Royal Bird

Nice Pose.

Nice Pose.

He was tired of posing!

Well, we went to Caddo Valley after church today to get a sandwich and took our camera along with us. Caddo Valley (for those who don't know) is basically an exit off of I-30 rife with gas stations and fast food joints. However, this little area is always filled with a variety of birds, possibly due to its proximity to the Caddo River. Whatever the reason, in a matter of a few minutes I had snapped lots of shots of this Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), which is a flycatcher along with the barn swallow and scissortail below.

Acrobatic Birds

Although I did not get a closeup like I had hoped, these Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) put on quite an aerial show of agility and speed. These guys were constantly in the air catching bugs. Maybe in the future I will get a still, closeup, but until then these shots will have to do.

New Scissortailed flycatcher pics

Amazing tails on these birds. If you have never seen these guys in flight, you are missing a real treat. They look just like kites with their tails streaming in the wind.

The Garden is Growing.

The humming birds have been enjoying the blooming lavender. Maybe I can get a picture of them visiting these flowers, which are right below their feeders.
Debbie published the blue iris plants we have in front, but here are some yellow iris plants in the backyard. I like the blue better.

The strawberries will be ripe soon. I hope I can get to them before the rabbits.

Here is my blackberry and although I can't talk on it or get emails on it, I will be enjoying the taste of it in a few weeks (if the birds don't beat me to it).

Avian Rainbow

Rainbow

Indigo Bunting

What beautiful color combinations God has provided us with in his creations. I was fortunate enough today not only to get a few shots of a new bird, an Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), but to get this bird while eating along side a purple and gold finch. Spectacular. I love my backyard feeders.

Old Crow

Weird eye.
Crows walk funny.

Well, I don't know if I have posted a Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) on this site or not. Here is one that was creeping around our backyard. I always wanted a crow for a pet when I was a kid, but never got one. I know there are lots more crows today than when I was growing up, mainly due to the fact fewer people have gardens. When I was young everyone shot and killed crows to keep them out of the garden, but now you see them everywhere and no one bothers them.

Flock Attack

Grackles are BACK!

Debbie told me yesterday that she filled up all the feeders, but they were empty by the end of the day. Also, the suet I put out was gone and both feeders on the ground. I think I have found the reason. There are benefits and disadvantages to traveling in flocks. The obvious disadvantage is that you always have to share the food; however, the advantage (as seen here) someone is always watching your back.

Brody's View

I just got some new pictures of Brody. He has really grown. We miss him.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Brayden's 1st Easter

Although Easter was kind of a dreary day Tabitha got some before Easter pictures. I added some other pictures from a few other days to create a small spring smilebox.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Wise Old Bird

A wise old owl sat in an oak

The more he saw the less he spoke

The less he spoke the more he heard,

Now wasn't he a wise old bird?

Here is a Barred Owl (Strix varia) that took me by surprise today as he looked calmly down upon me. I got lots of pics from different angles and even caught him blinking (see first pic).

New species pics

Coming home from work I tried to get some pics of a very neat bird called the scissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus). They are very acrobatic and look like kites with their long tails when they are flying around trying to catch bugs. Unfortunately, the pics are kind of fuzzy; it was hard to get very close to them. Maybe, I will get some better pics later on, but for now these will have to do.

Scissor-tail meets bluebird

Debbie's Hummingbirds

Debbie is back at it. She always gets the best hummingbird pics [be sure to click on pics to enlarge]. I can never seem to get such good shots. This time I think she has possibly gotten pics of two different species, which is surprising since the only species we are suppose to have in Arkansas is this ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) shown here. However, be sure to compare this hummingbird with the one in the next blog. Needless to say, the hummers are back from Mexico and Central America and they are hungry so we will have to get out some more feeders for them.

More hummingbirds

Yes, Debbie did get another species of hummingbird. This is a black-chinned hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri). It has been reported from Arkansas before, but rarely. It is common in the west and southwest United States.

New Species

I am now up to 34 different Arkansas species of birds that I have photographed. Here is my latest addition. It is a red-winged blackbird (Agelaius pheoniceus). I can remember this bird always hanging from the cattails around my grandfather's pond. I love to hear its call because even to this day it reminds me of my boyhood days and all the fun I had fishing in that pond. Sorry I could not get a better angle that would have shown the bright red and yellow epaulette.

Easter is on the way

I can tell it is time for Easter when I see these flowers. They always make me think of Easter and fond memories of Clifton, Virginia. These flowers are growing right outside our side door. They are really pretty.

I spent my younger years growing up all over the place, or at least it seems like it. We didn't stay in one place too long. My fondest memories of childhood are of the home we lived in at Clifton, Virginia and the special times we had there. Our family was close and I met my three wonderful brothers when we were living there. I can not see these flowers without thinking of Clifton and the flowers there. We had some like these planted along the side of the house and in the pictures below you can just make out the daffodils planted along the drive way. It was a great place and has left me with many wonderful family memories.

For some reason all family Easter pictures seem to be taken with us facing the sun. We have more of a grimace than a smile.
In case you can't tell this is my sister Sherry, my younger brother Paul, me, and my younger sister Tammy.

Our own Peter Cotton-Tail

Every evening Troy takes Candy out before we go to bed and she and this little rabbit have a stand off. It is almost like the rabbit knows Candy is on a leash and is saying "ha ha can't get me!". We can get as close as a few feet before the rabbit jumps away. He is cute as long as he doesn't eat my strawberries.