On Vacation

We've been on vacation in Michigan for 8 days, so this blog has been neglected. I had wanted to do some birding, but I really didn't see that many birds. However, I did see some beautiful nature. The green color of almost everything was refreshing after hot dry brown Dallas .

May I Have This Dance?

Don't you like it when you take an artistic picture completely by accident? :-)

(Click photo for a larger view.)

Chickadee Update

Isabella is here with me for a whole week!

We are having fun with birds and other things. I got my new Squirrel Buster Plus bird feeder (a birthday present to myself) and Isabella helped me fill it up. About one third of the bird seed went on the kitchen floor.

Isabella found my two big Audubon picture books too, and found the ostriches--big birds she knew from Ethiopia.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo came back to the water on my feeder again this afternoon, and this time I got to my camera and scope quicker.

300!!!

I stayed home from work today to bake a cake for a coworker's birthday, so I've had plenty of time to glance out to the back yard while baking. I saw a bird sitting in my bowl of water, flicking redish wings. Hmm, those looked like female cardinal wings, but that wasn't a cardinal head. It took me a second or two to realize I was seeing a NEW BIRD!

I observed decurved bill, black eye, white below, gray above, rather larger bird. It played in the water, and stayed only about 1 minute--no time for a decent photo, so I've stolen these from the internet:


I got a good, but brief look at the tail and knew it must be a cuckoo, and sure enough, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo lives here in the summer.

I immediately logged it into my Birdstack account which informed me my life list was up to 300! Yay!

You're Wrong

Wow, it has been a day of me being wrong.

First, I did one of my financial transfers at work incorrectly, which took a bit of doing to correct and several emails of apology.

Then I did the software testing wrong, which took a phone call to apologize and have someone fix.

Then I bought the wrong ink cartridge, and even though it wasn't entirely my fault, I still had to pay for it. The point of buying a new one was to print out a new passport photo, which also has a wrong look to it:


Then we decided to be nice and go wish Florence a Happy 90th Birthday, which we did in fact do, only to learn that I had the wrong day--I was a month early.

Sigh.

Four New Birds!

I was able to do a bit of birdwatching on my recent trip to Michigan to attend my 40th HS reunion. I actually ended up with four new birds on my life list, now up to 299. These photos include only one of my lifers.

Mute Swan pair with cygnet

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Canada Swan families

female Hooded Merganser (terrible photo!)

fulltermbaby

Today was a day to change my password. When Sarah was hospitalized with early contractions I changed my password as a way to remember to pray for her. Now we are thanking God for the safe delivery of a full term baby.

A New Bird (and a New Chickadee)

I saw a new bird for my life list on our short trip to Houston. But this isn't it! This is a photo of a little blue heron that got close enough for me to digiscope nicely. I even got a short video of him catching something and gobbling it up.

My new bird was a red-breasted nuthatch, but he wouldn't stand still long enough for a photo. And legally-blind Gary saw it first!! My slowly growing life list is at 295.

But the BIG news around her is the birth of our grand-chickadee Micah! We give thanks to God for a safe and healthy baby after a very difficult pregnancy. If you're interested in more details, click over to my family blog.

Andrew's Birds

I'm jealous of the birds Andrew gets to keep seeing. He finally got his new camera battery working properly, so he's got some new photos to send my way. The first bird is a Pintailed Whydah and the second an Abyssinian Ground Hornbill.

Speaking of birds, a new grand-chickadee is being added to the nest tomorrow, Lord willing. We're driving to Houston to welcome Micah.

Frozen Buttercream Transfer Cake Decorating Technique

I made a cake for my daughter's birthday this weekend with a new technique I learned from YouTube videos. I think it turned out fairly well, and it is easier than it looks (but still a fair amount of work). Click here to go see the how-to online album I made. View the album in the Slideshow mode to see the captions with the step-by-step directions.

Copperhead Time of Year

Last evening I went out for a stroll with my sandals on to do a little birdwatching in the neighborhood. I found a dead copperhead in the street:

Then I wandered off on a gravel road and kinda tripped on a small mound of dirt while I had my binoculars trained on a pair of scissor-tailed flycatchers. When I caught myself and looked down, this is what I saw. I rather caught my breath, but then noticed it wasn't moving, and there were a couple flies on it. Not to worry, it was also dead!


I've heard a rumor that birdwatchers get more snake bites than hikers because they're always looking up instead of down.

Another Bag

I was bored again, so I made a second shopping bag out of a couple of old bird seed bags. This one is a slightly different style and size.

Someone actually volunteered to buy these bags, so I'm sending them off in the mail tomorrow! I hope they aren't disappointed--these bags are functional and attractive enough, but are put together in some haste and the handiwork is not flawless.

Shopping Bag

I was kinda bored today, so I decided it was time to make something out of almost nothing. I started with a bag which was once filled with sunflower seeds, and turned it into a shopping bag. I wish I knew what that "fabric" is called. It is woven plastic of some kind, used for packaging large bags of grains and seeds and dog food. It is rather stiff and noisy to work with, but is very strong and sturdy.

I had a pattern for shopping bags in my stash, so this is a modification of one of those patterns. The handles are made from the top portion I cut off so the bag wouldn't be so tall.

I wish I could sell a few of these to support my birdfeeding addiction!

Hemprich's Hornbill

Andrew sent me this photo--looks like's he's getting some good use out of his new camera!


This photo isn't nearly as good, but it does show that the female painted bunting is also hanging around, so maybe there are some baby buntings nearby too.

Praying for Lee

The son of long-time family friends has been injured in Afghanistan. Please pray for his healing and recovery.

Painted Bunting

I've been too busy for two weeks while my chickadees and grand-chickadee were here for vacation that I haven't posted for a while. But I need to post this photo--this guy has been showing up in my back yard for several days in the late afternoons. The cardinals often push him off the feeder, but he finds the crumbs on the ground.

New Bird--Lincoln's Sparrow

As usual, not the world's best photos, but I do believe I have recorded a Lincoln's sparrow in my backyard. It kept trying to hide inside the pile of sticks, but I did get a few shots with my scope and camera.

Another Bunting--Indigo

This bunting is not unusual like the Lazuli, but it is just as strikingly beautiful!

What Would Jesus Do on Earth Day?

Today is Good Friday, and we have a day off work. I got a phone call this morning asking me what I planned to do today. I said I was planning on fixing Rachel's toilet. My caller laughed and said, "I guess that is something Jesus would do today."

I'm notorious for making things worse before they get better, and this repair job was no exception. The repairs went so badly I soon realized that replacing the entire toilet was going to be easier than fixing it, and the side benefit would be many gallons of saved water (and thus lower water bills for Rachel) since the old toilet was high-volume, original equipment, some 30 years old. Making a change to save water seemed like a good thing to do on Earth Day.

When the rusted bolts refused my hacksaw, the hammer was the next logical choice. It didn't take long and the old toilet was out, if in a hundred pieces. I sliced my thumb open while removing ceramic shards out of the old wax ring, shedding probably less than a teaspoon of blood, but enough to make Rachel nearly pass out!

The job was completed within 12 hours, but that included four trips to Home Depot, one trip to Lowe's, and a Good Friday service. Oh, and there will be a fifth trip to Home Depot tomorrow since the toilet seat that came in the kit was broken out of the box.

I finished the toilet with just enough time to clean up the mess before we went back to church to take our turn at the prayer vigil. The hour passed quickly in prayer and meditation about Jesus shedding his blood on behalf of his created Earth.

Lazuli Bunting Photos

OK, they aren't the world's best photos, but they prove that a lazuli bunting was on the feeder in my backyard here in Dallas! Yay!

New Bird!! Lazuli Bunting

Image borrowed from the internet--not my photo.

I saw a new bird on the backyard feeder today. I got a good look at it, and if I hadn't been on the phone, I could have taken a photo. I'm sure it was a Lazuli Bunting, even though only one out of two of my bird ID books allows that bird in Dallas. It is listed as rarely seen, but I'm sure I saw it!

That is plus one for my life list!