I was riding in the back seat as Cleon, our friend Matt, and I drove to the Magnolia Plantation I wrote about in my last blog. As usual, I was scanning the skies for birds – and clouds. I have rediscovered the joy of watching clouds form, reform, and then reform again – constantly changing […]
Even though we were in Charleston, SC in November, the gardens and parks were still beautiful. The weather was balmy – the sky an incredible blue the entire week. We spent a day at the Magnolia Plantation. The house tour was excellent. We did take the nature tram tour but for me, it was disappointing. […]
Unless you live west of the Rockies, you probably have had some experience with Common Grackles. If you have feeders, you know they can arrive in a flock and eat everything in sight. And they can come every single day. If you walk through your favorite tree-filled neighborhood or park in fall, you might experience […]
My favorite birding habitats have always been marshes, swamps, and seashores. And Charleston has all of these. The difficulty is accessing them. Of course, right now, with the federal government closed, federal areas are closed. Gates across access roads are shut and padlocked. But in Charleston and the surrounding areas, it is hard to find […]
Cleon and I are traveling – we will be gone about 2 weeks. Road trip! Our good friend Miles will be taking care of the feeders and bird baths. You will see him most days on the livestream early morning and late afternoon. And as always, Justin will be taking care of the livestream and […]
There is not a lot going on at our livestream camera right now – especially between the hours of 10AM and 3:30PM. However, in early mornings and late afternoons, there are birds eating and taking baths. Also loafing – doves are great loafers. But there is lots going on in our yard. First of all, […]
If you have been viewing the livestream cam on our bird feeders and have not seen anything, maybe you should adjust your viewing time! There is a whole lot going on – just not between 9AM and 4PM. Turn up your volume to enjoy faint, but rather soothing sounds of the night, then click and […]
As you know, Cleon and I live in central Illinois. What you might not know is we have been in a drought since the beginning of July. According to the Illinois State climatologist, the area where we live is on the border between ‘severe’ and ‘extreme’ drought. We are fortunate that our daytime temperatures have […]
Most of us living in the lower 48 states are still in the midst of migration. Here in central Illinois, most of the birds who spend the spring and summer with us have left for their winter homes. One of the exceptions is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Although most hummingbirds are gone, we still have a […]
Cleon will tell you that I am one of those people who just cannot leave well enough alone. And he would be right. It always seems to me that with just a bit of reorganization, something would be so much better! And so once again, I have shuffled things around, reorganized a bit, and added. […]