Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. We enjoyed the cooler weather very much--but I think the heat is returning this week, at least during the daytime. Our biggest problem here now is the lack of rain. We haven't had any rain at all since August 18, and only two or three times this entire summer. The grass is brown, and the leaves on the big shade trees are wilted and dying. We water what we can --and I'm trying to save our Rhododendrons, Azaleas and our Laurel. BUT--even they are stressed and dry. Hopefully, we will get some rain soon, but I think I've scared Mother Nature away with "MY" rain dance!!!!! (Understandable!!! ha ha )
Recently, I have talked alot about our Bluebirds, Cardinals and some of our Woodpeckers... But --we have other Backyard Birds to visit us also... SO--today, I'll show you some of our 'other' birds... I have it on authority that the bird above is a BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER (immature male --losing his colors). I have never seen one of these, so you can only imagine how excited I am!!!!!! (I first thought he was a Goldfinch; later I thought he was a Yellow-rumped Warbler... )
Mr. BLUEJAY makes alot of noise when he is around. But he doesn't seem to scare the other birds away!
I love MOURNING DOVES. They come almost every afternoon about 5 p.m. and clean up the deck for me... They love to clean up everything the other birds have dropped... I call them my vacuum cleaners!!! ha
I love this silhouette of one of our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds... Our hummers came late this year (July) --but now we have LOTS of them around. I have two feeders on the deck --but have a hard time getting a good picture from inside. But they are fun to watch!!!!
I have one feeder in the front yard -- so I can sit on my bench out front and see the hummers coming and going to this feeder. I love seeing his iridescent colors.
This is our 'friend' ---the Pileated Woodpecker, who loves to sit outside of our window each morning about 6 a.m. HOLLERING for his breakfast... (This one is for you, KELLY.)
Here is your SURPRISE!!!!! Know what this is???? He's a BAT--and he loves to 'rest' on our front porch... They sleep upside down ---but he looks like he had his eyes opened --when I took his picture!!!! Bats are really good to have around since they eat mosquitos. (This one is for you GINNY and JUDY.)
Have a fabulous Tuesday ---and remember to feed the birds!!!!! They will bring so much joy to your life!
Hugs,
Well, surprisingly enough I love the picture of the bat !
ReplyDeleteHe has a wonderful coat so shiny, and he must feel safe and welcomed to return to your deck.
The bird pictures as always are wonderful, you have such a variety, and such pretty colors, all of them.
The Woodpecker makes me smile, each time I see him ;)
We, may get a shower today, grass is dead/dying and trees are turning, despite rain on and off through out the past two weeks.
I hope you get your well-needed allotment, at least we had a few cooler days.
Hope you have a wonderful day !
LOVE the picture of the little brown bat (which is it's common name)!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest LOVES bats and has tons of books about them, we even go out in the evenings to watch them eat!
Bluejays do make a lot of racket...beautiful birds though. A bat? How cool is that, we see them from time to time flying around here.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures, Betsy. Glad you guys had a good weekend - we could also use some rain as well!
ReplyDeleteJane
Betsy,
ReplyDeleteWe are experiencing the same weather conditions as you and George.
Our lawn in brown. Most of my landscaping has died along with the grass.
I'll have fun next spring!! Almost new everthing.
I love bats! Most people don't but I think they are little miracles with other things all rounded up and put into them. I call them little wolves with wings. In Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, you can sit at the front of the big .. and I mean BIG ... cave opening about dusk and watch all of the hundreds and hundreds of bats come out and start their 'day' beginning at our 'night'. So interesting.
ReplyDeleteLove your hummingbird photos and of course the other birdies too. The birds seem to be talking right to you. The bat is even cute! On the playhouse the ladies daughter is in high school now and she doesn't have any younger girls in the family to pass it down to. Have a blessed day
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures, Betsy! I love the woodpecker picture and the hummer silhouette. The bat is a great picture too, but it creeped me out a little--HA! I know they are good to have around, but they still make me a little nervous. :D Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteI love all your pictures, Betsy, but the little bat is particularly wonderful. I see them swooping around here in the early morning (5:45AM) when I'm on the front porch seeing Tom off to work. I always tell them Thank You for eating all those bugs, so that I can enjoy being on the porch! I also love your picture of the Pileated Woodpecker---I adore them, though I can never seem to get a decent picture.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely bunch of feathered neighbors you have. I am so looking forward to enjoying our birds once our sun room is finished, and I plant some bushes and flowers for them to enjoy. The bat....well.... he does eat mosquitoes, and that is a big plus for me, but I would rather not see him if I had the choice.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week, and I hope with all these tropical storms coming through the states, you will pick up some much needed rain.
We have gotten a lot of rain, wind and now frost. Too early as our garden is just ready to produce the late fruit.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures.
Oh I love your little bat. You should give him/her a name.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all your birdie pics Betsy. We really enjoyed watching the hummers yesterday. What joy they bring us.
Hello Betsy,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful header photo! calming and with colorful signs of fall. :)
Our bird friends here sensed the early fall arrival as the once plethora of feathered friends has greatly diminished. Interesting how they know it before we do.
It looks as though we may get a little rain today after 2 months of dryness (our norm), and we don't worry about curling leaves on our rhody's too much for they always seem to come back around once the moisture starts.
Hope you and George have a wonderful week.
Aha! There are 3 pictured here that I actually have here in Las Vegas!! The mourning dovess will come in pairs to my back yard and do a little cleaning themselves, and the hummingbirds never leave. Last year I spotted one of their tiny nests just outside my back door and got some great pictures of the little guy sitting in it! I love taking pictures of the hummingbirds and have several! And then the third are the bats!!! I haven't had one yet hanging around here, but you can see them everynight flying around, especially during one of my grandson's nighttime baseball games.
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures, Betsy, and I love seeing what a variety of birds you do have!
Have a fabulous day!
Oh, and Stijn fed the birds last night!
Debbie
I love the photo of the woodpecker especially. No need for an alarm clock with him around! Birds are so much fun to watch and photograph. Thanks for sharing yours with us.
ReplyDeleteMy fav has to be the dove who cleans up after herself and others - reminds me of a mother! They're all beautiful photos Betsy - the little hummers are adorable. The bat is such a gorgeous chocolate brown and even opened his/her eyes for you! Amazing little creatures!
ReplyDeleteHe looks so mean & obnoxious, but they're really not & they kill the mean & obnoxious skeeters!!! =)
ReplyDeleteWow..that bat photo is a definite suprise! Good to have around if they don't have rabies. Are you sure that first bird is a goldfinch...and not a warbler? I just saw my first warbler passing through last night, but haven't identified it yet.
ReplyDeleteI love Goldfinches, but we seldom see them. -sigh-
ReplyDeleteWow, that close-up of a bat. :-) Just don't let him in the house.
Up here, we had one attack a woman, in a neighboring town. Rabbid maybe. It wasn't caught and ... Scary. But I know they are good at eating nasty mosquitoes.
Oh my ~ there I was ~ enjoying all the beautiful birds and then SWAAK ~ the bat came up! Ha! That was a surprise. Not so cute ~ but I guess they like to eat the bugs right? So they are good to have around.
ReplyDeleteI do wish I could package you up some of our rain Betsy and send it to you! On the plus side, our grass has never been so green ~ especially in September!!!
But soon most of our birds will be leaving and I will be left with the sparrows and the nut hatches. Oh well. Thus is the season.
Have a Happy Tuesday Betsy!
xo Catherine
Love the bat!!!! Quite a collection of flying critters around your home!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a good weekend.I always enjoy seeing your Pileated Woodpecker,they are good looking birds.Great shot of the bat,I've only seen them in flight.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,Ruth
I don't think your yellow bird is a goldfinch because we have a lot of them and although they are losing their mating colours, they still have a fairly visible black bar across their forehead.
ReplyDeleteLove the bat, they're so cute!!
A lot of our birds have gone now and the hummers should be leaving very soon, they are usually gone by mid September from these parts and I'm sure they'll stop at your house for some refuelling on their way to Mexico so keep those feeders full!!!
gosh!!! all the cute birds and suddenly one big black giant that flies too! just look at its eyes, they are so menacing.. lol...
ReplyDeleteLove all of your birds. We do need the bats to eat all the bugs. Hope we get rain soon.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures of the birds! & I learned something about each one! Glad to see you appreciate Bats too. We have a lot of them around our house. Although I'm glad that we figured out how they were getting into my basement and blocked that downstairs fireplace (that I didn't know I had behind that door. ha.. ) The cat had a lot of fun chasing them though. lol
ReplyDeleteGreat post!! Have a wonderful week!!
HUGS,
Coreen
O.k. what a shock to be scrolling down, looking at all the pretty birds, and all of a sudden get to this big brown horror! Since I just woke up, was a bit startled, and almost jumped, a real chicken little!!! Ha ha! Thanks for the bat, I feared you had not gotten a pic!! Bet you don't see many bat close-ups on blogs!! Has he been coming back? I think it's that claw thingy on the end of his wings that's so creepy. This one looks very healthy! I can't be much help on the warbler/goldfinch, warblers are way to many and too hard!! But I adore the hummer silhouette, that's my favorite picture of the day.
ReplyDeleteWe had bats flying around our campsite this weekend:)
ReplyDeleteHoly bats Batman!!
ReplyDeleteI think the mourning doves are my favorite...I love cleaners. :)
Wow! The bat was a surprise!! Love all these - especially the woodpecker! Great close-up shot! I'm about to go wash hummingbird feeders and refill them!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are so beautiful. I am not fond of bats though...we have a great deal of them here at The Glen and they give me the creeps despite the fact they eat Mosquitos!
ReplyDelete...love that Pileated, Betsy!!! ...and I LOVE your bat. He is just the cutest little thing!!
ReplyDeleteI had a great time visiting on Sunday. Sabine enjoyed meeting you too. I'm so glad you live in my inlaw's neighborhood!!
You have some pretty birds, Betsy! I would have a fit if I saw a woodpecker like that! But that Bat, you can keep him!! They are creepy!
ReplyDeleteNice set of pictures, Betsy. I do believe it is going to be hotter here, too. I know it is today...but it still isn't as bad as it was.
ReplyDeleteI love my birds and these are great photos, Betsy! And they are a reminder to me that I need to get more seed, especially the finch seed. The little buggers really go through it fast!
ReplyDeleteHave a good day,
Cheryl
I sure don't like bats even if they do eat mosquitos. They give me the creeps. I've watched too many movies haven't I. Beautiful birds. Love the irridescent on the hummingbird.
ReplyDeleteYou got me! I was looking forward to see the surprise bird. and thinking it was something really really pretty good.
ReplyDeleteYuck!
Great photos and words Betsy!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to live in a wonderful place...
We so enjoyed the cooler temps too. Love all the birds-but yikes about the surprise : )
ReplyDeleteAw, he is a cute little fellow. Bats are so misunderstood but they are really helpful creatures. I see them on occasion here in the late evening. He makes a great surprise photo.
ReplyDeleteI also love all the little birdies especially the Yellow rumped warbler. I hope you get some rain soon. We have had a couple of showers but not enough to make a difference yet.
I take it that George is Robin,lol
ReplyDeleteNice collection of birds Betsy.
Great bird shots, Betsy. And I love the hummingbirds.....and the bat. Good for you to recognize the good in bats, so many people just think they're bad. Good picture of it, too. Diane
ReplyDeleteThe bat is kind of creepy, but I guess they need a place to live too.
ReplyDeleteOh Betsy... those pictures are amazing!!
ReplyDeleteI love your vacuum cleaner's bird...
And what really a surprise you can captured the Bat.
Thanks for sharing those wonderful pics.
Hope you always have a blessed day!
hugs,
nensa
Oh Betsy no rain since mid-August, you should try it here, our last rain was in June!!LOL
ReplyDeleteLove the birdie captures, you really get some great variety. As for the Bat well I'm not a fan but only last night the Hubster mentioned we should get a bat house as they eat mossies!
Betsy: Always love your woodpecker, that is a great photo of the bat.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see all of the beautiful birds that come to your yard, you certainly have a great variety. I love Mourning Doves as well, they seem to indeed be little vacuum cleaners! As for the bat...yikes! I know though that they do help with insects.
ReplyDeleteBetsy, thanks for your patience and good eye in keying out a bird. And more thanks for your appreciation for the Bat People--they are good skeeter-eaters!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures ... lucky you to be able to attract such a variety. We've already decided we're going to do a better job at planting and feeding to target specific types of birds...they are here, we just keep planting and putting out the same feed, so not much variety shows up in our yard!
ReplyDeleteSuch a nice variety of birds. That's a good picture of the bat, too.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought the first one was a goldfinch, too!
ReplyDeleteLove those hummingbirds -- I design the planters all around our yard with them in mind and since the weather has broken, I'm seeing more and more of them.
I'm bats about bats!!! He's cute! And I do believe he was smiling for the picture!
It is horribly dry over here, too. Our autumn colors are going to be only brown if this continues.
ReplyDeleteLove the birds AND the bat!
It is horribly dry over here, too. Our autumn colors are going to be only brown if this continues.
ReplyDeleteLove the birds AND the bat!
Since you said Hap ID'd the bird for you it must have been in email since I don't see a comment here from Hap. He sure does help me alot. I am trying to get a post up (maybe tomorrow) that Hap helped me with.
ReplyDeleteMy shop alarm has falsely woke me up in the early morning hours twice now. (After working until midnight). I have even wondered if a Bat had somehow gotten inside the shop, and set off the motion sensor, since they do come back inside at the first light.
We're getting some rain at last, not heaps of rain but some. Definitely cooler out! Fall is winging its way ever faster.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing all the different birds that come to your feeders, Betsy. You get so many I've never seen before.
ReplyDeleteI have seen bats - and as long as they eatmosquitos I'm glad they are around!
I'm glad you found out which warbler that is. I have never seen that kind and would never have figured out the identification from the photos in the books I have.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! What a wonderful pic of the bat!
ReplyDeleteOf course all your shots are wonderful but that's a real keeper!
Hi Betsy,
ReplyDeleteBird watching is one of the most relaxing activities I've ever done,I also enjoy taking pictures of them, especially ones I haven't seen before.
We are going to try the Cherry Grove beach house next week,hopefully the weather holds (no hurricanes). Maybe it won't be so crowded this time of year.Son is still on crutches so this may be an interesting beach vacation,we'll see.
Thanks for asking and have a blessed tomorrow
Marilyn
Brilliant sighting of the warbler, Betsy. I also get so excited when I see a new bird, even if they're supposedly lbj's (little brown/insignificant jobs) like the Sudan Golden Sparrow /s we spotted at the temple ruins in the desert this weekend. Thanks for your visits. I love seeing you there, I look for your comment as soon as I open because it's normally the first one ! (((Hugs))) Jo
ReplyDeleteThe surprise package is still a flying type but not a feathered variety :)
ReplyDeleteWow! You have a big crowd of commenters. How do you keep up with them all? Well done!
ReplyDeleteThe birds are so cute and lovely to watch. It must be hard to capture the Hummers and you did well. I don't think I would like the woodpecker calling out so early in the mornings. Although he could become a handy alarm clock.
Fantastic shot of the Green Warbler! I haven't seen one around here in a long time. I'm also not seeing as many hummingbirds. Maybe they are looking for water and food in other places further north, like Crossville!
ReplyDeleteoh... the bat is indeed a surprise. cool. i love the silhouette of the humming bird... it's awesome.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your lifer!
ReplyDeleteWow, that bat photo is very cool!
ReplyDeleteI love all your bird pics. You take beautiful ones, and you see a lot of variety. Don't open the door at night and let that bat it!