the flicker duet photos

post #109
      Our fall leaves are pretty much fallen.  With the weather system forecast for Monday and Tuesday, I suspect they will be all gone by the time I return to Kentucky.  Seems like a good time to share the amazing moments that happened on the well-visited black walnut tree that is close to our house.  October 7, 2012.  I am pretty sure from the general research I did that it is a territorial display, over a single tree.  Usually northern flickers are more solitary.  I haven't heard back from the bird blogger who I hoped would clarify this.
      The photos are in chronological order.  I continue to work on improving the color. Yet even though they had to be made through a glass sliding door, I am not complaining.  Enjoy. 

I  just happened to notice these two northern flickers circling the tree.  The birds in the first few shots are not focused as sharply as I would like; this first one I took shows how I was in haste because I didn't believe they would stay around like they ended up doing!

They return to going around and around the tree trunk.  One of my questions: was anything decided??

     These ten photos are part of a gallery I assembled with 22 of the 30 images I made that morning -- 8:46 a.m. to 8:53 a.m.  If you want to see the gallery, here is the link to my zenfolio site.  There are several good ones not included on the blog.  I feel privileged to have witnessed this duet, and grateful it was a cloudy day.  Any information anyone has about these flickers would be most welcome.  

      Next: I have another zenfolio gallery I have wanted to share.  This one is for those folks involved with the Appalachian Writers Workshop and the tribute that was done for Mike Mullins on July 29, 2012 at the Hindman Settlement School.  Here is the zenfolio link for it.  I took what few photos I did during that tribute in order to share them with any one who wanted to be there but couldn't.

       One last note: I am sending this out Saturday evening instead of the usual Sunday just in case some viewers do lose electricity during the storm that is currently threatening the east coast of the USA.   Please may everyone be safe.

just a walk on the west side

post #108
     This cardinal photo goes with the two others I shared last week.  Every parent can relate:

     

    But what I had planned for tonight is to share some photos from a recent walk on the west side -- of our place.  This weekend is actually the peak of color for our area, but since I am away from home, this is what I have to offer:

 from where I started, looking back at the neighbor's truck headed to the house

   

the tractor path through what used to be Faye's garden, on the north side of our place, on the way to the west side

goldenrod and Queen Anne's lace

looking to the east from the ridge on the west side, along the Ashland Oil Pipeline that they keep clear

our fire trail along the west side, along the western edge of our property

ground work....

the neighbor's fence line and field

and horse

Our wood piles are drying while waiting to be picked up.

more wood piles on the trail

in the forest -- looks like a creamy omelet to me!

maple leaves, showing off

  
       Have you heard me say before that it takes work to make a place look as good as our does?  Kudos to my husband who does all the keeping up with the land we have and love.
    
       Next week, I promise flicker photos even if I am still researching the meaning of their actions!!

FALL BREAKING -- starting with the "driveway moments"

post #107,  a day late, but the leaves are even better this Monday morning

      Every day around here has new beauties. In this season of color it feels right to start with some "driveway moments," photos taken on that quarter mile road last week and also just this morning on the way back from getting the mail. 

coming home last week

seeing the neighbor arrive --  after I had started on my walk Saturday evening.  Next week I plan to share the photos from the rest of the walk.

walking back with today's mail

getting closer to the house

by the side of the road, a late bloomer, like me

from the middle of our land (where I am standing next to the flower), looking to the west side of our property -- hardly any flat land anywhere....

       I seem to have visitors to this blog from many places in the world, so I am sharing these photos today especially for them.  I promised last time I would have cardinal fledglings and a flicker duet today, but I am still waiting to get more information about the flickers.  Stay tuned.  Here are the cardinals, however, with a recent fledgling being fed on our wet deck.  

       This has been the most amazing year for witnessing fledglings.  I have tried to share many of these events on this blog.  All summer long, on a busy day, I became almost unwilling to look out the window because I didn't have the time to watch the young birds learning how to make it in a ruthless world -- but how could I not not want to watch and to make photos!

       A shout out and thank you to the West Liberty photo group who came here Saturday morning to take photos and see my corner of their neighboring county!  I enjoyed the company very much.  I hope a return visit will be possible in April.  There should be plenty of water over the waterfalls by then.  Not to see any water is disappointing, but not to hear any water is downright strange.

links, corrections, horses, and windshield art!!

post #106, starting with the three corrections, all from the West Liberty post:

Last week I couldn't find this photo that I had wanted to include when I wrote about West Liberty.  I had used my iPhone to make this view from the parking lot I was in; the Community Artists tent was behind me.  The backs of these buildings include the justice center, on the left, and the bank, on the right.  But the show must and did go on!! 

 

One of the artists there is Tami Booher. In this photo, her art is hanging outside the community tent while she does some face painting. 

          She and I figured out that I had misidentified the artist of the turkey painting that I like so much and showed in post #103.  Tami painted it!  Here is another photo of the barn with panel; I made the correction on the earlier post.

  
   The third correction is that the several big panels that were hanging in West Liberty were done by students!  I read about it in the weekly newspaper.  Bravo again!  (One is included in post #103.)

      Now two links.  I guess these could be connected to POLITICS.  The first link is to a column by Charles Blow, from the New York Times: Charles Blow's Don't Mess with Big Bird.  So personal and so well written.  
     The other link just arrived today in an email, and it has to do with the on-going effort to provide clean water for people who actually live in Appalachia and who have been paying a high price for rogue coal removal methods.  However, since we all live downstream, this is important news for our common future.  Here is the link: KFTC - water protection progress!!


     Now for some snaps with my point and shoot, since, sorry to say, I don't always have my Canon with me....   Anyway, recently I found out who owns this house that I often photograph.  When I saw these horses by the road as I passed the house on my way home from town, I couldn't resist stopping.

I like the dappled mane that comes from shadows.  The burrs in their manes make me think they look like unicorns!

   
   
       I have saved the next photo for last.  I love it.  I had driven off with this creature on my windshield, and not having my Canon with me forced me to figure out how to do a macro shot with the point and shoot.  By the time I stopped and took one photo, my passenger decided to move on, so this is the only version.  I am glad I didn't give up before getting it. 

   Next week, some cardinal fledglings and some flickers.  Here's to random acts of wonder.