One of the perks of doing chores in the morning is watching the birds. We had alot of snow and rain, so we have alot of water that attracts waterfowl. I don't have the greatest camera for taking pictures, but I try. I'm really not sneaking up on them either, just driving by. lol
This Mallard duck is the only one that didn't fly away when I drove by. Their green heads are such a pretty green. Isn't it amazing the colors that God painted on birds? Most of the time you see them in pairs, but I think they have started nesting now.
You will have to click and enlarge this next picture to see the Wilson's Phalaropes that are sharing the water with the Mallard. I have been trying to get a video of these little waders. They are so funny! They twirl around and around as they stir up the water and feed. We call them "twirly birds" or "dizzy ducks". I'm sure Mr. Wilson would not be impressed with our renaming them. This morning there were about 30 on this pond, but I didn't have the camera with.
I also saw a huge Blue Heron flying. It was funny to see his long legs sticking out straight behind him. I always see the best things when I don't have the camera.
We haven't been feeding the birds by the house this year, because of all the cats we have. I miss seeing the cute little finches out the kitchen window at the feeder. There are flocks of birds who eat in the pastures with the cows and of course there is plenty of food for them in the feed yard and by the grain bins too. I love these yellow headed blackbirds. They are such pretty bright spots among the other birds. They nest in the reeds and cat tails in the slew south of the house.
This next picture is of a Cattle Egret. You don't see these by the water. It's so strange to see them walking around the cows. They eat the insects and flies that bother the cows, but sometimes the cows chase them.
We have a lot of American Coots this year. The slew is very full of water this year and so they are staying longer than usual. I would love to video them too. They don't fly off high in the sky--they look like they are running on top of the water as they run away. They are all black except for their noses and when they are tipped down under the water you can see white stripes on their cute little butts. They have red around their eyes too--pretty fancy looking guys.
I was lucky enough to win a Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine during their blog hop. There are a lot of neat blocks with many possibilities. I really want to start making some of them. I'm thinking table runners.
I want to say "Congratulations" to my blog friend, Linda. She won a Baby GO from Accuquilt. I'm so excited for her. I can't wait to see how she likes it.
