Nature Nut Notes

Junco

2012-01-28T08:35:00.001-08:00

Corylus

2012-01-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

AKA Hazelnut or Filbert

Raindrops

2012-01-23T19:28:00.000-08:00

It was raining incessantly. I managed a few photos at one point.

These long pendulous pieces of a Goatsbeard plant produce jewel like raindrops:::

I love the glow on this one:::

Itty-bitty lichens:::

Lichen raindrop:::

Paperwhites

2012-01-22T19:22:00.001-08:00

Weekend Snapshots

2012-01-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

A wee bit of snow- we pulled ourselves out of our nest on the couch to go see it

Slate colored Junco- a rare treat

Sevilles are in season::::Homemade Marmalade

A Stollen like sweetbread

Almost unearthly

Red-winged Blackbirds

2012-01-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

A flock of Red-winged Blackbirds visited recently. I rarely see them in my backyard, so this was a special treat. I rushed out and filled this tray with some sunflower and millet when I saw them trying to hang on my tube feeders akwardly.

They have a pleasing call.

A naughty Starling was trying to get some food too. Shoo!

This Mourning Dove wanted to see what all the commotion was about.

Have a great weekend!

Juncos

2012-01-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

Snow is forecast. I hope I can get some snowy photos to share.

Happy Wednesday

2012-01-11T09:06:00.001-08:00

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Curried Lentil Soup

2012-01-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

This recipe is really good. When I saw references to this recipe on two different blogs I read, I thought I better try it out too! I suggest a chunk of hearty bread to go with it.

Birdwatching Bread

2012-01-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

¾ C unbleached flour
1 ½ C whole wheat flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ C brown sugar
½ C walnuts, chopped
½ C raisins
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
3 Tbls. Canola oil
Juice of ½ orange + enough almond milk to make 1 ½ Cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix milk, juice, and oil. Add wet to dry. Stir quickly. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan and bake till a tester comes out clean, approximately 45 minutes. While baking, fill bird feeders and prepare a cup of hot tea or coffee.

Enjoy a slice of bread with butter and hot drink, while lounging in your favorite birdwatching chair.

Adapted from Making Quick Breads, by Barbara Karoff
Whole Wheat Walnut Bread

You can print the recipe here.

Maggie likes to watch birds too.

5th Annual Ridgefield Auto Tour

2012-01-01T22:29:00.000-08:00

Today I visited Ridgefield NWR with some friends. It was our annual New Year's Day trip. We saw 36-38 species, which is higher than some years, but about average. The weather was perfect- partly sunny and no rain!

Tundra Swans

Cacklers and Swans

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Bewick's Wren

Love his markings in this photo.

Below- Do you see him???? Look closely....

He was catching bugs in the cobwebs and eating them.
A sunlit beauty.

A sunlit cutie.

Marsh Wren

It wouldn't be Ridgefield without seeing a Great Blue Heron or two. This one was doing the ole dunk the vole in the water trick. I guess they go down better that way.

A wisp of Wilson's Snipe

Peregrine Falcon!!!

Northern Shoveler

Bufflehead

This is one of my favorite photos of the day. This could be a Subaru ad if I had planned better. This is my friend Laura's Birding Companion and their new dog Choco, a birdwatching dog in training. He was on his first trip to Ridgefield. He smells Coyotes.

After a long hard morning of birdwatching, we went to our traditional restaurant on the Columbia river for tator tots.....

.... a nice view, and good company.

2011 Memories

2011-12-31T20:38:00.001-08:00

1. Ridgefield NWR 2. Northern Flicker in my backyard 3. Mallards in my backyard 4. Pansies on my patio 5. Western Tanager in my backyard 6. Swallowtail in my backyard 7. Nina the dog 8. Maggie, Queen of the Backyard AKA Snuggle Hound 9. Yin & Yang Beans I grew 10. Olympic Peninsula 11. Fall leaves and my crochet 12. Winter Light and my crochet votives

Thank you for all your nice comments. I don't often respond, but I trully appreciate them and love to see them. Your feedback and encouragement fuels me and keeps me photographing and creating. Best wishes!

Food, Birds and Crochet

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

This post title about sums up my life lately. I haven't been out taking many photos, since I work in retail and my schedule has been wacky. The rains have finally started here, so who knows how much I'll be getting out now.

I have been watching the birds in my yard a lot lately. (Right now I can see four Mourning Doves out there.) There have been a lot of Juncos and the other usual suspects.

This is was my last project. I like the pattern, but found the red yarn bled when I blocked it. Arg. I'm sure it will turn pink when washed.

I made a new dish the other day that everyone loved. It is a beet dip and I lightly steamed some collard greens to make wraps. It is very tasty. I used almonds instead of walnuts in it. And a bit of agave since I didn't have the molasses they called for.

In other news, our photo business made enough money this year for me to get a macro lens (!!!!). Here are a few of my first attempts at using it in the backyard.

This crabapple is smaller than a raisin.

Fun. Fun. Fun!

Happy Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T20:24:00.001-08:00

Hibernation

2011-12-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

Pretzels and Mustard

White Bean and Kale Stew (vegan)
This stew was delicious!!

Baked Quinoa Patties
These were a bit bland, but I have some ideas for next time.

Holiday Bunting

2011-12-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a decorator when it comes to the Holidays, but I like a bit of cheer.

I modified the African Flower potholder pattern at Crochet for Raymond and made this bunting.

It's difficult to photograph with the window glare- but you can get the idea.

Happy Holidays!

Weekend Review

2011-12-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

Homemade Beer Mustard

Wreath Making

Blue skies on Monday!

Kite Paper Stars

Chickpea and Kale Spread

Tamale Pie with some variations.

New centerpiece and some leaf paintings inspired by this November 29 post.

A holiday bunting in the making.

Winter Evening Crochet

2011-12-08T09:01:00.001-08:00

I dug out the votive covers I made last year and lit them all up. Inspired to make more- I crocheted some new ones.

I love the gentle glow they create.

I have finished a scarf I made for a friend. The colors were nice and the pattern was easy and relaxing. If you are on Ravelry, you can find the pattern for the Feather and Fan Scarf here.

December Sunshine

2011-12-05T14:33:00.001-08:00

This morning was very frosty and sunny. Maggie and decided to go for a walk at Greenway Park.
It's been unseasonably dry and sunny.

We did some bird watching....

and some squirrel watching.

Back at home, I'm sipping warm spiced cider, baking bread, crocheting a scarf, and Vegetable Pot Pies are on the menu.

How are you keeping warm?

Winter Greenery

2011-11-28T18:33:00.001-08:00

I have been under the weather on my days off. Today I got enough energy to go outside and refill the bird feeders and look around a bit. I moved my summer flower pots off the patio since the flowers are long gone, and replaced it with some winter greenery.

This is the view from my sliding glass door. I have a new chair in front of the window to watch the bird feeders and enjoy the scenery.

I collected some holly, ferns, yew, and dogwood for a winter bouquet. The hop vine has turned brown and the "flowers" are interesting.

While looking around, I found a couple of logs with fungi on them. I brought one up to the patio.

And I created a bouquet for indoors too.

I added a bit of light. The days are growing shorter.
Soup is on the stove.

Winter Is In The Air

2011-11-23T08:21:00.001-08:00

It was frosty on Sunday morning. Sunny and frosty.
So I rushed out to take some backyard photos.

Look closely below.

A male Anna's hummingbird found some flowers.

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Sparkly wonderland.

I put out peanuts for the Scrub Jays.

I went to my Grandpa's house for an early Thanksgiving. I always see nice mushrooms in his forest next to the Sandy River.

We made some nature art.

Thanksgiving:::Try Something New

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving I'm having a Thanksgiving for One.
Plus Maggie the Dog of course!

Here are some things I am looking forward to doing and I thought you might too.

:::Thanksgiving Day Bird Count- it only takes one hour.

:::Make something Vegan, but you will find it hard to pick just one from this list!

:::Color a Mandala- get out your crayons or colored pencils.

:::Create some art from nature. Simply apply some paint to leaves and press onto paper. The deeper the veining on the leaf, the more pronounced the print. Go forth and collect!

Try something new!

Thanksgiving Focaccia

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family on Sunday. My contribution was bread. Since I had little time leading up to the day, I made Focaccia. The bread doesn't have to rise and it was easy to make in an evening.

I made six different toppings. Each Focaccia is about six inches across.

Spinach and Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onions

Fennel, Caraway, and Sesame Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Poppy Seeds, and Sesame Seeds

Rosemary

Sauteed Garlic Cloves

Here is the simple recipe. It makes 3- six inch Focaccia. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2 tsp. yeast
1 Cup warm water
1 Tbls. honey
1 Tbls. olive oil + some for topping
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 Cup cornmeal
2+ Cups Whole Wheat and Unbleached Flour
toppings of your choice (onions, spinach, and garlic were sauteed before placing on dough)

Proof yeast in warm water with honey for 5-10 minutes. Stir in oil, salt, and cornmeal. Add enough flour to form into a ball and knead on counter till the texture is smooth (about 5 minutes). Divide into three pieces and form into six inch rounds by pressing with your fingers. Place on oiled baking sheet. Drizzle with a couple of Tbls. of olive oil and toppings. Press them into the dough with your fingers and leave the dough "dimpled". Bake at 450 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Slice as desired.

Enjoy!

Fallen Leaves

2011-11-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

It has been windy and blustery and rainy and my garden is a mess. I'm trying to look past it and enjoy it for what it is.

I collected a few pretty leaves and pressed them for a table decoration.

I was inspired.

All those fallen leaves aren't so bad afterall.

Parade

2011-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Sandhill Cranes at Ridgefield NWR- November 14

Soaring

2011-11-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Northern Harrier at Ridgefield NWR, November 14

Rain=Green

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Photos from Ridgefield NWR- November 14

Wild

2011-11-16T08:51:00.001-08:00

Ridgefield NWR, November 14

Tuesday Flowers

2011-11-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Appreciating Autumn

2011-11-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

We have had a relatively dry autumn and I have enjoyed some time outside. Today promised rain, but it never came and Maggie and I went out for a walk at Greenway Park. Greenway Park is Maggie approved.

Oaks and Maples of all types.

Hidden fairy lands.

Back at home I managed a nice mid-November harvest of carrots, lettuce, and kale. I am pleased to still be able to eat from the garden.

This week's soup (I seem to be on a weekly soup trend) is Masala Vegetable Stew. I saw the recipe in a very old Vegetarian Times magazine and scribbled it down. But I found a link for you if you want to give it a try. I think it will be good with some homemade chapatis.

Photo pre-cilantro garnish--which is very worth it. Yum!

Crochet

2011-11-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

Between getting out in the last of our dry fall days and cooking, I have been doing a bit of crochet. I seem to gravitate to the small projects like potholders. Small projects are easy to tote around (work on during my lunch break) and easy to complete in a short period of time. I like the inexpensive cotton yarns. Don't get me wrong, I love the expensive ones too, but I can crochet away with the inexpensive ones and not feel like it will break the bank.

Here are a few of my recent projects. Can you tell I like to work in circles? Very satisfying.

African Flower Potholder- pattern here.
The next three photos are variations of that pattern.

Above is the Modern Vintage Potholder- pattern here. I put a contrasting color on the back side to make it interesting.

These two are the Gemstone Doily- pattern here.
I think I like the simplicity of the plain one below. I am enjoying it in my bathroom with some soaps on it.

What are you crocheting lately?

Driving Thru the Gorge

2011-11-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

Around here when you say "the gorge" everyone knows you mean the Columbia River Gorge. I forget how close I am to such a beautiful area.

After visiting the fish hatchery, I crossed the bridge and drove back to Portland on the Washington state side of the river.

I stopped at Hamilton Island and took a few photos. Looking East (above).

Looking North

Looking West

Continuing on, I pulled out at Franz Lake. There isn't access to the refuge, but there is an overlook. There were many Swans and other un-identifiable ducks. You really need a scope to see them and the trees have grown up so much that the viewing is very okay.

I wish I could get to the other side! So pretty!

This was a small park, operated by the US Forest Service and it looked so inviting. Maggie thought so too, but we didn't have a forest pass so we couldn't stay. Too bad, no one else was there. I can't find it on the map to name it.

Further up the road there were a few turn outs with these vistas. I couldn't decide what photos to share, so you get to see them all! These are looking East.

Next I stopped at Steigerwald NWR. I haven't been there in quite a while. It was getting late in the afternoon and there wasn't much bird activity. I saw a Northern Harrier and a few Ring-necked Ducks.

Homeward bound.

For dinner: Gypsy Soup and Cornbread. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
Thank you, Steve and Jennifer for sharing this fabulous recipe. I made my version with a delicata squash instead of the sweet potato.

From Vine to Pie

2011-11-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

Do you remember my pumpkins? Well, I carved one for Halloween. I saved the seeds and roasted them with spices and really enjoyed them. When I was carving, I noted how meaty the pumpkin was and I thought I might try baking one. The variety is 'Howden' and all my online searches indicate it is mainly grown for carving. I decided to process one anyhow.

I cut it into chunks, placed it in a pyrex dish and baked it at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or so. I had to bake two batches to get it all cooked.

When it cooled, I removed the skin and pureed it in the blender. I then let it drain in cheesecloth. The pumpkin is very moist...too moist to use in baking.

Meanwhile I toasted the seeds. I tossed them with some olive oil, salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. I baked them at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.

The big pumpkin made 3.5 pints of puree that I will freeze.

I saved 2 cups to use right away.

Here is a link to the Vegan Pumpkin Pie recipe I used. The consistency is nice, but next time I will use less nutmeg and a bit more cloves. But don't worry, I will be enjoying this pie (right now with a cup of Chamomile tea)!

Bonneville Hatchery and Salmon Spawning

2011-11-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

Today I drove out to the Columbia River Gorge to check out Bonneville Fish Hatchery. The weather was gorgeous, but cold. I was surprised it was about 20 degrees cooler out there than at home.

The trout were my favorite. So much color!

People can buy pellets to toss to the fish. Apparently they are so tasty the ducks like them too. There were a number of Mallards begging. They were eating right out of people's hands.

The historic facility is very picturesque.

I had to find the hatchery icon: Herman the Sturgeon. Herman is 10 feet long and almost 70 years old!

He does look like a grumpy old man.

This is his home. Quaint.

After touring the hatchery I drove east to Eagle Creek. Here I could see the salmon spawning. I later realized that the thrashing about was the spawning and not necessarily the fish dieing. Although I really don't know. What I do know is that the gulls were going crazy.

Here you can see the gulls and the fish side by side in the water.

After watching the spawning, I drove across the Bridge of the Gods to Washington and headed home. Next time I'll show you some Gorge-ous photos!

Frosty Mornings

2011-11-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days the temperatures have dipped. We've had some clear sunny days which mean clear chilly nights.

I braved the cold temps to capture some of the pretty frosty leaves.

This weekend I collected some of the pretty grasses, seed pods, foliage and few remaining flowers for an autumn bouquet. I do love the changing of the seasons.

Blending In

2011-11-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

All the winter residents are showing up as well as the usual feeder visitors.
The Juncos and other ground birds are enjoying all my flowers that are going to seed. This Junco is eating the quinoa seeds.

I noticed that all the birds are the same color as the landscape, hence my blog title.

The Anna's Hummers are ruling the garden now. I have seen two feisty ones fighting over the remaining flowers. I have two feeders going to keep them satisfied.

The Golden-crowned Sparrows showed up a couple of weeks ago. I love their eerie song.

I was very excited to see this guy yesterday! Almost every year I get one or two White-throated Sparrows. There he is! I am not certain, but I think I might have seen another one. As I looked at this photo I wondered if I saw one that looked a bit different. Time will tell.

This striking male was enjoying one of the feeders. I took the photo through the window in the sunshine so I got a bit of an echo on his colors. What a beauty!

The Northern Flickers are still visiting regularly. They love the suet.

This Golden-crowned Sparrow is part of the suet clean-up crew.

I occasionally see this White-crowned Sparrow looking for seeds.

Golden-crowned Sparrow enjoying a bath.

**Blending In**

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

2011-10-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

It was like a miracle. I woke to fog, rain, and dreariness--drove to Dungeness NWR and found (insert angels singing) SUNSHINE!

The refuge was open for hunting so in the distance I could hear gunshots and dogs, but this area is open for walking and exploring. The trail starts out in the woods and winds down a hill towards the ocean.

Bear with me and all my mushroom photos. I had a lot of fun finding them and photographing them ALL.

Big drippy white ones- don't miss the itty bitty ones in the front:

A ghostly gelatinous one:

As I rounded a corner, this appeared:

The Dungeness Spit is over five miles long with a lighthouse at the end. It is one of the longest spits in the world. One can hike all the way to the lighthouse at certain times of the year.

I settled for a little beach stroll. It was actually so hot and sunny I had to remove my coat!
Beach art was prevalent:

So scenic!

Considering this is supposed to be a "prime" birding spot- I saw very few birds. Might be the hunting, or the wrong time of year. In any case I heard a flock of these in the woods. Can you ID it by the obscured photo?

And here is one final vacation sunset for you. This concludes the Port Townsend Vacation series!

Thank You John Wayne

2011-10-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

I woke Saturday to find it wet, dark, and cloudy. The plan was to go to Sequim and Dungeness NWR. I would not be deterred.

This is a pullout on the way:

First stop was John Wayne Marina near Sequim. I really liked this place! Sadly it was very foggy:

But the bird viewing was nice, I could walk Maggie and it was quiet and pleasant. And clean restrooms.

There was a mess of birds. Dark blobs on a dark beach.

But now I have learned those were Black-bellied Plovers! (at least I think they are)

This was a treat to see---Eurasian Collared-Doves. They are becoming more prevalent, but I rarely see them. It appeared there was a flock of 6 or so.

"Get off my lawn."

A sassy gull.

To skip ahead, I returned to the marina on the way home and found the clouds had lifted a bit.

A kingfisher was flying around, but I missed photographing him.
The clouds parted and a rainbow appeared.

A couple were watching the birds and told me there were Heermann's Gulls down there. I believe them. They had a scope. They too had seen the Doves.

Back to the journey....after my first stop at the John Wayne Marina, I continued to Sequim and to the Dungeness NWR. On the road into the refuge I stopped at a park. I think it is county run. I could walk Maggie here and get her tired out so she could stay in the car in the refuge.

The short trail goes along a bluff overlooking the ocean.

It was very scenic and the clouds were burning off! Sequim in known to be one of the driest places in the peninsula.

Too many photos, so next time I'll show you the Dungeness NWR!

Shorebirds and Cider

2011-10-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

The Marina offered some good birdwatching and dogwalking. There is a trail that follows the shoreline that is nice and wide for dogwalking, jogging, and bicycling. It was close to the hotel so we visited it many times.

Not a shorebird, but he wanted to be included.

I heard them before I saw them. Can you see the Killdeer? There are five.
Against my better judgement, I'll try to ID these other shorebirds. Please tell me if I got it all wrong.

I'll guess Sanderling? (revision: Black-bellied Plovers, thanks John!)

Black Turnstone? Congratulate me if I'm right, I guessed this before looking in the field guide!

All three hanging together.

But gosh they look like juv. American Golden-Plover, argh. Shorebirds.

After shorebird viewing (I needed a drink--just kidding) I drove into the countryside to visit FinnRiver Cidery.

I found them online while researching things to do around Port Townsend. I was excited to see they offer a birthday discount and being the miser I am, I thought this is the place for me! Funny thing is, I got so excited trying all the ciders, I totally forgot to request my discount! Oh well, their stuff was totally worth it. I came home with a bottle of Black Currant Cider, Apple Wine with Apple Brandy, and Black Currant with Apple Brandy. The last two are more like cordials--sweet and tasty. It was such a nice place to visit and I would highly recommend it. Reading their website, I like their mission too. Nice people, nice place.

Back in town, another scenic evening.

Next up- a visit to the Sequim (pronounced Squim) area and Dungeness NWR.

Seashore Treasures

2011-10-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some photos of the seaglass and some stones I brought home with me. Amber, green, and clear are the most common colors. Cobalt is more uncommon and most of the pieces were very little. The white stones in the top middle row were just unique. I wonder if the one on the right in the box is pottery. It looks more like a shard. I wet the two stones in the middle and lower right so you can see the colors.

I found two pottery shards as well:

This stone looks like it has leaf veining on it:

That ends my showing of collected items. Here are some photos of the other treasures on the beach.

Half of the pair on the right was the size of my pinky fingernail to give you some idea of the size of these tiny shells:

The seaweed diversity was great. This one is still attached to a rock:

Looks like the ocean tied this one with a bow:

Next stop: Shorebirds and cider tasting.

Port Townsend

2011-10-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Port Townsend in the evening. The cloudy sunset was beautiful.

What motivated me to go to Port Townsend was a blogger who recently wrote about going there to hunt for beach glass. Because Port Townsend is an old city, and on the ocean, that leads to much beach glass. Up until the 1950's a lot of coastal towns dumped their trash into the sea. After 30 plus years of it tumbling around, it turns to a smooth sea glass that is sought after and desirable. I have always loved to beach comb and thought this sounded really fun. The blog I read didn't give details on where to go, but with a bit of searching I found that North Beach is near the old dump. Some websites indicated that you have to plan your visit so you don't get trapped out on the beach by a high tide.

Unfortunately, low tide was at 6am and not timed well for me to make the long trek to the treasure-filled beach.

I started out around 8:30 and had read that I might have to hike for almost 2 hours to reach the beach. I hiked and hiked, dog in tow. We only met two others out there which was great! And the birds were wonderful. We even saw some sea otters.

Harlequin Ducks

Leary of Maggie, a remote Gull.

Cuteness.

Common Mergansers (also swimming away from a lunging dog on leash).

We walked and walked and were lucky to not get rained on. There was a bit of benign drizzle, but nothing to scare me away from the excitement of a beach full of pretty glass.

Finally, we both started to tire and I could see the tide creeping in. At that point glass was becoming prevalent on the beach, but not very much and not as I expected. Some of the indicators (car parts jutting out of the beach, etc) had not appeared and I suspected we were still far from the old dump. I was worried about not being able to make it back to the parking lot with the tide coming in, so we called in a morning and headed back to the car at a steady clip. Good thing too, because there was a couple of difficult spots to walk on the beach. The beach is also quite rocky and treacherous (not all sandy).

Bald Eagle overhead.

**BUT** I did make it home with a few treasures which I will show you next time! Also, lots of photos of all the pretty things on the beach.

Driving North

2011-10-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

From Mima Mounds, I headed north to Olympia. I had read that there was some good birdwatching around Budd Inlet, which also happens to be next to the Farmer's Market which is open daily. Since it was lunch time, I drove that way. The Farmer's Market was fun, but not so many birds. I couldn't go to Capital Lake because the parking was taken up by Occupy Seattle.

I got two photos from the city and was ready to go, so I drove up 101.

There are many pullouts and parks along the highway and I lost track of where I took photos. I have many photos like this (too-cloudy-blurry-moving-too-far-away birds):

I guess that's a Harlequin Duck?

Could it be a Loon?

This one was more cooperative! Killdeer.

I'll leave the gull ID to you all (John?). I will be posting many more photos. They were everywhere.

I also have many nice fall foliage photos. Such a pretty time of year.

Here's someone who looks good with fall foliage. I think this is her season.

I found this jellyfish on the shore and it was huge! Probably 14" or so.

Further up the road I pulled out at a dumpy tavern to view some sea lions. There were shorebirds too, but I'd need a scope to see them.

As we were driving along, all the cars ahead of me came to a stop and I couldn't see why. Suddenly I saw movement to the right and saw this!

Fortunately, there was a driveway to pull into and I sat and got many more photos. There must have been almost two dozen elk. This shouldn't have surprised me. About 1/4 mile before this I had stopped at a park to use the facilities and noticed piles of *large* scat in the parking lot. I figured it was elk. I just had no idea they were so close!

They crossed the street and went into this gate. It looked like they would be trapped in there, which I hoped wasn't the case.

This young one was crying for them to wait:

Meanwhile a good portion of the herd continued to graze on this side of the road.

This was the highlight of the day.
Next stop: Port Townsend

Revision: Those are Harbor Seals (not Sea Lions) and the gull is a California Gull both corrections per John. (thanks!)

Mima Mounds

2011-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

I decided to head north for a few days and this was my first stop, not far off of I-5. I read about it and thought it sounded intriguing. Re-reading this information, I think I might have missed an opportunity to take a longer hike around the preserve. I think I might try to go back in the spring to see all the wildflowers and take the longer hike. I walked the short paved trail that stays on one side of the preserve and goes through a woodland on the edge. You need a Washington State Discover Pass to visit.

The forecast predicted rain, but this is just one of my many lucky breaks...sunshine!

When I first read online that the mounds might be caused by prehistoric gophers, I thought it was a joke. Then I thought of my mom and figured she should be happy she doesn't have these mounds to contend with!

Too late for wildflowers, this was the only one I saw:

Campanula

This ground lichen (my name) was everywhere and very interesting. I wonder what it is called. I have never seen this before and there was so much of it.

The preserve is being restored to a savannah. Signs indicate it is a work in progress.

Fungus in the woodland.

The brown ones below were itty bitty and growing out of a stump.

As I was walking the quiet paved trail I was startled to hear twigs cracking. I think he was startled too:

How do I know it was a "he?" Look closely:

Such a beauty.

Next: Olympia and moving further north.

Greenway Park

2011-10-18T05:36:00.000-07:00

This afternoon treated us to more sunny warm weather. It looks like today might be the last day of it. I decided to take Maggie for a walk at Greenway Park in Beaverton. I usually see lots of birds there, but don't usually pack the camera since I've got the dog to walk. Maggie is good on the leash so I gave it a shot today. She was patient when I needed to stop and take a photo (as I am when she has to stop and sniff every other bush!). Good dog.

There were many mushrooms, but most were past their prime or someone kicked them to pieces. This one caught my eye. What a beauty! I would love to find more to photograph.

There were flocks of Yellow-rumped Warblers moving through. Other birds heard and seen were Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Northern Flicker, Juncos, and Bushtits.

Maggie wanted to make friends with this guy....or chase him up the tree.

Back at home I took a few fall photos.

I didn't get a Bushtit photo at the park, but this one was coorperative near the suet feeder.

If you are on Flickr. There is a photo group, Autumn Colour Week, featuring a different autumn color each day.

Ridgefield on Sunday

2011-10-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I drove the loop at Ridgefield. It turned out to be a beautiful day.

I was surprised to not see any ducks moving in yet. But I did see some neat stuff. A pair of deer were feeding near the edge of a wet field. I think it must be a Mama and her young.

Bald Eagle

I saw three individual coyotes, but only got good photos of this one. I really enjoy seeing them. Pet dogs have the same mannerisms and I find it fascinating to watch them.

I love the colors in the photo above.

Dogs are not allowed outside the car. Poor Maggie.

I was excited to see this guy, but only got one quick photo before he flew. I assume its a Lincoln's Sparrow. I see them so infrequently. In the same vacintiy was a Purple Finch feeding on the ground.

There were lots of geese (cackling?).

Cranes could be heard flying over.

And when I got home I heard some flying over too. People were reporting seeing hearing them this weekend. It must be fall!

Snowy Hills Crochet Lamp Cover

2011-10-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

The Crochet Votive Cover Tutorial I made last winter continues to be the number one thing that brings people to my blog. There seems to be a big resurgence of interest in it lately, I assume due to winter coming.

I decided to create a new pattern. This lamp cover is made to fit the Ikea Grono Lamp.
The Snowy Hills Crochet Lamp Cover is easy to make. You will be able to complete it in an afternoon, while sipping hot cocoa and watching movies. I hope you have as much fun making it as I did designing it. Please let me know if you run into any problems with the pattern and I will revise it.

You will need:
Bernat Softee Baby Yarn in White
Crochet Hook E
Ikea Grono Lamp

Row 1: Chain 70 or use multiples of 10 to achieve a chain that is 15.5” (the length around the lamp).
Row 2: DC in each space across the row (70 DC). Chain 3, this is the first DC of the next row. Turn.
Row 3: *chain 3, skip 3 spaces, SC, chain 3, skip 3 spaces, 3 DC* repeat to the end of the row, ending with 2 DC. Chain 1. Turn. (see photo below)

Row 4: SC in each space across the row (70 SC). Chain 3, this is the first DC of the next row. Turn.

Row 5: DC in each space across the row (70 DC). Chain 3.

Row 6: 1 DC in the next space, *chain 3, skip 3 spaces, SC, chain 3, skip 3 spaces, 3 DC* repeat to the end of the row, ending with 1 DC. Chain 1. Turn.

Row 7: SC in each space across the row (70 SC). Chain 3, this is the first DC of the next row. Turn.
Row 8-9: DC in each space across the row (70 DC). Chain 3.
Row 10: 1 DC in the next space, *chain 3, skip 3 spaces, SC, chain 3, skip 3 spaces, 3 DC* repeat to the end of the row, ending with 1 DC. Chain 1. Turn.
Row 11: SC in each space across the row (70 SC). Chain 3, this is the first DC of the next row. Turn.
Row 12-14: DC in each space across the row (70 DC). Chain 3.
Row 15: *chain 3, skip 3 spaces, SC, chain 3, skip 3 spaces, 3 DC* repeat to the end of the row, ending with 2 DC. Chain 1. Turn.

Row 16: SC in each space across the row (70 SC). Chain 3, this is the first DC of the next row. Turn.
Row 17-20: DC in each space across the row (70 DC). Chain 3.
Row 21: *chain 3, skip 3 spaces, SC, chain 3, skip 3 spaces, 3 DC* repeat to the end of the row, ending with 2 DC. Chain 1. Turn.
Row 22: SC in each space across the row (70 SC). Chain 3, this is the first DC of the next row. Turn.
Row 23-25: DC in each space across the row (70 DC). Chain 3.
Row 26: DC in each space across the row (70 DC). Chain 1.

Row 27-28: SC in each space across the row.
Row 29: *chain 3, skip 2 spaces, SC* across the row.

Moisten the piece and block. Measure piece to make sure it measures 15.5” x 8.5” tall. When it dries, stitch ends together and place on lamp.

A printable PDF can be found here if you'd like to print this to work off of.

If you'd like to add your photos to Ravelry, you can find it here.
You are invited to post photos on my Flickr page too.

Sunny Saturday

2011-10-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of Ridgefield's Birdfest and Bluegrass. There was bluegrass happening all over town. This jam session was happening out in the fall sunshine. I enjoyed a few minutes during my break from selling our photos.

Kids were making bird nests and other crafts.

When I got home in the afternoon I worked in the garden and took a few minutes to catch some of the late afternoon fall sunshine.

I just love the seed pods on the Crocosmia. The flowers in the background pick up the seed pod colors.

Hope you had some sunshine to enjoy this weekend.

Birds and Baking- A complete weekend

2011-10-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met up with my friend Laura for breakfast and a bit of birding (weather dependant). Fortunately it was dry and we made it to Force Lake and Smith-Bybee Lakes. I had never been to Force Lake, although I see the very lucky birder Jen post about it a lot. It's basically a small pond next to a golf course in industrial N. Portland. I think I'll plan to go there again if I am going up
I-5. It's easy to get to and probably hit and miss for species.

I bet it fills up with waterfowl in the winter. We saw an Egret and many Mallards and Canada Geese. And this fella. Can you see him below?

No? Well I wouldn't have either if Laura hadn't brought her scope. She was scanning the edge of the water and found him hunched down. Look to the left of the asterisk below.

That's a Green Heron over there!

At Smith-Bybee we saw many Wood Ducks, Wigeons, Gadwall, and Mallards.
The bigger lake had tons of shorebirds doin' the "sewing machine" as Laura says.

Back in the woods we heard Chickadees and Brown Creepers.

The photographic highlight were a flock of Cedar Waxwings on our way out. We were chatting away and all of a sudden I realized we were upon a flock of waxwings enjoying elderberries.

This Black-throated Grey Warbler was in the vicinity. I was excited to see one of these as it's been many years since my last sighting.

When I got home I put some peanuts out for the jays. I tell ya, they have peanut radar!

I still have some pretty pots of flowers going, but fall is setting in.

As I sat and watched the jays, it got quiet and this guy flew in out of no where!
I usually have two tube feeders on this hook and I took one down to clean it. They have been loaded with Goldfinches...dozens. I think he is using this for easy pickings. He sat and watched, but didn't get anything.

But he must have today. I looked out on the patio and found a decapitated head, wing and part of a torso. I think it was his lunch remains.

The fall weather has me focused indoors today. I made Whole Wheat Bread and Banana Bread.

For dinner I made this Tomato, Delicata, Polenta Casserole. I adapted it from this recipe.

Here is my recipe:

Filling:
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 large delicata squash cubed
1/2 patty pan summer squash
many roma garden tomatoes diced
salt- to taste
pepper- to taste
oregano- to taste
parsley- to taste
fresh basil- a handful chopped
Saute onion, garlic, celery. Add squash and continue to saute. Add diced tomatos and herbs. Simmer till squash is tender and the sauce is the desired thickness.

Polenta:
4 cups water
1 cup polenta
1 tsp salt or to taste
pepper to taste
Boil water, add polenta and whisk. Lower heat and cook approximately 10 minutes.

Grate cheese- Fontina was delicious. About 2 cups.

In 9X9 dish layer as follows:
1/3 of the tomato-squash mix
1/2 of the polenta mix
cheese
1/3 tomato
1/2 polenta
cheese
1/3 tomato

The recipe I used as inspiration recommends letting it sit for 2 hours. The polenta will become firm. Who has 2 hours to wait!? I want dinner now. So I put it in oven at 35o degrees for 30 minutes. It was saucy and not a casserole, but I think it will set up and the leftovers will be firmer. It was delicious saucy though! So good with a glass of red wine!
Enjoy!

Happy Autumn

2011-09-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Maggie posing nicely in front of the homegrown pumpkins.

Getting Closer

2011-09-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

I got a new toy for my camera: extension tubes. I'm still playing with them and the jury is out. I'm not sure that they give me more magnification. In some cases I think I could have gotten the same effect with cropping. And in some of these photos I still cropped.

These were all taken in my backyard.

Seed pod from a yard weed

Lichen on a bird feeder

Sedums

Hens and Chicks

Fly on Cuphea

Insect on Lemon Gem Marigolds

Chickpea pod (yes, they are still growing! Update soon!)

Parlsey flower section

Here is the whole Parsley flower head

Bee Fly on an allium

Flies

Moth on Corsican Mint:::this might be the best small "thing" photo I got. This moth was itty-bitty.

Waterlily

Leaf on pond

Yin Yang Beans and Tomatoes

2011-09-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

I like to try something new in the garden every year. This year I planted from seed some Yin Yang shelling beans. I am very pleased with them. Aren't they charming?

I'll be sure to do a follow up post on my meal with them.

In other news, I have more tomatoes than I could ever eat! I have made 4 pints of marinara and this morning I made 7 pints of tomato sauce to freeze.

The Roma plant is espeically productive.

These will be great in winter soups!
I have yet to harvest any chickpeas (garbonzoes), but I will keep you posted!

How is your harvesting and preserving going?

Trillium Lake

2011-09-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

I hiked the two mile trail around Trillium Lake on Monday with my Grandpa, Mom, and Brother. And Maggie too!
The weather was a perfect 75 degrees and sunny. A man-made lake, Trillium Lake is on the south side of Mt. Hood.

Maggie enjoyed the new territory.

A Gentian probably.

Forest fungus.

Pine White Butterfly

I would love to go back for another hike when the wildflowers are in bloom. Such a pretty place.

Swift Watch

2011-09-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have been to see the Swifts at Chapman twice in the last week. These photos are from Sunday. I asked Audubon on their facebook page how many they thought were there on Tuesday, and they estimated 4,000. They said there were 10,000 on the weekend. So maybe there was 10,000 on the evening I took these photos.

Early Morning at Ridgefield

2011-09-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

I got an early start Sunday morning and took a drive through Ridgefield. The sky was hazy due to wildfires east of there. I saw very few birds (nothing photo worthy), but it was a picturesque morning anyhow.

I took Maggie along. Dogs are allowed in the car. The most exciting thing we both saw was this coyote! Maggie and I have both been thinking about him. What a beauty. I'm sure he/she could smell her and she could smell him/her. I took lots of photos of the wild canine.

It appears he has breakfast in the above photo. A vole perhaps? I saw a lot of scat on the road, mostly consisting of blackberries.

I'm sure he sees and smells Maggie in the car. Maggie was quiet, but had her eye on him.

He would go a little ways and turn around to watch us, then go a little more and turn around again. Such a treat to finally get a good look at one!

Backyard Hummingbirds

2011-09-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

The Rufous Hummingbirds are still in Portland, Oregon, but I expect one day soon I will not see any more. This one was enjoying the salvia in a patio pot the other morning.

Scenes from Graham Oaks

2011-09-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

I visited Graham Oaks Nature Park the other day. It wasn't very bird-y, but I did see lots of swallows and goldfinches.

There are a lot of open fields that have been planted as oak savannah. Part of the trail is open for dogs and next time I might bring Maggie.

I've been inspired by two blogs that show a special part of nature and photography:
Resurrection Fern: http://resurrectionfern.typepad.com/resurrection_fern/
Cozy Homemaking: http://cozyhomemaking.typepad.com/blog/

Since I didn't see much to photograph, I tried to look closer and see what I could find. I don't have a macro lens, but I was able to get close to some things and crop them to give them that macro feel. I think I need a macro lens, don't you?

Harvesting

2011-09-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

My harvest this morning.

At the Hillsboro Farmer's Market

I love how she just spreads it all out on the table. It's a feast for the eyes.

Postcards from the Oregon State Fair

2011-09-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Can you find the Queen Bee?

Lots of Dahlias (Karen!!)

Yarn spinning...had to get a photo of the knit socks.

Enjoying Hummingbirds

2011-08-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

The Rufous are only here for another week or so. There are still great battles over the crocosmia, agastache, and bee balm. The Anna's hummingbirds will stay here through the winter and get to enjoy the fall flowers.

Pollen on the bill....

Downy Woodpecker

2011-08-30T18:01:00.000-07:00

This guy has been visiting lately....

Garden Buzz

2011-08-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes are in full production. I can't wait till these neat looking Roman Candle tomatoes ripen. Aren't they a neat shape?

I don't recall planting beets, but I have one! Only one, and I plan to juice it tonight with some other veggies. The sunlight through the leaves is pretty.

My pumpkin produced three pumpkins and they are getting big! One is starting to show some color too.

There are lots of honey bees and bumble bees in the garden these days.

Summertime

2011-08-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted. So many things to do: pet the dog, walk the dog, play with the dog....

Maggie has become the Queen of the Backyard. The squirrels watch out for her and she has thoroughly sniffed every corner of the yard.

The lilies blossomed. They were as grand as ever. Maggie is posing for scale.

I made some Dilly Beans, an annual favorite. And a few jars of pickled beets to try out.

Today I have some Bread and Butter Pickles started. They have to be iced for a few hours.

In the veggie garden, slicing cucumbers are in full production. I love them!

My pumpkin plant, 'Howden', has taken over, but has two giant pumpkins that seem to grow more everyday!

The early tomato, Oregon Spring, was green last week, and I picked two nearly ripe ones to finish ripening on the windowsill. The first of the season. The other plants are loaded, but green.

Thank you for all your nice comments lately! How is your summer?

Backyard Delights

2011-08-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

The suet feeder has been full of action lately! The other day I counted seven Northern Flickers. I don't think I have ever seen so many together! I thought there was one family of four, but there must be two families. I see and hear the adults feeding the young and there is a lot of "chattering" going on.

The young ones seem to have trouble figuring out how to use the feeders and sit on top of them and wobble on the branches.

The patio pots are in full glory and the hummingbirds are at war over them.

A couple of Rufous hummers have shown up and they are chasing off the resident Anna's. Here is one perched over the flower beds.

This one is watching for his enemy:

He blends in well...

Some sad news: my old dog Nina, has passed away. She was a good old girl. We were together for 12 years. She was always ready to help in the garden. She loved watching the squirrels (well, chasing them) and barking at large birds flying over. This photo was taken last summer.

My garden isn't complete without a canine companion, so Maggie has joined me in the garden. Here she is surveying her new domain. She is overwhelmed with the large yard, but will soon rule...and has even told the squirrels so.

What A Beauty

2011-07-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

Swallowtail Butterfly enjoying some Stachys

Vacation::::Final Days

2011-07-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of my vacation (sigh).

Sunday it was rainy and I did some baking. I made some Scones from this recipe.
I split the dough in half and did some without chocolate chips and some with. A sweet treat for a sweet friend's birthday. She got a jar of Strawberry Jam to go with them too.

Then I lounged around reading and watching movies and made some veggie pizza for a lunch/dinner.

One good thing about all this summer rain and cool temps--my chard and carrot seeds will get a good start.

I have yet to harvest a tomato and this is what my pumpkins look like:

Look at these mushrooms that sprouted overnight...really, I could swear they weren't there yesterday!

I was out at the pond looking for Froggie and a pigeon flew in. Perfect lighting.

Other rainy day projects consisted of some crochet. I am considering entering this into the WA county fair. I have some photos to enter and perhaps an apple pie. For now I am only sure that I will enter the photos. It seems novel to enter something into the fair, but I have no idea what others will enter.

Sunday Frog

Monday Frog

Tuesday Frog

He keeps finding new hidey holes and sometimes I have to search a long time to find him, or check back and look again. He's a sneaky little froggie.

Vacation:::Day 6 & 7

2011-07-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I met my mom at Minto Brown Island Park in Salem. It's a 898 acre city park. We picked one of the loop trails and walked almost all the way around, then thought we were lost and walked back instead of doing the loop. I left my printed map at home and wasn't sure if we were on the right track. The dirt path (photo below) is in fact part of the trail, although you'd never know it. I didn't take too many photos, but it is a nice park and I'd definitely go back and explore some more.

The park is near the Willamette River and has many sloughs. Dragonflies and damselflies were abundant.

One the way past these power lines, Tree Swallows were perched, and when we came back there were Barn Swallows.

Osprey could be heard calling throughout the area.

Sweet peas in bloom...

Back at home I acquired a few new plants for the Hummingbird garden. The hummer has been visiting them even before I got them planted!

Elfin Pink Penstemon

Pikes Peak Purple Penstemon

Passionate Phygelius (they call it Orange and it is orangier than this photo)

Glowing Magenta Oenothera

For weeks now I have been hearing Red-tailed Hawks calling, but they have gotten even more vocal this week. Or is it because I'm home to hear them all day?

Every summer I hear them. I figure they nest in the neighborhood and hunt for food in the nearby freeway corridor.

The one below seems to have an awkward time landing in the top of this tree and is constantly calling/crying. I suspect it is a juvenile.

And of course, my froggie is still around! If I don't see him in the water amongst the rocks, I have discovered he is often out of the water on the rocks in this foliage. I suppose he likes to dry out sometimes.

Friday Frog (above)
Saturday Frog (below photos)

And finally, a new project! I found this post on Natural Suburbia.
Branch Weaving!

It is what you might call a crude weaving on a Y shaped branch. I placed the branch in this bush (above) trying to decide where I'd place it in the garden.

I like the bits of moss on this twig.

I decided to leave it near my flowering pots on the patio where I can enjoy it. I sent an email photo to my parents with no explanation other than it is 'Branch Weaving'. My mom wanted to know what that was and my dad said it looked like a colorful cobweb. I'll take that as a compliment, Daddy.

Vacation:::Day 3, 4, 5

2011-07-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I woke to rain! On my vacation! It was cloudy and dreary and I was supposed to go birding with a friend, but I'm a fair weather birder so I cancelled. I like to be able to take photos and not worry about everything getting wet.

After a while I decided I could go to Ridgefield NWR and do the auto loop and stay dry.
It was pretty dark and not ideal for photos and there wasn't anything super exciting, but its always a nice drive anyhow.

The speed enforcer was on duty.

I always get a heron shot at Ridgefield.

One of the three mammals I saw that morning.

Cuteness!

Bald Eagle pair.

There were many White Pelicans in a few flocks and there were about 8 Great Blue Herons in this little group. There must have been some good food there!

I was hoping I'd see a coyote! He was a ways down the road. Probably looking for one of these:

Run Bun-bun, run!

When the rain stopped, I started in on all my garden projects. I have been weeding, tearing out weedy ground cover, removing stepping stones with weeds and preparing for a nice clean spreading of bark.

Originally this bed, the Hummingbird Garden, was separated from the Japanese maple, but I removed the sod between them and made it one long bed with a path in the middle.

I used newspaper under the mulch in many areas to keep the weeds and grass down. It gave me great pleasure to cover this Angelina Jolie/ Louis Vuitton ad with dirt. I bet they never thought their ad would end up here!

The Orchard (with my whole 2 fruit trees) has a new clean path that is weed-free!

Would you like to see what is down that path?

Alstromeria

Daylilies

Apples

Raspberries. Try one!

I also put in a new path under the arbor which had become weed infested.

The pond is beyond the arbor and you know who lives there!

Tuesday Frog

Wednesday Frog

Thursday Frog
Yes, I really take a photo of him every day.

Vacation:::Day 2

2011-07-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

'Morning Frog', blowing bubbles?

On my way to visit my grandpa I stopped at Salish Ponds in Fairview. I don't think I'd go out of my way to visit this area again, but since I was in the neighborhood I thought I'd check it out. To sum it up: trash + airplane noise + high tension wires. Of course, I only took photos of the pretty things.

I was greeted by this Black-headed Grosbeak at the parking lot.

After having lunch with my grandpa, he drove me to this trail outside of Welches. This is a short car ride from his house and was a perfect afternoon walk.

Proof that we are in Oregon woods:

Penstemons:

Lush Oregon forests:

Devil's Walking Stick in black and white so you can see the thorniness:

When I got home I planted a few things including this experimental purchase. I've been joking that I might get a whole thimble full of hummus with this garbanzo bean plant!

Believe it or not, I found a few minutes to sit in my lounge chair this evening:

The garlic harvest:

'Evening Frog'

Vacation:::Day 1

2011-07-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have all kinds of grand vacation plans. I'm having a stay-cation and hope to do some baking, gardening, preserving, crocheting, birdwatching, reading, and lounging.

Yesterday I picked up a flat of strawberries at the farmers market and today I got to work on them.

I made two types of Jam...or syrup as the case may be. (I hope it is spread-able.)

First I made this Strawberry Lemon Marmalade. The combination is wonderful!

The second batch was this recipe which they call "traditional", but the addition of the orange liqueur and Drambuie make it anything but traditional to me. It appears to be a winner too!

Meanwhile I got two loaves of bread going:::Basic Whole Wheat

And a summer Macaroni Salad with Snap Peas.

The Daily Frog

2011-07-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

Every day I find "my" frog by his favorite rock soaking up some warmth. Sometimes I have to look really hard to find him, but his almost always there. Except, Where were you Saturday, little frog?

Wednesday

Wednesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Sunday

Garden Visitors

2011-07-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

I have been seeing a lot of Swallowtails around the area. Every year they go to this Mock Orange, which by the way is *wonderfully* sweet smelling.

I assume this is a bullfrog and I know they are invasive, but it's a treat to see him in my pond. I have startled him off a rock many times in the last couple of weeks. He always sees me before I see him.

Tualatin River NWR

2011-07-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I visited the Tualatin River NWR. I hadn't been there in a while so it was nice to take a walk around.

This Oriole was fluttering around the windows of the visitor center. At the end of the trail I saw them feeding babies in a nest. Sadly it was too shady for good photos.

It was a beautiful sunny day. I got an early start, but the bird action was kind of quiet. It's that time of year...

It was a lovely morning walk.

Finally...Part 3

2011-06-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my Big Green Caterpillar?

Do you remember when he transformed?

Well after many months of waiting (!!!!) LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!!

Nearly 9 months later he finally emerged. At one point I could hardly stand it and I admit I was fearful he wasn't alive so I carefully snipped open his cocoon to peak. I know, I know, *What was I thinking??!!* But I was so curious and when I saw him wiggle I felt really bad and was worried I might have injured or killed him. I carefully placed a leaf over him to protect him and LOOK!

I released him into the raspberry patch. He couldn't seem to fly well and I don't know where he disappeared to, but after releasing him I checked back later and he was gone. Off into the big world to make more BIG GREEN CATERPILLARS I hope.

Duck Pose

2011-06-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

Random Garden Pics

2011-06-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

Band-tailed Pigeons

Bearded Iris

Female Pacific Forktail

Bee on Geranium

Orange-rumped Bumblebees

Not sure, but I think this is a California Darner

Veggie Garden Update

2011-06-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

I have most of my vegetables planted. The peas just started producing and I'm getting a lot of them!

Potatoes are growing, but I haven't dug down to look for baby ones yet. I grew a few in a bag as an experiment. They look pretty robust in the bag.

Here is the view from the patio. I have tomatoes planted up next to the house. It's the best spot because it gets so warm and hot there. The peas are at the end of the bed and I have flowers up closer to the patio and a few flower pots full of hummingbird favorites.

That's Nina, the old garden dog.

Garden Poppies

2011-06-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

June is Poppy Month. Here are some from my garden.

Birds, Flowers, and Puppy

2011-06-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

I went to visit my parent's house outside of Stayton the other day. On the drive there, look what I saw!

I thought maybe these were raised and released for hunting, but evidentally there are some wild turkey populations here. This is on Nature Conservancy land.

This time of year my parent's bird feeders are very active. They get a lot of Purple Finches, American Goldfinches, Black-headed Grosbeaks and more.

This finch is oddly colored. I didn't really see any House Finches. Could this be a Purple Finch?

As my friend Laura says: Dipped in raspberry sauce....

I always enjoy looking for things that I don't see in my garden. There were many mushrooms growing.

Remember Delaware? She's as friendly as ever.

Beautiful Bearded Iris.

Blooming peas.

Singing Song Sparrow in the Bird Garden.

This Tree Swallow is staking out his nesting site. The swallows were around, but didn't seem to be actively nesting yet.

I saw a pair of White-crowned Sparrows. One had a bug he was taking somewhere, when I got too close he gave out an alarm call. I suspect there was a nest nearby.

Sammie the puppy (don't be deceived by his size!) napped for maybe, oh, 5 minutes.

This is more representative of him.

More from Ridgefield

2011-06-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is the last of my photos from last Sunday. Such a wonderful birding trip....

Savannah Sparrow singing. I love how they throw their head back.

Cinnamon Teal on the Kiwa Trail.

As I always say, it wouldn't be Ridgefield without a heron photo.

Turtles were basking in the sun.

I was pleased with this quickly snapped photo. This White-breasted Nuthatch was on the road for awhile and flew to the tree when we passed by.
What were you doing on the road, Nuthatch, and what's that dirt on your head?

A nice morning.

Little Green Frog

2011-06-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

Garden Haiku

2011-06-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

tender green sweet pod
a seed in February
I will eat you now

Marsh Wrens

2011-06-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

Marsh Wrens were everywhere at Ridgfield. They were very vocal and busy.

They have such a beautiful pattern they have on their back don't they?

Baby Hummingbirds

2011-06-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

A very astute reader (my mother) noted that I hadn't done a follow up post on the nesting hummingbird. I visited the nest about 9 days ago and look what I found!!

I was told the mama was off the nest a lot and out searching for food for her two babies.

She returned and perched in the nearby tree keeping one eye on me and one on the neighbor washing his car.

Finally she flew down and fed the hungry babies.

I expect they will fledge any day, so I doubt there will be more photos. What a treat to see this all up close!

Nesting was the word of the day

2011-06-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

Nesting is in full swing at Ridgefield. If the birds aren't feeding babies, they are making them, building a nest, or singing to establish their territory.

We would never have seen this Bushtit nest if it weren't for this parent making it's way back to the nest.

Good parent--- bringing in a big meal for the little ones....

Good parent---- taking out the poop sack (the work is never done). Birds have fecal sacs so it makes the house (nest) cleaning easier for the parents.

Further down the trail we saw Cedar Waxwings collecting nesting material! This was exciting...beautiful birds doing neat things!! The cottony fluff off the cattails must make a cozy nest.

More from Ridgefield next time...

Ridgefield Swallows

2011-06-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

I visited Ridgefield NWR yesterday. The weather was perfect and so was the lighting for photos! We walked the Kiwa Trail and saw lots of great birds. I think I'll do mulitple posts to show you all the photos.

I will start at the beginning with the official greeters:

Barn Swallows have built a nest under the cover of the kiosk at the entrance. They were busy flying in and out and keeping a close eye on their nest. There are a few signs and posts around and they were landing on them and watching their nest.

Tree Swallows were everywhere on the Kiwa trail and along the water.

All you have to do is watch a hole in a tree for a little while and surely you will see a swallow go in or out!

More tomorrow....

Ridgefield Bird Songs of May

2011-05-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

How many bird songs can you ID in this 50 second video clip?

Ridgefield Today

2011-05-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

I don't recall ever seeing this duck before:::A Blue-winged Teal!

Cinnamon Teals were prevalent.

It was cloudy, but dry this morning.

Those Yellow-headed Blackbirds just don't want to get too close for photos.

And another yellow bird far in the distance....American Goldfinch:

Great Egret

Tree Swallow

Canada Geese family

It wouldn't be Ridgefield without some Great Blue Heron and Red-winged Blackbird pics.

Common Yellowthroat

Singing Savannah Sparrow

The Bunnies were out and about!!!

A fun morning! I am looking forward to visiting again next week and walking the Kiwa Trail.

Random Garden Pics

2011-05-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

I photograph these every year. I love their form.
Nectaroscordum:

I need to turn under my "green manure", crimson clover. The kale has gone to flower and I like to leave it until I need the soil for other things. I figure the bees will enjoy it.

The sweet scent of lilacs are permeating the air....

Chamomile and Chives

Camas Lily

My dogwood is a beacon in the neighborhood.

Bleeding heart, sweet woodruff, and ajuga made a nice combo:

Nesting Hummer

2011-05-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Can you see her?

This Anna's Hummingbird is nesting on my co-worker's mother's porch.

How lucky is she???!!

I hope to be able to make it back to get some photos of the babies. I hear they have hatched.

Backyard Fun!

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have had a tremendous amount of action in the backyard lately. Not at the feeders, but lots of migrants foraging for insects in the trees.

We'll start with the suet feeder. The starlings have been active (ugh!), but when given the opportunity, Downy Woodpeckers, Flickers, and Chestnut-backed Chickadees are grabbing a bite to eat.

I bought this new, locally made recycled plastic suet feeder and it is bird approved!!

I don't recall a year when I have seen so many Warbling Vireos. I have been seeing them daily for the last few days now.

Song Sparrows are singing...

It seems the Black-capped Chickadees abandoned the nest box, but Chestnut-backed Chickadees might be using the other one!
They visit the suet feeder all day long.

I saw the first damselfly of the season.
A Pacific Forktail I think.

And the best for last! Western Tanagers have been foraging through the maple tree the last few days. (Although here he is in the filbert tree.)

And finally, another retro camera photo:

Cooper Mountain Nature Park

2011-05-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

A friend and I met early yesterday morning and walked Cooper Mountain Nature Park.
The rain held off and we even got some blue sky.
The first thing I heard when getting out of the car were these guys singing. They were all over the place and one of the most prevalent birds we saw.

We were on the look out for migrants. It seems many have just shown up in the last week or two. We weren't let down. We saw Warblers, Vireos and Tanagers.

This is an Orange Crowned Warbler isn't it?

The iris were just beautiful!

Wild Strawberries

Fawn Lily

This cute White-breasted Nuthatch was taking some food to the nest box. For mom? Or could there be young ones already?

I'd like to say that I planned for the wonderful colors in these photos, but it just happened. I am so in love with this wren and the warm blues and browns in the photos.

Of course, it never fails that when one bird is in perfect photography range, another appears and I am trying to take photos of them all. This Western Bluebird didn't want to be ignored.

Such color!

(photo taken with a retro camera app on my phone)

We had a fun walk and saw 29 species!
I need to get back to that park more often.

Spring Bouquet

2011-05-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Ridgefield NWR

2011-05-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

We drove the auto route on Sunday and saw lots of species. There were intermittent rain shower and some sun breaks.

I haven't seen Great Egrets in a while and we saw two of them.

A lurking Bittern.

Why do Common Yellowthroats always have to be so far away?

I was really excited to see two Yellow-headed Blackbirds!

This Wilson's Snipe wouldn't show himself for a photo, but I like how this came out anyways.

Scenic Ridgefield.

Wilson's Warbler

Song Sparrow belting it out.

Brown Creeper

Singing Marsh Wren.

He has amazing dexterity!

Yellow-rumped Warblers were everywhere!

That's a Yellow Warbler isn't it?

Canada Goose family.

The owlets have left the nest. We could see these two and one adult.

Cinnamon Teal.

A fun morning!

The Convertible

2011-05-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

I found this fun tutorial for a hat.
My mom wanted me to make her another cowl and I thought this would be perfect. If you want a neckwarmer, you simply loosen the drawstring and pull it around your neck. If you want a hat, you cinch the drawstring and make a hat.

Of course, my mom said she might need a neckwarmer and a hat, so I made two.

I followed the pattern, but found the stitch difficult so I used a hdc stitch in the back loop instead. It creates a stretchy feel to the end product. Here is a video that shows that stitch.

My mom purchased a really soft merino wool by Malabrigo. It was really nice to work with too.