BOO!!

I just hope...

No one's in there!

Somethings just not right...

Waking up to this is not my favorite thing...especially in October!I should have taken down my rain chains yesterday... my little hawthorns forgot to shed their leaves before the snow. Remember that pretty porcupine grass! My buoy bell weights too much to ring... and the birds have to drink slush! I want autumn back!

Introducing Petunia!

If you remember, recently, my friends Deb and Crist lost their beautiful dog Panda after 13 years of loyalty. The English Shepherd is becoming a rare breed in the US, but we found Apple Yard Farm, http://www.hammondenglishshepherds.com/index.html near Albany, only a three hour drive. It was really as if it was meant to be for Petunia to come home with my best friends. There was one puppy left because the order for her was canceled! She is a DOLL and smart and is fitting right in!! Welcome home Petunia...there's no better place for a cow dog!

Preparing for the season ahead

Yesterday a flock of Starlings came by. It was massive. They landed in the trees and bushes behind my house. At one point they all came up in a ball of black and split as a Harrier spooked and chased the pack. They looked like a school of fish evading a barracuda. This shot shows about a third of them as this group dashed south. Can you count them?
Friday I had about 3 bluebirds swing by for a few minutes. They have the sweetest song.

Remembering Summer

Have a great weekend!

Iris

Just some more beautiful fall color!

Leaves and Feathers...

They both fall off, they both grow back!

HELP!

They figured out where I live!!!!

El Dorado and Black Pond

Morgan, Daisy Lu and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather we had yesterday and go to El Dorado Beach Preserve on Lake Ontario. It's about a 20 minute drive from our house.

It's a beautiful place and it just so happens that the North Country Bird Club, which I am a member, founded it many years ago.

The boardwalks are just beautiful.Beautiful reflections. Stunning color. Black Pond. Lake Ontario. We didn't see too many birds but found some hints they've been there... some really big hints!Morgan found a bubbling hole and Daisy found a leaf! You can see Nine Mile Point Nuclear Plant near Oswego, NY. From where Morgan is squatting to the power plant is approximately 22 miles.Back down the sunny trails we could hear a few Black-capped Chickadees talking to each other through the woods. What a good time we had. That sun was just the perfect touch.And a shot of the road for the Fendland Walker.

Porcupine Grass

Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus'

Changes...

Remember these...Well look at them now!! These crab apple trees were given to me by a someone who said..."here...they have pretty flowers". I never knew what they were because for 12 years rabbits and deer would eat them down and they would have to start again each spring. Finally, a few years ago they were able to survive and on the old growth there were a few flowers.

I had no idea they were trying so hard to be crab apple trees. I now have crab apple bushes! They are loaded with beautiful flowers in the spring, crab apples in the summer, and the brightest fall color in the yard.

I've learned a thing or two about protecting plants.

Now where did I leave that tree wrap???

Fall Splendor...

Flame Grass.An autumn garden beauty.

In the Garden...

Flame Grass Miscanthus sinensis 'Purpurascens' These plants are in their second year and first blooming.

When you live in a place where the wind never stops it's always fun to add plants in the garden that play well with it!

These guys are ever moving bringing interest and fun. Their stalks are now turning a bright red orange.

More to come.

Why Guineas....

...are so hard to count!Two heads, four legs, two butts...

three guineas!

Always fun...

I just can't say enough about our new friends. They make us laugh. They are loads of fun.

They are company when we are outside working or playing.

Here's to our Guinea's; they bring joy to our yard!

Aerial Acrobats...

Featuring the skilled Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Hey...look behind you!!!Whew...I'm exhausted!!!

A Lesson in Fall Warblers....

Every year at this time my house becomes a GIANT bird feeder as swarms of flies gather on the sunny sides to warm up and find a nice cozy place to spend the winter. Luckily I have my bug eating warbler friends to put a dent in the number of these parasitic pests. Fall warblers aren't always the easiest birds to identify but since I have two regulars at this time of year I will help you in this task.

Here is the Yellow-rumped Warbler...and here is the Palm Warbler...

Again...the Yellow-rumped warbler......Yellow-rumped... ...Palm Warbler......Palm... HEY!!! How did you get in there!!!! Sorry about that sneaky White-crowned Sparrow trying to steal the show!

Tomorrow a lesson in acrobatics!