Backyard birds

At 6:30 on a weekend morning I hear a bang, bang bang several times on something outside. It woke up hubby and myself. Hubby says half asleep "What was that?" I said "It sound like a woodpeck trying to drill on the metal drainpipe." He said "No way". I got out of bed and peaked out the window. Sitting on a branch, staring at the drainpipe was a downy woodpecker. I went and got my camera and took a couple of shots throught the bedroom window. He must have tried to bang on the drainpipe and realized it was metal.

Our neighborhood dove was trying to take a bath in our dried up boat cover. When it rains we get a little puddle in the front of the cover. For several days we've had doves taking baths there but then it dried up. I told hubby to run outside and spray the boat cover with the hose so the dove could get wet. He said "I'm not getting up off the couch to spray the hose so a dove can take a bath." I guess a trip to Home Depot for a real birdbath is in our near future.

A family of house sparrows has been hanging our the boat dock. I wonder if these were the same ones that were born here earlier this spring here.

 

All of the above pictures where taken through the bedroom window. If I walk outside the house sparrows fly off and hide in my neighbor's bushes. They do that when a hawk stops by as well. I'm still waiting for hubby to build me a nice air conditioned blind to put in the backyard.

Backyard Sky - Skywatch Friday

After days of rain, our boat cover had developed a pool of fresh water. The dove was taking a bath in our boat cover.

Drying off on our boat dock.

The couple preening after a bath.

A wet blue jay sitting outside my bedroom window in the rain.

Most of the rain had moved out and the sun going down behind the clouds created some nice color.

Sun down behind the trees.

Before I went in for the night, I walked around to the front yard to see if my resident frogs had come out and saw the tiny rainbow.

For more skyscape photography from around the world, visit Skywatch Friday

Last trip to the zoo for a while

Baby mallards swimming around the hyenna exhibit.

 

More pictures of the blue heron family.

Twin blue herons.

Lizard

Common ground dove.

I packed up my camera stuff and head out to the zoo for one last look at the baby spoonbills before they leave the nest. At this point they should be about 6 weeks old. I went straight to the nest and was in for a big letdown. They were already gone. The nest was empty. I guess they start taking off and wandering around at that point. There were only a few late blue heron babies hanging around. Now the alligator exhibit is just a boring water hole full of alligators. I was glad I made the effort to get there for 4 weekends in a row to see the spoonbills growing up. I did find an adult spoonbill sleeping high up in a tree close by. It was still a productive trip. I spent an hour walking around getting some exercise before the heat got to me. I'll probably not be back until late fall, maybe around November. It's just too hot now.