satin and feather formal tail coat in blue with red vest
also known as the eastern bluebird
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neighdoctor
Authortilt
sometimes the world just seems to tilt and gravity wins…
especially if you are a brown thrasher, soaking wet from the rain, and the feeder is wet too
she recovered just fine, well maybe her dignity didn’t, and glared at me for my laughter
nest builder
I was sitting up on the hill, waiting for an eagle or osprey to perhaps go past.
There was a quick flicker of motion in a tree across the way.
I started watching the activities of a pair of blue-grey gnatcatchers as they built their nest.
In 3 days the nest has gone from a shallow bowl 1 inch high to the cup you see in the photo below.
This tiny bird is only slightly larger than a hummingbird.
It uses lichens, pieces of leaves, bark and spider webs for construction materials.
twister
Ospreys frequently go completely under water when diving after fish.
This leaves the bird with a lot of very heavy water as excess weight on its body.
They solve the weight problem by shedding the water.
Like a dog, they start at the beak and do a full body, very vigorous, twisting shake back to the tail.
I caught this osprey at the point of the shake reaching his midsection; his beak almost back to its normal position.
eagle family report: Ice
Mom Kate is plainly telling Ice that he better mind his eagle manners when he gets into the nest.
Her scowl and body posture are easy to see.
I think both parents are tired of hearing Ice screaming for food – you can hear him all over the cove.
I don’t know that he has made any effort to fish.
He made quick work of the fish Kate had just brought into the nest.
And then Ice proceeded to fly to where Kate was perched and landed on the same limb and began his begging all over again.
Kate left in a hurry.
shiners and shadows
When the lake is still and the sunlight is just above the horizon
the clay that often occurs in the lakebed reflects and tints everything with a burnished brassy hue.
These shiners and their shadows clearly stood out as they slowly swam past the point.
doc ellen's journey 