Life Got In the Way

Design - "A Baltimore Bride - Sophia"

Designer- Summer House Stitche Works

Fabric - 28 count Picture This Plus Doubloon Cashel

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 5 November 2015

Completed - 18 January 2016

Life got in the way, so I do not have any bird photos to share today.

I am hoping to be able to get back to it later today.    

Owls and Grosbeaks

Design - "A Baltimore Bride - Sophia"

Designer- Summer House Stitche Works

Fabric - 28 count Picture This Plus Doubloon Cashel

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 5 November 2015

Completed - 18 January 2016  

Saturday night we had two loud juvenile Great Horned Owls close in.  They yell!  It's a loud "Eeeep!" sound.

Sunday morning a small group of Evening Grosbeaks came to the feeders.

Only four birds - two guys and two gals.

For the past three years the number of birds I see in the spring has diminished.

Makes me sad, as they are among my favorite spring birds.

How do you not like the colors and the eyebrow...

...and that beak!

You too Lady!  I like you too!

Just two guys hanging out.

I hoe they decide to stay around for a few days.

Sophia is Finished

Design - "A Baltimore Bride - Sophia"

Designer- Summer House Stitche Works

Fabric - 28 count Picture This Plus Doubloon Cashel

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 5 November 2015

Completed - 18 January 2016 

Love the color of the fabric and the colors used for this design. Sophia is quite the fetching owl I think.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Towhee

Gray Days

Wahoo!  I've finished stitching all the curly-ques and fussy ribbony viney stuff!  Now on to the owl.

January seems to have settled down to be one rainy day after another.

I don't have much action in the front feeders as this hawk takes up residence nearby most days.

The back feeders have a bit more going on.

The finches are well represented with Pine Siskins...

...and a nice assortment of House Finches.

I am drawn to the more colorful males. 

They vary from red, to orange, to yellow.

My neighbor continues to have Gray Jays drop by.

Yes jays!  Here are two with a Flicker.

Being more wooded than I am, she also regularly sees Varied Thrush.

Oregon Coastal Birds

Back to Summer House Stitche Workes' "Sophia".  I am determined to finish up all the fiddly stitching this week so I can start on the owl.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I did manage to do a little bit of birding while at the Oregon Coast.

As might be expected, there were gulls everywhere!

The Yaquina Bay South Jetty proved to be a good spot for birds including Golden-crowned Sparrows... 

...and a White-crowned Sparrow.

The calm waters along the jetty attract many different types of birds.

I got to cross out another "Must-See Bird of the Pacific Northwest" - a Surft Scoter.

The males have very large bills and look like ocean-going clowns. 

I've spent a long time trying to ID this bird. 

I think it is a Brandt's Cormorant.

Here's a Brandt's Cormorant on the jetty.  They have quite a thick muscular neck.

The Glaucous-winged Gulls are one of the three common Oregon coastal gulls.

Winter is the only time one can see a Common Loon in Oregon.

Pretty cool, huh?

I was pretty excited to see a pelican flying along.

And even more excited when I realized there were Brown Pelicans wintering along the jetty. 

Their heads and bills are much more colorful than those of American White Pelicans. 

I was pretty thrilled to add them to my Birding Life List.

Besides the Gray Whales, I was able to see a pair of Harbor Seals in a cove along Yaquina Head.

Love those eyebrows!

So clever how they glide along with their nose up out of the water.

Ah!  That's the life!

Lots of Leaves

I'll bet you'd forgotten I was working on this.  I started in October and then set it aside for a while.  The other day I managed to stitch two more oak leaves.  Now I have some fiddly stitching and then I can stitch the owl.

Considering all the leaves on the ground, this is still a 'seasonal' stitch.

Look there's a rainbow!

A break in the rain at long last, let's take a walk. 

As I said there are leaves everywhere.

Maple leaves. 

And oak leaves.

And we've had enough rain that our seasonal creeks are flowing once again.  Here is the smallest of them in the sunshine.

And here is the same one in the shade.

The rains have brought out all kinds of mushrooms.

And have nurtured the bright green baby Licorice Ferns.

The last of the Cottonwood leaves have fallen.

Now the Hazel catkins reign supreme.

Even our Big Creek has enough water to flow once again.

There are a few 'bright spots' including the last of the blackberries. Or should I say red berries?

And the rose hips glow in the sunshine or rain. 

Rain and leaves - it is November after all!