A cardinal placemat for Ruby Tuesday.

Bringing nature indoors is a wonderful way to decorate and to extend the pleasure of observing nature. This cardinal picture you might recognize from my header. The cardinal drinking glass I had found at a large flea market this past summer. The bordering fabric used with cardinals flitting about among the trees is called "Fresh Fallen Snow by Chris Lammers and Maywood Studio. This fabric was a delightful gift from my daughter Riel of http://www.quispamsisquilter.blogspot.com/


I'm very happy to hear that you and Jesse both like your birthday present, Davis!!!

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Ruby Tuesday. To find this delightful red focused meme, please click here.http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

Sunrise on the Prairies for Mellow Yellow Monday

A beautiful early morning photo taken by my brother Roger L. R. on the past weekend in the Prairie Province of Alberta. The colour is more than mellow, It is vibrant! Beautiful job Roger.

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.

ITs been a Woodpecker Week in Bird Alley

This morning this delightful little woodpecker showed up in Bird Alley,a male Downy woodpecker. He looks very similar to the male Hairy Woodpecker that came visiting earlier thisweek. I shall now be watching for the female Downy.

Have a great day everyone!

Reflections at Oromocto

Last week I had seen Mallard Ducks in the Oromocto River from Hazen Park in Oromocto. Yesterday I looked again for ducks and found some swimming there in the river. As well as ducks the river contained beautiful reflections of the tree lined shore on the opposite side.
Have a great day everyone. Also this view above was from the same location at Hazen Park. This reflective view of the Burton bridge ,which is just slightly downriver from the park.

Snow in Bird Alley brings birds and deer!

This handsome male Northern Cardinal has found the source of the food in bird alley. Above the cardina lis a new bird feeder which the Blue Jays dominate. As the jays are hastily feeding they are scattering seeds that fall below on the ground. It the snow in its beak is a clue at all, I would observe that thid bird guy knows where the bird food has fallen and he is foraging for a few tender bits and pieces. Now that we know he knows where to feed we will be awaiting his return appearance today.

above: female Hairy Woodpecker

Earlier this week in a previous post I had posted photos of a male Hairy Woodpecker. today its female counterpart arrived, a female Hairy Woodpecker. This gal bird is quite striking in her appearance. Notice her contrasting black and white beauty. Also she is lacking the red at the back of her head which the male Hairy displays. Maybe the little male Downy will show up today also, as it has done previous this week.


American Goldfinch, We now have a passel of them. Previous to the snow I was seeing two a day feeding at the nyger seed feeder. Today I have had up to eight at this feeder.

I also mentioned deer in my title today. We didn't see a deer but the tell tale tracks that it or they? left behind. Howdid it get in? We have fenced our yard so that no deer could get in, but we have been outsmarted! I probably won't get any pictures of them in Bird Alley for it is only overnight while we are sleeping that the make their feeding visits. I kind of miss looking out my window and seeing them.

Our yard birds so far today:
Blue Jays
one female Hairy Woodpecker
Black-capped Chickadees
Mourning Dove
American Goldfinch
one male Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker for Ruby Tuesday

This morning previous to my looking out the window, my question had been " What to post for Ruby Tuesday? and there was my answer in the form of a male Hairy Woodpecker feeding on our peanut feeder.
The red on this bird guy's head is so outstanding at the feeder! Hopefully maybe its minature look alike, a male Downy will show up today as well. I saw one in Bird Alley one day last week.
This bird has such a lovely fat looking little belly! but I don't think its because he's so full of food, rather I think he puffed up because its so cold out this morning. Yes, the cold weather has arrived in Bird Alley. Its - 10 degrees C. I think the C could stand for "cold in Canada" as well as the Celcius temperature reading it represents.

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/

roadside grasses for mellow yellow Monday

These beautiful roadside grasses enticed me to stop the other day to take their picture. Their beautiful eart tones colour presented as a mellow welcome. No longer rosdside wildflowers but instead this fall bouquet of colours waved at me and grasped my attention..

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

Lingering Mallards in the Saint John at Oromocto

The photo above shows two male ducks. The one on the left in the forefront I assume is a male Mallard. The other male with the dark head is maybe a hybrid of a black Duck and a Mallard? Their appearance is a bit confusing to me.

Up , Up And Fly Away

Birds in flight with their wings raised. Its always interesting to capture such performance.

Blue sky over the Hawkshaw bridge for Skywatch Friday

The new Hawkshaw bridge that is, "new" since 1967 after the old Hawkshaw bridge was destroyed. The Hawkshaw bridge crossesthe Saint John River, NB from Pokiok to Nackawic.
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

Red-bellied Woodpecker for Worldbird Wednesday

With a whirl and a twirl and a twist ( edited with the distort sphereize filter feature of photoshop) and a turn this Red-bellied Woodpecker makes a thrust for the bird suet in Bird Alley. It is not that common to see a Red-bellied Woodpecker in our region on a daily basis, but this year there have been many sightings of this woodpecker in our province. and that makes me very happy as they are such beautiful birds to see! Every so many years an irruption of these birds occurs and the last I remember was in 2004.
Got pictures of birds you would like to share? Why not post them on Worldbird Wednesday? http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/To find out how, please scroll down the right hand side of this page until you come to the worldbird logo, click on it and follow the directions from there

Finding red in nature for Ruby Tuesday

One of my most favourite red sighting in nature! A male Northern Cardinal, seen in Bird Alley a week ago. I haven't seen him since. Now and then I see a cardinal outside my window but it is nor an usual sighting here! " Oh Happy Day" Isn't this bird's head beautiful!!!! Not a common sighting for me but it is almost a daily event to see in our feeder area recently as the province is experiencing an irruption of these Red-bellied Woodpeckers.. Lucky us I guess. Now I would love to see a male Pine Grosbeak soon! It must be about time for them to arrive in our cranberry tree .

This red ground cover fascinates me. It is covering a gentle slope that is climbing towards the edge of a wooded area.

A post of red in nature wouldn't be complete without a forested view containing red maples. They are so beautiful!

And a view of the red I hope for every spring. I find a Robin an inspiring sighting any time of year whenever I see one!

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/

Lingering colour in Bird Alley for Mellow Yellow Monday

These yellow leaves along the roadside create an interesting picturesque frame for these Canada geese in the background.
Lovely colourful roadsides are abundant in our rural area.

Seen above is a group of Canada geese feeding in a harvested corn field.Bordering the fields at its edge are some Tamaracks showing their mature yellowing needles.

This is the time of year when the beautiful vibrant fall colours are dinished in their numbers and vividness. Upon looking out my windows at Bird Alley, about the only colour left is the yellow of our wild rose bush highlighting the background




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.

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!