Thankful Thursday, January 31, 2019

Thankful Thursday and Little Things Thursday

Signs of Spring!

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, January 24, 2019

Thankful for signs of Spring - the first Daffodil blooms! Narcissus 'Butter and Eggs'
In case you think it is warm here, at 8:00am this morning it was 26F (-3C)

Have a blessed day!

Let us know what you are thankful for, visit Thankful Thursday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Little Things Thursday: Click Here!

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

American Coots, January 30, 2019

Wild Bird Wednesday and My Corner of the World

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 6, 2019

American Coot, Fulica americana. I could not get photos as good as I would like to have as they were in constant motion, eating something floating on the surface of the water. Their usual diet consists of aquatic plants, insects, snails, and tadpoles.

American Coots can be found across much of North America in freshwater wetlands. Some American Coots migrate and others stay in the same area all year. Here in our part of the southeastern United States they are migratory birds, visiting us only in the Winter.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

For more bird photos, visit Wild Bird Wednesday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit My Corner of the World: Click Here!

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

Pickwick Dam, January 29, 2019

Our World Tuesday, and ABC Wednesday
ABC Wednesday - D is for Dam: a barrier constructed to hold back water

Fishermen along the river walkway, Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 27, 2019

Pickwick Dam is one of nine locks and dams on the Tennessee River that were built for flood control and to generate electricity. Most of the spillways are open now to reduce flooding from recent heavy rainfall upriver. The next dam downriver is Kentucky Dam, and then the Tennessee River flows into the Ohio River.

We often go there birdwatching. This is a Great Blue Heron perched on one of the signs warning boats of the dangerous waters near the dam. Other birds commonly seen at Pickwick are Ducks, Gulls, Coots, Geese, Grebes, Osprey, and (sometimes) White Pelicans. And once we saw a Bald Eagle!

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 27, 2019

On the other side of the dam, this Great Blue Heron prefers the calmer waters of Pickwick Lake. In the Summer the lake is a popular destination for boating and other water-related activities. Pickwick Dam with its lake is about an hour's drive from our house.

Have a wonderful day!

For more on the letter D, visit ABC Wednesday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Our World Tuesday: Click Here!

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

The Barn Collective, January 27, 2019

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, January 3, 2019

A very nice red barn...

And when I followed the road around to the side, there were cows.
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Your bird for today is...

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, January 17, 2019

a Belted Kingfisher!

Have a blessed day!

For more barn photos, visit Tom for The Barn Collective: Click Here!

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

B&W: Trees in the Fog, January 26, 2019

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, December 11, 2018

The fog was so dense that this was almost just black and white in the original photo. The only color was the garbage bin at the base of the tree (it was blue).

(Click on the photo to see it at its best)

Have a wonderful weekend!

For more black and white photos, visit The Weekend in Black and White: Click Here!

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

Willy Nilly Friday, January 25, 2019

Willy Nilly Friday 5, Sky Watch Friday, Weekend Reflections,
and on Saturday, Saturday's Critters, and I'd Rather B Birdin'

1. Full Moon Rising (Sky Watch Friday)

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, January 20, 2019, 5:15pm CST

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2. Good Food!

Baldwyn, Mississippi, USA, January 24, 2019

Our favorite pizza restaurant has a lunch special of a mini pizza and a salad at a very reasonable price. When I ate there Thursday, I had a thin-crust mushroom and cheese pizza and loaded up my salad with colorful vegetables. Delicious!

3. Great Blue Heron (Weekend Reflections)

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, January 21, 2019

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4. Pretty Horse (Saturday's Critters)

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, January 24, 2019

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5. Eastern Bluebird (I'd Rather B Birdin')

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, January 21, 2019

A female Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis.

Have a wonderful day!

For more weather-related photos, visit Sky Watch Friday: Click Here!

For reflection photos, visit Weekend Reflections: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Willy Nilly Friday 5: Click Here!

And on Saturday.
For more animal photos, visit Saturday's Critters: Click Here!

For more bird photos, visit I'd Rather B Birdin': Click Here!

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

Thankful Thursday, January 24, 2019

Thankful Thursday and Little Things Thursday

Great Blue Heron, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, January 21, 2019

 I am thankful for 'grumpy old men' birds that make me smile on these cold Winter days!

It amazes me that birds can draw a leg up completely under their feathers to warm their foot!

Have a blessed day!

Let us know what you are thankful for, visit Thankful Thursday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Little Things Thursday: Click Here!

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

Cardinals in the Winter, January 23, 2019

ABC Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, and My Corner of the World
C is for Cardinal - a North American red bird

Winter plumage, male Northern Cardinal, Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, December 23, 2019

Northern Cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis, in their Winter plumage.

In the Summer, male Cardinals are a solid brilliant red, and only slightly less red in the Winter.

Winter plumage, female Northern Cardinal, Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, December 23, 2019

In the Summer, the female Cardinals have red feathers as accents on their wings and tails, but now in the Winter they are a brownish grey.

If you live in the eastern half of the United States or southeastern Canada, you can attract Cardinals to your yard by offering sunflower seeds.

Have a wonderful day!

For more on the letter C, visit ABC Wednesday: Click Here!

For more bird photos, visit Wild Bird Wednesday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit My Corner of the World: Click Here!

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

The Barn Collective, January 20, 2019

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, January 7, 2019

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Your birds for today are...

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 16, 2019

… Canada Geese taking a nap!

Have a blessed day!

For more barn photos, visit Tom for The Barn Collective: Click Here!

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

B&W: Bridge, January 19, 2019

Decatur, Alabama, USA, December 22, 2018

Bridge across the Tennessee River in northern Alabama

Have a wonderful weekend!

For more black and white photos, visit The Weekend in Black and White: Click Here!

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

Willy Nilly Friday, January 18, 2019

Willy Nilly Friday 5, Sky Watch Friday,
and on Saturday, Saturday's Critters, and I'd Rather B Birdin'

1. A Sunny Day! (Sky Watch Friday)

Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River, Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 16, 2019

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2. The Most Interesting Thing I Have Seen This Week

Savannah, Tennessee, USA, January 16, 2019

A wood carving of an Eagle!

3. What I am Reading

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, January 17, 2019

After a trip to the library earlier this week, I came home with...

"Pulse" by Felix Francis
"Southampton Row" by Anne Perry
"Tool & Die" by Sarah Graves
"The Detective and Mr. Dickens" edited by William J. Palmer

4. Favorite Photo of the Week (Saturday's Critters)

Great Blue Heron, Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 16, 2019

Bird Butt!

5. Northern Mockingbird (I'd Rather B Birdin')

Northern Mockingbird, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, January 5, 2019

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Have a wonderful day!

For more weather-related photos, visit Sky Watch Friday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Willy Nilly Friday 5: Click Here!

and on Saturday, please visit Saturday's Critters and I'd Rather B Birdin'

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

Thankful Thursday, January 17, 2019

Thankful Thursday and Little Things Thursday

The Tennessee River, Hardin County, Tennessee, USA, January 16, 2019

It is raining again today, so I am doubly thankful that we took advantage of yesterday's sunny skies to drive to Savannah, Tennessee!

Have a blessed day!

Let us know what you are thankful for, visit Thankful Thursday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Little Things Thursday: Click Here!

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

Red-tailed Hawk, January 16, 2019

ABC Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, and My Corner of the World
B is for Buteo jamaicensis - Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis, Red-tailed Hawk, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, January 13, 2019

I was very surprised to find him (or her) sitting on a fence post close to the road! As you can guess from its ruffled feathers, there was a strong wind blowing. As an interesting side-note, in Europe Hawks and other birds of the Buteo group are called Buzzards (another B for ABC Wednesday), but Buzzards here in the United States are Vultures.

Have a wonderful day!

For more on the letter B, visit ABC Wednesday: Click Here!

For more bird photos, visit Wild Bird Wednesday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit My Corner of the World: Click Here!

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

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, January 2019

The northeast corner of Mississippi, USA zone 7
When I made these photos yesterday it was cloudy and cold, 38F (3.3C).
We have had a lot of rain, but no snow yet.

Hellebores!   I have had these so long that I don't remember their individual names.

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And a promise of things to come - buds on the Daffodils, Narcissus 

Northern Cardinal in an evergreen Holly Tree, Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, January 5, 2019

Remember, for birdsong in the garden, feed the birds!

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

To see more gardens, visit Carol for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day (the 15th of each month): Click Here!

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

The Barn Collective, January 13, 2019

The Barn Collective and I'd Rather B Birdin'

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, January 7, 2019

Our neighbors raise beef cattle, but of course, there were none near the road when I stopped to get a photo!
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Your bird for today is...

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, January 10, 2019

. . . a Woodpecker at the suet feeder at my house.
I think this is a female Downy Woodpecker, but I am not sure.

Have a blessed day!

For more barn photos, visit Tom for The Barn Collective: Click Here!

For more bird photos, visit Anni at I'd Rather B Birdin': Click Here!

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

B&W: Natural vs. Commercial, January 12, 2019

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 6, 2019

Great Blue Heron in a tree on the banks of the Tennessee River with the paper mill across the river in Counce, Tennessee, in the background. (The trees are bare only because it is Winter).

Have a wonderful weekend!

For more black and white photos, visit The Weekend in Black and White: Click Here!

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

Willy Nilly Friday, January 11, 2019

Willy Nilly Friday 5, Sky Watch Friday
and on Saturday, Saturday's Critters, and I'd Rather B Birdin'

1. A Sunny Day! (Sky Watch Friday)

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 6, 2019

We have had a long string of rainy days, so when Sunday dawned bright and clear we had to get out and go somewhere! We drove up to Pickwick Dam on the Tennessee River to check the water levels and look for birds. Only a few of the spillways were closed; most of them were open to relieve the high water upriver.

There were a few Great Blue Herons fishing in the turbulent water, and we saw a flock of Coots on the other side of the dam.

2. Favorite Photo of the Week (I'd Rather B Birdin')

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 6, 2019

Great Blue Heron: living life on the edge!
If you look closely, you can see that one of the heron's toes is exactly even with the end of the tree limb.

3. Growing Lettuce in the Winter!

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, January 8, 2019

I sowed lettuce seeds in large tubs in September. I did it as an experiment to see how long I could keep them alive during the Winter. I cover them at night when our temperatures are below freezing.

We have had days of milder temperatures with plenty of rain. It encouraged the lettuce to produce enough new leaves for us to have salads earlier this week.

4. Possum in a Pear Tree! (Saturday's Critters)

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, January 8, 2019

When we went outside early Tuesday morning to see why our dog was barking, we found an opossum in a tree just outside our back door!

Our dog settled down after she got our attention, but she was still keeping a close eye on it. We told her what a good girl she was, and petted her, and praised her. We let her keep it treed for about an hour, then we tied her in the front yard so that the opossum could escape back to the woods.

5. Birdwatching is Fun!

female Belted Kingfisher, Lee County, Mississippi, USA, January 3, 2019

I see a bird...

… and the bird sees me!

Have a wonderful weekend!

For more weather-related photos, visit Sky Watch Friday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Willy Nilly Friday 5: Click Here!

And on Saturday,
For more animal photos, visit Saturday's Critters: Click Here!

For more bird photos, visit I'd Rather B Birdin': Click Here!

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

Thankful Thursday, January 10, 2019

Home of the Bearcats: Baldwyn, Mississippi, USA, January 8, 2019

I am thankful for sunny skies!
We have had a lot of grey drizzling rain days; a clear sky is so welcome.
The birds on the water tank are Vultures, but we call them Buzzards (Nature's clean-up crew).

Have a blessed day!

Let us know what you are thankful for, visit Thankful Thursday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Little Things Thursday: Click Here!

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

Great Blue Heron, January 9, 2019

ABC Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, and My Corner of the World
A is for Ardea herodias - Great Blue Heron

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, December 23, 2018

Great Blue Herons, Ardea herodias, are common across much of North America. Look for them wading in shallow water, standing completely still or slowly stalking fish. When their prey is spotted, they strike quickly and swallow the fish whole.

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 6, 2019

And sometimes you may see them up in trees near their favorite fishing spot!

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, January 6, 2019

Ardea herodias, Great Blue Heron: a compact body with a short tail, long legs, long neck, a sharp bill, and powerful wings.

Have a wonderful day!

For more on the letter A, visit ABC Wednesday: Click Here!

For more bird photos, visit Wild Bird Wednesday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit My Corner of then World: Click Here!

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