Looking for Eagles

Today we went to Oxford for my one week post-op checkup on my eye.   I got a good report!  They said I had 20/20 vision in that eye.  The other one is still recovering from the vitrectomy and we will wait a little while before it gets the cataract surgery.  Just because you have a doctor's appointment, doesn't mean that you can't have a fun day.  We shopped at Wal-Mart and Rebel Music Store, then Jeep suggested we pick up a lunch of Barbecued ribs and trimmings and drive out to Sardis Lake for a picnic!  (He sure knows how to please me!)  On the way he called his son, Doug, who lives in the area for directions.  Doug wanted us  come by there so we ate our picnic in style at his house.  Then we drove out and found the place where Eagles have been spotted.  There is a boardwalk, complete with benches,  through a swampy area below the dam.  We had it all to ourselves, because most everyone else knew it was too cold to be out there looking for Eagles. 

I had my scarf, gloves and ear muffs in the car and I was glad that I did.  I loved being out that like that...just being still and listening to the birds and sounds of Nature.  We saw a couple of woodpeckers but couldn't get a picture.

The picture above was made looking down from the boardwalk at the reflection of a tree and the sky.

I heard a Chickadee's song and barely managed to get this shot before he flew away.

We thought this might be one of the Eagle's nests.  It's way up in a dead looking tree.

We spotted this hawk but he flew just as we saw him, so the picture is not good.

The boardwalk looped around and met the road at a different place and as we walked back to the car we saw this pretty green moss on the bank of the road.  When I said it was pretty, Jeep reminded me that a little while earlier we had seen a car that color in the parking lot and I had said that I didn't like that color!!  Well, not for a car!!

Stopping by the spillway, we were greeted by a zillion gulls.  I think there were two kinds because some were much larger than others.

This one is a Ring-billed Gull.

I thought this was an interesting moss covered old hollow tree by the road.  Looks like a nice hideout for small animals!

Today I'm thankful for a good report on my eye, for a delicious lunch, and for a fun afternoon with my sweetheart.

Today's Birds

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Several Eastern Bluebirds showed up at the water dish this morning.   There were four or five of them I think.

They do not go to the seed feeders but they like the water.  If it had not been so cold, they might have taken a bath.

 

The Bluebirds seemed to almost be fighting over the water.  I liked this shot where I caught two of them in the air.

This one seems to be saying,  "And what are YOU looking at???"

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From where Jeep sits at his HAM Radio/Computer desk,  out the window he can see the bird feeders and is always the first to spot an interesting bird.   This morning he called my attention to this male House Finch perching on the shepherd's crook.    It's so good to have the birds coming back!

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We are beginning to see a few Goldfinch show up here again.    It's about time, we sure haven't had many birds until the weather got cold.

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This morning Jeep spotted this hawk sitting on the wires in down front of our house.  He made several pictures of it through the window and then let me take his camera with the 400 mm lens outside to see if I could get a closer shot.  I eased out, shooting two or three pictures each time I paused as I crept slowly toward him.  I was sure he would fly at any moment.  I managed to walk about half the distance toward him, which I stepped off as 125 steps back to the house as I hurried out of the cold.   I think I made about 40 something shots and this is about the last one.

 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!