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Thursday, October 19, 2023

Picture imperfect

It has been a week of appointments and tests, punctuated by rain, wind and a cold snap, all of which greatly limited the number and duration of my back yard photographic excursions.  Sultry skies and elusive subjects contributed to poorly exposed and fuzzy images.

Eastern Bluebirds gather together during the cold months in family or multi-family flocks. My poorly-focused encounter with several perching side-by side was a delightful sight which, I felt, did not deserve to be consigned to the digital dustpan:

Another bluebird flew in:


Some explored the bluebird house which had been taken over by Tree Swallows this spring:

One perched atop a tall Chestnut Oak, too far away for a decent shot:


At the platform feeder which offers Safflower seeds, the first Purple Finch of the season, a female,  joined a colorful male House Finch:

The sighting was only momentary and I had to shoot diagonally through the double-paned window. Note the distinctive face pattern of the Purple Finch. It also appears a bit larger and the top ridge of her bill (culmen) is straight, not slightly curved as in House Finch:

For comparison, this is a plain-faced female House Finch:

We have had very few squirrels or Blue Jays at the feeders this fall. Deer and Black Bear sightings have been less frequent in neighborhood back yards. This is very likely due to the abundant crop of acorns and other nuts. There were practically none the previous autumn. Turkeys and deer also benefit. Here is a typical roadside accumulation of hickory nuts, a huge waste of calories in a season of plenty. They pop like little firecrackers when autos run over them:

Acorns covered the ground under a single White Oak:

A White-tailed doe briefly visited the side yard, providing a through-the-window snap:

Six of the 13 segments on this Wooly Bear caterpillar (larva of Tiger Moth) are entirely black, 4 are entirely rusty brown, and 3 seem to contain both colors.

Legend has it that a majority of black segments portends a more severe winter. The more likely explanation for the ratio may be that the number of brown bands is directly related to the age of the caterpillar--  it is widest if the caterpillar emerged early in the spring. If the previous winter was more prolonged and caused later emergence, the black areas would prevail and thus correlate with the severity of the PREVIOUS winter! (REF: Woolly Bear Caterpillars and Weather Prediction)

Three pairs of Mallards paddled in the reflected color of lakeside autumn leaves:

Their wake trailed behind them:

There was a colorful sunset after a rainy afternoon. Fog settled in the valleys:

This week's header: Afternoon storm approaching

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Linking to:



Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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27 comments:

  1. A lovely sunset. I can't believe you get those incredible shots through your windows. Your bluebirds provide lots of colour on the fence.

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  2. The Bluebirds are lovely. Wow those autumn colours are amazing.
    I hope all is well with you, Cheers Diane

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  3. The eastern blue birds look gorgeous

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  4. Nature captured in all its glory! The birds, the doe, the caterpillar and the environment, wow!

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  5. Hi Ken, I always enjoy the photos of the Bluebirds. These are such pretty birds. I'm also seeing very few squirrels this fall. I also think that it has to do with the fact that there were a lot of nuts and acorns.
    Thank you for taking part in Nature Thursday and best regards - Elke

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  6. Those bluebird shots are wonderful. I love how they bunched up. I love the deer and the sky views from your place. We have loads and loads of acorns and the squirrels are busy caching them away. Our little pomeranian brings one in to trade for a treat.

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  7. The light in the last one is magic!! #Allseasons

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  8. The bluebirds couldn't be cuter. Wonderful photos!

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  9. Pretty sunset. I love the bluebirds. You did well. I see a lot of acorns on the road as well, and no squirrels around.

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  10. A lovely report. Thank. you.

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  11. Jim, Thanks for the link to your interesting "Letter D" blog and the landlocked Muscovy Duck.. That was a sad story about your Dodge convertible. I'll bet that after the timing belt was replaced it would have had another 100K miles to put on the odometer. My pet car was a 1937 Ford 4-door sedan (blue with white wall tires) which my Dad bought new and transferred to me when I turned 17 in 1952. It got about 50 miles per quart of oil and went through a fuel pump every few months. It spewed blue smoke and my buddies called me the mosquito exterminator-- I always carried two rebuilt spare fuel pumps along with several 5 gallon cans of recycled oil. It lasted about 4 more years until I finished college.

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  12. Hello Ken,
    I hope you have all good results from your tests. I would be a happy bird watcher if those bluebirds were in my yard. They are one of my many favorite birds, so pretty. Great sighting of the Purple Finch. The lake and Autumn colors make a beautiful scene and photo. Your sky captures are gorgeous. Beautiful post and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  13. I love the bluebirds and so many people list them as a favorite bird. They definitely make you feel good when you see them. When we lived in the mts of NC we always looked at the wooly caterpillars to predict the weather! Thanks for sharing the info! Hope your weekend is nice and you have some sunshine!

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  14. Love seeing your Bluebird photos. They are fine photos of these active little birds.

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  15. I never see bluebirds and rarely purple finches...We have showy goldrenrod in the front garden beds as it stands straight up and is a golden yellow spire in the fall. I didn't know how valuable goldenrod was until I got to know my late friend Dr. Moisset who studied native bees for 30 years and I learned so much from her.Michelle

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  16. A second comment. When I first started looking at birds when we moved near a pond and woods, I was delighted to find a community of people from different backgrounds willing to share their knowledge. I have become very interested in the native bees and other insects that visit my gardens..I have always been a bookish person with a love of learning and as a retired special education teacher, the love of teaching continues..Michelle

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  17. Excellent shots! Unfortunately, I never see bluebirds around here.

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  18. Despite the challenging week, your post still brings the beauty of nature to life. Those Eastern Bluebirds are interesting.

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  19. I've never seen so many bluebirds congregated together! Fuzzy or not, I enjoyed these shots.
    Thank you for joining us this week at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2023/10/a-few-photos-from-longwood-gardens.html

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  20. What a lovely mix of photos the bluebirds LQQK so pretty

    Have a sunsettastic week 👍

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  21. Those Bluebirds are really cute all lined up together. Hope you have a good week.

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  22. More and more I can relate to the calendar filling up with appointments and tests.

    In between, the mornings have turned coolish and birding has been very pleasant.

    Your photographs remind me of our early years of marriage in Syracuse, New York. Quite the change for a couple of Florida kids!

    Here's to more birding and less doctoring for us all.

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  23. The Bluebirds are so pretty! I've never seen one before. Thank you! Have a great day!

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  24. As an avid birder and nature photographer, these are gorgeous images you have here. Love it and happy to meet you virtually
    I visited you via My Corner of the World
    I linked up this week with = 43. Come and join us at #WordlessWednesday #Photography Wednesday - Saturday. You will find the info under BLOGGING

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  25. What a sunset ! I am just exhilarated by the beauty of bluebirds. Thanks for sharing your world of birds at Garden Affair which I await for desperately every week.

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