This little dude is a Nuthatch. One of my favorites. I love the sound they make as they go about their business. Not a song, by any means - more like a tiny grunting noise. Unmistakable. Watching them scoot down a tree head first always makes me chuckle.
Nothing better looking than the male Cardinal although I am a huge fan of the female's colors as well. She never gets the credit she deserves. Her beauty is subtle. No picture of her - see? She's under appreciated.
One of my favorite memories of dad and his love of birds is the time he decided to feed the birds from his hands. He was convinced it would work and was bound and determined = bull headed.
So out he went to stand at the top of the river bank with bird seed in each hand. We, of course, watched from inside the warm house. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention - it was in the dead of winter and as I recall the
snow was butt-deep.
Dad stood there confidently with his arms outstretched offering up lunch. Time went by . . . no takers. The arms sagged a bit. More time passed . . . still no takers. Arms fell a few more inches.
I can only imagine us watching through the picture window taking bets on how long "the show" would go on until dad threw in the towel.
It was cold. Butt-deep snow. Arms were sagging. We were giggling. I'm sure dad was swearing - and shivering. Nobody showed up for lunch. Gotta give the guy credit for trying, tho', eh?
Last weekend I was treated to one of the thrills of my life. I got to see a Bald Eagle on her nest with babies. Mr.Eagle brought lunch but I missed that part which was disappointing but I had only ever seen an eagle once before so this up-close-and-personal (via a high powered telescope) was extremely exciting. I squealed like a girl.
If you're not into the bird thing, I encourage you to stop, look and appreciate them. They're Mother Nature's gift to us. Thanks, mom.
Love the image of your Dad. Having grown up Catholic, one of my favorite "holy cards" as a kid was a picture of St. Francis feeding the birds from his hand. I was sure that I could do that, too. I'm honored that you used my photos, and a cedar waxwing would be the icing on the cake. Rarely ever see them. I'm still waiting to get the Pileated Woodpecker. I hear them all the time, but am never in the right place with a camera, and they are oh so shy. Love your blogs.
ReplyDeleteGlad you feel honored, Ann. I steel (I mean "borrow") from the best.
ReplyDeleteTom and I are both big "birders" and are patiently waiting for our Baltimore Orioles to return. I put the grape jelly out every morning and have my binocs close by. There is a Bald Eagle that nests about a mile away and flew over us the other day........AMAZING! Jane
ReplyDeleteOMG! I just re-read my comment - can't believe I spelled "steal" wrong. I should feel guilty because I am so critical of people who can't seem to get the "there, their, they're" thing right. I should feel guilty . . . but I don't.
ReplyDeleteOK E....this is where I am going to practice "making a comment" and trying to get my name on it....NOT anonymous. Be patient because it may take a few trys! (Jane)
ReplyDeleteYeah................first try!
ReplyDeleteYea you, Jane!!!
ReplyDelete