"Free As A Bird"

The waning (Thanks Luna!) moon had been very visible the last few days. I took this photo a few mornings ago.
Love the miniature iris's. I have some planted too but they are a little later then these ones.
We popped up to Proctor House a few days ago and noticed 6 or 7 Turkey Vultures sitting on the roof. As we walked by they just peered down at us.
An Osprey was flying over the house the other day in big, wide circles.
Gorgeous clouds. I still stand each evening and stare at the sky for a few minutes.
Silly squirrel!
This little guy has been stopping by lately.
I found this pile of feathers in the backyard. I don't know what kind of bird (s) they are from.
Last Fall our neighbour Merv gave me a tiny plant. He had grown it from a seed from a large plant he has had for many years. His Mother sent/gave him the seeds many years ago. She lived on an island off of Africa. I can't remember what the plant is called but it has started to flower.
I do have a soft spot for red tulips. My Dad had a large patch in our backyard. Once every Spring he would cut each one of us kids a bunch we would then take to our teachers.
Finally managed a photo of the Cowbirds.
They ate side by side for a few seconds.
Everyone usually scatters when he comes to the feeder.
I was sitting in the living room reading when a gang of Seagulls came strolling down the street. They stopped at each lawn, nibbled for a minute or so and then moved on. It was interesting to watch.
Magnolia coming out! I was so happy to see this!
The new guy. He is someone's pet as most of the time he is wearing a collar. He goes through them as I notice he has different ones on. He stopped by early this morning for breakfast with a red one on. A half hour later it was gone!
Chuck and I were eating breakfast this morning and heard a commotion outside. A squirrel ran by the deck door with "the new guy" hot on his tail. I suspect is the reason for the pile of feathers in the backyard.

After a cool week it looks like we will finally be getting some Spring-like temperatures.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Robin

Comments

  1. Cats are funny with collars. Timothy looks so cute in one, but I felt like since he is always going to be inside he shouldn't have to wear it.
    Aw, the cardinal is lovely. I wish they would wing their way west.
    Happy weekend, Robin!

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    1. Hi Pom Pom, I grew up with two cats that went outdoors their whole life so I was accustomed to cats with collars. After 30+ years of having indoor cats I find it does look funny to see a kitty with a collar. thankfully a few of the visiting kitties do wear them.
      I imagine you have many lovely birds in your area too.
      Enjoy your week!

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  2. Such a pretty cat posing for you! We lived in a home that had a "turret" on top. One night, we kept hearing a strange, loud noise. I opened up the window and stuck my head out to "shoo" off whatever it was. Turns out it was the mating call of turkey vultures that were sitting on the turret above me! They swooped at my head and their wing span was huge! Oooohhh - yuk! I love the irises and that African bloom is so unique. From where I sit to blog, I can watch the sun set each night. I sure enjoyed your pretty pictures this afternoon...the birds, squirrels, and the red tulips and the memory of your dad sending a bunch to your teacher.

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    1. Hi Mildred, he was posing for me. He is so young, zipping around all the time I just managed to get that one photo.
      Your story about the turkey vulture is great. They are such creepy looking birds!
      How lovely you can see the sunset while you sit and blog.
      Glad you enjoyed my photos.
      Take care.

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  3. Wonderful photos, I'd be hard-pressed to pic a favourite.

    The new visiting cat is going through tags too! At least he has a home with humans who care enough to keep collaring and tagging him, even if they do let him out. Microchipping probably would be less costly in the long run, the way he seems to lose them. He has a really sweet face. :-)

    I haven't seen magnolias ready to bloom yet, not outside our work building anyway. Maybe in certain protected "pockets" around town. I've not seen any tulips in bloom yet, either. I always took lilacs in to my class teacher in June (in elementary school years). Some years it would be touch and go as to whether they'd actually be IN bloom in late June! I can remember being amazed when we first moved to Halifax and would have lilacs in May, about a month earlier than in Gaspé.

    The plant that Merv gave you has such a pretty flower! I wonder what it is.

    I bet my boys would have a field day with those feathers! Every now and again I'll find one I like and bring it back to them.

    Those turkey vultures would have given me a bit of a creepy feeling, 7 in one spot like that. I'd be thinking of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," even though I don't think the movie had turkey vultures!

    Enjoy the late afternoon sunshine -- it's finally cleared up here! Take care. :-)

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    1. Hi Kim, If I can ever catch "the new guy" for a moment and read the phone number on his collar I would phone his owners just to see where he belongs. Don't know how he manages to shed these collars so quickly.
      If must have been quite a shock the difference in plants from Gaspe to Halifax. I remember driving out east one October. It was frigid and snowing in Edmonton, New Brunswick and 7 hours later in Halifax it was gorgeous and in the 50's.
      The turkey vultures were a little scary. It was early in the morning and no one was around so extra creepy!
      I will find out from Merv what the flower is called. He told me twice but you know me!
      Another gorgeous day here today. Hope you got out and enjoyed it.
      Talk soon!

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  4. Oh and what a lovely place that Proctor House must be! So lovely to have old homes, preserved in some way.

    Oh that African flower! How exciting. Is it inside? It would be amazing,if an African plant, could be happy, so far north.

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    1. Hi Luna, Proctor House is gorgeous! Kim and I toured it back in October.
      The African flower/plant is inside. It is only about 8 inches high. I don't know if it would like to Summer outside. I would have to ask Merv.

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  5. Oh I must have lost my first comment. -chuckle-

    I had said that the moon is still waning. You took a beautiful picture of it. All your pics are beautiful. You are so lucky to get a cardinal photo. I can't.

    and that naughty kitty. You think he killed all those birds! -sigh- Always kept our cats inside. But I know, many people believe they have to roam free.

    Oh and I showed your black squirrel pic, to my husband. He didn't "believe" it is a squirrel! LOL I assured him, it is. You have black ones up there. Unlike us, with only gray and red. :-)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks for letting me know the moon is waning not waxing.
      I had started to notice feathers in the backyard the last month or so. And that coincides with "the new guy" coming to visit. I always kept our cats inside too or on a halter and leash outside.
      We definitely have black squirrels here, they are very common. We have the grey and red ones too.
      Have a wonderful week!

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  6. Hello, Pretty irises. I love the cute kitty, the feather could be from a hawk too. Great variety of birds. The moon shot is beautiful! I would like to have a magnolia in my yard, they are so pretty. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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    1. Hi Eileen, I have seen hawks flying over so it could very well be hawk feathers.
      I would love a magnolia in my yard too. But we have so many in our neighbourhood so plenty of them to admire.
      Have a good week!

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  7. Great pics....Is that a black squirrel? I saw one of those on a show the other day but I was not aware of them at all. Very nice post!

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    1. Hi Pam, yes we have black squirrels here, plenty of them! I am surprised the number of people who have never seen them.
      Take care and enjoy your Sunday!

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  8. Your pictures are so pretty!! I love the miniature Iris. I've never seen them before. We have those vultures around too. They look a little scary!

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    1. Hi Henny, thanks for your kind words. My neighbour gave me some miniature Iris last Fall and I am anxiously waiting for them to bloom.
      Turkey Vultures are creepy!
      Have a great Sunday!

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  9. The miniature iris color is lovely.
    At first I thought the black squirrel was a cat!
    I have a couple of those same bird feeders. They are so nice and easy to clean.

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    1. Hi Karen. I do love the miniature iris colour too. They are only about 4 or 5 inches high.
      When I first looked out the window and saw the squirrel hanging over the fence I thought it was a small cat too
      Those bird feeders are great. They hold lots of seed and I like the biggish tray underneath to catch the bird seed.
      Have a wonderful day!

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  10. Love the turkey vultures on the rooftop. I could see that as part of an eerie story. Lol. The new kitty is handsome. He is keeping someone busy doling out collars!

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    1. Hi Marcie, It was a little scary taking the photos of the turkey vultures. I went closer up and they all just hung over the roof and stared down at me. I toodled off pretty quickly!
      I hope "the new guys" owners buy collars by the case!
      Take care.

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  11. I really, really like your picture of the waning moon. The irises are so pretty! I like the bloom on the plant from Merv. How neat that it came originally from Africa. That's a nice memory about red tulips. I bet your teachers were happy to receive them. That is too funny about the kitty who goes through so many collars. He sure is a cutie. Those evening clouds are gorgeous!

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    1. Hi Vicki, the waning moon shot was pure luck. My camera decided to work that morning!
      The bloom on the plant from Merv is only about an inch across. I WILL find out the name of it!
      The teachers always seemed happy to receive the tulips. Do kids even take their teachers flowers anymore??
      The new guy is very sweet and quite chatty. He comes here first thing in the morning and inhales a bowl of food. Typical teenager! (I think he is around 6 or 7 months)
      Have a great Sunday!

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  12. The new guy is pretty handsome.

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    1. Hi Dee, he is a sweetheart and seems to get along with the rest of the crew. Punkin and him seem to hang out together.
      Take care.

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  13. Another beautiful photo journal, Robin. Thank you for sharing. 'New Guy' looks the picture of teenage energy.

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    1. Thanks so much! You are right. The new guy is full of beans. I have a rather blurry photo of him leaping in the air for who knows what.
      Enjoy the beautiful weather!

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  14. Outstanding photos. I hope someone knows what that African flower is.

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    1. Hi Mitchell, I will ask Merv what the plant/flower is called. In another lifetime he worked at one of the local nurseries so is a wealth of information. We spent hours together last Fall planting up my gardens with plants from his gardens.
      Have a lovely week!

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  15. Such a wonderful array of photos! Well done! I enjoyed them all!
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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    1. Hi Jenn, glad you enjoyed the photos! A very bird post that's for sure.
      Have a good week!

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  16. that beautiful little kitten doesn't look like a killer.. ha ha.. bob had a cat for many years that he tells me used to kill squirrels, so I know they can... I wonder what the black squirrel is thinking about... to cute... beautiful flowers to... the magnolia is awesome

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    1. Hi Sandra, looks can be deceiving!! Our previous neighbour had the sweetest looking cat but what a killer! Nothing was safe around him. He was very well fed but would kill a bird or squirrel whenever he got the chance.
      I am so happy to see all the flowers blooming. Something you see year round!
      Have a great Sunday!

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  17. What a gorgeous kitten! And I absolutely love the birds and squirrels! Beautiful photos. Thank you so much for sharing.

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    1. Hi Linda, glad you enjoyed all the photos. The new guy is quite the charmer. He loves to chat and has an endless appetite.
      Have a wonderful week and good luck in your search for your cousins.

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  18. Seeing your seagull bought back our dilemma. We have had a pair of seagulls coming to us each morning and again in the evening for a handfull of cat biscuits, we know they are the same pair as the female has a floppy foot, thus we call them Floppy and Sid.
    Our dilemma is that the house next door has been renovated and sold. The old man who lived there before also threw food out for the birds but I don't think the new neighbours are going to be happy about squawking seagulls on their wall. We shall see. Don't want to fall out with them so may have to stop feeding.
    Briony
    x

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    1. Hi Briony, that is quite a dilemma! I think you are right, you just have to wait and see.
      You are so kind to feed them!
      Have a good week.

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  19. Lovely bird photos, and the cats are adorable.

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    1. Hi Linda, glad you liked the photos.
      Wasn't it a lovely weekend?
      Have a good day.

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  20. The idea that the seagulls were going from lawn to lawn on their progressive supper amuses me.
    Guess it doesn't take much!
    Your mini Iris are so lovely. Mine are a dark navy but so far haven't popped up amid all the crocus foliage.
    I love seeing the early morning and late evening skies. Of course the eternal clouds we seem to have make seeing the sky something not to be taken for granted.

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    1. Hi Granny Marigold, I thought it was funny too the way the seagulls went from lawn to lawn. They looked like a gang of thugs casing the neighbourhood!
      You have been having lots of cloudy days haven't you? Although I looked in the Toronto Star in the weather section and it stated we have had 87% more rain than normal for the month of April. No wonder the grass is so green!
      Another advantage of living in a very small town. No large buildings block the view of the skies,
      Take care.

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  21. I always enjoy your photos and want to comment on each one, but... I also like watching the sky, both night and day. Clouds are so interesting. Just this morning there were black birds with a glossy brown head feeding in my yard. I did not know they were cowbirds. This is my first year to feed the birds, so I am still in the Primer Class! :~)

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    1. Hi Chip Butter, it seems there is quite a few of us sky watchers!
      Oh, so glad to hear you are feeding the birds. I have been doing it my whole life.
      Have a wonderful day!

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  22. Beautiful photos, the squirrels tail is so full and fluffy looking. I love the picture of the moon and it's always good to see the birds xx

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    1. Hi Cheryl, the squirrels tail is very fluffy looking, I didn't even notice!
      Glad you enjoyed all the photos.
      Take care.

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  23. We don't have black squirrels here. What a gorgeous critter! So many pretty birds too! Adorable neighbor kitty too.

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    1. I really am surprised how many of you don't have black squirrels. We are overrun with them! I spend way too much time with my camera watching the birds!
      Glad you enjoyed the photos.
      Take care.

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  24. guyz...we zipped past all de burd fotoz two day N just looked at de flowerz.....which R awesum bye de way.......& wavez two ewe new dood !!!! ☺☺♥♥

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    1. I know you wouldn't want to look at the bass turd birds!
      Glad you enjoyed the flowers.
      I will tell the new guy you said hello!
      Take care in Trout Towne!

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  25. Such beautiful sights there as always. I'm so glad you like to take a good long look around and have your camera with you!

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    1. Hi Robin, oh, I think I spend too much time with my camera! But there always seems to be something interesting to take photos of .
      Have a good day!

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  26. Robin, YAY for spring-like temps on the way! I love the "gang of seagulls" phrase. ha ha. Beautiful photos as always. I hope you are having a good week so far! xo Lynn

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    1. Hi Lynn, I spoke too soon! Today, Tuesday, it is cooler and rainy. But by the end of the week it is to warm up.
      Glad you enjoyed the photos!
      Take care.

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