Just Cause I'm the Auntie...

...and I think she is darn cute!

Sunshine

Introducing Sarah Marie, my new niece.
9lbs, 9oz and 22 in. long

Love and congratulations to Charity, Erik, Anthony and new big sister Elizabeth.

The Car Ride

As I was driving my niece and nephew to school this morning, my 8 year old niece said, "Wow, look at all those birds!"

I assumed that it was going to be a flock of starlings or something of the annoying sort.

I was delighted to see that Elizabeth had found a flock of White Pelicans streaming across the sky!

I'm so proud!

Sadness

Sadness for the loss of a friend's husband to cancer.

We love you, Jean.

Butt Birding on the Magic Deck

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my friend Laura Shelton refers to the deck around my Innsbrook home as the "Magic Deck" because some really fun, amazing things show up there (feathered and non-feathered things.) Our chalet at Innsbrook actually sits on the side of a very large hill. A lot of great things show up on the deck because it is parallel to many tree tops. You could almost call it a treehouse of sorts.

Yesterday I stayed in the entire day at Innsbrook and tried enjoying the quiet rainy day (it was a long day!) I decided to make something of my time and do some "butt birding." My friend Jane Mootz came up with that funny phrase to describe birding from a single stationary place. You just plop down on a bench, and wait to see what shows up.

Well, instead of a bench, I chose the rocking chair in the living room that overlooks the deck, which overlooks the lake. I spent at least an hour just sitting there, and then spent much time on-and-off through out the day carefully watching the action just outside the window.

Sorry, none of these photos are too clear. They are all shot through a dirty window!
Here is a Red-bellied Woodpecker and an American Goldfinch at the feeders.

I cannot believe the number of species I saw within one day from that one spot. There were a lot of the regulars, like Tufted Titmice and Nuthatches, but I couldn't believe the number of oddies, like White-throated Sparrows and warblers.

Cedar Waxwing, before I realized there was whole flock!

I think the best part of the day was seeing a flock of Cedar Waxwings enjoying a drink from a pan of water. I read that birds often need fresh water from a shallow source, so I put one out there several months ago. It usually goes unused for the most part, except for an occasional American Goldfinch, and I literally was going to remove it last week. I am so glad I didn't! I was such a joy to see the Waxwings drinking away. I have NEVER seen them on, or from the deck for that matter, before yesterday. What a great surprise! That pan is staying!


Here is my "Magic Deck Butt Birding" list for October 22, 2009.

• Tufted Titmouse
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Carolina Chickadee (90 percent sure)
• Northern Cardinal
• Eastern Phoebe (swirling its tail around)
• American Robins
• White-throated Sparrow
• Black-throated Green Warbler
• Yellow-Rumped Warbler
• Wild Turkey (I saw them actually fly!)
• Cedar Waxwings
• American Goldfinches
• Ruby Crowned Kinglet (they are becoming my favorite bird. So darn cute!)
• Blue Jays

Cedar Waxwings drinking away!

Falling into Autumn

The weather this past week in St. Louis stunk. 40 degrees, overcast, and rainy. The sun did not show its face for over 5 days. Those of you in the desert have no idea what 5 days of no sunshine is like. Ugh!

But Sunday, Sunday was glorious! All the fall colors came to life in the bright sunshine. It was almost like you could swim in the light, it was so enriching!

I skipped church and had my own "worship" service down by the Aspen Dam Waterfall here at Innsbrook. I knew I could walk a trail along side the stream, but I didn't realize, until Sunday, that you could actually traverse the cascade itself.


I cannot resist rock scrambling. Or waterfalls for that matter. Mix in the warm sunshine and the beautiful colors of autumn, and, boy, I tell ya, ain't nothin' better.

Here are just a few photos from my morning. Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Life is good today....

A Good Laugh

Today as I was checking on the local news of Yucca Valley, CA through the High-Desert Star website (the local newspaper,) I ran across a startling photo....

of ME!!!

On the home page of the website, if you scroll down a bit, there is a Featured Photos section. I am one of those photos.

HA!

The photo was from the Morongo Valley Spring Festival back in March. I was working the bird table for BMCP. I'm holding the wings of, I think, a Great Horned Owl. But I don't really remember. I just remember it was a fun day of sharing my love of birds with others.

What a great surprise and a good laugh.