A Different Kind of Mystery

I had a beautiful little sparrow foraging in my yard and I am not positive who it might be.  I was leaning toward it being a female white-crowned sparrow, given its size and head markings, but the streaky breast isn't right for an adult and it was far too early in the season for an immature to be scratching around for goodies. 

I've been consulting all the bird books and online identification guides I can get my hand on and have still not come to a definitive identification. I have considered the possibility that a swamp sparrow strayed a little from the wetlands and landed in my yard to snack for a few days.  
 

I have also considered that it may be a Lincoln's sparrow on its way north to nest. But I can't absolutely convince myself one way or another. The Sibley bird guide does say that they're closely related, so perhaps my inability to decide isn't without cause. 

Any birding experts or enthusiasts out there that can help me pin a name on this little cutie? It's a small bird - I'd say in the 5-6 inch range. 
 

A Puzzle with a Solution for Saturday

There wasn't a second picture for this little puzzle, but I think it can be solved with just this clue, if you look carefully. This is right outside my house off the back deck. Can you find who is hidden among the snowy yew bushes?  Eating them? 

Clicking on the picture will enlarge it and allow for a better look. She was really quite bold. I realize there is also a tangle of grape vines and butterfly bush stems to make it more challenging, but keep an eye open for the - eye. Everything should become clear, once you find that. 

I'll put a bit of space between the clue and the solution. 

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It's a yearling deer - last spring's fawn. Probably the one I carved nursing from its mom, since they both hang around the neighborhood. Do you see it? The dark diagonal right in the middle of the photo is its neck and the ears are  pointing back toward its shoulders right above that diagonal. Her right eye is peering out between branches closer to the right side of the picture. 

I had been looking out the back window at her mom when I realized someone was hidden among the bushes right against the house. Her nose is literally an inch from the outside wall. 

I guess the yew needed a bit of a trim... 

Apologies and the Solution

Sometimes life just does life things.... So, I apologize for being a little late with the solution, although I'm pretty sure most of you saw the star of the puzzle pretty easily. I'll go through the usual process, just in case. :)

Clue number one showed the larger view, and if you check out the lower left branches on the big tree on the right, you can see something perched there. 

Clue number two zooms in a bit, so it's easier to see who might be out on a limb... 

Here's the final payoff. The great blue heron was preening and primping, so it stuck around for a long time, allowing me to get a pretty good focus and a few nice pictures. 

Piper was also very patient as I snapped a bunch of shots of this guy. Pretty handsome bird, don't you think? It was really fun to watch. 

 

Another Episode of Spying

As our mysteries usually go, first I will post the original picture clue, so you don't have to backtrack to see it. 

So, there it is. (And I think I forgot to mention yesterday that you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.)

I know that some of you saw it yesterday, but this somewhat zoomed version should make it a lot easier to spot, just in case you haven't already found it.

I'll post the close-up version tomorrow. That should make a confusing start for October! :)
 

Scenic Sunday Spying

Here's a fairly simple little hunt, but I thought it was sort of a fun one. 

Even without the mystery, it's a pretty scene, looking out over the marsh. But, there's something in particular to find. 

Did it catch your eye? 

Getting Satisfaction on Sunday

 Finally, the big (or little) reveal! First our original clue:

Then, we have the zoomed hint:

The little mystery you're looking for is pretty well centered from top to bottom, but is a bit to the right of center when measuring from side to side. 

This cheeky chipmunk was far enough from the trail that it felt safe standing in the open to watch our progress along the path. Piper had no trouble spotting it, though she can do some fancy cheating with her excellent nose! 

I hope you enjoyed this minor weekend diversion. :)

Saturday's Second Installment

As usual, we begin with a reminder of yesterday's clue, so you don't have to backtrack. 

As an aside, it was a lovely walk, with the sun filtered through the leaves, giving everything a soft glow. 

Then, here's the second clue, zoomed in on our mystery, just a bit. :)

A Friday Morning Mystery

The world is a mysterious place and there are all kinds of wonders hidden in plain sight, if we keep our eyes open. Piper always keeps her eyes open - and her nose on high alert!

So, here's the first clue teaser for today's little diversion. We hadn't done one of these in a couple weeks, so I thought it might be fun. :)

Wednesday Wind-Up

Here's the final reveal for all you puzzlers. 

First, the original clue with our subject way out in the middle of the marsh.

Then, our zoomed clue, with much more detail available.

Finally here's our magnificent painted turtle sunning itself. It looks a bit uncomfortable to me, though.

It looks like it's balanced on the stick that crosses the far more substantial basking log.

I took quite a few pictures, enjoying all the different attitudes and poses it struck.

It finally turned and prepared to slide back into the water.

Where it slipped under the surface and disappeared from view. 

I hope you enjoyed this small diversion. :)

Tuesday's Teaser

Here's a reminder of yesterday's puzzle clue.

If you want to check the first clue again, before checking the second installment, the subject in question is pretty close to the center of the frame, both vertically and horizontally.

I zoomed in much closer and you should be able to see what's what pretty easily, although the final reveal won't come until tomorrow.
 

Mysterious Monday

People have been enjoying the puzzles quite a lot recently (well, this makes sense, since many of you search for things hiding out in the woods as a matter of course). So, I thought I'd spice up your Sunday just a tad with a little mystery, just in case you aren't out in the woods already. :)

There's something to find in this scenic little spot - somewhere. Can you locate it?

Tomorrow will bring the next installment. :)

Don't forget - you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

A Small Mystery

Little mysteries have been popular with my sharp-eyed friends, so I thought I would post a small one to usher in the weekend. Piper and I were walking along the road by the bay and she very graciously sat still to allow me to take a few pictures. Sometimes, she makes it hard to focus. After all, the leash is attached to both of us!

Can you locate the stealthy one? The camouflage is outstanding, don't you think?

A Puzzle from the Past - Solution

You've got good eyes! You saw it, even though you couldn't really tell what it was.  Here's the first picture again as a reminder.

The subject of this puzzle is so far out of context, it's kind of hard to believe, even when you do see it.

So, no, not a snake on the chimney - it's mother merganser looking over the world from on high.

She made me laugh. It's as if she's imagining herself on a castle turret surveying her vast domain. 

It was one of my very last walks with Baloo, so the memory is bittersweet. Tomorrow (June 7th) is the eleventh anniversary of his adoption and the 8th is the second anniversary of his death, so he's been in my thoughts quite a lot, as you might imagine. 

So, sometimes the puzzles are a long time coming. There are a couple even older ones that I planned, too, but haven't gotten around to posting yet. It's been long enough that I have to go searching for them - so, I'll have a treasure hunt of my own!

A Puzzle from the Past

This picture was taken a couple years ago, before the brilliant Baloo crossed that Rainbow Bridge (I've been thinking about him a lot, since we're coming up on the anniversary of both his adoption and his death). Anyway, we happened upon this amusing thing. I hope you enjoy hunting for it. 

The reveal will come tomorrow - and don't forget that you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it for a closer perusal. :)

A Puzzle from Piper - Solved

As predicted, several of you found what had Piper transfixed. I knew you would - you've got keen eyes!

Just in case you didn't see it, or you didn't have a chance to hunt, here's the relevant picture from yesterday's puzzle post. Have you found it?

How about now? It's a pretty distinctive silhouette.

It looks a lot like somebody hid a chocolate bunny under those trees - it's the perfect pose.

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of silliness. I think we can use more silliness in the world. :)

A Puzzle from Piper

The last puzzler was so difficult Piper and I thought something that could actually be solved might be in order.  It seemed like it might be an enjoyable way to kick off the weekend and hope you think so, too.

As we set off for our morning ramble, Piper saw something quite exciting and was instantly transfixed. She didn't want to budge. 

Do you see what she saw?

A Difficult Mystery Solution

As usual, here's the first mystery picture. 

The thing we're looking for is pretty close to the center of the image - both top to bottom and side to side.
 

Again, it's pretty close to center, but just a little to the right. (And still very difficult to see, due to the backlighting.)

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This is what we were looking at, and the lighting still isn't the best, but at least it's possible to see what the subject is!

It's a red-shouldered hawk sitting on her nest. If you look really carefully, you can see a couple little yellow fuzz balls.

She glared at me for my impertinent intrusion and I left her alone with her little ones.

Being the nosy, impertinent soul that I am, I came back the next day, when mom was out hunting and one of the fuzzy heads popped up for me to see. I tried to get both of them, but the second one was almost always behind the left-hand fork of the tree. 

The nest isn't too far down the trail from the barn on our family property, so while I was down there hunting for mushrooms and helping with gardens, I would check on progress every day. This was the first time we had seen the little tykes peering out at the great, wide world.

I hope it was worth the extra effort of trying to find the hidden treasure. And kudos to BetsyLee for spotting a nest in the forest. :)

A Difficult Mystery (Part 2)

Here's the recap. Our first clue was really tough. 

Let's get closer and see if it helps!

I can see it here, but I know where and what it is, so I have a huge advantage! I think it's still almost impossible otherwise... But you have all really surprised me in the past, so I know you have sharp eyes.

Don't forget that you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.

A Difficult Mystery to Solve

Well, I thought this mystery photo would come out better than it did. I warn you it's hard, but there is something pretty cool to be discovered in the trees.

We'll slide in closer to our target tomorrow, but you guys are so good at this you may see better than I can!! 

Don't forget that you can click on the image to enlarge it. Take advantage of every bit of help with this one!

The Big Reveal

As usual, we start the reveal with a review of the clues. Here was Monday's mystery clue:

And then, Tuesday's teaser:

It's slightly closer, but the main subject of the puzzle is still pretty well camouflaged. He's just slightly above the middle of the frame and a little bit left of center on the trees.

Finally, here's the critter. It's uncommon to see these guys out in the middle of the day.

 And here's a closeup.

Porcupines are odd looking creatures, aren't they? It's interesting to watch them climb. They reach up with both their front legs at the same time, followed by both back legs hopping up behind. 

I hope you enjoyed the little mystery. :)