Another one of my birdhouses.

Rita. Glad your catbirds are back!

Monday morning brought a female wild turkey visiting. These aren't very sharp as I was shooting from inside through the windows. I was afraid I would scare her if I opened the door & went outside.

Ann, it is amazing how pretty it is there at your place. Wild Turkeys. wow.

Thank you Rita. We are enjoying it. And Sat. we were sitting eating lunch off TV trays as the dog jumped off the sofa growling at something in the back yard. Fox just tripping through leisurely. I couldn't get to my camera in time. Then yesterday morn dh got up first. He looked out the front windows & fox was walking past about 15' off the front porch.

You are having such wonderful wildlife.

We have always enjoyed wildlife & it's so nice to get back to it. We had a good bit down south up until about 8 - 10 years ago when things began to get severely built up & then even the doves who used to sit on our back fence & serenade us with their cooing found better places to live.

Rita: I just love those rustic birdhouses and especially the one in that last photo with all the beautiful blooms!!

Ann: Great turkey shots! How fun to see wild turkeys and foxes on your property! We were driving to the fairgrounds this morning to an orchid show; hubby decided to take the back roads instead of I-4 and we saw a wild turkey in a field alongside the road; the first one I've seen in quite awhile! The only wildlife I see around my neighborhood are birds, feral cats, sometimes a raccoon or two in the evening and the occasional sighting of otters in the waterway, and every once in awhile a snake ... eek! I'd love to have land in the country where we could see deer, turkeys, fox, etc. We've talked about buying land a time or two, even recently my husband mentioned that it might be nice ... but then we think at our age maybe it's not such a wise idea to consider.

Ann, I forgot to ask ... where did you live down south? My sister and her family live in Davie (west Lauderdale area) and they are talking about moving north to Sebastian Inlet in Brevard County. They've been in South Fla for many, many years and are more than ready to get out! They do have Doves and a few other birds in their area but not many. I remember before my mom passed eight years ago they had a problem with coyotes down that way! Momi lived in a mobile home park and we'd hear the coyotes howling sometimes at night. A couple of neighbors said their cats were taken by a coyote (one guy apparently witnessed his cat being snatched!) I distinctly remember my younger sister and I standing in moms driveway one night when my older sister was getting in her car to leave and I spotted a coyote in the next yard ... it casually walked down the neighbors driveway (staring at us all the way) and crossed the street into another yard! Another time I was on my mom's glass enclosed porch one night sitting and petting the cat when she all of a sudden got rigid and froze ... then jumped up on the back of the sofa at the window so I had to look; thought maybe a neighborhood cat was out there but it was a coyote and it stood there staring at me through the window. They do look like dogs but their eyes just give me an uneasy feeling. The cat walked along the back of the sofa and that coyote followed along beneath the window watching the cat intently (probably hoping for a meal!) It didn't seem at all frightened of me and finally went on it's way around the side of the house. My sister said all the years she's been down there she never knew they had coyotes ... foxes yes but coyotes really surprised her!

Well, the only photo's I have for today are a Snowy Egret flying by and a Blue Heron in my next door neighbors yard:

Cool photos Lin as always.
Yes, the coyotes seem to be everywhere these days.
We lived in Hobe Sound. We grew up in Jupiter long before it was famous. Back then we got made fun of by living in Jupiter. Blink your eyes & you'll miss it. And it was true. But it was paradise then. "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot". Joni Mitchell

Great pics everyone!

A few days ago DH and I saw a beautiful male Rose Breasted Grosbeak in our yard eating sunflower seeds at the feeder.

He only stayed that day and we haven't seen him since.

The female is beautiful too! We haven't seen her here yet.

The Grosbeaks only migrate here in the Spring and Fall, but the last 2 years, none showed up any time, because of the heat we were having.

The House Wrens are back and singing their wonderful bubbly song!

We have 3 bird houses and we hope the House Wren will build a nest in one of them and the Chickadees build a nest in another one.

Good deal Marilyn.

Maralyn, I love my House Wrens also and always happy when they return each spring.

Ann: Oh, I remember those days when Florida was more pristine ... for years we'd drive down I-95 to visit family and as soon as we hit the Vero Beach area I'd say "Well, we're in Miami" but now it's even worse. So congested that now I get as far as southern Brevard County and say I'm in Miami! After 1992 and Hurricane Andrew's destruction many folks began migrating farther north in the state. Don't get me started on Orlando! I remember the days of driving I-4 from Orlando all way to Tampa and St. Pete on the west coast ... and never seeing another vehicle on the road! That was pre the early 70's and Disney.

Marilyn: on seeing the Rose-breasted Grosbeak ... I hope you get to see more as they migrate north. I've never seen one except in photo's and they are so pretty! I love Wrens; we have the Carolina Wren in these parts and i dearly love their singing! I hope the house wrens find the birdhouses in your garden!

I was out on the back porch about 7:00 this morning having a cup of tea and reading the paper and remembered that I hadn't yet filled the feeders. The Woodpeckers and grackles and blackbirds were beginning to get noisy so I went and got the seed so they could have breakfast and then I just sat and watched the show. There was also a Snowy Egret out back feeding along the waters edge this morning.

Grackle perched on the feeder hook waiting patiently .... and a Red-winged Blackbird found a seed in the grass:


A Red-bellied Woodpecker waited patiently for fresh suet:


The Northern Mockingbirds nest all around here and one seems to perch on the roof edge quite often ... either singing prettily or screeching a defense type call:


Snowy Egret looking for breakfast along the waters edge:


Hope all you Moms have a really Wonderful Mother's Day!

Beautiful pictures Lin. Happy mothers day to all!

I didn't have a natural paradise for backyard birds here. I had to create it. The birdhouse is just next to the serviceberry shrubs. And the birds do love those serviceberries.


The little backyard pond is popular with birds for drinks.


I wanted the edges of my yard to be a woodland edge. Shrubby with good cover and also fruiting shrubs. Plus some bloom for me. I had none of that, I had to create it. But my yard attracts so many birds now that it is here.

Rita, your garden looks like a scenic paradise; beautiful plants!

thank you. I wanted it to be both pretty and attract the backyard songbirds.

Years ago I had the catbirds nesting here in big overgrown multiflora roses. But it was so ugly when not in bloom. Slowly I plulled it all out and planted an array of various shrubs intsead. The poor catbirds were not happy and for those first few years when the shrubs were small they left my yard. I sure did miss them. But the shrubs grew, the catbirds came back and everyone is happy now. They nest somewhere in the shrubs each year and I am happy to have them here.

And really this is just an average size suburban yard.

She plans well.

Thanks. I do have to plan as my yard is not that big and I have a lot of plants here.

Great job on the planning of your garden for the birds, Rita.