Poetry and Pictures: A Farewell to Autumn

A thrown for the Autumn Queen!  A hidden treasure trove Are you on my turf? Well get off!

AUTUMN  By Eva Getman Upon the sky  so brightly splayed, the colors  of Autumn leaves. They fall  to the ground  in glorious waves  stirred  by a gentle breeze. Red, Orange,  Yellow, and Green! A thrown for the  Autumn Queen! Canada Geese  take to the wing flying south  for a winter's rest. All this we see,  sipping cider and tea,  while the sun  sets in the west. And as night falls,  the light is kept by jack-o-lanterns  aglow. We rush outside,  candles in hand,  to joyfully greet  the first snow.

Sunrise on the first snow Five different trees in the fall.  ... munch... munch, munch.... **

The sentinel squirrel watched this human intruder closely.  It was his job to bring a report back to the queen...

...The queen waited impatiently for her sentinel to return with a report on this strange new danger.

The November Super Moon as it was rising. **

The Super Moon as it was setting over the mountains. **

We don't know what kind of hawk this is, but isn't it majestic?

I thought this Meadowlark looked so pretty framed by the emerald grass.      Upon the mountain far above there was an angel bright, dressed in silver and white, she sang her song of light. Image Credits: Eva Getman, ** Dan Getman

Poetry and Pictures: A Farewell to Summer

SUMMER by Eva Getman Gray sky striped  with lighting bolts  of many colors  the field is blooming below a flowery mat across the ground  that then soars high into the sky  on wings that flutter and hum while making honey so golden as it falls  from the sky above  in rivers so grand as they flow  through the moose's halls  of willow trees  so grand and tall.

A Spotted Towhee dining on a scrub acorn. A young Mallard male preening his feathers.

Doesn't this butterfly look like an angel?

I think this is my prettiest photo of a hummingbird!

Doesn't this hawk look regal?

My best shot of a Northern Flicker!

I think this Cedar Waxwing just took a bath.

The most Barn Swallows I've seen in one tree!

My first rattlesnake!

A herd of  Mule Deer

A Mariposa Lily

Aren't bees all snuggled up together too cute?

This could be our first Rufous Hummingbird!?!?!

Image Credits: Eva Getman

Neighborhood Nestlings Part Three: Random Nestlings

Red-winged Blackbirds

I found this Red-winged Blackbird nest woven into the reeds near the island where the geese were nesting.  My favorite story for this nest is when the chicks fledged.  Sadly, I don't have a picture of that :(  The nestlings were covered in tufts of fluff and didn't have all their flight feathers so they couldn't manage more than a frantic fluttering leap from clump to clump of reeds as they followed their mother's encouraging calls to leave the nest.

The Red-winged Blackbird male.  Every time we got too close to the nest, he would scold us until we left and follow us along the path until we were far enough away to satisfy him. **

After the female Red-winged Blackbird fed the chicks, she would fly off with a loud call to lure away any predators.  I named the nestlings Chirp, Song, and Call.

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Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings are such beautiful birds that we were greatly pleased when we found a nest. I loved many things about this family but my favorite was seeing the parents' bright colors lit up by the morning sun while shading the babies from the heat.

Cedar Waxwing, adult **

Cedar Waxwing parent shading its little ones from the morning sun. **

American Kestrels 

We have always loved kestrels; they are very beautiful and acrobatic birds!  So, it was a great pleasure when Mom and Dad spotted a family of  kestrel fledglings.  They were such a fun family that we stopped to see them on almost every walk. One time, my parents saw a kestrel adult feed its chick a huge spider!!!!!  We could often tell when the kestrels were around because they had quite a lot to say calling "Keeeee! Keeee! Keeeee!"

Three of the kestrel fledglings: Flip, Dive, and Twirl.  Male kestrels have blue on their wings and females don't. **

Doesn't she look like a perfectly behaved fledgling? **

Someone needs to tell this young kestrel to behave more like his sister.  Preening in public, honestly!  No wonder his sister has turned her back on the whole scene.

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Mallard Ducks

One time, my Mom and I were walking around Viele Lake when we saw the most adorable family of ducklings ever!  They were dabbling in the water by the reeds.  Mama Mallard looked like a good and protective parent and seemed to have very well behaved ducklings.

Aren't mallard ducklings too cute!?!?!  This is Peep.

Mama Mallard with her 6 ducklings: Fluff, Tuft, Muff, Peep, Fuzz, and Alexander.

   Image Credits:  Eva Getman; ** Dan Getman

Neighborhood Nestlings Part Two: Hummingbird Hatchings

Once upon a time, my Mom, Dad and I were walking along a hidden path at Viele Lake that wound up the slope and through the trees.  It was a very nice day and the sun shining through the trees had an underwater effect on the ground.  Suddenly, a flash of glimmery-green caught our eyes…a hummingbird!!  We hurried after her until she began to flit around one particular pine tree.  Using the binoculars, my Mom followed her movements and then the unbelievable happened…the hummingbird landed on a nest!!!!

June 4, 2016: Mother Hummingbird on the nest **

On the nest, she was barely distinguishable from the surrounding pine tree.  If we had not watched her land, we would never have known she was there.  Looking through the binoculars, her emerald-green back, moss green wings, cream belly, pale rufous sides, and speckled throat were beautiful and flawless.  Then, as if she had never been there, she was gone.

We watched the female leave and return to the nest several times that day.  Each time she left it was like she vanished and each return was heralded by the slight hum of her wings and her small chirp.  In contrast to our quiet and inconspicuous female, her mate was always getting our attention.  With a loud, cricket-like trill and a flash of his scarlet throat patch, he would dive-bomb any intruders in his territory, and then, perch at the very top of trees to stand guard.  I guess opposites do attract :)

June 4, 2016: We were lucky enough to catch the female leaving the nest but her camouflage makes her hard to spot! **

June 4, 2016: Father Hummingbird standing guard at the top of a tree.
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We returned to the nest almost daily and marveled at the elegant construction.   With shimmering lichen and bits of bark on its sides, the cup-shaped nest blended in perfectly with its branch.  We learned that female hummingbirds bind the moss and feather nesting materials with spider silk that provides an in-built stretching ability to accommodate the growing nestlings.  Then, the nest is lined with cotton-soft plant down.  A comfortable home and a work of art.

June 4, 2016: Can you spot the ingeniously camouflaged nest? **

About two weeks after we first spotted this remarkable nest, the unbelievable happened again!  The mother landed on the nest and two little orange beaks stuck straight up into the air opening and closing like they were calling “Mom, Mom, Mom!” while the female craned her neck to feed first one, and then the other, hungry chick.  When the chicks stretched up to reach their mother, they looked rather strange with featherless, purple heads and overly large eyes that could not yet open.   But, they were still adorable!  

June 18, 2016: After feeding the chicks, Mother Hummingbird promptly sat upon them to shield them from the summer heat.

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June 18, 2016: You can see the nest moving and stretching as the nestlings shift about panting in the summer heat.

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We did some research and learned that hummingbird mothers feed their nestlings some nectar but mostly insects, like mosquitoes, flies, and spiders, to give them enough protein to grow.  On this diet of insects and nectar, the babies grew astonishingly fast.  

Each time we visited the nest, they were bigger and looked more like an adult. It was such a pleasure to see the hummingbird siblings snuggled up together in the nest that it came as a slight shock when, one morning, there was only one nestling, and a day later, the nest was completely empty. We had been waiting for this moment when the nestlings would fledge the nest.  But, it was bittersweet because we would miss seeing them almost every day.

June 28, 2016: Sibling Sweetness **

July 5, 2016: The remaining nestling looked so much like its mother that, for a moment, we could not tell them apart.

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Now, I am sad to say that we must say good-bye to the fledgling hummingbirds because they will soon leave for Mexico. I am glad to have met them and to have learned so much about hummingbirds, their nests, and their chicks!  I also enjoyed sharing what I learned with you.  But, don’t be too sad because up next is Neighborhood Nestlings: Part Three!!!!!!!!

Image Credits: ** Dan Getman

View of the nest without optical aids 
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Editor's Note: No hummingbirds were disturbed in the filming and photography for this blog post.  The details we observed were only possible with binoculars and the zoom lens on our camera.  We learned that it is helpful to stay at a distance when viewing nests as the mother will not approach if you are too close.  

Lightning Showdown!

Unfortunately, this isn't Neighborhood Nestlings Part Two :(  But, it's pretty awesome!!! 
A few nights ago, Dad and I saw the neatest storm ever! We took a video and decided to publish it on the blog. Hope you like it....

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Update: We found this quiet storm interesting.  Here is a link to an article about this kind of lightning, called "heat lightning," that we found informative:

http://farmersalmanac.com/weather/2009/08/03/what-is-heat-lightning/


Image Credits: ** Dan Getman

Neighborhood Nestlings Part One: The Goslings

We take daily walks to Viele Lake, a beautiful feature in our neighborhood park.  This Spring, we began to pay particular attention to the Canada Geese and were able to observe three nesting pairs.  We have grown quite attached to our goose families and check on them regularly.  

Below are Bruce and Cleopatra and their five goslings less than two days old.  This is the goose family we have known the longest.  We think they are experienced parents because they were the first to nest and chose the best nest site, a small island on the lake.  Also, we observed Bruce to be a very protective father.  He was never far from the nest and made his presence known whenever anyone or anything approached.  One day, we watched him nip a Mallard on the bottom for roosting too close to the nest. Cleopatra seemed to be a patient and dedicated mother sitting on the nest even in the midst of our April Blizzard.  We watched her pluck down from her body and tuck it into the nest.  The family is beautiful to watch swimming and foraging around the lake.

 Bruce and Cleopatra with goslings about 2 days old
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Gosling, about 2 days old **	Doesn't this gosling look pretty?  I think she's like a little princess.  Don't you?  I've named her Elizabeth.

These geese continue to amaze us.  We still see all five goslings with their parents.  In this photo, the gosling is about six weeks old.  A teenager!?!?  They are getting more and more difficult to tell apart from the adults.

Gosling, about 6 weeks old

About six weeks ago, one nesting pair we had been watching, named Donald and Daisy, appeared to have lost their nest. We found a broken eggshell outside the nest and could not find the new family anywhere.  Then, out of the blue, three not quite brand new goslings popped up!  It is possible they are Donald and Daisy's goslings and the nest was successful after all.  It is also possible that the family nested elsewhere and traveled to the pond with their goslings.  Despite our uncertainty, we continue to call the pair below Donald and Daisy and we have named their goslings: Huey, Dewey, and Louie :)

                            

Donald and Daisy with goslings about 1 month old

	Donald and Daisy with goslings about 1 month old

Below are Lily and James with their brand new goslings.  I named them Ada and Gara after my two friends who are sisters also.

 James and Lily with goslings about 2 days old

 Aren't goslings the cutest thing on the planet up close!

Stay tuned for Neighborhood Nestlings Part Two...

Image Credits: Eva Getman; ** Dan Getman