Wordless Wednesday Wings

Wednesday Wings The Beautiful but Elusive Hooded Oriole

This is the third Spring that we've had a Hooded Oriole pair return to our hummingbird feeders. They arrive with a bang - you can't miss their raucous call! Yet, despite the fact that they always announce their presence, they're very shy, and leave at the slightest disturbance. I can't blame them, but it's made getting good photos of them a definite challenge. I've only been able to try from inside through a window. So far, these two shots are about the best I've taken. Not the greatest, but they show how gorgeous these birds are:-)

Mrs. Hooded Oriole

We take the guards off a couple of the feeder slots to give them easier access. I think that's part of what's kept them coming back. We're so happy to have them! They're a definite bright spot around here. They'll be here for a little while, nesting and such, then move on again. In the meantime, I'll keep practicing sneaking up on these wonderfully vibrant visitors, and getting some outside shots (fingers crossing!).

Mr. Hooded Oriole

If you're interested in more info about Hooded Orioles, check out All About Birds, a wonderful bird id site! You can even listen to their song. It's a lot prettier than the noise they make when they land at our feeders, but I love that sound, too - it always makes me smile:-)

Blue and Gold Wildflowers!

Continuing on with my flower addiction, here are some of my recent wildflower photos. We've had an amazing amount of rain this winter/spring, and I'm already seeing more of some species than in past years. I still have a gazillion photos to go through, but if you're a flower addict, too, I hope you enjoy these blue and gold beauties:-)

"Face the Sun", these sunflowers bloom year-round here. They get a bit raggedy looking in winter, but they keep going. They're always a joyful bright spot in the landscape:-)

"Blue Beauties", Baby Blue Eyes, Nemophilia menziesii, a native California wildflower. I love these little beauties, and have spotted more patches of them this year than in the past - yay!

"Poppy Perfect", poppies are the best flowers to catch the light going through them! They glow from within, and are so gorgeous:-)

"Sun Seeker", Common Fiddlenecks, Amsinckia menziesii (another Cali native), are just about the 1st wildflowers to start blooming here, and light up the hillsides.

"Simply Blue", another Baby Blue Eyes flower - such a soft, delicate beauty:-)

"Light Dancers", and more poppies in the light:-)

Blossoms!

If pink and white flower blossoms are your favorite, then this is the post for you! It doesn't seem to matter how many photos I take of these beauties, I can't get enough:-) This first photo was actually taken by my mom, Nancy, and edited by me. She realized she could see a different perspective from where she was sitting in the car, said how good her view was, and so I handed her the camera. She was right - look at this gorgeous view, and what a great photo!

"Pink Path"

"Pink Think"

"Pretty Pink Petals"

"Light Up"

"Soft and Bright"

"Delicate"

"Reach Out"

"Bright Beauty"

"Clouds of Pink"

"White Light"

Bees!

I have lots of new photos to share, have been taking way more than I can keep up with, lol! Starting with just a few bees, though, because I love them so much. Plus, while they might make some people nervous, when I'm in an orchard or around flowers with the sound of bees buzzing in the air, it just feels like I'm surrounded by the most wonderful energy:-) As you probably know, honey bees are in crisis right now, so plant lots of flowers and garden organically to attract them to your garden - bee prepared to bee mesmerized;-)

"Embrace"

"Bee-lieve!"

"Don't Let Go!"

"Eye Spy"

"Bee Ballet"

I don't think I've ever shared any bee wisdom or medicine on my blog. I've researched them on several sites - here are just a few of the traits they represent:

*Accomplishing the impossible - looking at the bees above, hanging on determined to get their pollen; they prove you can reach your goals:-) Also, the way bees are built, they shouldn't be able to fly, but they do.
*Be productive without overdoing it, remember to "savor the honey of life". Also, are you actually working and being productive, or just being busy?
*Bees show the value of working as a community.
*Enjoy the sweetness of life.
And, two of several traits from my favorite quick reference site Animal Spirits:
*Prosperity
*Understanding female warrior energy

These photos are of honey bees and Anthophora urbana (I believe, but if not, please let me know). All are available in our shops (which the photos link to), because I bee-lieve I'm not alone in my love of bees:-)

"I Wanna be a Cowboy"

Well, okay, not really;-) Last Saturday, though, we took a drive, and stumbled upon a big round-up/branding gathering on our favorite road. We stopped, I asked if I could take photos, and was told yes. So, parked, hopped out, and got to see our first-ever real-life round-up. It was so cool! The action took place in a fairly small pen with a tall fence around it, not the greatest for photos, but at least we got to see it and I got some fun shots.


Yes, it can be a bit harsh (which is why no branding photos here), but to me, it was so great to see this lifestyle still in existence - especially here in California. Plus, though they may eventually head to market, the calves up in the foothills still have much happier lives than the ones down here in the factory dairy farms (veal crates, anyone?). The foothill calves get to stay with their mothers until weaning age, and enjoy freedom and green grass for a while. They get to be cows.






It was really awesome to see all of the cowboys at work! I've seen reining and roping in the show ring, and have to say that the real thing makes you appreciate just how hard it is to rope and wrangle a calf. It was a great trip back into the past, and I hope you enjoy this short photo journey into being a cowboy for a day:-)

Goodbye, January

Dear January,

I know I've missed the whole month with you on my blog. However, January, you've been so dull and grey, I just wanted you to be done. So long, farewell to the foggiest, dreariest, wettest January since we've lived here.

Here's to sunnier times ahead, and prettier days!

A cheerful farewell,
Erica

P.S. Despite the dreary weather, there actually were some bright spots in January which I will share soon:-) And, yes, that's a rare sighting of the sun in my photo.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you and yours are enjoying a wonderful holiday season!!! No "white Christmas" here, but the hills are coming alive with green:-) This photo was taken yesterday, and this first deer we've seen in the entire time we've been taking drives on our foothill road - perfect timing!

Hummingbirds!

Well, once again, it's been too long! So, I decided to remedy that by doing a post of some of my hummingbird pictures taken over the past few months. Despite one really cold snap, it seems like we still have more hanging around than normal for this time of year. Yesterday, I counted ten around the feeders - not nearly as many as a couple months ago, but they're still emptying the small feeder once a day. So glad to have them, and I love being able to share my photo addiction with you:-) All are Anna's Hummingbirds, the one species that we do have year-round here. Hope you enjoy!

"Attention!" Sometimes, the males' heads are almost magenta like this, other times they have a deeper maroon with gold highlights like the next pic depending on the light when they flash. It's always gorgeous to see:-)

"Shine!"

"Ta da!" Female Anna's - I always seem to share photos of the males, but the females are lovely, too, don't you think?

"Ascension"

"Hello Down There!"

"Bat Bird" - I've done this before, shouldn't work, but it does in a weird way. On camera flash at dusk, so ISO 400, and shutter speed was just 200. This is one of the few times flash eye isn't bad, lol!

"Proud!"

"Up Close and Personal" - bad background, but he's so close and detailed:-)

"Target Locked!" - My favorite hummingbird photo this year, just because it's a shot I've never gotten before. It usually winds up as a blur. This photo even made it to the front page of Etsy in a Treasury a while back:-)

"Bottoms Up!" - Bye for now!