Category: Birds

Monday, February 23, 2026 Photo Grab Bag

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Some of you who have been following my blog for many years may recall that I started it as a photo journaling experience. I had gotten a new camera and wanted to write about the photos I took. It sort of evolved over the years and morphed into the rather eclectic set of writings of more recent times.

One of the things I have missed with having a bum knee is that I haven’t really been able to do nearly as much walking and photo taking as I did back in the day. It was a lovely habit. In spite of the fact that I walked nearly the same terrain all the time, there was always something new and interesting to photograph all through the year. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23

I still haven’t done much outside photography lately, but I picked up my Nikon camera a few days ago to capture some things from inside the house.

The birds finally forgave us for neglecting the bird feeder for much of the winter.

The theme of neglect also pertains to the poinsettia.

I’m sorry that you won’t be able to see what I saw when I took this photo. There was a glowing pastel sunset happening, the wind was gently blowing our wind chime back and forth and it all looked positively dreamy through our front door. I literally did not see how dirty the door glass was until I saw the photo. More neglect, I’m afraid. This is becoming a distressing theme. Let’s move on.

The same dreamy sunset across the street…

…and in the windows of the apartment building across the street.

Photographs really can’t compare with reality.

I’ll probably neglect to delete this in the morning.

Friday, January 23, 2026 Poor Little Owl

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Sometimes I like to challenge myself to paint from a photo of a real thing, rather than copying other people’s paintings. With that in mind, I made a list of things I’d like to paint this year and owls topped the list. Why? Who knows?

I found a nice photo and got started. You probably don’t want to know what happens in my head while I’m painting, but it’s something like, “Oh, that didn’t work like I thought it would,” and quickly escalates to something like, “Why, oh why did I puff myself up with the idea that I could actually paint something?!” I worked on this poor little owl for a while and finally got to where I couldn’t stand it. I was beginning to hate the very sight of it, so far was it from what I was trying to do. I set it aside and walked away.

A few hours later I walked back in to take another look and thought, “Gee, this isn’t as bad as I remembered it. I don’t hate it anymore.” I wonder sometimes if anyone else’s creative process is that twisted.

And now you know why each blog ends with something like “I’ll probably delete this in the morning.”

Thursday, December 11, 2025 The Scowling Owl

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Every owl
Knows how to scowl
Like every ant
Knows how to crawl

Every owl
Knows how to hunt
Like every pig
Knows how to grunt

Every owl
Knows how to fly
Like every snake
Knows how to lie

Every owl
Can twist its neck
Like every bird
Knows how to peck

Every owl
Can call out “Whoo!”
So tell me now,
What can YOU do?

Every blog post knows how to be deleted. This one is no exception.

Wednesday, December 3, 2025 The Workshop: Puffed Up with Puffins

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I’ve now entered the puffin phase of my artistic endeavors. Or rather, I’ve re-entered, having dabbled in some puffinry back in 2020 (Puffin Post). And then there was a poem I wrote in which a puffin played a significant part (See: The P Birds).

When I see photos of puffins, I think the Lord must have been in a whimsical mood when He created them.

Plus, and hold onto your hat for this one: their babies are called “pufflings.” I did NOT make that up, but almost wish I had. In my fertile imagination, these would be so fun to have around, adorable little pets waddling to you with their adorable orange feet, making their adorable puffin noises with their adorable orange beaks. Sadly, puffins do not inhabit my part of the world, and I’m sure not going to go to theirs, so we shall have to remain strangers. It’s better that way. It’s very unlikely that they would live up to what I’ve imagined them to be like.

Is that a memoir that you’d read? If so, I’ll hunt down Mr. Polite Puffin (who could, I admit, be Mrs. Polite Puffin. It’s hard to tell) and do an interview.

More puffins will be coming. A page of pufflings might be on the way.

I’ll have to huffin and puffin and blow this one down in the morning.

Monday, October 6, 2025 The Ten O’Clock P.M. Post

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I don’t actually have anything to say at 10:00 at night, and I’m sorry for you to have received this, thus wasting your precious time. However, to make it a little more interesting, I’ll drag a couple photos out of the “never used” photo file.

It’s all quite startling isn’t it? What bold colors! A bird in mid-flight! I took that photo last March or April and upon looking at it realized that I’d forgotten to take the camera off “vivid setting.”

So I fixed it and took another photo of the same three birds, although by this time both the finches were perched and the cardinal looked like it was ignoring them. The finches were probably having the kind of perky conversations that finches have – you know how they go on. If you were there, you might have ignored them, too.

But enough of that. I’ve taken up too much of your time already.

This perky post will be ignored in the morning.

Monday, July 7, 2025 Fluffy Danger

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Suppose you got news that a darling little fluffy seagull chick was just outside your domicile. Would you:

A. Jump up, grab your camera, and run out to get a photo, or
B. Say, “Oh, that’s interesting,” and go right on with what you were doing.

If you answered A, you are a kindred spirit. Read on. If you answered B, I wonder if you wandered into this blog post entirely by mistake. No one will fault you for leaving, but you may find the proceeding story will vindicate you.

As it happens, I did recently have an opportunity to jump up, grab my camera, and go in pursuit of the aforementioned baby seagull. I took a few photos, getting closer and closer. The baby didn’t seem to mind. I like to think that we were having a moment.

Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted my reverie, accompanied by the sight of a large seagull swooping down toward me.

I yelped and backed off, but was dive bombed twice more by this very protective parent as I tried to get away.

Since I yelped each time, the crowd of kids on the beach got quite a show. You’re welcome.

Fun times!

If you hear me yelping in the morning, you’ll know I had to delete this.

Monday, June 9, 2025 Mr. & Mrs. Mallard plus a Rabbit named Willow

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We have a largish fountain in the front yard and a smallish one in the back (an embarrassment of fountain riches). For the first time in 20 years of living here, our tiny little ponds have attracted a pair of mallards.

Is it just me, or is her beak longer than his? Lately, the mister has been showing up by himself, which makes me wonder if his lady love is nesting nearby. Will they bring their darling ducklings to our pond? Is that a good thing? They’re fun to watch, but it’s not all glistening green necks and plump feathery bodies on orange legs and feet. They’re also leaving their ducky calling cards on the edge of our front fountain. What if their new habitat catches on and we have a veritable mallard tourism site in the years to come?

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’ve developed quite the relationship with a rabbit doe who likes our perennial garden. I call her “Willow.” You ask how I know she’s a she? I was privy to a very public courtship between Willow and an ardent admirer of hers. Although she rebuffed his advances, he kept chasing her around the garden. When he’s not around, she comes surprisingly close to me, perhaps it’s because I’ve honed my sedentary skills to an art and I seem more like an unmoving part of the garden landscape. As much as we’ve hit it off, I have strongly discouraged her attempts to build a nest in the garden by putting our scare owl in the hole she started to dig. Sorry, Willow. I like you but I can’t have you ruining our garden.

Willow eats our dandelions, which endears her to me.

I’ll probably use a scare owl to ruin this post in the morning.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025 Geese, Eh?

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The Canada goose
Is on the loose
The Canadian geese
Evade the police

If seen in your counties
Please call the mounties
If loitering in lobbies
Call for the bobbies

Don’t try to chase ‘em
Don’t try to race ‘em
Just frolic and caper
And put ‘em on paper.

And that’s all I’ve got for today.

Time to caper off and delete this…in the morning.

Thursday, April 10, 2025 space space bar learning to use dictation feature, plus some art

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It turns out that using the dictation feature on my keyboard, isn’t always as intuitive as you would think. Nevertheless, it seemed like a good option to spare my arm some typing. So here it goes!

I’ve got a few pieces of artwork that I finished last week before deciding to give my arm a break.

Shrews are kinda cute! 
My first drawing in the owl series that I hope to continue. 
This is the only way I can do humans – from behind and with no hands. Ha ha!
The same chick as I did previously, but this time on watercolor paper. 

Most of these, as usual, are copies of things I found on Pinterest, with the exception of the owl which I drew from a photo.

Is the owl a fowl?
Certainly not! Perish the thought!
Is the owl very nice?
Certainly not! Just ask the mice!
Has the owl gone crazy?
Certainly not! Nor is he lazy.
Does the owl bill and coo?
Certainly not! What’s wrong with you?
Will the owl teach and preach?
Certainly not! Just hear him screech!
Is the owl a night sleeper?
Certainly not! He’s a night peeper!

About the owl
I’ve told you a lot
You now are an expert
On what he is not.

The end.

…in the morning.