March Challenge - Early Signs of Spring

Yesterday I posted the March challenge for early signs of spring..... then tonight my niece calls me and says "the neighbors are back sunning themselves in the window"...... I'm there.  Well last year I walked down to the corner, this year it's freezin' out there..... I drove  

Couldn't figure out how the heck she was laying.... I could see her tail and her face at the same time.

I was there for quite awhile and she never moved, even with me right below the window.

You never know when you might need your brothers butt as a pillow....  then I hooted!!

and they were on the move.  See that hole above the window?  

They disappeared into the hole.  I would love to know how many live in this house.  Okay maybe I don't want to know.

The moon was out while it was still daylight.  Since I was already out in the cold I might as well get that shot too.

Happy early signs of spring month..... what do you see?

Babies

On Sunday Mallory found a Robin's nest with 5 blue eggs in it.  She comes running and tells me to get a picture.  

On Monday John checked the nest to see those 5 blue eggs again and this is what he found.

5 gross little baby birds, of course I had to grab the camera again and get them with their mouths open.  They would all have their mouths open when I walked up but quickly close them and lay down in the nest as Momma bird chirped very loudly in the tree.  

Closer view just in case you didn't see their ugly eyes bulging out of their heads.

And another close view to see the entire body of one of them.  

Nature is simply amazing.

Chickadees and beautiful sky

Today was a beautiful winter day.  It was 35 degrees and the sun was out, if winter could be like this every weekend it would be great.  I was up early, went shopping and back home just as John was getting done with work.  He headed to the woods with the 4 wheeler.  With the nice weather it gave me the itch to paint something so I tried out my new milk paint.  I might not paint with latex ever again.  

The nice weather was calling me outside so I went to the woods for ride on the wheeler.  We bought a new one and it's been almost 2 months and I've never rode on it, it's about time that happens.  

I took a few graham crackers and rice cakes out for the birdies and they were picking on them within 2 minutes.  

On my short drive home I noticed this cloud with a yellow and pink stripe.  The sun must have been reflecting a ring around it and the clouds were picking up the edges of it.  

Here is the sun in relation to the colored clouds.  The cloud is to the far left with the sun flare from my camera settings heading that way in those same colors.  

Then of course since I'm stopped and we have light I need to play with some sun flare.

I hope you enjoyed the warm beautiful day because the weatherman is calling for some cold days this next week.  

Nature Ride

This morning John and I set out for a Jeep ride around the woods.  As he gets out the Jeep and gets the heater warming up I find my boots, jacket and camera.  He comes back and in and says "really you have to take your camera?"  Yep I do!!

He just start on the trail and we see Miss Little Deer standing on the trail.  She's confused at a White Jeep coming towards her in the woods so she just stares at us as we get closer.

I swear she is not frozen or stuffed, she really does move.

I love how she is lit from behind and has a soft glow around her head and neck.

She did wander off the trail and then I seen this huge bird in a tree.  John had to back up cuz he didn't see it.  It is Mrs Partridge, she's all puffed up, there are two in this photo but there were like 7 puffed up balls of feathers total.  

Then I spotted this gal before John.... that is a first usually I can't even see them when he is pointing them out.  

The brush was so thick my camera kept hunting for a focus point and it wasn't ever the deer so I had to switch the lens into manual focusing.  Now I know what hunters mean when they say the brush was to thick to get a good shot at him.  

She had two ladies with her

Can you see all 3 of them in here?

That was it for our nature ride, I was happy with the pictures I got and put my camera away. 

We pull out onto the rode for John to shut the gate and this view is right in front of me.  

I grabbed the camera and took a shot..... remember my lens was in manual focus?   CRAP, crap, crap

Crap again

I got it switched out when the two landed back in the trees.  I thought my photo moment was done.

We drove up to them and the one flew off but Mister Confident stayed to pose.  I was shooting through the Jeep windshield and we got this close, I had my zoom lens on but we are seriously close, I didn't crop these photos at all.

He would stare down at us making eye contact with my camera.

Here I cropped up on this one so you can see how fierce he looks, this is shot through the windshield.

Then I got out of the Jeep and started making movements to shake Mister C out of the tree.  Me and an Eagle with about 20 feet between us.

I shook him out

But he came back in another tree.

I walked right up under the tree he was in and when he stared down at me and wiggled his toes

Yes these toes.......... 

I decided he won and I ran back to the Jeep for protection. 

But I couldn't stop taking his picture

Finally we had to leave....... this forced us.

And forced Mister C out of his tree, what an incredible bird and just think John thought it's crazy for me to bring my camera.

We had sock viewing today at my brother Dan's and he has cute little alpaca's.  They were all inside when we got there all huddled up staying warm but when we left they were out taking a walk.

I really do think they are cute but I don't want to pet them or get close to them.