Last Day of August

Design - "For Forty Days and Forty Nights"

Chart - "Noah's Guardian Angel"

Designer - Curtis Boehringer

Fabric - 28 count Putty linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 17 August 2015

Completed - 18 August 2015

I think this is my favorite Noah stitch.

Here's an infrequent visitor to my feeders.

 

A Red-Breasted Nuthatch.

He tried out several different feeders.

Including the suet feeder.

Upside down bird.

This is a classic nuthatch pose.

And this is too.

Birds in September

The egret is starting to take shape!

Late August starts changes in the seasonal bird populations.

After just having one Rufous for most of July and August...

...on Saturday morning I counted four!

They must be gathering getting ready to head south.  They do not migrate in groups, each bird makes a solo trip. 

Mostly I see Steller's Jays.

But once in a while a California Scrub Jay comes by.

Saturday morning there were two perched in adjoining tree tops.

Sunday's Hummers

I have a small swarm of hummers.

I counted five at one time Friday morning. 

Four of them were sitting on this fence.

Female Anna's

Female Anna's with pollen on her beak.

Female Anna's

Female Rufous

Female Rufous

Female Anna's

Female Anna's

What are YOU looking at!?

Seasonal Changes

Barry the Buck has undergone a big change since early July when his antler's were incased in 'velvet".  Longer days kicked off a hormone change that lead to rapid neck muscle and antler growth. The "velvet" is covered with blood vessels and nerves and is extremely sensitive.   

 

When the antlers are fully grown, the bone cells die, the velvet dries up and falls off.  We got to see Barry during this transition.  He was a hot mess with strips of velvet hanging down his face and the pedicles (where the antlers attach to the head) a raw and red looking.    

Now the antlers are bony. 

You can see where they attach to his head on this photo.

After the mating period, with the days growing shorter, the buck's testosterone levels will drop and he will shed his antlers.

A Bird-Like Blob

The white blob is beginning to look more like a bird!

 

I've not talked much about the wildfires in this area. There's been a large one to the east burning uncontained for several weeks. Looking at the background of this photo, it was a smoky day.  Fortunately, we've not had many days with poor air quality.  We have now gone 54 days without rain.  

I had a busy little female Downy Woodpecker show up.

She's so much smaller than the Hairy Woodpeckers and the Flickers, but she generally holds her own.

In this series she got to eat undisturbed by other, larger birds.  

Bird on a Boat

Design - "And Noah Opened the Window"

Chart - Leisure Arts "Noah & Friends"

Designer - Jane Chandler 

Fabric - 28 count Antique White linen 

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads 

Started - 4 April 2012

Completed - 16 April 2012 

Can you count them.  All on the left side of the tree. 1...2...3!

Three Acorn Woodpeckers. 

I managed a close up of one of the males.

And here's a female Flicker.

She looks a bit scraggly as she's molting.

Wednesday's Walk

See anything weird / strange? 

Two pine trees - the one on the left is weird / strange.

All of the pine are supposed to be Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine,

But this tree - all of its needle droop.

I'm going to ask a forester what he thinks.

Late August is a time of transition.

And ripe blackberries.

Most plants are past there prime like this Ninebark.

Douglas Spirea

Douglas Spirea - close up

Oak Galls

It's still quite green down by the Big Creek.

Horsetails

Cow's Parsley

We've had more moderate temperatures of late and it is much appreciated!