2009 Headers

Last year I posted my 2008 Headers and I've decided to make it a tradition so without further adieu...

from newest back...

the very hard to see Eastern Phoebe.A perfect Christmas Header.Alabama Snow.That misty morning.My Pumpkin Header was the first one I went out specifically to make a header photo.Ahh the Gulf Fritillary.A Sunny Sunflower!Alabama scenery.I miss my Hummingbirds!Summer fun with Daisy Lu.Sassafras.Hydrangea.Out my front door.Desperately trying to get a butterfly photo this spring, If I had just waited a week they would sit still for me long enough to get a clear shot!The first photo of our new house about a month before we moved in.Snow Geese overhead at my NY home.Winter fun in Northern NY.I couldn't resist the little mouse tracks.My beautiful sunrise in NY.All these Headers bring back such memories for me it's hard to pick a favorite.

Do you have one?

To all my friends here at Sunny Side Up

Hope you have a happy and wonderfuly bright new year!

Shrike!

The day after Christmas when my husband and I went to Huntsville I saw, just up the road from our house, a quick glimpse of a Loggerhead Shrike dashing off the telephone wire into a tree. Yesterday, Morgan and I went on a mission to see if we could find him.

We nearly FROZE!!!

I didn't take many pictures because as I mentioned, WE WERE ON A MISSION!!

But I couldn't resist taking a picture of Nature's Christmas decorations!We walked past the Guinea neighbor's house and were a bit disappointed because that was where we were expecting to see the Shrike and we had to turn around because our eyes were watering from the biting cold wind.

When we did I saw a flash of Mockingbird colors but I knew that was no Mockingbird!

This was my Shrike and a "life" bird for me. My northern home only produced the Northern Shrike, one of my favorite winter birds.

The Loggerhead loves open fields and shrubby hedgerows with fences to hunt from. Loggerheads eat mice, lizards large bugs and "gulp" small birds. They impale their catch on thorns and barbwire for safe keeping. These next two images are heavily cropped as he kept his distance.On the way home we met a few Bluebirds who chatted to us but didn't pose!It was well worth the runny noses to get our Loggerhead confirmed. For the poem I wrote for my Northern Shrike please click on the title of this post!

Hayes Nature Preserve

My husband and I went to Huntsville the day after Christmas and as we came toward a birding trail that I've been wanted to visit, he asked if I would like to take a quick stop in along our way.

Why...yes! and I just happened to have my camera. It was a very bright morning but I took a few photos to share. Just off the parking area was an impressive bridge doing it's best to keep people from jumping into the waters.We've had lots of rain and the river was high and fast moving.I could hear an Eastern Towhee in the bushes and he popped out just long enough for me to click a quick shot. (Heavily cropped).I think this footbridge was much closer to underwater not long ago.I LOVE the bark of these trees.There are lots of places to sit a spell.And it's very nice of them to label the pretty trees!There are places to throw old fishing line...but this isn't one of them!These bat houses are very much like the ones I want to build for our yard.We only spent a short time here and there is a lot more to see, so come on Debi! I'm ready to go back for a great nature walk!

Clicking on the title of this post will bring you to a web about the park.

There are two spellings used. I'm using the one on the sign to the park.

The Wind Doth Blow....

Today I felt like I was in the ocean, surrounded by a kelp forest, during a tsunami. Ok, this is probably really boring, actually. Sorry about that!!

But before the sun went down I was really scared...now that it's dark...

it doesn't seem quite so bad.

Merry Christmas!