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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Nature Notes: Viewing nature from my air conditioned house

I can't believe what a hot June we've had so far. It has been almost 10 degrees above the average highs and lows for the same dates for most of this month, so far.
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Fortunately, I am able to listen to and see a lot of nature from the comfort of my home by looking out the windows. The juvenile cardinal above sat like that for a long time, no doubt enjoying the shade of the pecan tree.
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The black eyed susan in my deck pots are mostly courtesy of the birds. I stopped planting the pots years ago. I have found many of my deck pots have ended up with entirely different plants than what they started with because of nature spreading seeds around.
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I spotted the blue bird above from my kitchen window in the cherry tree. Many of the birds hang out in that tree and eat the tiny fruit.
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From my living room window I spotted the tufted titmouse below, peering out of the bush.
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Another shot from my living room window caught a couple of small birds, I think at least one is a purple finch.
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I was glancing out my bedroom door and noticed the blackberries starting to mature on the deck wall. There is a mix of plants so most of the leaves in the shot are of other plants but the red berries are blackberries and they will get dark as they mature.
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My deck bird baths continue to be a good place to watch the birds from my bedroom.
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I have a much nicer birdbath in my front yard but I can't photograph that one from my windows without standing on a chair and they usually fly off before I get the shot.
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It's much easier to shoot them on the deck either from my bedroom door or den/office windows. The female cardinal takes lots of long luxurious baths and is a favorite subject for me. The shot above and below were taken on different days so probably not the same bird.
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I also spot the male cardinals on the deck a lot either perching on chairs or taking a dip in the bath.
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The light out my front windows is usually not good for photography but that's how I usually see the nuthatches.
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This one kept going back and forth between the front walk and trees.
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The light on the woodpecker below wasn't good at all (side window) but I liked how it's mouth was open.
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I guess I'll stop now but these are some of the many aspects of the natural world that I can enjoy without ever stepping out into the oppressive heat. For other nature notes or signs of the season, please visit the host at Rambling Woods.

12 comments:

Johnny Nutcase said...

bird baths! make me very happy :) great post, your deck looks like such a nice spot!

MaR said...

So much going on ouside your window!! what fun to watch the cardinals bathing, enjoyed your pictures as always!

Sukhmandir Kaur said...

I really enjoyed this! So many varieties of birds and plants. Our weather has been very cool for the most part, can't say I'm sorry to be missing the heat as I spent the past two summers with my kids in often triple digit weather. I'm enjoying being home on the coast with the wind and the fog, wearing a light jacket in summer is cool with me :)

eileeninmd said...

Great post, Carver! I love all your cute birds. The woodie looks like a juvie with its mouth open. I had to laugh about your birding from the air conditioned house. A lot of my photos are taken thru my kitchen and dining windows.

EG CameraGirl said...

You have lots to see out your windows. :)

I bet the birds are hot like you are so are happy to play and bathe in your birdbaths.

DeniseinVA said...

These are great Carver, beautiful sights out of your window. I'm watching the squirrels fighting out of mine right now :) You can always tell who the boss is.

KaHolly said...

Guess I can't blame you for staying indoors! You certainly do have a front row seat. That woodpecker looks as though he's smiling :) Keep cool, karen

SandyCarlson said...

Your bird shots make me happy. We have so far had a cool June! I hope things cool off a bit.

Squirrel said...

Cool shots, nice nature post.

Kay Baughman said...

How nice to look through your windows--they are much cleaner than mine! I am mostly viewing through windows these days--we have very hot summers.
I love the cardinals. They are beautiful in any weather.
Kay

Caron said...

Oh gosh, don't stop! I love these and I am envious that you have them all so close to the house. That first photo is really neat for the way it looks like I could pet the bird. I'm a sucker for fluffy animals!

ramblingwoods said...

Love this post..the top photo looks like a young female cardinal. The finches are a male house finch and a female house finch. The purple finch female has a white eye band. The woodpecker looks like a young red-belled female..can't see the red on top of the head. Lucky that these birds have a great yard to visit.. Michelle