Sparrow in the Spruce

Not very long ago, I still had white-throated sparrows hanging around in my yard. This particular bird tried to fly into the window and knocked itself a little bit silly. I rescued it, kept it warm and, when it had recovered enough, I took it back outside to let it go hang out with its buddies again. 

Even though I put decals on the windows to keep birds from thinking they have clear sailing, every now and then the reflection must be just perfect and confuse them into thinking it's open air.

 

For a long time, it just sat on my hand and rested until I finally put it on a spruce branch that was sheltered from any possible predator so it could continue its recovery.

 

 

This picture's a bit closer than the one above and it's turned its head a little bit my way to keep an eye on the proceedings. I didn't have the camera with me when I placed it in the spruce, so I was surprised that it stayed put long enough for me to run inside to get it and take a couple of pictures to share. I guess it decided that if I was going to harm it I'd had plenty of time to carry out my nefarious plans, so it was no longer alarmed (either that, or it was still feeling too woozy to fly).  I kept an eye on it until it fully recovered and flew off to snack with its friends.

 

I thought it was a very handsome bird and I enjoyed both its company and getting to take a really close look at its lovely feathers. It may even find its way into a carving one of these days. Sparrows may not be as showy as the cardinals or the goldfinches, but I like the plain brown birds - and I love this fellow's sweet song.  

Terrible Turkey Tiff

Every now and then, a couple of big, tom turkeys will get into an altercation where they grab onto each other's beaks and just won't let go.

 

It looks just awful and they push against each other, standing on tiptoes and vying for dominance. 

 

They sometimes get themselves all twisted up and tied in knots, but still won't let go.  This pair really got into it and kept their grip on each other for a really long time.

Some of the other toms decided to come and join the fracas. It was almost as if they were egging their buddies on - or maybe taking bets on the outcome.
 

They strutted around the combatants, even occasionally displaying and gobbling. 

It was quite a display and, even after they put the witch hazel between themselves and the camera, they kept right on struggling. I kept catching glimpses of them still locked onto each other.  

I hope neither of them came out too much worse for the wear. You'd think they'd have more charitable thoughts about each other during this season of peace and good cheer.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is safe and warm out there! Plans sort of changed around here with the big storm, but I did get the house decorated and ready for celebrations. Here's one of my favorite parts of the holiday decor.
 

The puffins are decoys that are used to attract puffins to places like Egg Rock for nesting and raising young pufflings.  I think they are wonderful works of art in their own right - and they also work! Puffin numbers have been increasing and the efforts of folks that work on the Puffin Project are making a difference. The decoys are hand painted and actual puffin size and I just had to surround them with some holiday cheer.

The blocks are linoleum blocks my mother carved for Christmas cards many years ago. Since I'm the block printer in the family now, I keep these safe and bring them out for all of us to admire every year. As it turns out, I come by my printmaking obsession honestly.

And, of course, the paw print in the middle of the ribbon is Baloo's - he has to keep his hand - er - paw in the festivities. 

Very best wishes for a Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve!

Digging out from a big snowstorm is a lot of work. So, I thought I would take a break and share a little bit of color amidst all the white.

My sister got me the most amazing poinsettia! It's enormous and absolutely beautiful.

It's packed with all kinds of beautiful red bracts and commands pride of place in the living room.

 Here's the one at the very top - it's huge and so vivid. 

There's not a lot of color out in the world (except for the birds), so it's nice to have a little bit of bright beauty in the house. :)

Floating Formation Foraging

These mallards were dabbling along in the shallows and I (being easily entertained, as I've mentioned before) was tickled by a couple of things.

First, I liked the way the males' head feathers differed in coloration, depending on the angle of their heads. The one in front is brilliant green, the one in the middle looks almost black and the male toward the back is betwixt and between the two, with part bright green and part dark. 

Second, I was captured by the way they all nosed (or billed?) along in almost perfect unison and in a pretty precisely formed line in both angle and distance between them. (Madam duck is just a little off, but being smaller and of different coloration also changes the look of the line-up, so it might just be an optical illusion.)

And finally, I was completely tickled by the little curliques on the drakes' tails. Perfectly coiffed DA haircuts, don't you think? It's really easy to see how the style got its name!

This pair had struck out on its own, but was still participating in the diagonal offset formation flotation pattern as they paddled along. It's a perfect layout for getting a good look at each of the ducks!

 

 

A Little Nutty

This is the time of year when lots of sweet little birds start hanging around in my yard to take advantage of all the feeding stations and shrubbery. Among these small winter visitors, nuthatches are some of my favorites. It also seems like I am forever trying to get decent pictures of them, because they simply don't hold still long enough for me to locate them in the viewfinder, focus and then take the photo. 

I'm also always trying to get a good enough image to use as inspiration for a carving. Some of you know that I have done a couple nuthatch carvings - one common and one red-breasted. (I've used them as invoice carvings and cards in the past.)

So, here are my recent attempts at capturing these cuties in digital form.

I particularly like this one balanced on a tree knot. I think it might have potential as a carving subject. The way it's peering down at the world from its perch just tickles me. 

Pelting Pellets

Sometimes we get beautiful snowflakes floating through the air and adorning the world with crystalline lace. 

 

Other times, the wind carries hard little ice pellets that sting one's face and makes walking less than perfectly pleasant.

 

 
On the brighter side, they can glimmer like pretty little gems nesting in pine needles. 

Looking for the good on a chilly, wet day.... Brrrr!

 

Goldeneye Gone

Often, when I try to get a picture of a goldeneye duck, I end up getting nothing but rippling rings of water. 

 

By the time I have managed to focus on the busy little rascal, it takes a dive into the deep to find something to eat (or tease me - I wouldn't put it past the imps, as they seem to have a sense of humor).  They also never come up anywhere near where they went down, so there's no point in maintaining focus where one has vanished.

 

Happily, if I keep at it long enough, I will usually get at least one halfway decent picture. Here's the one for today. 

There are small groups of goldeneyes out on the bay this time of year. They will keep heading south to open water as the season progresses, so I enjoy them while they're hanging around and look forward to their return in the springtime.

 

Late Bloomers

I took this pair of pictures a little while ago, but didn't manage to get them onto the blog in a timely manner. Witch hazel is an interesting shrub. It is one of the few that actually needs cold weather in order to bloom, so when color is fading and leaves are falling, there is a wonderful profusion of yellow flowers along the edges of the forest.

They also have a very distinctive fragrance that is a welcome addition to the air.

Here's a closer look at the flowers. I love their very relaxed and almost crumpled presentation -  almost as if they just got out of bed and forgot to comb their hair... er... petals.

It's also an odd and interesting fact that the fruit and flowers appear at the same time on this plant. So, the fruit from last year's flowers is maturing at the same time this year's blooms are gracing the woods with their sunny color and lovely smell.  

Witch hazel  has a long history of medicinal uses as well. It is seen most commonly as an astringent these days. 

The Guardian

While searching for the pieces to last weekend's puzzle, I ran across the pictures I had taken of a Guardian of Pyatt Lake. 

 

This is clearly just one of the many Guardians that watch over the lake and its environs, taking his post at the entrance very seriously - even holding a projectile to hurl at any ne'er do wells that might seek to disturb the natural order.  Baloo used to notice their various watch stations as we took our walks along the trails, so we know there are quite a few of these diligent Guardians keeping an eye on things.

Talk about dedication! This fellow didn't even leave his post to take his lunch break. (I love the little toes gripping the edge of the plaque.)

Baloo would have enjoyed meeting him...

 

Sunday Solution

Here's the whole story of the puzzle. First, the original sighting, where I noticed something a little unusual.

I had been looking at the duck feather floating in the water, trying to figure out whether it was mallard or wood duck (mallard, I think) when I noticed a movement in the duckweed. Or, more precisely, a movement of the duckweed. I watched it for a long time as it inched along in its green camouflage coating, waiting for it to reveal itself. (As you can tell from picture #2, it's just to the right of the middle plant.)

Here's #2 - a closer picture as it continued to move around and you can see that there's something starting to emerge.

And then, in picture #3, off to the left of the rising, domed shape, there's something elongated coming to the surface.

Finally, the little rascal raised its head for an infusion of oxygen. I love how the duckweed still clings to most of the head with almost just its eye peering out of the green.

It gave me a thorough inspection, coming fully around to see who was peering so intently in its direction.

Then, deciding I wasn't any threat and of very little interest, went on its way, disappearing back into the cover of duckweed to feast on whatever it had been finding beneath the surface. 

I see painted turtles far more frequently sunning themselves on logs or rocks, then sliding into the safety of the deeps (or shallows) when disturbed. It was fun to watch this one going about its more active (though still slow) daily rounds.

Saturday Stumping? (Puzzle ClueTwo)

Here's another look at our puzzler.

Now, it may not look like there's much difference between these pictures, but I'm guessing that there will be a pretty good give-away for some of you in the second picture. At least, there was for me.

What do you think? I will post the solution tomorrow, just in case it's still invisible to you. Besides, I think the reveal picture is cute. 

Further Friday Frivolity

Well, it was unanimous. The response to last Friday's puzzle picture was entirely positive and there were requests for more foolishness.

So, here we go. Do you see anything interesting in this picture? (This one's much harder than last week's puzzler - at least, I thought so. It took me a while to figure it out in real time!) I may have to do the reveal in installments, as it happened for me.

Another Predator

Wile E. Coyote stepped out into the big rye/wheat/turnip field that is so popular with the deer and turkeys. Needless to say, the field became very quiet very quickly as everyone melted into the surrounding forest cover.

Coyotes always look so alert and focused, don't they? It's as if they make their plans and go forth to carry them out. Maybe I should look for the Acme Products crate somewhere nearby...

Sharp!

 

I almost didn't post this, because it portrays one of life's little dramas about which I have mixed feelings.

 

This sharp-shinned hawk caught a junco that was eating at one of the several feeding stations in my yard. I try to position the feeders so that there is plenty of cover nearby, but the hawk managed to startle this particular junco, which blundered into a window. The hawk then took advantage of its momentary disorientation to grab some lunch.

Of course, the hawks have to make a living, too, and they're beautiful in their own right. I just wish they wouldn't prey on my friends.

In any event, it  did afford me the opportunity to catch a few really good pictures of the triumphant hunter.

Saturday Solution

 As a reminder - here was the puzzle picture from yesterday.

And here's the solution.

This very handsome fellow was strutting around and displaying his fine feathers to attract a little companionship.

He was successful, as three females came to join him, but they stayed out of the limelight and kept to the cover and safety of the spruce trees. I thought it was an odd time of year for him to go courting, but the turkeys have been putting on entertaining displays, too, so there must be a reason for it.

In case you're not familiar with this particular bird, it's a ruffed grouse (because of the feathers he ruffles up around his neck when he's putting on a show). They are part of the partridge family (I couldn't resist) and even though there are no pear trees in the vicinity, they are quite fond of the tiny gold and red crab-apples we have growing wild on the family property and we can sometimes see quite a few enjoying apple snacks, once the leaves have fallen. They do blend in, though, so unless you are looking for chubby bird silhouettes in the branches, they're easy to miss.  

Friday Foolishness

So, just because I'm (more than) a little foolish myself, I thought it might be fun to do a slightly different kind of post. Do you remember the sort of puzzles published in magazines where you were supposed to figure out what something was and then they'd print the solution in the next issue (or upside down on the last page)? I'm going to give you way more than those old puzzles did as your starting clue, since they usually just gave an extreme close-up of some tiny bit of the subject.

 

What do  you see? (And, of course, come back tomorrow for the reveal.)

Let me know if you think this is any kind of fun at all, because I have an outstandingly good one (meaning much, much more challenging) from earlier in the year...

 

 

 

Fanciful Fungus

I noticed this charming mushroom nestled in a bed of moss on the stump of a tree and  in the shade of a young tree that had grown out of and around the remains of its parent. 

 

It looked quite regal and comfortable on its grand throne and bright green cushion and I fancied that it might be a perfect shelter for some tiny, magical creature. 

Imagine my delight when I looked in my mushroom identification books and decided that it must be a Dryad's Saddle. It's always so satisfying when the flights of my imagination are supported in any degree by reality. 

One of the books also said that it smelled and tasted like watermelon rind. I confess that I didn't give it a sniff test, since I didn't know this at the time and I didn't want to disturb its repose.

Ruminating...

I always enjoy getting to take candid pictures of critters going about their daily rounds - even when they're not going anywhere.  After all, I often feel like I'm not going anywhere, myself!

This sweet doe was lazing comfortably in the fallen leaves and ruminating - probably both literally and figuratively.

We know the literal part for sure, because even when she finally decided to stand up and stretch, she just kept right on chewing. After giving me a good look, she decided I wasn't any kind of a threat and just kept on browsing and nosing around for acorns and other goodies in the leaf litter. I think this picture also looks like she might be having a friendly conversation with a buddy, which makes me smile.

And, of course, on the heels of the Thanksgiving weekend, one does wonder about the benefits of a four chambered stomach!

Trekking Through the Trees

Shortly before the snow fell, I took a walk along one of Baloo's favorite trails - there were always lots of fascinating smells and he would occasionally get to startle a chipmunk or squirrel along the way.  While I enjoyed the antics of the small, furry beasts, I tended to look for other interesting things like birds, flowers, mushrooms and little oddities along our way.  On this particular occasion, I was looking for mushrooms. BetsyLee had expressed a desire to see more fungi here on the blog and it was a good motivation to get out on a trail I hadn't walked since Baloo was by my side.

Though I didn't see many mushrooms, I did find a cozy little den at the base of an oak tree. It looked like a very welcoming entryway with a leafy carpet leading to the door.

 

The walk sort of took a turn in focus and had me noticing trees, since mushrooms were in very short supply and the rapidly falling leaves made it easy to see farther into the woods than usual. I liked the gnarly growths on these two beech trees. Natural sculpture.

Most of the mushrooms I saw were either dried up or in a state of collapse. However, in keeping with the tree theme, these charming polypores were growing on a birch just a short way off the trail. The contrast between the rough bark and the smooth surface of the fungi, as well as the muted grays and tans caught my eye. 

So, even when a walk doesn't go quite as planned, there's always something to appreciate along the way.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends. I know that I have a great deal to be thankful for this year, even with the challenges that have come my way. I am particularly grateful for all of you. So, here's a word from someone who knows quite a lot about such things.

(I hope this works, as I  have never successfully posted a video before, and I can't seem to test it before publishing!)

 

 Just in case it doesn't work as it should, here's another happy gobbler to wish you a wonderful holiday!

Carving Stuff

Procrastination has ended (at least for one specific goal). I have finally started working on possible designs and carves for my Christmas card this year - and also invoice images! I'm not sure this is going to be the winner, but it's what I've been chipping away at for the last couple of days.

I know, I know! I carved a deer in the snow a couple years ago, but this image called out to me. I'm going to have to put it aside for a day or two to see if my opinion of it will improve with a little distance. 

Also, remember way back in August when I told you that I had scraps and bits of odds and ends that I would include in your package if you asked? Well, I still have some, have found more experiments and have created some new ones. This is what the pile looks like at the moment, as it sits on the packing table awaiting requests.

There is quite a variety of bits and pieces including PZ Kut (yes, really), Firm Kut, OZ Kut, Tan-Z Kut and a number of things that were experiments that I never had full runs made of.  As you can see, some of these have images already on them that I decided I was never going to carve, but a quick acetone scrub would fix that (or flipping the block over and using the other side). These are great for inchies, hitchhikers, fleas, bits of text and other small carvings. So, if I'm sending something your way anyway, just let me know you want a handful of extra odds and ends and I will make it so. 

The Big Mon

I warned you that there would be one more post about mandolin camp and the fallout from the experience, so here we go. 

I had been interested in getting a better mandolin than the one my brother got me started with and he was encouraging me to upgrade, too. During camp, I asked each of the instructors for instrument recommendations (short of getting an antique Gibson or a custom made extravaganza that would be way beyond my budget) and they each had really good suggestions. Then, I did a bunch of research about each of the possibilities. 

My brother and I took a road trip to the Northfield showroom and tried out a number of mandolins (all of which had good features and would have served me well).  After playing and narrowing the field to a couple of favorites, this is the little beauty I ended up getting. It's not only quite lovely to look at, but it has an amazing presence and sounds fantastic. It's a way more marvelous instrument than I even begin to deserve at my level of ability, but I'm practicing hard and hope to eventually play up to its capabilities - or at least get a lot closer than I am at the moment!

I'm sparing most of you the excruciating details, but if any instrument affectionados are reading this and want to know the technical specs, just ask and I'll be happy to give more information. 

One of the camp teachers told me that I'd probably never need another mandolin after this. I believe him!