H.J. Ruiz – Avian101 – Page 975 – "My Backyard Visitors" – All about birds

Weather, shweather!

It’s been a tough week because of the heat wave that’s hitting upon us. My poor lawn is getting dry patches and is nearly impossible to bear the sun to do any activity outdoors.

Birds are cooling themselves any way they can. I’ve noticed on most birds when they are under high temperatures, the keep their beaks open. At first I thought that they were calling or singing, but paying attention a bit more closely the do not emit any sound. When I deliberately observed this peculiar reaction, I found most birds doing the same, especially when the sun is high above. I imagine that they create some evaporation of saliva and cools off their fragile bodies.

When I work the lawn I get soaked in sweat and I’m panting like a dog! 🙂

I bring you some pictures for today’s blog, including a little visitor that was very the cutest thing when it came to our back door and wasn’t scared. This rabbit is only about 8 inches long, but looks bigger in the photo.

: N. Cardinals playing “tag”

: N. Mockingbird dancing

: Chipping Sparrow

: Female cowbirds at play

: Female Red-winged blackbird in no mood for games

: Cute and funny mini-rabbit

Tags: birding, birds, Brown-Headed Cowbird, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, photos of birds, Red-Winged Blackbird

It’s hot, man!

We are going through a heat wave that it’s very persistent, doing any activity outdoors is simply unbearable. When I mow the lawn and trim bushes etc. I spend a few hours of extreme hard work and I sweat gallons!

My grass is getting burned patches for lack of water, we need rain badly now!I spray water to the plants around my deck and some potted ones but believe me, water is very expensive around here…well, what isn’t these days! 🙂

My electric bill went through the roof last month, besides the 2 repairs to our AC units, over $700 just for labor, the parts were under warranty.

Let’s hope that we get some rain today, last night we got only a thunderstorm, no rain at all.

I got some pictures for you despite the awful heat 🙂

: American Goldfinch

: Common Grackle

: Northern Cardinal (young male)

: Indigo Bunting

: Chipping Sparrow

: Mourning Dove

Tags: American Goldfinch, birds, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Indigo Bunting, Mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, photos of birds

Canada Geese

This morning I wasn’t feeling well, my doctor gave me some medicine and I’m having all kinds of side effects. Anyway, I went outside to the deck and across from my yard were a bunch of Canada Geese. I got my camera and shot some pictures, I had some trouble to focus my vision through the viewfinder (blurred vision). However I got some good enough for posting. I’m sorry if I do not have a story for you today. 😦 .

Here are the pictures:

: Canada Goose

: Canada Geese

: Canada Geese

: Canada Geese

Tags: birding, birds, photos of birds

Gallery of Birds

I have some photos for you of some of my backyard visitors, I don’t have any stories for today. We have a heat wave that makes things harder for me to do my chorus around the house. I also have a ton of work I do in my office and it doesn’t leave me much time to be observing and photographing the birds. However, I did take some that you’ll see today.