Queenee and I trudged out for our first walk of the year tonight. We didn't get very far. It's discouraging how out of shape we are compared to last fall. However, it was nice to get out and get some exercise and a bit of fresh air.
As we were returning, I heard a Great Horned owl hooting in a tree behind the houses. I couldn't see him, and didn't have a camera with me anyway, but it was definitely a GHO. No other owl has that same deep hoo hoo-hoo-hooting.
Something I saw yesterday and thought nothing of until today - I've seen grackles doing their mating dance. It was pretty cool. I saw a couple males in the redbud yesterday, all puffed up with their wings and tails spread and moving side to side, and figured they were ready to rumble. I got a quick snapshot of one of them enhancing his calm afterward. When I saw that same behavior this morning, it hit me. They are performing for a nearby female. I spotted it again this afternoon down in the garden and got Dad up in time to catch the tail end of the dance. I'd love to get it on video, if I can.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
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Talk about showing up at the door with roses! This male knew how to enhance his chances! Handsome fella, great pic. The redbud has become the redzone!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks like the redbud is a favorite gathering place. Since we put the suet feeder out, I've had a steady stream of downey woodpeckers, chickadees, titmouses, nuthatches, grackles, cardinals, sparrows and robins. Some of them don't even eat suet, but they hang here anyway. One fun thing I've noticed is how picky they all are about keeping their beaks clean. Suet is sticky and greasy, and all the birds eating it wipe their beaks off frequently either on the suet cage or on a branch. No napkins available.
ReplyDeleteSigh, neither one of us feels like walking today (Friday). We'll make it up sometime...
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