Sunday's Hummers

Zoom!

A female Rufous

Close-up

Another female Rufous.

Wide-eyed.

Looking up.

The male Rufous migrate south much earlier than the females and fledglings.

I haven't seen this guy in several days. I hope he is still around.

Female Anna's -salvia for breakfast.

Male Anna's.

Feisty female Rufous. 

A young Anna's.

I think it is a fledgling.

Male Anna's

Look at him glow!

So many tiny, tiny, tiny feathers.

Saturday's Critters.

I have some unusual critters this week. 

Starting with two BIG bugs!

How big?  Here's my hand for comparison.

Oregon Garter Snake

I had one of Parvati's sleeping tubes on a chair on the front porch.

I thought there was a lump, and when I lifted up the tube, there was a mouse nest.  The next day, all the nest materials had been taken away. 

Chipmunk

And another one.

Gray Squirrel

Wrinkled-nose bunny.

Solo doe.

Doe with twins.

Can you see both babies?

Last of the Series

I've got everything ready to stitch up the last of the "Prairie Birds" - the Bluebirds.

I have seen many different birds this week, but no Bluebirds.

American Robin in the rain.

American Goldfinch - can a bird be any more yellow?

The Chestnut Chickadee adults are darling... 

...but the newly fledged babies are ultra-cute!

"Feed me!"

Pretty sure this is a warbler of some sort.

No sign of baby quail yet.  Just guys...

...and gals strolling along together.

A young Steller's Jay.  

The ubiquitous Band-tailed Pigeons.

I Did It!

Design - "Robin"

Chart - "Prairie Birds"

Designer - The Prairie Schooler

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Fabric - 32 count Wichelt Ocean Kiss linen

Started - 10 October 2018

Completed - 26 June 2019

I think this is a record - longest time I've taken to complete a small!  For the last several weeks this has sat idle - I discovered that I had not used DMC 610 for the nest as charted, and I'd run out of the mystery brown before completing the nest.  So yesterday I got down to business and frogged out the nest.  Today I chose another brown - not DMC 610 and restitched the nest.  I am most pleased with it. And again I give a shout-out to Vicki at ixstitch for giving me the OOP fabric which allowed me to stitch this.

So let's celebrate American Robins. 

A fledgling.

Another fledgling.

Singing up a storm.

Muddy beak.

Iconic pose.

Rainy day.

More singing.

Cutest fledgling ever.

Surveying the landscape.

"You looking at me?"

Profiles in Birdland. 

A Garden Walk

For a blog titled Garden Grumbles, I haven't featured my gardening efforts much in the last year or so. That changes today!  I was late getting started this spring, and have just finished up.  I'll start by showing off the front porch.

The side of the porch that gets morning sun features hostas...

and fuchsias.

The other side gets some afternoon /evening sun and so has some salvias.

It is still shaded enough to have more hostas...

...and yet more hostas supplemented with ferns.

Two big clay pots with red,white and blue anchor the porch steps. 

The back patio has a shaded nook.

The rest of the south-facing back patio is a hummingbird haven - lots of salvias and agastaches.

Orange-themed plants.

A mix of herbs and ornamentals.

Top row of plants should all be hummingbird magnets when them bloom.

See all the soil / mulch on the ground?  The pesky chipmunks 'play' in this plant stand and dig and toss soil everywhere.  Grrrrr! 

Agaves, sedums, lewisias and the like. 

Funky tender succulents that I successfully over-wintered in the green house.  Go me!

Next time I'll feature some of the plants in bloom in the flowerbed that circle the house.