Snow! February 26-27, 2015

February 26, 2015, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA
 

We've been watching for snow all winter.  Wednesday afternoon we got 4 inches (10cm).  It has been four years since we had snow (except for just a light dusting).  The snow plows were out early clearing the roads.

Happy Sky Watch Friday!

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NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

 

G is for..., February 25, 2015

ABC Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, and Outdoor Wednesday

ABC Wednesday
G is for Gnaw - to bite at or nibble something persistently.

A squirrel gnawing on a piece of bread

People bring bread to the park to feed the ducks, a favorite activity for small children.  This squirrel was quick to steal a piece for himself!

Wild Bird Wednesday
The Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher eating Black Oil Sunflower seeds

We occasionally see Brown Thrashers feeding on the ground.  This is first time I've seen one on our hanging feeder.  Brown Thrashers eat insects, worms, berries, seeds, acorns, frogs, small snakes, and lizards. 

The smaller birds didn't seem to mind

Brown Thrashers can be found in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.  During the breeding season, they are aggressive in defending their territory.  Both parents incubate the eggs. 

Outdoor Wednesday

Ballard Park, Tupelo, Mississippi, February 14, 2015

Have a wonderful day!

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Great Blue Herons, February 21, 2015

January 2015, Tennessee River

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron, Hardin county, Tennessee, USA

Great Blue Herons like to swallow their food whole, but that can be a problem!  I don't know if this one was successful or not. I was quite a distance away, using my zoom lens at its limit, and lost sight of it. They really blend in with the grey rocks.

Have a wonderful week-end!

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Sky Watch Friday, February 20, 2015

Saturday, February 14, 2015, Ballard Park, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

Last Saturday was a beautiful day with an afternoon temperature of 65F (18C).



A great day to take the kids to the playground.


Two days later (Monday) we were blasted by freezing rain!  Though the sun is shining again, yesterday's early morning temperature was 13F (-10C). 

Whatever your weather, I hope you have a wonderful week-end!

To check out the weather around the world, visit Sky Watch Friday:  Click Here!


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Water Fowl, February 17-18, 2015

ABC Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Water World Wednesday

ABC Wednesday
F is for feathers.
There are two basic types of feathers. Down Feathers are underneath the outer Vaned Feathers.  Feathers insulate birds from water and cold temperatures.  Wing and tail feathers control flight.  Down feathers may be plucked by female birds to line their nests.

Last Saturday was so sunny and mild, this Muscovy Duck (semi-tame) decided it was a good day for a bath.
I watched it for about five minutes as it splashed and preened.

Afterwards it came on shore to dry its feathers.  You will notice there are a lot of down feathers on the ground.

Wild Bird Wednesday
Mallard, the most common duck in the world.

Hen and Drake

Mallard ducks can be found in ponds, lakes, and marshes across the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.  One source I consulted informed me that Mallards are considered to be an invasive species in New Zealand because they breed with the native New Zealand ducks.

The male is more colorful than the female, but she is very pretty with each brown feather tipped in light tan.

Mallard ducks eat a variety of water plants, worms, snails, and insects.  The female lays 8-10 pale green eggs in a nest made of grass and downy feathers hidden in marsh grass or a brush pile near the shore.  When three or four months old, the young ducks' wings are developed enough for them to begin flying.

Outdoor Wednesday and Water World Wednesday

February 14, 2015, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

The white bark of the Sycamore tree makes a nice contrast to the evergreen Pine trees behind it.  Hopefully, by mid-March the Sycamore and other deciduous trees will begin to leaf out again.

Have a beautiful day!

For more F photos, visit ABC Wednesday:  Click Here!

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For more photos of water, visit Water World Wednesday:  Click Here!



NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day February 2015

Northeast Mississippi, US zone 7

Daffodils, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

Hellebores, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

And thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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Red-Shouldered Hawk, February 14, 2015

near Baldwyn, Mississippi, USA, February 3, 2015

I think this a Red-Shouldered Hawk.  The parasite plant growing on the tree is Mistletoe.

Though this photo is blurry, I like seeing the spread of wing and tail feathers.

Have a Beautiful Day!

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Winter Sky, February 13, 2015

Brice's Crossroads, Thursday, February 12, 2015

Northeast Mississippi's weather: cold and very windy
Even though Robins are on the move northward and early Spring flowers are cautiously poking up their heads, this week's weather reminded us that it is still Winter!

 Have a wonderful week-end!

To check out the weather around the world, visit Sky Watch Friday:  Click Here!

Woodpeckers for WBW, February 10-11, 2015

ABC Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Wild Bird Wednesday

ABC Wednesday
E is for Eagle's Nest?


February 2, 2015

I think this is an eagle's nest high atop this electric power structure.  I have not seen eagles in this area so I could be wrong.  The birds I usually see here are Gulls and Herons, but I've never seen their nests up so high.  This power structure is mounted on top of a dam, so is higher than it looks.


If it is not an eagle's nest, well then, E is for electric power!
NOTE:  Thanks to blogging friends helping with ID, I think this is actually an Osprey nest.

Outdoor Wednesday 



Rocks and driftwood alongside Pickwick Lake, Colbert county, Alabama, USA, February 7, 2015

Last Saturday was such a beautiful, sunny day we decided to drive over into Alabama to walk at  
Pickwick Lake (created by a dam across the Tennessee River). It is a very popular recreation area, especially in the Summer, but it is quiet and peaceful now in the Winter. This is looking north towards the main part of the river.

 

 

Looking south, waves created by the wind are more noticeable.

 

Wild Bird Wednesday

Female Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, February 6, 2015

The year-around range of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker covers most of the eastern United States. When Winters are severe in the northern states, woodpeckers will migrate south. Since they cling to tree trunks and limbs, the small patch of reddish feathers low on their bellies is seldom seen.

female, Red-Bellied Woodpecker

The female came to my suet feeder first, ate as much as she wanted, and then moved aside for the male.

female, Red-Bellied Woodpecker

She perched above the feeder and watched him eat.  In the Spring she will lay 4 or 5 white eggs in a tree cavity.  Both parents incubate the eggs, taking turns on the nest.  Fledglings leave the nest 24-26 days after hatching.

Male Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, February 6, 2015

Woodpeckers eat large numbers of tree-boring beetles as well as other insect pests. They also like acorns and wild fruit.  You can attract them in the Winter by hanging suet feeders.  The ones I buy have sunflower seeds, cracked corn, chopped peanuts, and raisins imbedded in the suet.

male, Red-Bellied Woodpecker

In case you are wondering why this bird is not named Red-Headed Woodpecker, there is another woodpecker whose red feathers completely cover its head, face, neck, and throat down to its shoulders. Hopefully, one day I'll get a photo of a Red-Headed Woodpecker.

Have a wonderful day!

For more photos featuring the letter E, visit ABC Wednesday: Click Here!

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Please visit My Life's Journey in Focus for Water World Wednesday:  Click Here!

 

First Daffodils, February 9, 2015

First Daffodil bloom, February 9, 2015, sunny, but windy, 52F.

Spring is coming!

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American Robins, February 7, 2015

American Robin, Turdus migratorius, Lee county, Mississippi, USA, January 30, 2015

 

Because of its red breast, the American Robin was named after the European Robin, though they are not closely related. 

 

They eat earthworms, grasshoppers, crickets, moths, cicadas, beetles, caterpillars, weevils, termites, ants, fruit, and berries.

 

Their breeding range covers most of the United States and Canada.  They usually raise two broods a year. Sometimes in the winter and early spring, we see flocks of Robins in open fields.  I saw this flock of about 25 birds in a large cemetery.

Have a wonderful week-end!

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Squirrel's Playground, February 5-6, 2015

Good Fences and Sky Watch Friday

Good Fences

This fence is between City Park and a residential area in Booneville, Mississippi, USA. 
Just an ordinary weathered wood fence...



Until you see it as the squirrel's playground!

Ready, Set, Jump!

 

 Every time we go to the park, we see squirrels on the fence!

 

Sky Watch Friday

Bridge at Maud, Alabama, USA, February 2, 2015



Our weather has alternated between sunny and cloudy this week, but always cold with temperatures below freezing at night.

Have a wonderful day!

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Big Hill Pond State Park, February 3-4, 2015

Outdoor Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, ABC Wednesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Big Hill Pond State Park is on Highway 57 between Ramer and Pocahontas, Tennessee, USA.  When my husband and I were there (January 29th) the weather was pleasantly cool with partly cloudy skies.

The trail we chose to walk wound around and down a steep hill.  Actually we went down several steep hills!  (And, of course, we had to hike back up them, too).

We saw lots of ferns growing between the rocks, mushrooms on fallen trees, and patches of moss all along the way.

After about 20 minutes we came to the boardwalk that stretches eight-tenths of a mile across Dismal Swamp.  We walked across and then turned back the way we came.  Next time we will walk the other end of the trail.  (Both ends of the trail come together at the same trailhead where visitors park their cars).

Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum

Many of the trees growing in the swamp are Bald Cypress.  They can be identified by their rough exfoliating bark and knobby 'knees.'  In the Autumn their leaves turn golden orange before they fall.

Cypress knees (Cypress tree roots)

Cypress trees survive the soggy wet conditions by growing some of their roots aboveground. These roots are called knees.  I was startled to see that some of them seem to have faces!

Wild Bird Wednesday

White-Throated Sparrow, Big Hill Pond State Park, January 29, 2015

The White-Throated Sparrow is a Winter visitor across the southeastern United States.  It will return to Canada or the extreme northern US to raise its young.  My bird book tells me that their song sounds like they are saying 'Sweet Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada.'  Isn't it interesting how birds can fluff up their feathers to conserve body heat?

ABC Wednesday
D is for Deer

White-Tailed Deer, Big Hill Pond State Park, January 29, 2015

As we were leaving the park, we saw a half-dozen deer.  This one stood her ground while the others bounded off.  Then, quick as a flash, she was gone, too! 

It was an exhilarating day!  My latest blood tests show that my Leukemia is still in remission (Praise God!), but my red blood count is still too low (anemia).  I feel well and have a good appetite.  The walk at Big Hill Pond State Park was the most strenuous walking that I have been able to do.  Going down the trail was just a matter of being careful not to slip and fall.  Hiking back uphill was the challenging part!

Have a wonderful day!

For more outdoor photos, visit A Southern Daydreamer:  Click Here!

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