The rains came as soon as we arrived in NE Illinois at the end of April, and nighttime temperatures dropped to near freezing the first few nights. In between raindrops and braving high winds, we managed to get a few hours outdoors each day. While not providing much exercise, our daughter's back yard was quite productive.
A double rainbow was visible when an afternoon rainstorm skirted by:
As I was roasting a chicken on their patio grill, I ran for my camera when a colorful House Fince started singing in a nearby tree:
A curious Black-capped Chickadee landed on the fineal atop an umbrella on the deck:
It eyed me from a post on the deck railing:
Agramonte, their 10 year old Tibetan Mastiff, struck a regal pose:
Siboney, from his same blood line, at 1 1/2 years old is now almost as big:
Mary Lou and I visited the Japanese Garden at Fabyan Park in nearby Geneva. The foot brige and its railings cast pleasant reflections:
For the past few years, a pair of Great Horned Owls has raised its family in a tree at Fabyan Park. This spring two owlets were hatched, but only one made an appearance when we visited the nest:
Numerous Baltimore Orioles were present in the park, which runs along the west bank of the Fox River:
Canada Geese were accompanied by newly hatched goslings:
We saw a few warblers, among them a Yellow-rumped *Myrtle" Warbler...
...captured as if suspended in mid-hop:
A White-breasted Nuthatch foraged upside-down:
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were early spring arrivals:
In the Japanese Garden, a Common "Bronzed" Grackle posed on a rock:
This post is about birds seen in our dooryards this year, both in Florida as well as in our daughter's yard in northeastern Illinois.
In early May, during our stay in Illinois, I tended to a slow-cooking roast in the barbeque on the back deck of our daughter's home. Since we lost all the undeveloped land near our condo, I relished the opportunity to just sit and enjoy their bird feeders. I set a goal of seeing 20 species during the hour or so, and actually counted 21 (including a couple of flyovers).
A Cardinal stopped at the feeder and then perched on the back fence...
...as did a Mourning Dove:
The dove rested atop the feeder:
Black-capped Chickadees picked up seeds one at a time and ate them up in the trees:
An American Robin caught a worm for its newly hatched chicks:
A Red-tailed hawk flew over, one of the "bonus birds:"
White-crowned Sparrows were abundant:
A Chipping Sparrow peered shyly from the other side of a feeder...
...but later gave me an open shot:
Siboney, their 5 1/2 month old Tibetan Mastiff, already weighed 50 pounds. He chewed on a stick and watched the birds with me:
A colorful sunrise greeted us upon our return to Florida in mid-May:
Shortly after returning home to Florida I saw a Tricolored Heron which was busy tending to its feathers. I crept out onto the patio and obtained a series of photos as it preened at the lake's edge. Click on the photos for larger images which show its plumage in greater detail:
The younger of the two eaglets in the local Bald Eagle nest indeed perished, either from injuries in fights with its older sibling or because it could not compete with her for food. The first-hatched was about 65 days old when I took this photo on May 20, 2016. It would be expected to fledge within a week or two:
For this week's wildflower, here are Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman's breeches) growing at Bliss Woods, Kane County, Illinois:
Thanks so much for visiting! I will be on the road for the next couple of weeks and often away from WiFi and even out of cellular range. Mary Lou and I are celebrating our 56th Wedding Anniversary! Tending to my blog from a cellphone does not work out very well, so I have put my posts on "autopilot" in the interim, but promise to visit you as soon as possible when I get back to my PC.
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Linking to Misty's CAMERA CRITTERS,
Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,
Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa).
Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy
Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James
Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni
Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart
Linking to Today's Flowers Friday by Denise
Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display
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This is another special edition of Rosyfinch Ramblings to update the situation after Sagua, our granddaughters' 7 year old pet Tibetan Mastiff died last week. (See: "Remembering Sagua") Their parents lost no time in finding a companion for her "brother" Agramonte, now 8 years old.
Our new "Grand-puppy" is named Siboney (pronounced see-BOH-neh). This is an Anglicized word which has its origin in "Ciboney" the name of a pre-Colonial indigenous population in Cuba. Following Spanish conquest they, and all Cuban native groups, had disappeared by the end of the 1500s. Our son-in-law is a Cuban native (born in Sagua La Grande), and their dogs have all had names of significance in Cuban history, shortened as follows: Maceo, a Doberman-Lab mix, Maximo, an American Mastiff, followed by Tibetan Mastiffs Agramonte, Sagua, and now Siboney.
While visiting the breeder, a litter of puppies surrounded the girls. They were black and tan just like Sagua:
Siboney is on the right, with two litter mates:
Siboney's Dad, Atilla the Hun:
Siboney's Mom, Kita Bear:
Welcoming Siboney to the family:
Doing what Tibetan Mastiffs do best:
Portrait:
Agramonte greeting Siboney. They played until Siboney just stopped to take a nap:
