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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

This and that from the U.P.: Birds and Flowers!!

Today's theme?

Birds and flowers!

Luckily, I have plenty of both where I live
and
I really enjoy both, too.



A patch of Vinca Minor...
I was lucky.
When we built  our house, they were growing wild in a patch by our trees, so of course I kept them!:



They are electric blue/purple in color.
Here is a closeup:




This one is a bit blurry, and I wasn't going to keep it.
But I did, because I do not know what kind of bird it is..
and I am relying on my blogger friends to help me figure it out!
I think it is a female, but I am not sure...
HELP ME???
What kind of bird is this cutie?:




And I WAIT....(impatiently!)
EVERY.
YEAR.
For my beloved Trilliums to burst forward from the forest floor.
They are protected wildflowers in Michigan.
I just love them:
(When they get old and are about to die, they turn pinkish purple. I will have more shots of them in future posts).


One day...
I was downstairs on my computer (imagine that!?)
and my husband hollered for me to come upstairs...STAT!
He sounded very excited!
Either he had won the lotto or something else (good) was happening.

He had spied a bright TANGERINE colored bird in the trees....
We had never seen that colored bird here,
EVER.
So I grabbed my camera to help me identify it.
He was only in the yard a total of about 60 seconds.....
I had to take the pictures through a window, so they aren't crystal clear...
but I wanted to share them with you.
I THINK this is an Oriole (which we NEVER have here).
Am I right?:
(Isn't he ADORABLE??? And LOOK at that red blush along its breast with the tangerine color! WOW!)



I was SHAKING, trying to make sure I got his photo before he flew away!:
He was one of the prettiest birds we have ever seen grace our yard!





I was smitten as soon as I saw his coloring!
But when I saw his chubby little body
and that impish face???
Well, it was definitely
love at first sight:
I hope my fellow bloggers can confirm for me that he is an Oriole? Is he a Baltimore Oriole?



We were also graced with four Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, but they
only stayed for about three weeks, and we have not seen them since:

I am so grateful that these beautiful birds took a rest stop in our yard.

I wonder if they knew
how thrilled we were to see them?

(They were probably saying to each other: "What is the big deal with that lady flying around inside her house to get that camera out? Gheesh, we can't even eat or hang out with out the Papparazzi trying to capture us!
Get a life, people!")

That's okay...
I don't mind stalking them.

It is a LOT more fun than following movie stars or rock stars around.

To ME,
the birds ARE rock stars!



26 comments:

Alan Burnett said...

Beautiful, vibrant colours. And as for the tangerine bird - what can I say?

Unknown said...

wow! The bird photos are amazing! So beautiful, and such close ups! wonderful job!

Sara said...

Pretty sure the tangerine is a Baltimore Oriole! Have seen quite a few here in NYC.

Brian Miller said...

i do believe he is an oriole...i spent a few years in baltimore so...that blue purple flowers are gorgeous as well...hope you have a wonderful day!

rainfield61 said...

Your birds are colurful and beautiful.

CiCi said...

You and your husband sound like my hubby and me. We yell to the other one to come look too. We haven't been able to get any good shots of birds yet. Your photos are amazing even if you think they are not clear enough, they are great.

faye said...

I've only been following the
birds for a year.. so I am
not the best authority, but
the first bird looks a little like a white crowned sparrow........ and the orange bird is definitely a male Baltimore Oriole....
we had a pair at Lake Wauberg
earlier this year.
they are so beautiful.
Great captures !!

Ann said...

Beautiful birds. I had a red bird keep flying down to see if I filled the bird feeder, then she'd go back up into the tree. I also have some blue jays around and boy do they make a lot of noise.

J.J. in L.A. said...

LOVE the birdie pics!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Beautiful shots, Joan... That is a White-crowned Sparrow I think and the other is definitely a male Baltimore Oriole.

Gorgeous flowers also. Love the Vinca Minor.
Hugs,
Betsy

Shelley said...

Glad you got the Oriole! Wonderful shots! They usually hang up in the tall tops of trees and are hard to get photos of! Loved the flower shots too!

The Retired One said...

Alan: Thanks so much!

Eva: thanks, Eva! I love seeing all the birds out there.

Sara: Thanks, I was soooo thrilled to see that one. He has never been back here since!

Brian: Thanks for confirming the oriole..we were so glad to see him..he hasn't been back since that photo..darn!

Rainfield: Thanks! They change here, depending on the seasons...some visit only for a few days and we never see their kind again!

Technobabe:Thanks so much for the vote of confidence in my shooting abilities. ha

Faye: A white crowned sparrow? I will look that up in our bird books, thanks so much!

Ann: yes, our bluejays are noisy too. ha

JJ: thanks so much, I am glad you liked them.

Betsy: I will look up what a white crowned sparrow does and where they live and learn more about them...thanks so much..you are also the third person to say it was an oriole..I am so excited..it is the one and only one we have ever seen..he hasn't come back either.

Shelley: thanks..we have never seen one in person before, so we were pretty excited!

Bernie said...

I agree with Betsy, that first one is a Sparrow and then the pretty one is an Oriole. Bet you didn't think I would know this did ya..LOL

Hope you are doing well sweetie, sending big hugs......:-)

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

They are all such pretty birds! That Oriole is just too cute. We don't see any of those birds here.
We just planted our first trillium here, it's one leaf so far. Hopefully one day it will have as many flowers as the one in your picture do.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

Gorgeous birds - I have never seen an oriole, so beautiful. Can completely understand why you were so excited. I love the vinca too - such a pretty shade of blue. A

Ginnymo said...

I love wild flowers. I think they are prettier than planted ones. I remember when we were up there in the UP and my ex told me that some of the flowers could not be picked.
That little bird is beautiful!! I have never seen one up close like that. And I have only spotted a Red Breasted Grosbeak around here a couple times in all the years I've been here. I'm not good at names of birds so can't help you. Great photos!!

Mike said...

I always know when I come here that I am going to see some extraordinary photos!

Biana said...

Seems like you've got a wonderful garden! Really great photos, such a pretty bird. Sorry can't confirm it, I have zero knowledge of birdnames. But you did capture him beautifully!

Diane AZ said...

Thank you for sharing your sweet flowers and colorful birds, they are all new to me. :)

Pat Tillett said...

Beautiful colors! Both the flowers and the bird! I've never seen an oriole in "real" life...
awesome!

The Retired One said...

Bernie: Do you have Orioles in Canada? We have never seen one before here, but I understand others have before, but they are still rare sightings here.

Catherine: Yes, they grow all over the forest floor, but only in certain forest areas...others have none.

Strawberry: I had never seen one before this, other than in pictures. I was ecstatic!

James: Thanks so much!

Ginnymo: yes, they are protected, and I am glad, because when you see them on the forest floor, they are quite spectacular. If they let everyone dig them up, they would be extinct in the wild, I am sure.

Otin: Awww, thanks Otin...what a nice thing to say!

Biana: Thanks! I wish I would have had a little clearer of a shot, but he was moving quickly and erratically so I had to aim and shoot and pray for the best. ha

Diane: As Arizona wildlife and flowers are to me...I want to go there and capture some pictures...I hope to go west and southwest over the next few years to go photo shopping. ha

Pat: That is how I felt when I saw him. ha I couldn't believe that he was real.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Great bird shots! That vinca minor is stunning..I wish we could grow it here..instead we have creeping charlie..not even close! Looked like an Oriole to me, we have them for just a few days in the early spring..I think they go to Canada:)

SquirrelQueen said...

You have so many little birds that I don't see in our area. I'm glad someone identified them because I had no idea. The Oriole is adorable, what a sweet little face he has.

Maria said...

You are so lucky! We put out some suet to attract some birds and we got rats along with some brownish birds and woodpeckers so we had to stop feeding the birdies. I was bummed. Especially after my husband insisted we had to get the rats...when all was said and done he had caught and killed 8 rats. I felt bad even though I know they are filthy animals. At least our humming bird feeders are still in tact! I also love the trillium. I just planted a couple in the back yard hoping they might find a recurring home amongst my prymadalis and ivy. Your photos are so compelling but the comments are an added treat! Thanks, Joan!

RNSANE said...

All your pictures are wonderful. I, too, would be elated to see that little cutie with his fluffed out tangerine breast/chest - he's adorable ( has to be a guy since
he's so colorful - now how is that fair??? ).

I like the little trilliums, too...I wonder if they are protected everywhere. Can't they be planted in your yard or do they need the shaded forest and that type of soil only?

The Retired One said...

Far Side: then, we must have seen the Oriole on his flight to Canada..we live right across Lake Superior from Canada..he must have been eating seed to power up to fly over the lake.ha

SquirrelQueen: I loved his face too..and omg, that tangerine color was gorgeous in person! Just striking!

Maria: Can you hang the seed so that the rats can't climb the poles? Bird watching has been so much fun...I just started doing it when I retired and love it!

RNSane: I guess I have seen a few people who "transplanted" some Trilliums from somewhere and they did grow in their yard..but supposedly if they are seen in your garden you can be questioned by the DNR because they are supposed to be protected where they are in the forest and not removed.

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I retired in June 2008 and started my blog in November 2008. I worked at several jobs as a Registered Nurse prior to retirement. I LOVE being retired! Blogging has offered me a whole new venue to start writing again and to share new hobbies such as gardening, birdwatching and sharing my nature photography. If you like my blog, PLEASE click on "follow this blog". Having a lot of followers reading my blog gives me incentive to continue to do photography and to continue to write. I also LOVE comments, so I encourage you to leave me a comment after you read my posts. Thanks everyone, for taking the time to read me!!

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