Just Fourteen Days Later

Design - "Baubles - August"

Designer - Sam Sarah Design Studio

Fabric -28 count Zweigart Newport natural / cream linen 

Fibers - GAST & WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 2 September 2016

Completed -5 September 2016

The Barn Swallow babies hatched late Sunday August 16th.  Just 14 days later on Saturday the 29th they fledged.  Kind of...

Two of the young birds were able to fly - liked crazy, drunken pilots, but they did fly.  And came back to the ground to rest, like this one... 

...and this one.

The other two also left the nest...

...but were not going to fly.

Instead, they've hung out on the garage floor for the past two days.   

Their parents have been feeding them, so we've left them alone.

As it gets dark, they've flown back up into the nest where they are safe for the night.  I'm hoping they 'find their feathers' on Monday and begin to fly in earnest.

Sunday's Hummers

I still have a good mix of Anna's and Rufous Hummingbirds.

Rufous

Winking?

A pair of Anna's with a Goldfinch.

An Anna's showing a young Cowbird who's 'The Boss'.

Rufous

Stretch!

Anna's

Anna's

Back to Normal

Pretty much everyone has returned after our larger predator sighting a couple of weeks ago.

The chipmunks were the first to come back.

Big dark eyes.

As you can see I've put out breakfast.

And it's well received.

One pair of the twin fawns also showed up.

One looks healthy...

The other has a large growth of some sort.

Barry Buck was among the last to show up.

He is acting more skittish than he had previously.

Friday Finish

Chart - "Chester"

Designer - The Goode Huswife

Fabric - 32 count R & R Daily Grind

Fibers - NSI Silks

Started - 10 September 2015

Completed - 19 August 2020

I originally kitted this up as a stitch in memory of Tom-Cat who passed away in July 2015.  I began working on it, but did not do much.  Then it sat and sat and sat.  I picked it up again about three months ago and was totally taken with the color pallet.  That got me motivated and once I began stitching as the design was revealed bit my bit, I liked it more and more.  Am most pleased with this and hope someday to get it framed.  The only change I made was the color of the whiskers from brown to white.  All my 'tigers' had white whiskers.

I've been watching the Barn Swallow family.

Here are the parents - taking a small break from feeding their youngsters.

The male is on the left, the female on the right.

She has a lighter colored breast than the male.

Two babies...

Three babies...

Opps - there are four babies!

Chico, Harpo, Groucho and Zeppo maybe? 

White Stitch Yellow Bird

Made a small start on the fish...there are nine total.

I had a lovely visitor Wednesday morning.

He literally and figuratively brightened my day.

A male Wilson's Warbler - and I think, the first one I've seen this spring / summer.

Unfortunately he's probably an out-migration bird - passing through on his way south.  Still I was pleased to see him - such a bright yellow.  

Wednesday's Walk

It's a lovely day - sunny and mild.  Off we go.

The flowering currant is heavy with berries.

Douglas Aster is one of the last wildflowers to bloom.

Blue Elderberries.  Wine anyone?

Wild Mint

Osier Dogwood

Osier Dogwood

A wild pea of some sort.

Mullein 

Queen Anne's Lace

Ripening berries on a Hawthorn

Cluster of Blackberries

Teasle

Douglas Fir cones dripping with sap.

A short walk, but a good one. Enjoy the new day.