardens.

Take an extra minute to visit  Michelle's post

to learn more!



 

The Sun is Shining Somewhere!

 

With more rain in the forecast,

it doesn't look as though I'll be getting out very soon.

(How much 'guilt free' sewing can a girl do?)

So, I thought I'd revisit some earlier sunny days

during my recent visit to Florida.

 

 

I was quite enamored with this little killdeer

who sat religiously on her nest,

rain or shine.

 

But one day, as I walked past her, she was stretching her legs.

 

 

When I looked 'killdeer' up in the bird book,

it said they generally have 4 blotchy, spotted, brownish eggs.

So, I zoomed in and looked all around the rocks

where she made her nest,

and lo and behold,

 

 

I know, I know, they are difficult to see.

I'll try zooming in on them a little.

 

 

Still hard to see, but that's the point, isn't it?

Mother Nature designed the eggs to be camouflaged.

 

But she didn't give the poor little killdeer much common sense.

They aren't very discriminating where they build their nests.

 

 

This one is in an empty trailer lot

inbetween the 2nd and 3rd trailer on the left.

Silly birds!

 

 



 



BlogLovin

I'm told I need to do this
so people can find me in the future.

I'm not sure, but here goes.
(It's kind of scary.)
But if Carrie is ready to take the plunge,
so am I.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

 

I put a button on the sidebar, too.

 

I made cookies to sell at the first Farmer's Market of the season.

Here's a peek.  I looked at several online, then picked my favorite

and went from there. 

 

And my centerpiece.

 

 

Like the tacky tissue paper?

Up here in the boonies, there aren't any stores

that carry shredded, crinkled tissue paper,

so I had to 'make do'.

 

Have a great day!

~karen



 

 

Bloggers Meeting Bloggers

 

I'm still around!

It has been rainy, windy, and cold

since my return to Cape Breton.
 

But the sun was shining today as I traveled
with fellow quilter/blogger,

Lesley, from The Cuddle Quilter,

to the most delightful little quilt show.

 

 

Sheila, at Sheila's Quilt World,

belongs to this quilt guild

and she had some beautiful pieces on display.

I felt so blessed to finally meet her.

Sheila gifted us each with beautiful mug rugs!

Thanks, Sheila!!

 

 

Here are Sheila and Lesley, admiring one of Sheila's wallhangings.

 

But, wait!  It gets even better!

 

 

Linda, from Scrapmaster,

drove up from Halifax with her family to meet us there!

Here she is showing us a new bag she made

and brought with the intentions of filling it...

and fill it, she did! 

Linda also won one of the door prizes!

 

After a most delightful chat over tea and treats,

we said our goodbyes, with promises to meet up again one day.

 

Four bloggers in one day!

Can't beat that!

When I got home, I could not wait

to share.

 

A special thank you to the lovely Lesley

for encouraging me to join her,

and for driving a little bit out of her way

to bring me all the way home,

safe and sound. 

 

 



Dewlap-py Thing-a-ma-jig

 

While spending time in the southern US,

I was fascinated with the little lizards -

anoles and geckos.

 

My challenge was to be quick enough to

photograph them with their dewlap-py thing-a-ma-jigs

displayed.  I don't have a fancy camera

and it wasn't an easy thing to do.

They didn't exactly care for my company

and didn't linger for a photo shoot.

 

 

A dewlap is an inflatable flap of skin under their necks.

It is sometimes referred to as a 'throat fan'.

 

Scientists believe it's display is part of the mating ritual,

as well as to lay claim to their territory

when other males invade their space.

They simultaneously bob up and down, or 'do push-ups', as

a non-verbal form of communication to drive the point home!

 

I believe they inflate their dewlap any time they feel threatened

because whenever I'd come across one, it seemed my presence

triggered a dewlap extension.  Without the push-ups.

Guess that meant I was warned,

but in no danger from these little 4 - 6" reptiles.

Whew!

 

I was thinking that it's too bad humans don't have something similar.

Could eliminate a lot of strife in relationships of all kinds!

 



On the Road

 

I am still in the traveling mode,
having left TX on April 6th,

but thought I'd stop to share a few Florida bird pictures

while I have internet access.
 

 

We happened upon a rookery in the most random place

and I was able to jump out of the car

and snap a few pictures.  It was a bright, sunny afternoon-

not the optimum exposure, but what's a girl to do?

Take pictures anyway, that's what!!

 

The 83 year old friend I was visiting was concerned that

I wouldn't see many birds because I was with her,

but this just affirms what I kept telling her....

It's not a concern because there are birds everywhere!

 

 

There were Wood Storks with chicks,

 

Anhingas nesting,

 

and Great Egrets performing their mating ritual.

 

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

 The best display gets the girl!!

 

 

There were Snowy Egrets present, as well, but I was

unable to get very good photos of them

as they were obscurred by the leaves in the trees.

They were doing the mating ritual, too.

 

It was a delightful surprise to happen upon this rookery
while we were out and about!

 



Just in Time

 

 

My Crossley ID Guide: Raptors

by Richard Crossley, Jerry Liguori & Brian Sullivan



 

arrived just in time for spring migration.

 

Last year, much to my delight and surprise,

I was able to observe a partial migration

right from my daughter's backyard.

 

The sky was full and my eyes were glued

and my neck was sore,

and I have lots of faraway pictures of...

hawks.

("See that dot?  It's a hawk.")

 

To this day, raptors remain my nemesis bird,

despite all of the hawk books I have acquired,

perhaps because of the infrequency of seeing them.

Other difficult birds are easier to study,

gulls,

sparrows...

 

Jerry Liguori, I knew I loved you when you released

Hawks from Every Angle and Hawks at a Distance,

but your decision to collaborate with Richard and Brian

put you at the tippety top of my list, in a tie with  Pete Dunne!

 

As soon as you open the cover of this newest Crossley ID Guide

you know you've struck gold.

 

 

The composite pictures are big, bold, and beautiful.

Every habitat known to raptors is covered,

different times of day are featured, .

maps and 'detailed species accounts' are included.

 

 

Hawks are tough, they fly so high,

they change shape in the sky,

they change color in the lighting,

but nothing is left to the imagination anymore.

This guide shows just what you'll often encounter in the field,

using Crossley's famous digital photographic montages .

It's all right here at your fingertips.

 

 

"The book also includes several "quiz" plates.

These plates have numbered birds without ID labels,

with discussion points and the answers given in the back."

(http://blog.aba.org/2013/03/crossley-does-raptors.html)

 

Did you know there are

34 North American diurnal raptor species,

not including owls?

 

If you haven't picked up your copy yet,

there's still time! 

Scheduled for release in April,

your order from Buteo Books helps support the ABA!

 

There's a mountaintop in Maine just calling my name.

And this year, I'll have my new guide at the ready!!

It isn't even too big to carry

(once in awhile!).