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Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Nature Notes: Beginning of 2012

We've had a mild winter in my part of NC so far. Today was the first day that the bird baths refroze very quickly after I put fresh water in. The water I used to thaw the bath that sloshed over on the deck froze fast too.
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The little chickadee above was looking at me as if to say, more water please.
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The sparrow above was debating going ice skating.
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The shots of the female cardinal above and for the next two shots were taken several days ago when the weather was very mild.
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To me it's mild winter weather if I only have to get rid of nights' frozen bird bath water but the temperatures are above freezing during the day.
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The male cardinal below was taking a bath after a lot of the water had been sloshed out.
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I think the male and female cardinals are good pairs in terms of their colors complementing each other.
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The mourning dove below blends in so well with the tree bark, I almost didn't see her.
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The rest of the shots in this post were taken on my January 1, 2012 walk.
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Last year the creek leading to the lake and most of the lake were frozen during the beginning of 2011.
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This year the temperatures haven't stayed below freezing long enough to freeze the lake and creek.
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The puddle above is probably frozen now but it wasn't on January 1, 2012.
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I couldn't have asked for a better day to walk than the first day of this year.
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I always wonder why the gulls always leave this lake in the spring and return in the late fall.
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Although there are some winter browns the evergreens add some life to the winter scene.
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The geese seem to be finding plenty of seeds to eat on the hill.
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There is still some green mixed in with the brown grasses which I usually don't see at this lake during the winter.
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The cormorants below seem to be glued to these perches in the winter.
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Some of the gulls were swooping around while others sparkled in the lake.
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I'm still getting used to my newish camera in terms of photographing birds in flight.
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I guess that's it for my rather long post of what I'm seeing in my natural world as the new year begins.
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Click for the home of Nature Notes.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

I can only repeat myself: What a beautiful piece of nature you live in!
I love going on walks with you and enjoy the birds and I love to see them splashing in your bird bath!
My Fav this time is the first one.
This featherball really seems to say 'Hurry up - do your job!'
;-)

??? said...

I love the chickadee, he's adorable.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Carver, you have some wonderful birds depending on you there! You really captured the personality of the chickadee -- this was my favorite feeder bird (back when we had our house in Oregon). Thanks for sharing -- your backyard is a wonderful birding spot (thanks to your efforts keeping the water and food coming.)

Nature Rambles said...

What a great series of shots! I liked seeing the birds in your bird bath, the birds in flight..and of course the views of the area you live in. It's lovely!

Leora said...

Looks lovely - I like the shots of the creek and the lake. Brrr, if the weather is as cold now as it is here. Nice to see all your content birds. When I see a bird, my daughter says, can I hold it?

jane said...

What a brillianr variety of bird shots - how beautiful are your Cardinals and chickadees - I must get some shots of the birds in my garden - I have a new camera as well - so I need to det used to it - thanks for sharing your walk- Jane UK

Tina´s PicStory said...

wonderful pics! i love this cute bathing birds :)

eileeninmd said...

You do have a lovely place for walking there. A Very pretty lake. I use a heated birdbath in the winter months, the birds seem very happy with it too. Wonderful photos, Carver!

BlueShell said...

Oh, my! Is that ice??? LOL....

Gorgeous shots: glad I foud your blog!

Greetings,
BShell

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Big brother cormorant: I am the big brother, you do what I tell you to do.

Dianne said...

I love the expressions the little ones are giving you
wonderful photos!
thanks for keeping the water fresh and unfrozen for them

Cezar and Léia said...

The first birdie seems to be demanding some sort of explanation for the situation... :)
God bless you!
Cezar

Judy said...

The ice looks pretty.

Rambling Woods said...

You do live in a very pretty area for nature..There is something so sweet about the birds waiting for the bird baths...Glad that the waterfowl can find something to eat...Thank you so much for linking to Nature Notes...

Smalltown RN said...

Beautiful photos as always. I absolutely love your bird photos..being the amateur birder that I am I love to see photos of birds that folks have spotted in their local surroundings. We don't get cardinals out where I live so to see one in your photo on your deck is just amazing. What a great walk you had...and yes hasn't it been so mild this winter....this past week has made up for all the rain and snow ...we have had so much rain it's made puddles look like miniature lakes!

forgetmenot said...

Wow, what great sights you saw on your walk!! Beautiful photos to share --such a great place to have available to view nature. Mickie :)

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Some wonderful captures of bird life here... It's wonderful to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

ev said...

A blessed New Year to you and your family, Carver!


God bless...