winter shadows in the woods for Shadow Shot Sunday

Soft winter shadows in the woods create an inviting welcoming scene despite the often harsh cold temperatures. Beauty can be found in many places, even in unwelcome winter.
Below , seen in the early mid morning sun the shadows of the bridge railing are in sharp contrast to the muted soft woods shadows. Happy Shadow Shot Sundayto all on this freezing winter day. The weather forecast for next week of all sunny days does not hold much hope for a favourable report from Mr Groundhog on Tuesday (Feb2nd) He is sure to see his shadow and run for cover, his actions thereby announcing that there will be six more weeks of winter.
To view more post or to post your own shadowy pictures, please find the shadow shot Sunday icon on this page, just click on it and enjoy. Thanks to Drowsy Monkey for hosting this meme.

spottedfor Photo Hunter

The winter plumage of the European Starling displays a dotted or 'spotted'pattern



When thinking of things "spotted", for the theme of the photo hunter meme today this remembered photo of a young spotted fawn immediately came to mind. It had wandered from the woods behind my neighbor's house and was feeding on their lawn. There is a street/highway running past the front of our house and I was afraid if I tried to chase it back towards the woods it might go onto the highway. Luck was with the fawn that day as my neighbour herded it back safely to the woods with no problems. It was such a beautiful little creature and a wonderful photo opportunity.
A sideways view of the spotted breast of a yellow shafted Flicker. Enjoy.
I find the Wood Nymphs each summer along an old dirt roadside at Three Tree Creek. They are so delightful to watch. I must have some ladybugs pictures somewhere, but I will have to do some more searching before I can post them, so maybe later.Also I remember taking pictures of a "Touch-me Not, but ther whereabouts of those photos elude me also.
If you would like to see other 'spotted photo contributions please click on the photo hunter icon found on the lower rigt side of this page or maybe you might post a spotted photo contribution of your own. Have a happy Saturday! Me Ann

Cloudy skies for skywatch Friday

Green Memories for Think Green Thursday

Those of us living in the frigid, white-covered landscapes. we remember green grass, right? Luckily for me I have a few patches of green on my lawn right now that I can lovingly gaze at each day until that awful white stuff starts falling again..

But I have other memories of green hanging over the window of my front door. Several years ago in the early 80's I made a wall hanging , creating leaf templates by running outside in my yard and picking actual leaves from trees and flowers in my yard. then appliqueing the fabric designs I had traced and cut, onto a beige broadcloth background and then embroidering the veins in the leaves and outlining them with coloured embroidery thread. When piecing it all together I used background foliage andfloral designed fabrics which I had purchased at a Salvation Army Thrift store in Toronto in the form of old draperies and/or curtains
. I can date this creation as I created it after we returned home to NB after living in Toronto during the school year of 1980-81

My husband was a teacher (turned student, being on sabbatical leave, for a year). This was a restricted income year for us and our family of three elementary school aged children. We found some great places to shop that year and recycled all of the bottles we could for cash. The word 'memories' is misleading me as I am wandering from my memory filled wall hanging. I can look at the block of oak leaves and remember they were from an oak tree we had planted for our youngest son. The mountain ash leaf is my favorite block and it brings back memories of the many birds that used to feed on its berries in the fall. Each fall large flocks of black and yellow Evening Grosbeaks used to come and stay for a few days until the tree was stripped of all of its berries. Bohemian Waxwings loved these berries of the Mountain Ash too as Robins did also. The maple leaves remind me of the tall, fast growing maple that we had planted at the top of the driveway, and the heart-shaped leaves of the purple violet reminds me of my love of finding this beautiful wild flower in our yard each year in late spring. The large purple leaf is poplar shaped although it looks too big to be one, but we had many of those trees growing on the slight hillside behind our house. I think the smaller yellow leaves might be from our very beautiful flowering crab apple tree that adored our yard in a decorative glorious pink each June when it would blossom. And of course it also attracted its own share of avian feeders. How I wish I had had a digital camera in those days. But all the more reason to enjoy my wall hanging and to savor the green memories that it holds for me and my family. One feature of the wall hanging I have noticed recently, although it was not planned is that the foliage of green leaves of the material I used for backing show through the broadcloth of each block giving the entire project a 'green' theme.

To learn more about Think Green Thursday please click on the green Thursday icon on the right side of thi gage. Thanks to
Michelle of Rambling Woods for hosting this meme. A happy Thursday to all.

A January Thaw for Watery Wednesday

It usually happens every Winter in January, A January Thaw, heavy rains and warmer temperatures heralded its advance this past weekend. Its lifts the spirit and brings that long awaitted season in mind: SPRING!. THERE ARE PATCHES OF GREEN GRASS ON MY LAWN!!!! but no, winter has not gone away. Its just that its feroicity HAS ABATED A BIT. THE MOST NOTICABLE CHANGE IS THE LESSENING OF ITS GRIP ON THR RIVER. I TOOK THESE PHOTOS just a short while ago. I find them inspiring! To see other contributions to the watery Wednesday meme, please scroll up the right hand side of this page until you come to the watery wednesday icon, then click on it to add your contribution to Mr. Linky or to see contributions of others. Hsppy Wednesday to all.

How to start the day for mellow Yellow Monday

If only this were today it would be the perfect beginning of the week. This is an older 'yellow photo. Today we are presented with forecast of a stay at home day with a heavy rainfall warning with ice pellets mixed with freezing rain changing to drizzle this afternoon, rain, heavy at times this evening, with a bit of wind and warming temperatures ( that will be welcome.) I am very eager for spring.!!!We shall have to wait and see what Mr. Groundhog has to say about that next Tuesday (Groundhog Day.)

To see more mellow yellow photos please scroll down the right hand side of this psge until you come to the mellow ywllow icon. click on it to add your own 'yellow themed photo or to enjoy what others are sharing today. Happy Mellow Yellow to all.

fence shadows for Shadow Shot Sunday

A very strong mid-morning sun created this grid of shadow as its strong welcome rays seeped through the through the lattice at the fence top

below: Its shadow is projected onto the snow.Hopefully in a few months time this snowy area will be full of flowers and butterflies.

To learn and see more about shadowshot Sunday, please click on the icon along the right column of thi page. Hsave a Happy Sunday everyone!

an American Goldfinch for camera critters

This feeder bag is just outside my reading room window. I often sit here with a book and my camera and try to catch some close updetails of feeding moments. This little Goldfinch has an attractivegleam in its eye as it feeds here.

Red Crossbills for Ruby Tuesday

This post on Red Crossbills was first posted on January 14, 2009. Today I am reposting it for Ruby Tuesday. To view more posts on this 'red(ruby) related theme, please scroll down the righthand side on this pageand click on the Ruby Tuesday badge or you may want to post your own contribution. My Thanks to Mary for hosting this meme. Happy Ruby Tuesday to all.


It really would be more fun sometimes, when writing posts, to not give away the name of the bird until the picture has been shown and the viewer is trying to guess, "What is it?" But having learned that a simple, naming title works best for those searching for particular species, and also for my own reference too, I always fall back on my ingrained school teacher habits of trying to be clear and specific.
This little bird would have been a fun one to play with for at my first glimpse I wondered initially myself; a male Purple Finch maybe? But I dismissed that right away for I haven't seen any Purple Finches lately and actually Crossbills was a species I have been hoping to see this past while. He, this male Red Crossbill, is not a common sighting to me, but other winters, around this time of year, I have seen them along roadsides before.
I had decided to take a drive into the city yesterday morning to get a couple of needed items high on my priority list; such as brown thread to finish a Starling wall hanging I am working on, and some watercolour supplies, so I can get started on a Bohemian Waxwing painting that I really want to do. Just a few kilometers from home, I almost didn't see this little, bright, red bird until I saw if fly upward suddenly from a clump of slushy build up on the road that had dropped from a car. Taking just a couple of seconds, and a few meters up the road to decide, I knew of course that I would turn and go back to see if I could find it again. Returning to the spot on the road where I had seen it, I scanned the trees and immediately saw its bright, red presence! Then to my great luck, and delight, it flew onto the road again and I was able to quickly snap the photos which I have shown above, through my windshield. Also I saw a second Crossbill, a female, high in the tree when I remembered to check for it. Its pretty obvious that there is quite a difference between the appearance of the male and female. Below is a picture of a female I had taken a couple of years ago.
In the photo of the female above, as well as in the photo of the male Red Crossbill to the left, you can see the 'crossed bill' by which this species gets its name. For more detailed information about this species and the purpose of its crossed bills, an informative webpage can be found at Talk About Wildlife.

Next on my winter list, now that I have found Red Crossbills, I will be on the look out for White-winged Crossbills!

a female red crossbill for mellow yellow Monday

I'm not seeing many interesting birds this winter and so I am enjoying looking back to pictures of other winters' birds stored in my photo archives. I don't see Crossbills often but I'm always watching for them during the winter. This photo is of a female of the Red Crossbills species. I sometimes will chance upon these birds feeding along the roadside. For tomorrow I will post photos of the male 'red' Red Crossbills.
For more photos of a yellow theme today please scroll down my page until you come to the mellow yellow badge. By clicking on it you can view contributions of others or perhaps post something yellow of your own. Happy Monday to all!

ice fishing shacks at Renforth ,N,B, for Scenic Sunday

Sitting on top of the ice these shacks are used for shelter when ice fishing! "Brrrr." I guess you just gotta love fishing!
To view other posts on Scenic Sunday just scroll down and click on the scenic Sunday icon

. Thank you to the hosts os the Scenic Sunday meme.

'Jiggl'y' waves for photo hunter

These Bay of Fundy waves were coming in very full and strong looking today, Maybe they could even be said to look a bit "jiggly

And somtimes jiggly things can spill like these waves did as they hit the beach at

Saints Rest Marsh Beach at the Irving Nature Park at Saint John, N.B.today.

The theme for this week's photo hunt meme is 'jiggly " and after downloading these wave pictures that I had taken today I was taken with their 'fragile jiggly' appearing presentation as theywere approaching the beach. They were noisy too!. Oh for a sunny summer's day in July!
. To learn more about photo hunt, just click on the photo hunt icon on the right hand bar on the page. Good luck photo hunting!

Extending a hand in friendship

male Pine Grosbeak for Ruby Tuesday

No, I haven't seen this species yet this winter although I look every day. The red berries on our high bush cranberry tree are not plentiful this year. The cranberries are what used to attract the Pine Grodbeasks. This is the species that firstattracted me to bird watching. I saw my first on November 10th. 1997. and at that the time my husband encouraged me to buy my first digital camera at that time. I barely knewwhat a digital camera was. It was from that first encounter with a Pine Grosbeak that started me on my way towards bird photography and my passion towards nature photogrsphy began. I do hope I see some Pine Grosbeaks this year! Don't you think this is a handsome bird ?To view other contributions to Ruby Tuesday and to perhasps contribute your oqn juat click on the Ruby Tuesday badge on the right column. Happy Ruby Tuesday to all.

Yellow sky this morning for Mellow Yellow Monday

A hint of bright yellow reflected in my neighbour's windows sent me rushing to my car to see if I might capture it before it disappeared. It wasn't as spectatular as I had hoped but still to start the day with a beautiful bright yellow sky in January is always a great starter. Its cold out there today -12 degrees C!, but no matter, I'm all warmed up now and so is my car.

covered bridge signs for mellow yellow Monday

The yellow signs on the covered bridge ahead make its location really visible.

Driving into the bridge during a storm. One of the reasons for building covered bridges was to protect the wooden flooring of the bridge from damp and rot during winter months.

Inside the bridge." see the wooden floor?" Shelter from the storm

To see other posts featuring yellow, or to post your own please click on the mellow yellow icon on thr righthand side to go to the hosting site. Hapy monday to all.

Scenic Sunday

Approaching Saint John, N.B. from the east. a geometric skyline view.

please click on the oicture to enlarge for nore detail.

Rough-legged hawk in flight

Photos taken at Sheffield, N.B. along highway # 105 on Friday , January,8, 2020

light morph rough-legged hawk

I woke this morning with anticipation , remembering that this day we planned on searching for a Northern Hawk owl that had been seen recently in the Sheffield area. Other years we have often driven to this area along highway #105 which was once the old trans-Canada highway that follows the Saint John River through the riverside communities of Maugerville and Sheffield. I hadn't done much birding recently in this area, although it is a favourite place to visit in the spring looking for migrating duks stopping off along the route somewhere. in the past we have often sighted hawks there; Red-tailed hawks, Northern harriers and Rough-legged hawks, often during the winter months. Our goal today was to see an infrequent visitor to this area, a Northern Hawk Owl, and although we didn't find it. we did find a light phase Rough-legged Hawk. On our return home, having accepted that we just were't going to have any luck today, I spied a hawk in a tree as seen in the first photo above, near the top of what seemed like an apple tree to me., with reaching wide stretched brances in appearance. To get a better photo I stepped out onto the highway shoulder to better aim my telescopic lens. I still have trouble raising it(my camera) and focusing adequately as my left shoulder does not function all that too well as yet. The hawk saw me standing there and was alerted to the possible danger I might pose and so it raised its wings and took off in flight., I really didn't mind as my camera had finally focused onto it,I just kept clicking, and I liked the results in the photo I was able to get as can be seen in the second to the top photo.. We also saw a few small flocks of Snow Buntings, but they were very elusive and I couln't get any photos of them, althouh they were a beautiful sight in a whirlwind sort of white flight whirling above the highway and the adjacent fields. Oh well, another day maybe I'll be able to share Snow Bunting pictures.