Red bellied Woodpecker in Bird Alley

As I have noticed several reported sightings in the province of Red-bellied Woodpeckers this fall, I was wondering when our turn would be? It was yesterday, (Nov. 9th) when my husband looking out the window said, "there it is!" To my query of what?, He replied , "A red-bellied woodpecker". It was peering in my neighbour's window and I clicked its picture on the window sill.
What a beautiful bird!. Its head colour was so vibrant. After our first sighting it came to our trees in Bird Alley. It looked so beautiful as I framed the woodpecker in my camera lens, but my camera wouldn't work. My battery needed changing.Of course by the time I had replaced the battery, the woodpecker was gone! Today I shall be watching from my window for its arrival. A sighting of a Red-bellied Woodpecker is not a common occurrence in our province most years. However now and then, as is the case this year and in 2004 there has/ had been an irruption of these birds. Following are the contents of a post of mine I had created during the 2004 season:
Red-bellied Woodpeckers in 2004
This morning, while checking back on bird sightings on December 1st for other years, I came across notes and pictures I had recorded regarding the irruption of Red-bellied Woodpeckers into the province during the fall of 2004. Listed as a 'migrant, rare but annual' by the NB Bird Records Committee the Red-bellied Wood pecker is not a frequent sighting but in 2004 they seemed to be everywhere. At our feeders we had a Red-bellied show up on Oct 31st
and my last recording of its presence that year was on December 18th; this was a very pleasurable sighting to see on most days during that period. I have not seen a Red-bellied Woodpecker since December 2004 with the exception of our sighting yesterday. This morning we put out a suet feeder and yes, the woodpecker likes feeding on suet. It didn't take the woodpecker long to find it. , The two pictures directly above were taken in 2004. The Woodpecker picture below was taken at our feeders in Bird Alley this morning!

Fall Beauty for Mellow Yellow Monday

seen aboveWirral Falls. The rapid descent of water fills the pool underneath the yellow awning of leaves. creating a scene of peace and tranquility.To better appreciate the beauty please click on the photo to enlarge. Yellow bushes under the power lines at Vesper. A beautiful fall colour capture at a place with a beautiful sounding name:Vesper

A golden morning of colour reflecting in the North Oromocto River near the falls.
more of the same as the same location as above.
A colourful reflection in the Saint John River at fictional' Haventon', a place which was introduced in my daughter's Riel Nason's novel, The Town That Drowned.http://www.rielnason.com/


Got pictures with yellow? Why not post them on the mellow yellow Monday meme by connecting to this link. http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/ Or You can click on its icon found on this page in the right column by finding it by scrolling down this page. If your plan is not to post a photo, then perhaps you will just want to enjoy all of the yellow contributions posted there.

A group of Canadas still around

I have seen so few birds recently that I was delighted to see this group of Canada Geese yesterday. I think they are so beautiful to look at and I just love their name!

Nature' s creativity for Thursday's Challenge

This is an old, favourite photo of mine. This stunning creative work of nature of the intricately woven Spider web combined with the morning dew condensed upon the web with the background of coloured leaves was indeed inspiring.

I caught a glimpse
of nature's jewels
beaded on a web so fine
these translucent crystals
these watery orbs
their transitory beauty was mine!

Thursday Challenge is a meme which offers a different theme each week. This week's theme is wooden. To join in on the fun you can find this meme at:http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

P is for Pileated Woodpecker for ABC Wednesday round 9

This latge, noisy bird is always exciting to see!
And one day I saw not only one, not only two but three all together on the trunk of a tree! What an exciting sighting this was!
As fascinating as this large woodpecker is, almost equally as delightful is the finding of a tree which bears evidence of Pileateds having been feeding on.. . The oblong holes in the tree trunk shown above were made by PIleated Woodpeckers having been feeding there.
ABCWednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt. Each week a different letter is featured. It goes in alphabetical order and next week is the letter 'o'.. If you would like to contribute to ABC Wednesday , you may do so by locating the meme here:http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

A full fabric moon for mellow yellow monday

glilding through the sky on her broomy air craft,

This seasonal lady of Hallow e'en night
uses the light from a full yellow bewitching moon to guide her flight.
I created this witchy decoration several years ago to hang on my grade 4 classroom wall, now in recent years it adorns my home hanging in a window on Halloween nights.

A Happy Halloween to all. May your night be one of amusement while greeting all of the delightful dressed visitors to your door and may it be trick free.
Got pictures with yellow? Why not post them on the mellow yellow Monday meme by connecting to this link. http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/ Or You can click on its icon found on this page in the right column by finding it by scrolling down this page. If your plan is not to post a photo, then perhaps you will just want to enjoy all of the yellow contributions posted there.

Oh No! our first Snow!

The snow didn't amount to much Thank Goodness!, Just a soft covering which sent me searching through my archives to find this poem written by me a few years ago. Its a quilting poem.

Needles of pine quilt a soft warm blanket using
hushed hues of faded browns and yawning yellows
as Autumn prepares its winter bed

Northern vagabonds of wind and snow
whistle a warning lullaby of winter's approach
and Autumn falls asleep upon a soft white pillow

Winter stay away, you are not welcome here!

An October Walk in the Woods

For now the trails and paths are clear in the woods but soon, possibly this weekend the ground will be covered with snow, I hope not as I feel it is too soon to have to encounter and deal with the cold and slippert footing that often accompanies the winter season.
Have a good weekend everyone! Ann

Jupiter for Skywatch Friday

This photo of Jupiter with two moons was taken by my son Davis in a late September or early October night sky. a great capture Davis!

A happy day for everyone and have a great weekend please.
Skywatch Friday is a long standing meme where sky views from all over the world are posted at:
http://skyley.blogspot.com/Why not participate as we

Finding Canada Geese

Finally after not having driven for a couple if months I ventured out this morning in my car and drove to my favourite pond where, as I had expected , it was full of Canada geese! What a lovely sighting it was! I shall make this trip many more times in the next few days and perhaps I will chance upon some of these magnificent geese closer to the highway and my camera lens. Happy Birding everyone!

N is for Nuthatches for ABC Wednesday round#9

Its always exciting for me to see a little nuthatch feeding from the feeders we have in our trees just outside our living room windows. In recent years it has been the red-breasted nuthatch that we have seen most frequently. Maybe a white-breasted Nuthatch will show up sometimes this year. There are two nuthatch species which I see and their naming relates to the colour of their breasts; the red-breasted nuthatch and the white breasted nuthatch.. In the pictures included you can probably decide which is which by observation. I have not seen any nuthatches recently. These photos are from my photo archives.

ABCWednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt. Each week a different letter is featured. It goes in alphabetical order and next week is the letter 'o'.. If you would like to contribute to ABC Wednesday , you may do so by locating the meme here:http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Red Maple Leaves for Ruby Tuesday

We have two old, tall maples alongside our driveway. Our housewas built in 1905. I wonder if these maples could possibly be as old as our house?These maples are taller than our house and they celebrate the season well with their colourful foliage.Another seasonal marker is our Hallow e'en flag hanging from our upper deck. amid the red maple leaves.
Got photos with red? Why not share them by posting them to
Ruby Tuesday. To find this delightful red focused meme, please click here.http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

A Garter snake in the grass for mellow yellow Monday

Wow! I love this picture! No, I'm not a lover of snakes, but my son Davis took this picture and sent it to me. Davis, this is a magnificent photo! Thank You for sharing with us. Researching a bit this morning about garter snakes I have discovered that a garter snake is sometimes called a ribbon snake. Do you see the ribbon strips on this snake's body? Garter snakes are often black with yellow like this one is.

Got pictures with yellow? Why not post them on the mellow yellow Monday meme by connecting to this link. http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/ Or You can click on its icon found on this page in the right column by finding it by scrolling down this page. If your plan is not to post a photo, then perhaps you will just want to enjoy all of the yellow contributions posted there.

Rosy red apples for Ruby Tuesday

Yesterday gave my husband my camera and asked him to take a picture of something red for a Ruby Tuesday post. he did a fine job of taking this picture of our neighbors apple trees.

Got photos with red? Why not share them by posting them to
Ruby Tuesday. To find this delightful red focused meme, please click here.http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

A Golden Harvest for mellow yellow Monday

I like having a small garden each year, this year ||I have a golden harvest of zucchini
Their colour is beautiful! when "I saw the seed packet in a store in the spring with the name Gold Rush |I just knew I had to have them! Their harvest met all of my expectations!Another golden harvest our family is enjoying tremendously is the publication of my daughter's novel. The Town That Drowned
?You may get a glimpse of this novels content by viewing its book trailor found at this url
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGyfVRzUFoM for more information about my daughter Riel's novel please click on this link to go to hrt book blog at http://www.rielnason.com/

Got pictures with yellow? Why not post them on the mellow yellow Monday meme by connecting to this link. http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/ Or You can click on its icon found on this page in the right column by finding it by scrollind down this page. If your plan is not to post a photo, then perhaps you will justwant to enjoy all of the yellow contributions posted there.

A Robin's Feast

Today's photos were taken by my husband David. Thanks David.

Heron Refections for weekend reflections

These two wonderful pictures which show reflections of a great blue heron in a pond were taken by my son `Davis.
Davis and His family are wonderfu1lly nature orientated and their backyard is very close to forest trails and two freshwater ponds
My grandson David in the foreground is delighted with this view of a great blue heron. Thanks for your permission to use your great pictures Davis/

http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com/is a meme where you can view beautiful reflections captured by others. Just click on the logo on the right to see what others have captured with their cameras

Hello Fall

This post is a little late I know but I have not been getting around much lately. Some of you have probably read this before as it is my yearly habit to post this ever since I wrote it in 2000

Hello Fall

You're back early this year
or does it just seem that way to me?
I've seen the advance notices of your coming

The leaving of the Hummingbirds
an early Junco in Bird Alley the other day
Song Sparrows foraging about in foliage tunnels
of undergrowth in overgrown corners of the bower

Autumn winds whisper change
as they energize the tall summer grasses
and damselflies cling and sway
to ancient choreographed rhythms

The woods and roadsides are scattered with Asters
beautiful blues accenting the late summer Goldenrod
and fluttering Cabbage Whites and Common Yellows
flit about in the afternoon sun with programmed purpose

My garden is full of mature colour
deep yellows and pinks of Coneflowers
vibrant reds of Bee Balm and Celosia
and sky blue Morning Glories

As the process of regeneration begins anew
seed pods filled with determination for next year's renewal
are replacing blooms on annuals
and blossoms fade as somber browns emerge

Our neighbor's apple trees fringing our back yard
message enticement with their rosy ripeness
while baby turtles tunnel their way to the surface
from egg filled nests laid during warm June days

Frogs now grown
bask in the strong afternoon sun
and acknowledge my presence with 'bleeps'
as they leap into the tranquil pond waters

Encroaching early evening darkness
proclaims a departure of long summer days
and the reds and yellows and oranges of turning leaves
trumpet your return....

Welcome back!