Here's the latest update on the Bluebird family.  This may be the last post since they will be ready to fly soon I think.

Well, I did take a photo last week but there was absolutely nothing to report on the Bluebird Family.  Just the same five eggs.  But today's a different story.  When I opened to peek in, this is what I found:

I was so happy to find that all five eggs hatched.  In my research, I found that many times not all the eggs survive.  But so far, so good.  I think I may be able to get one more shot in the box but after that it'll be too risky to open since they could fall out.  But I will try to get some shots of their learning to fly.  

Greetings out there,

Well its been about 7 years since my last post!!!!

Welcome back if you're returning.

Last year I remodeled my laundry room and while doing so, I removed all the cute little bird houses I had above the cabinets.  I just took them to the garage and dumped them on a shelf.  A few weeks ago, as I sat on my back porch, as I am doing all the time now, I decided to make yard art by adding my birdhouses to a post that was there holding up a sail for shade.  I was really quite proud of my artist effort.

 And then, this happened:

I've always wanted Bluebirds but they never came. But then they did!  I watched this poor guy trying to get in but only his head would fit.  He flew back and forth all afternoon.  It was obvious that something had to be done to accommodate.  The next morning I went to the local hardware store and was lucky enough to buy the "last" bluebird box!  Now the houses look like this:

In less than 5 minutes after I attached the box, He was in and out several times, checking it out.  Soon there was a second one - obviously his mate.  They continued to go in and out for the remainder of the day.  The next day as they went in and out they were not empty beaked. Twigs and straw were taken in all day.  At times, it was coming out of the hole but they stayed with it.

One Week Later:

Another Week Later: Today May 15

More pictures next week!

The Fisherman

I went outdoors to mow and was just in time to see this heron catch his dinner.  I tried to get as close as possible without spooking him, but he just wouldn't turn toward me.  It looks like maybe the fish du jour was brim.  It was interesting to watch the process.  He had to hold the fish for quit a while and he kept dunking it in the water.  Maybe he was trying to drown it?  

Til next time,

Tweetles,

Sandra

Amazing Colors of the Sea

I am amazed. I can't say anything more!

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Griffith Observatory

It has no feathers, beak, blooms, fur or flowers but I just wanted to include a photo I took of the massive telescope in the Griffith Observatory. I wanted to give particulars about it but I found very little online to share. So until tomorrow,

Tweetles,

Sandra

 

Posted with Blogsy

Cone Flowers

These are Cone Flowers. I have seen them before but not often. They come in a variety of colors and are a showy flower. I'm not very fond of the pink and rust colors together, but they did catch my eye. I think I'll add some to my garden when I return. But I'll try to find yellow.

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra

 

Posted with Blogsy

Orchids

At the Pasadena Arboretum where I visited on Tuesday, there is a tropical area in an enclosed space where the temperature and moisture can be kept perfect for the growth of orchids. It was my favorite section. I have two orchids at home that are hanging by a thread. I'm inspired now to do a better job of caring for them. The orchid blooms last sometimes two months.

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra

 

Posted with Blogsy

An S Car Go on the sidewalk!

Once again on the way to breakfast I encounter a rather odd fellow. Fortunately this one was still in the land of the living. Snails are mollusks because they have shells. I had mistakenly thought that slugs were snails but they are not. Why? Because they don't have shells. Snails have been around since the beginning and have survived because they are so adaptable to their surroundings and don't require a lot of food.

Why do snails leave a trail of slime? You might ask. The secretion of slime helps them to travel over all terrains without injury to their underside. Who knew?

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Weird bug

We're on vacation in LA and I'm hoping to gather some wonderful pictures to share. For today, the only thing so far is this beetle we saw on the sidewalk on the way to breakfast. I haven't seen one like it before. There are over 400,000 species of beetles and more are being discovered. 40% of all insects are beetles. This one is a 10 lined June Bug. Pretty cool to look at. Unfortunately he was deceased.

Til Tomottow, Tweetles,

Sandra

 

Posted with Blogsy

A New Bunny in Town

We have a new bunny hopping around our neighborhood.  Just wanted to share this picture with you.  Isn't he a cutie? And he's not afraid at all!

Tomorrow, I'll be scouting for beautiful things in California.  We've planned a trip to the L.A. Botanical Gardens and the Zoo, so I know I'll find some wonderful things.

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra

Loblolly Bay

The trees in my back yard that I thought were Red Bays, appear to be Loblolly Bay Trees.  Most of us just call them wild magnolias.  They have been particularly beautiful and prolific this year.  So much so that I have to sweep away the fallen blossoms from the bridge every day.  Oh, by the way, this is the same tree that had the clump of bright red leaves a few weeks ago.  You can see it on the June 2 post.  Any way, I digress.  If you notice the leaves, they are identical to the bay leaves in the jar in your pantry.  So my question is, can I substitute one of these nice fresh green leaves for the dried brown ones?  One website said they were poison, but the US Department of Agriculture says they have no toxicity.  So now that I know they aren't poison, I still don't down if I can cook with them.  When I give it a try, I'll let you know.

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,
Sandra

You Gotta Love the Irony!

Last year, I put a reminder on Feathers and Beaks to keep looking up.  But if you want to experience all of Gods beautiful world, you have to look all around.  In our recent drive thru the Everglades I noticed a lush green spot in the water.  I took a few shots and moved on.  Today, while reviewing the pictures, I was taken by the irony of this shot.  I wanted to name it Love God's World, Hate God's World.  How sad it is that we
take for granted all that God put here for us to enjoy by tossing our trash out the window.  A heart shaped leaf or a empty soft drink can...Which do you prefer?

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,
Sandra

Question Answered!

You know how you wonder about things?  Just passing thoughts.  But you never stop to "Google" it or ask anyone who knows.  Well, I've been wondering about something for a long time and I just got the answer.  All around north Florida, you can find beautiful gardens filled with Caladiums.  The colors are so exciting and eye-catching.  Every time I looked at one, I noticed the shape of the leaf and how it was so similar to the Elephant Ear.  Is it a kind of Elephant Ear I wonder.  Well, alas, Caladiums are part of the Elephant Ear Family.  My next door neighbor to the right has huge ones planted at the back of her garden.  The leaves are at least 20 inches long.  The neighbor on the other side gave me some plants a couple years ago.  Its called "Black Magic."  They are quite beautiful and very odd.  Here a picture of how they look.

Some of the others (below) in my garden are beautiful as well.  Caladiums are so great because you plant the bulb and forget about it.  They come up each year, they multiply and its so easy to transplant the new ones.  They love the shade but can tolerate sun.  Bugs don't bother them much.  What more can you ask for?  Especially when they bring such color and beauty!

Til Tomorrow, Stop wondering and look it up!

Tweetles,
Sandra

Bromeliad (cont.)

Last Saturday, I told you about the shock of seeing bromeliads growing in the cypress trees of the Everglades. Well, what I didn't tell you was a rotted limb had fallen into the road with a plant still attached. We stopped and I scooped it up and put it in a paper bag. I have now planted it and am curious to know if it will survive in soil after living on air. I'll keep you updated with photos to see how it progresses. This is 2 days in the ground.  Looks pretty good so far, right?  Its kinda dry but we'll see.

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra

Marshlands of the Everglades

One last shot from the Everglades.  This is the beautiful marshlands.  For miles you can see this breath taking landscape.  It home to snakes, birds, insects, animals and a myriad of vegetation.  What a phenomenal world God made for us.  Everything just works in tandem.  What a shame we don't take better care of it.

Don't forget to look and see what amazing things there are all around you.

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra

Florida Gator (and I don't mean a UF Gator)

I was thinking no trip through the Everglades would be complete without seeing a gator.  We were almost to the end of the 24 miles Loop Road when I saw one.  He was totally undisturbed by our presence.  I would have questioned if he was still among the living except I did see his eye blink.  Or was that a wink? 

Til Tomorrow, Keep Smilin',
Sandra

Umm! Lunch Time

On our drive in the 'Glades, we ran across this guy just enjoying his lunch or perhaps it was just a snack.

This reminds me, I have to go buy groceries.

Later,
Sandra

Glad I live in NORTH Florida

I have to backtrack a bit, to show you one of the "perks" of living in the Keys.  I have only one thing to say - I'm glad our lizards are only a fraction of the size of this fellow.  It was about 15 inches long!  Oh My!

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra

The Everglades

We only stays a day and two night on Duck Key before we headed northwest to Ft. Myers thru the Everglades.  I had never been in the Everglades but my interest had been piqued by the book I'm reading, A Land Remembered, a historical fiction about Florida.  Great book - I highly recommend it.  We opted not to drive on I75 aka Alligator Alley but took a more scenic route.  We went on a very remote road called Loop Road.  We just stopped along the way to watch and enjoy the sites.  Over the next few days, I'll share some of those sites here.

I love seeing things that surprise me.  And this one really did.  The Cypress trees were full of bromeliads.  Not just a few,  but hundreds.  I read that orchids also grow in the swamps there but I didn't see any this time.  My drive through the Everglades was truly beautiful.

Til Tomorrow, Tweetles,

Sandra