It's All about BLUEBIRDS

This past week,  I spent some time outside watching Mom and Dad Bluebird go in and out of the nest.  I haven't peaked yet to see how many baby Blues are in the nest,  but I'll bet there are at least four!!!!

I have a new toy...  George bought us a Radio Frequency Shutter Release...  To put that in 'my' terms,  it's like a remote control for the camera... I can set the tripod up near a spot (like the nestbox) ---and sit WAY back out of the way.  When one of the birds would go to the nest,  I would CLICK that photo...  Later on,  I just sat quietly on the back deck with camera in hand, and both Mom and Dad Blue came to the feeders... I got some great pictures of Dad---as he just took a 'rest' and sat on the feeder plate for a long time...

Hope you enjoy today's pictures,  and I'm sure I'll be using that new gadget again soon.  Above is a picture of Mama  peaking out of the nestbox...  Be sure and click on the photos to see larger views.

This is a picture of Daddy Blue at the nestbox.   Dad's colors are much brighter than Mom's..  She has blue in her --but it is a dull blue.

For comparison,  here's Mama Blue at the nestbox... 

Can you tell what that is?????  Mama was going into the nest to feed her babies... You can see her 'backside' in this photo... I'm sure she would tell me that that is not a very nice photo to post!!!!! ha

The rest of these pictures were taken while I just sat quietly on the deck...  I took a trillion of Daddy Blue as he posed for the camera!  Isn't he just gorgeous???   AND--he's a good Daddy... He protects the nest when the Blue Jays are around ---and he is so good to Mama Blue...   He is the one who goes in the nest and gets rid of the fecal sac (poop) --since they are very clean birds.

Similar picture --but they were all so good that I had a hard time choosing one over the other...  I was just thrilled that he trusted me enough to just sit there while I snapped the pictures... (I wasn't very far from him.)

I loved the way he cocked his head ---looking all around as he still was protecting his 'area'.

Mom came to the feeder --but didn't stay as long.  I did manage to get one good picture of her...   She's not as pretty ---but is gorgeous in her own way.  These are going to be two great parents.  I can't wait to see the little ones!!!! 

Here's one more picture of Mr. Blue....  I just couldn't stop snapping!!!!  He's one Proud Papa!!!!

Hope you enjoyed my Eastern Bluebirds.  They are always a favorite of mine. 

Have a wonderful day...  I hope to start catching up with your blogs today... I've just been extremely busy this week... Let me know if I miss anything that you want me to see.. Thanks!!!

Hugs,
Betsy

April 21st---SPECIAL DAY for US

Read  this post first (click HERE)  ---unless you have been reading my blog faithfully for several years...  OR--you may just want to read it again in order to see some OLD pictures of us!!!!  AND--- Click HERE  to see last year's post about this same day.  Amazing how the park and waterfalls can be so different from one year to the next. 

April 21, 2001 is when I got my first KISS from George.  We started dating on March 29, and our love grew very fast... On April 21 that year,  he took me to FALL CREEK FALLS STATE PARK.  This is where that first kiss happened, and it is also where our mutual love of waterfalls began.  Fall Creek Falls has several waterfalls --and we like to visit them all several times a year.  This is also the place where we told each other that we loved each other on that same day...

SO--we revisited Fall Creek Falls this past Saturday ---and relived those wonderful memories once again.  The weather didn't cooperate much --since it was misty, very cloudy,  foggy and quite cold.   This may have been the coldest April 21 we have experienced since 2001...  In most of the old pictures,  we were wearing shorts... WELL--not this year!!!!  In fact,  after our first little hike to the Cascades,  we even put our jackets on since it felt so cold!!!!

Needless to say,  the pictures are not as good as some we have taken in past at Fall Creek Falls (due to the dreariness and lack of alot of water in the waterfalls)... BUT--today,  I'll share with you some pictures from our day this past Saturday.  Above is a picture of the gorge.  You can see the fog in this photo...  Please click on the photos to see larger pictures.

This area of the park,  appropriately named after my Sweetheart (ha ha),  is where I got that first kiss..... Of course,  I got another one in that spot on Saturday!!!!!   WOW!

There is a grassy area at George Hole which leads to the creek.   The rocks on the other side are so interesting ---and full of holes,  where many birds make their homes!!!  Isn't the reflection in this photo great???

Of course,  we take our tripod wherever we go so that we can get pictures together.  Here is a picture of George ---trying out a new filter which he bought.....

Before we went to the George Hole area,  we stopped and walked down to the Cane Creek Cascades... At that time,  we didn't have our jackets on --but immediately put them on when we got back to the car... Did I mention that it was COLD?????   Why does colder air feel MUCH colder in the spring?????  Do I look cold in this picture?  I WAS!!!!!! ha

We took a nice hike and here is a picture of George on the trail...  It was a nice walk,  and in another blog,  I'll show you a picture of some Mountain Laurel beginning to bloom.

Our hike took us to an overlook across from two other waterfalls,  Cane Creek and Rockhouse.  This is a picture of me with Cane Creek Falls in the background.

Finally,  here is a picture of us --taken near the little dam in the George Hole area.  I don't know what one of us said--but we are both really laughing when that picture was taken.

After taking the hike and checking out the waterfalls,  George took me to the Lodge Restaurant for dinner....   Glad I had hiked that 3.19 miles (9657 steps) ---since I splurged and had some delicious Banana Pudding for dessert.... YUM...

Hope you all had a good weekend--like we did!  We're going to the Smokies today --so don't know when I'll catch up with blog reading...  I always try to do what I can --but life sometimes gets in the way!!!!

Hugs,
Betsy