Backyard siesta

As many of you know, I capture a lot of my bird photos through my office window.  Lately though, I've been noticing that my photos just aren't as good.  Probably due to the fact that my windows could use a cleaning.  Ugh!  Might be a weekend chore.

 

Did you happen to catch that full moon last night?  Pretty awesome.  I thought I'd practice my night photo skills.  Which are way below par.  And of course, by the time I got out to take some pics, it had turned cloudy.  Bummer!  But a number of you shared what I couldn't see.  Loved them!

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With the weather warming up, Rocky Squirrel and all his friends have been quite active in the backyard.  Flirting and chasing and constantly trying to figure out how to bust open my bird feeders.  Fortunately ... they have been unsuccessful!

All that activity can be exhausting as Rocky demonstrated yesterday.  I couldn't figure out why he was just sitting on the branch and not moving.  Very unusual.   

 I watched him for a while and thought perhaps he was sick.

But then he slowly closed his eyes ... 

And took a nap!

He must have stayed there for five minutes or so until he was

so rudely intruded upon by one of his cousins.  Rocky gave him a good chase

and then returned to his napping post.

 

 Who knew a squirrel could be that still?

The indignity

As many of you know,  this guy (Cooper's Hawk) comes around sporadically looking for a meal.  Lately though,  I haven't noticed him being very successful.  Mostly, he's just been coming in and watching.  But the other day, he did this!

He ate a worm!

Like a common Robin!

 

A smorgasboard of delicacies surround you and you eat a worm!!

 

I know.  None of my business.  But really, Mr. Cooper!

Not classy.  Not classy at all!

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P.S.

Remember my shot the other day (here) of the multiple exposure of the pelicans?  Well, jennyfreckles over at Saltaire Daily had the answer.  Apparently my Nikon D7000 has a function for multiple exposures ... up to 3 photos!  Who knew?  Not me.  Duh!  More interesting fact is that how did it do that when I didn't set the setting.   Guess we'll never know but at least there is the opportunity to do this again!

Yippie ki-yah!

P.S.S.

Great comments yesterday my friends.  I loved hearing all your thoughts!

~ sharing with~

World Bird Wednesday

I interrupt your regularly scheduled programming ......

Warning:  I never get into social issues here on my blog.  But today, I just had to.  So I apologize beforehand for those of you who come to get away from all that.  

Sandra Fluke.

Do you recognize that name?  Perhaps you may.  She has been on the news for over the past week.  How about Rush Limbaugh.  Now I have your attention.  Georgetown Law School.  Is the puzzle coming together?
Social and news medias have been having a heyday with this controversy.
And I am weary of the argument.

This all began from a hearing on infringement of religious liberty and contraceptive mandates.  Being non-Catholic nor religious nor in need of birth control at my age, I paid little attention.  But when I did use birth control, back in my day, it wasn’t covered by insurance.  I paid for it.  Out of my own pocket.  Didn’t occur to me that the government should do so.

But an editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal “Limbaugh and Our Phony Contraception Debate” by Cathy Clever Ruse, (a senior fellow for legal studies at the Family Research Council, J.D. From Georgetown Law in 1989), got me thinking.

I know. I know.  A very controversial issue.  

I’m not one to push my own beliefs.  And I totally respect others beliefs that may differ from my own.  As long as they are not forced upon me.  But like I said, I am weary of all the media hype, how Sandra Fluke is a "victim" and how the real issue has gotten lost with Limbaugh’s comments.  

Disgusting as he is.

If the subject interests you, take the time to read Ms. Ruse's story here.

If not, hope you enjoy the photo.  It was taken at Owl's Head Lighthouse up in Maine.

Later my friends,

 

Skylines

 It seems like it has been a while since I've seen a beautiful sunset.  Or even a sunrise.  The weather has not been very cooperative.  But the nice thing about photography, you can always find a sunset somewhere in your archives.

The above skyline was a January sunrise of Anna Maria City Pier.  I'm really not a morning person let alone sunrise person, but on a few mornings I did venture out.

 And I was rewarded.

 Once I'm up, I do love the early morning sky.  The golden colors that saturate the skyline seem to never disappoint.

I tell myself, I'm going to do this every morning! 

But then comes the next morning and I fight with myself about rising to catch another beautiful sunrise or remaining under the warm snugly comforter, embracing my dreams.  Considering how many sunrise photos I have, well let's just say the comforter wins 99.99% of the time! 

Later that same day, I captured the same pier while out biking.  Actually I'm closer to the pier here.  I just didn't zoom in for a close shot.  I loved how the clouds were floating just above the afternoon skyline.

I had forgotten about this sunrise pelican dive shot!  I have no idea what happened here.  I had my camera (Nikon D7000) on continuous speed shooting and somehow the four frames merged into one.  In a million years I probably couldn't make this happen again.  Right?!  Well, of course, in Photoshop I could.  That is if I used Photoshop.  But straight out of the camera???  Have you ever had it happen?  Maybe there is a setting on my camera I'm unaware of?

If any of you know the answer, I'd love to know.

Now I see a bit of sun trying to peek out!

Time to get out for a walk on this Sunday afternoon.

Later my friends,

~sharing with~

Your Sunday Best

Trained by a chipmunk

The weather has been a bit dreary lately.  Lots of rain and clouds.

I guess I shouldn't complain though.  It could be snow.

Or tornadoes!  

So sad about the storms in Kansas

Tornadoes in February in Kansas!  

Just wrong!

But enough of that dreariness.

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The other day (a sunny day) I noticed Carmen Chipmunk waiting by the food dish.

I had not yet put the morning food out.

"Hey House Lady!  Where's my morning meal?"

 

"What the heck is the delay?"

 

 "If you don't hurry up and get my food out here,

the squirrels will soon arrive."

"And then I'll get NONE!"

"OH, PLEASE, House Lady ... please hurry up!"

: : :

Well, of course, I immediately laced the wall with some sunflower seeds.

She has me well trained!

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Here's hoping for some sunshine today wherever you are!