My Winter Birds: Gray Jays

Another bird that sticks around all winter is the Gray Jay.  They like the suet, especially when it has peanut butter in it.  They really are quite greedy, and we have been working on ways to keep them from flying off with huge chunks of suet at one time.  They can clean out a feeder quite rapidly!

They are quite friendly and don't mind posing for their photos at all.  However, they come and go so quickly that I have a hard time catching them in flight.  I missed the leading edge here.  If only I had not zoomed in quite so closely.....

My Winter Birds: Chickadees

With winter peeking over our shoulders, we've been busy cleaning up the yard and getting it ready for winter.  As part of the process we've moved the bird feeders back up to the deck.  It's been a busy place as the birds that hang around during the winter have been coming and going.  The Chickadees come all day long and are very friendly.  I think they were posing for me.

The Old Farm

We passed this old barn in Upstate New York last September.    It was one of those drive-by through-the-windshield shootings that turned out a bit blurry.  I really liked the barn but didn't like the blur so I turned it into a painting. 

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Hop on over to Tricia's Barn Charm to see more old barns.

She is celebrating one year of Barn Charm today so give her your best wishes.

Fall Patterns

Over the last few weeks we have been surrounded by the gorgeous colors of Fall.  Things are changing now and Nature has just about completed its preparations for Winter.  Most of the trees have dropped their leaves and created a golden carpet on the ground.

Although there are some flowers still blooming in my yard we are expecting frost and that is about to change.  As I walked around the yard some beautiful patterns were visible. 

The garden is ready for Winter, but I'm not sure I am.....

Mallards

We were down by the river last night, and of course there were a few Mallards hanging out.  Even though they are such a common sight I think they are very pretty ducks.

The male is still mostly in his eclipse plumage but green feathers are showing on top of his head.  Before long he'll be back to the showy plumage that we are all so familiar with.

Dunbar Gardens

When we were in Mt. Vernon in June we visited Dunbar Gardens, which has a couple of old barns on the property.  You can visit their website by clicking HERE.

They sell fresh produce and create gorgeous willow baskets.

The colors of the many bunches of willow branches stacked around are wonderful.

Below is a shot of the barn above taken from the side.

Across the yard is a bigger barn.  It is one of the earlier barns in the area.

The most amazing thing about this barn is the huge stump right inside the door.  There obviously wasn't enough time when the barn was built to dig the stump out, and so it has stayed in the ground for many many years.

The floorboards were likely added later, but they were cut to fit around the stump.  The lighting in the barn wasn't great for photos, and the photo above was using flash while the one below was without flash.

The old beams are typical of an old barn.

Stored inside the barn are more of the willows.

The old wiring is still in the barn, although I imagine it didn't have electricity when it was first built.

The old barn boards with their fading red paint add a lot of character to this old gal.

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Click on the barn below to see more old barns at Barn Charm, hosted by Tricia.

Fall Views

A couple of shots of the Chena River taken Tuesday.....

....with a small plane coming in to land and a  small boat heading out for an evening run.

A view of the airport taken from the University.....

.....and a view of the evening sun on the hills near Fox.

A view of the mountains driving down Nordale Road.....

....and a tree in my yard....

.....as the crane family waved goodbye for the last time.

A Walk Around Creamer's Field

The hills behind Creamer's Field are full of the colors of fall.  They grab your attention when you stop at the field.

They're even more beautiful when geese and cranes fly in front of them.

But then your eyes are drawn back to the ground and the birds in the field.

When you walk around the fields the paths beckon you to explore.

You enter a tunnel of fall colors with golden leaves overhead and under your feet.

You follow to see what's around the next corner.

And everywhere you see fallen leaves.

You find forest inhabitants who are busily preparing for the coming winter, just as the trees are.

You see tall grass that holds next year's seeds.

You pause to admire the play of the sun on the tree leaves.

And you stop and watch the crane families as they progress across the fields in search of more food to fortify them on their flight south.

As you get ready to leave you take one more look at Nature's gorgeous display, knowing just how fleeting it is.....