High and Higher

Design - "13 Stars"

Designer - Subrosa

Fabric - 28 count Lakeside Basketweave linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 1 July 2017

Completed - 15 July 2017

This is the time of year when I hear and see Red-tailed Hawks.

You can see why they got their name.

They Crow Family continues to hang around.

And finally I am see nice numbers of Black-headed Grosbeaks once again.

I think they were AWOL for a while while nesting.

Much smaller numbers of Band-tailed Pigeons as of late which is fine by me/

 

Towhee with its bright red eye/

Adult male Flicker...feeding...

...this young begging Flicker.

A young male bird

And here's a fluffy newly fledge (and begging) Lesser Goldfinch.

It's that time of the year!

Good Monday Morning!

Design - "13 Stars"

Designer - Subrosa

Fabric - 28 count Lakeside Basketweave linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 1 July 2017

Completed - 15 July 2017

I really, really, really like this design.  I started out stitching the blue part of the border and the first set of stars.  As soon as I added the white accents to the border, the design really 'popped'.  It is simple and repetitive and perfect!

Good Monday Morning to you!

I got some nice shots of a Turkey Vulture sun bathing.

They like to wait for temperatures to rise a bit before flying off for the day.

And here's a male Red-shafted Flicker at the bird bath.

They tip their heads back to swallow.

Bright-eyed

Time for another drink.

Bending down in for a drink.

Stay hydrated!

Another Lesson in Juvenile IDs

 

Design - "13 Stars"

Designer - Subrosa

Fabric - 28 count Lakeside Basketweave linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 1 July 2017

Completed - 15 July 2017

You might be forgiven for thinking this is a new species of bird.

Instead its a newly fledged juvenile.  

The bit of orange and the wing bars provide clues as to the ID.

It's a young Spotted Towhee and when fully mature, this is what it will look like. 

Young Steller's Jays are much easier to ID!

They look rumpled and their head looks too small for their body.

They too will look much more handsome when fully mature!

Sunday's Gift a Tuesday Post

Design - "13 Stars"

Designer - Subrosa

Fabric - 28 count Lakeside Basketweave linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 1 July 2017

Completed - 15 July 2017

Sunday blessed me with a special gift.

High up near the top of a Douglas Fir tree I heard, then saw a female Bullock's Oriole.  It then flew off and I thought that was as close as it would get.

Or not!

A few minutes later it returned to the backyard for some much lower and closer looks. 

A striking bird - notice the tail as well as head and breast.

I could not ask for more.

Except its 2nd perch allowed me to see more of the bird. 

Again lots of nice poses.

I like the tilted head.

Orioles make usual and distinctive sounds. Click on this link then listen to the California Calls from May 1988 to hear what I did.

It would not seem like summer if I did not see a Bullock's Oriole.

Thank you bird!

Swallow Families

Design - "13 Stars"

Designer - Subrosa

Fabric - 28 count Lakeside Basketweave linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 1 July 2017

Completed - 15 July 2017

Every day I expect the occupants of this Violet-green Swallow house to fly the coop.

I check morning and evening and still the two baby birds are staying put.

They've got a good thing going and they know it!

The pair of Barn Swallows are actively nesting.  The female is spending most of her time on the nest.

I was delighted to hear and then see a family of Purple Martins.

For the past 5 years or so, a family comes by for a couple of weeks after their youngsters have fledged.

They hang out atop some of our tallest snags and thus are a challenge to photograph with any clarity.

I enjoy watching them fly and listening to their gurgling chatter.

Counting Birds and Bunnies

Design - "Welcome Spring" (freebie)

Designer - Sub Rosa

Fabric - 32 count linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 27 April 2015

Completed - 29 April 2015

I used DMC 640, 987, 3722, 3727 to stitch this.

As I am seeing more bunnies out and about, this is a great stitch to feature.

I think there are probably four Downy Woodpeckers.

This is an adult male.

In flight 

And at a suet feeder.

And here's a female.

Two together - male on left, female on right.

This has the look of a young male to me - one who fledged last summer.

He's shorter and fatter...

...and the red on his head tends to be ruffled.

This photo proves there are two males.