Hope all of my fellow Floridians are preparing for Hurricane Matthew; Governor Scott just held a news conference and has declared a state of emergency for Florida. The storm is currently a Category 4 and is now moving farther to the west and will possibly make landfall somewhere around the West Palm Beach area as a Cat 3 storm once it gets up this way. We all need to hope for the best but prepare for the worse because it is a very dangerous storm! I'm moving all of my pots and containers to the wooded area in hopes they don't become flying missile's. I've taken our flag in and the patio umbrella. The big table on our pool deck is heavy and should be okay but all the other patio furniture will be sunk in the pool until after the storm has passed. Thankfully I stocked up at the grocery store yesterday, not even thinking we'd be affected by the storm and my husband stopped at Sams club for a few things when he was in Vero Beach yesterday evening. He's going to fill the gas cans later today and we'll both fill the tanks on our vehicles ... the generator is all set to go in case we lose power.

So, for y'all not in Florida ... if you don't see any of us down this way posting for a couple of days (from Thursday onward) it's probably because we have no electricity to get on-line. Stay safe everyone!

Thoughts and prayers for those in Haiti; a poor country that still has not recovered from those devastating 2010 earthquakes.

Ill be sitting with my mother, on the intercoastal in Indialantic, three blocks from the ocean.
Its a high island, and I think the safest place, bar the whole island going under, and I dont think thats going to happen. Im going to stay there even if they close the bridge, which I cant imagine them doing, unless the storm changes more. We used to bring her up here to gainesville, but we always seem to be the one who looses electricity, cant drive for downed trees etc. This time Im just going down.

Northern Mockingbird


Northern Cardinal, male and female

This picture was taken last Saturday morning. The turkey vultures love to roost in this dead tree and sunbath.

That is such a cool photo ... The Turkey Vulture Tree!

A little female Cardinal visited a feeder this evening:

Great bird images everyone!!

Hope everyone in the storms path stays safe.

How many stone-curlews can you see in the photo?

4

I can see two babies (I think) and the adult's body. Are the babies curled up sleeping?

I'm old and with my cataracts I'm only seeing the adult and possibly two youngsters.

I see two babies with stretched necks, one in front and one behind the big one and another baby next to the tree trunk/stump. They must be running around now!

Love the little female cardinal, I have special fondness of them.

Wow, @wildflowers, I can barely see the one next to the tree stump! Good eye!

@gleni, love the babies!!

I was out a few minutes ago and got more pic's of a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Well there are no flies on you. That was right. The babies sleep lying down. It is quite weird. The first time I saw it I thought the babies were dead.

I do see 3 total after a much closer look , the babies do look dead.

I couldn't wait for your reply, Glen so I looked them up, and found out they feed at night, so no wonder the poor little ones are tuckered out in the daytime. They probably blend into the groundcover better sleeping all stretched out like that. But I'd be terrified I'd step on one!

Just this second we had "Bird Drama" outside my window here - a grackle flew into the window right beside me, with a hawk in hot pursuit. Naturally, the hawk then caught the grackle who was understandably stunned. He is now lunch.

Kind of sad, but if the hawk had to catch somebody, I'd prefer it be one of the (many) aggressive and greedy grackles rather than a cardinal or blue jay. The jays are all congregating in the bamboo now, shrieking indignantly.

I wondered why there were so few birds at the feeder today . . . camera's all set up on the tripod, but the drama was over so quickly all I could do was sit and watch.

Great photos, everyone! I keep forgetting to switch to the new thread at the start of each month Been busy with family issues, but I check in when I can.

Two not brilliant photos of birds we don't see too often

Mistle thrush - endangered (RSPB red status) Bigger than the song thrush, likes berries.



Green woodpecker - not endangered, but very shy. They eat only ants, and tend to stay on the ground.

Oh my, I need that green woodpecker! Not only is he beautiful, I am overrun with ants this year and none of our birdies seem to eat them. Worst year I've ever seen for ants, although we always have ants.