I was sitting, facing the window, for several minutes before I realized my stuffed cat had company.
David isn’t much bigger than his plush buddy, and he was sitting there, perfectly still. :-D
It’s like he’s wondering what the stuffed cat is looking at so intently out there. :-D
The Re-Farmer
While driving to town yesterday, we startled some birds. About 5 or 6 ravens burst out of the bullrushes in the ditch, along with some large raptor. We couldn’t see it well enough, but figured it was some type of eagle.
On the way home, as we neared the same location, out of the rushes burst a HUGE bald eagle. It flew into the trees nearby and settled onto a branch, watching as we drove by.
My guess is, there was something hidden in the ditch at this location that was being scavenged. So when I was driving home from dropping my daughter off this morning, and saw I was coming up on this spot, I was already slowing down. Just in case.
I was well rewarded!
Once again, a massive bald eagle burst out of the rushes, flew into the trees, and watched as I went by.
I stopped to get some photos, but the digital zoom on my phone’s camera is awful. This is the best I could get (I highlighted the eagle, since it was hard to pick out).
It’s hard to really get how big that bird is from the picture!
While in town during my daughter’s short shift, my older daughter at home was startled by something fairly large hitting an upstairs window.
Of course she checked it out, and this is what she found.
One very stunned Northern Flicker!
She gently prodded it to see if it was okay, and got squawked at.
It seemed to be uninjured, at least.
What a beautiful bird!
When her sister and I got home, she was outside and the three of us ended up staying outside to play with the kittens, who were running all over.
Then one of the kittens pounced on something.
It was the Norther Flicker, now in the grass!
My daughter got it away from the kitten, but then the others came running.
The poor bird wasn’t going to have a chance!
Between the three of us, we managed to hold back the kittens and pick up the bird, who did NOT want to be picked up. It got away a couple of times, only to have the kittens go nuts trying to get at it. Finally, my daughter got a grip on it and tried to move it away while I dashed to the house to get a box.
We never got to use it.
The Northern Flicker got loose again, and kept hopping its way through the grass, out the yard and finally into the pile of branches by the garage.
Unfortunately, that made it more vulnerable to kittens, with no way for us to protect it. It couldn’t even be seen anymore. The kittens, however, saw it go into the branches and were making a run for it!
So, out came the cat treats, and they were all lured into the sun room to be closed up early for the night.
Hopefully, the bird will recover and fly away soon.
The Re-Farmer
While switching out the empty hanging bird feeder for a full one, I noticed Junk Yard kitten was out.
So I sat down on the log I placed near the junk pile as a seat, and tried to lure him in.
There was a cat toy I’d found while cleaning out the old wood pile; one of the ones we’d left for the kittens that were living in there for a while, last year. Between it and the tree branch I wiggled around, I was able to get him to come within 3 ft of me and play!
He (she?) is such a beautiful cat! Those dark framed, golden eyes are just amazing!
The Re-Farmer
I went outside late last night, and ended up staying out longer to enjoy the incredible view!
Even with the yard light on (we can’t turn it off since the power company replaced the original), the stars were bright enough that I could see the Milky Way!
Then I went out again later, with my daughters, to ogle the sky.
My husband gave me his new phone not long ago, to replace mine with the cracked corner, and I had yet to try night shots with it. I put it on manual and basically guessed at the settings I was changing – I could barely see the numbers, never mind read them. After fiddling with the settings, I would lay the phone down on the ground, then use voice commands to take a picture.
Then I’d fuss with the settings a bit more, set it on the ground and try again. Eventually, I figured out how to do a long exposure shot – and recognize the sounds the phone made, so I wouldn’t accidentally pick it up again, before the exposure was complete. :-D
This is one of the results.
The only thing I’ve done to this image is resize it.
I’m really amazed at the shots I was able to get with just a cell phone!!!
The Re-Farmer
My daughter and I were coming home when I spotted something on the road, right at the corner I was turning at.
A red sided garter snake!
I was very happy to see it; I’ve seen so very few this year.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t move away.
My daughter got out and tried to shoo it off the road, and at first it started to cross, but then it decided to go for the big shady spot.
Under the van.
I had just started to move again, too, but she quickly signaled me to stop.
The little bugger just curled up behind my tire and would not move!
Continue readingI was able to pause on my way home this morning and get some pictures of the bison not far from our place.
The entire herd was ambling its way across the field, close to the fence.
When I stopped to take pictures and watch them for a bit, this baby bison at the fence was VERY interested in what I was doing.
Gosh, they are so cute!!!!!
My daughter removed this from the sun room.
This is a Bald Faced Hornet.
Which isn’t actually a hornet, but a type of Yellow Jacket Wasp.
Our Chinese Elm are just buzzing with these guys. Typically, they are high up and, if we leave them alone, they’ll leave us alone.
One got into the sun room and was busily giving itself a concussion on one of the windows when my daughter first saw it, as the girls were putting the kittens into the sun room for the night.
Unfortunately, the kittens immediately started going for it.
Since she didn’t want a stung kitten, she got it out using a glass and a piece of paper. After very carefully putting the glass on the step near one of the Chinese Elm and removing the paper, she figured it would leave.
Apparently, it was thoroughly stunned from bashing itself against the window for so long, and took its time exploring the inside and outside of the glass. Which allowed me to get this photo.
Thankfully, it soon disappeared.
They seem to be attracted only to the Chinese Elm, not the other types of elm that are around.
Another reason to eventually take those trees down. Along with everything else he has to deal with, my husband is allergic to stings.
The Re-Farmer
While doing my rounds last night, I found Junk Pile Kitten at the stack of maple wood behind the house, playing with other kittens.
He let me play with him!
At a distance, of course.
This photo was taken yesterday morning.
I had let the kittens out early, since my husband and I were heading out to get our lab work done as early as we could, so I could put an end to my 12 hour fast. As I went to bring the van over to the house, I found kittens watching over me. Literally! LOL
These kittens bring such joy to our lives.
The Re-Farmer
The Re-Farmer 