Tuesday's Update

 

Design - "Backyard Birds"

Designer- La-D-Da

Fabric - 32 count R & R LA-D-Da Brown linen

Fibers - ???

Started - 1 September 2009

Completed -16 September 2009

Just a few photos today.

American Goldfinch

Song Sparrow

Steller's Jay

Nothing is getting by this guy!

Fun Fall Bird

 

Design - "Plum Berry Sampler"

Designer - Bent Creek

Fabric - 32 count Touchstone linen

Fibers - GAST - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 2 February 2001

Completed - 27 February 2001

I'm most pleased to be seeing...

...groups of Cedar Waxwings close in!

This group is a mix of mature and young birds.

The two on the left are mature adults, the two on the right are youngsters.

The adults are very smart-looking.

Something about their frowny face - it looks so stern.

They were very quiet, so I was glad that I noticed them hanging out.

There's lots of elderberry, hawthorn, and blackberries to eat right now. 

Nice contrast of a mature bird and a youngster.  Enjoy!

Lots of Birds

Design - "Spring Basket" (Snippet) 

Designer - Lizzie Kate

Fabric - 28 count Antique Ivory Cashel

Started - 2 May 2004

Completed - 11 May 2004

We have a nice group of yellow tulips in bloom - I'll have to grab a photo.

April is bringing in lots of interesting birds.

The Ravens have returned.

I caught one fleeting glimpse of a male Western Bluebird on the 11th.

I don't know if I'll see any more.  Bluebirds are very erratic for me.

The Bushtits have been very reliable.

And for three days running I had a female Downy Woodpecker.

She's such a little thing.

This morning a male Hairy Woodpecker came by. 

As did a couple of male Acorn Woodpeckers.

What really excites me though, is my observations of two, yes two female Acorn Woodpeckers.  My little flock would grow exponentially if I had two breeding females.

Flickers are no worry.

I often see a pair of birds. 

She had to wait her turn.

Shades of Yellow in High Summer

Design - "Summer Basket"

Designer - Lizzie Kate

Fabric - 28 count Antique Ivory Cashel linen

Fibers - WDW & GAST - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 18 May 2004

Completed - 25 May 2004

The sunflowers are blooming and the farmers' market is still offering fresh strawberries.

On Tuesday and Wednesday wildfire smoke moved in and the sun went from yellow to pinkish / red.  The good news is that we only had two days of poor air quality. Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington have had weeks of air pollution worse than Beijing, China!

So the sun is once again yellow and so are many of the birds.

This male Wilson's Warbler is bright, bright, bright!

And cute, cute, cute.

Most mornings he flits through so quickly I cannot get off a shot...

...but sometimes I get lucky and he poses for a moment.

I've been seeing a female Western Tanager most mornings.

The bird loves blackberries.

And we have lots of blackberries.

Still I thought I was seeing the bird with unusual frequency...

...then I caught a good look at two female Western Tanagers.

That helped to explain why I've been seeing one so often. 

I have not hope of getting a photo of the two birds as they were squabbling.

I will be more than happy to take single portraits!

I have to keep scanning the trees as the birds are rather shy.

It's the flash of yellow that catches my eye.

I wonder if there are any males still in the area.

The "J" and All the Rest

Design - "Black and White Summer Sampler" (kit)

Designer - Heart in Hand

Fabric - 28 count linen

Fibers - WDW & GAST - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 11 June 2018

Completed - 19 June 2018

It took me 19 days to get a finish this month.  I like the monochromatic look of this little sampler. Did any of you notice in my earlier post when I boasted of stitching 26 letters, that I'd only stitched 25 and left off the "j"?  Oops - I caught that near the end of my stitching. 

Now on to the birds...

I think I only have three active Violet-green Swallow nests this year.  The first of the three has babies - I can hear them.

The Tree Swallows are also feeding babies from dawn to dusk.

The female American Goldfinches have spent the past couple of weeks gathering nesting material, only to drop it on the ground when they get to the feeders to eat.  It's still to early for them - they nest in mid-July.

The Lesser Goldfinches have nested and fledged.

The babies continue to beg as that's what newly mature birds do.

I'm not seeing many quail - at the most 3-5.  There are some single males and they have not given up hope - they continue to trumpet their many fine characteristics! 

I have a couple of Purple Finches and a couple of House Finches.  This is a male House Finch.

This is a newly fledged House Finch - she was making quite a ruckus!

And here's the first young American Robin I've seen this year.