Project 365 4-17 through 4-26-2013

Well, I got behind again (no surprise there) so another 10 days of pictures are being posted today. What can I say? No excuses, just life gets in the way sometimes. Ive been continuing to take daily shots, sometimes several trips out in the same day. I love that spring is finally here, blue skies and warmer temperatures. Definitely makes it much more enjoyable., even though we are experiencing some pretty severe flooding here in Wisconsin.  Anyway, since I have 10 pictures to post, I'm gonna get busy doing it. Have a wonderful weekend.

4-17

2 Double Crested Cormorants 

4-18

 Golden Crowned Kinglet, bird #89 for my Audubon Life list.

4-19

 Ruby Crowned Kinglet bird #90 for my life list!

4-20

 American White Pelicans were migrating through! There were at least 50 of them, bird #91 for my life list!! They only have the "bump" on their beak during mating season. Up to a 70" wing span! Pretty impressive. Thanks Kim for calling me to come take pictures!!

4-21

Canadian Goose sitting on eggs.

4-22

Yellow bellied Sapsucker -Bird #92 on my life list!

4-23

Saw this Robin and its reflection on a puddle of water. Love it!

4-23

Blue-Gray Gnat Catcher

4-24

 Pair of Bald eagles on their nest. So exciting!

I got a picture of an eaglet! There are 2 for sure, possibly 3 babies.

4-25

I liked how calm the river was which made the reflections perfect. Didn't notice the red winged blackbird until I got home. Starting to green up nicely. This is all a flooded area, normally the water would end all the way at the back of the treeline.

4-26

Took Kim to see the Bald Eagles and nest, they really put on a show for her.

Project 365 4-6 through 4-16-2013

Oh oh! Now I let myself get even farther behind. This will be a long post, so not too many words. Ive had a couple exciting weeks of nature photography, so I am just going to skip to my shots and put details under each one. Have a good week!! I am also linking this post to Wild Bird Wednesday.

4-6

Wild Turkey I came across while out for a drive.

4-7

I know the Red Winged Blackbird is a common bird, but I liked this shot. The bird was in the middle of a tree and I was able to put my lens in there and get a shot.

4-8

 Left to right: Male Lesser Scaup, Male Bufflehead and Female Lesser Scaup.

4-9

 Male Ruddy Duck. They are a very small duck with a greenish blue bill. 

4-10

 Northern Shoveler - another new species added to my Audubon Life List.

4-11

My favorite loon shot. Sadly they are gone now. Migrated through this area.

4-12

I dont know if these are male or female, but it was an interesting show they put on!

4-13

I was so excited to see this bird! It is a Horned Grebe! This bird was just migrating through, but gave me a thrill none the less. I waited and waited for it to come in close enough to be able to get a good shot of it. The next day I went back, there were 3 of them. Haven't seen them since. another for my Audubon Life List. Im now at 86.

4-14

Male and Female Redhead Ducks. Number 87 for my life list!

4-15

Male and female Mallards with immature Mallard in foreground.

4-16

Bird number 88 for my Audubon Life List. A Yellow Rumped Warbler - Myrtle What a thrill this was for me, seeing this gorgeous bird in front of me!

There you have it, 10 days of bird shots!! See you in a few days. 

Bead Soup Blog Party

Its finally here!! I joined the BSBP blog hop for the 3rd time around. My partner was Karen Williams of Skunk Hill Studio. In case you didn't see the soup she sent me, here is a shot:

And here is a shot of the soup I sent to her:

and

And now on to the creations:

Natures Beauty

 I bead embroidered the focal piece. I had to make the beautiful enameled butterfly button the main attraction. Made a clasp out of the button Karen sent, and earrings to match. So a little embroidery, a little wirework and a little stringing.

Simplicity

I wanted the lampwork to stand out, so I made a simple necklace using a little wirework to attach the beads. Also made earrings to match!

You can see the rest of the participants by going here: http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2013/04/7th-bead-soup-blog-party-2nd-reveal.html

Hi and welcome back! It has been awhile since I have posted on Wild Bird Wednesday. I went out shooting quite a bit over the weekend. I was able to add 4 new birds to my Audubon Life List, so it was a good weekend. One of the birds added is the Common Loon. Normally they are much farther North of me, but for some reason there were here. Here are my shots:

Project 365 4-1 through 4-5-2013

Wow, almost another week has passed by. I had a wonderful week, spent a lot of time outside. I was able to add 4 new species of birds to my Audubon Life List. The weather was much more cooperative too, even a day in the 60's! Looks like the upcoming week will be more typical of April, lots of rain and a bit chilly. Anyway, on to the pictures.

4-1

One of the new species I captured this week. An American Coot.

4-2

Ive been wanting to get a nice up close shot of the beautiful Bluebird. I think I succeeded.

4-3

Killdeer, love the effect of the water in this one.

4-4

 Osprey - another species new to me.

Osprey

4-5

American Kestrel

There you have it!! I will post pictures of the 2 other species I added to my life list in a couple days. Want to try to get better pictures first. Enjoy your week. See you in a few days.

Project 365 3-25 through 3-31-2013

Last post I got all caught up, then slacked again and fell behind. I actually prefer to be behind, so I can post several pictures at a time. Less words to have to come up with! Our weather here has been crazy! Lots of gray skies and windy, rain and snow. Seems like Mother Nature can't make up her mind. Looks like lots of days of sun and mid 50's in the upcoming week, so I know where I will be. Outside with my camera, of course! On to the photos.

3-25

I know, it is simple, but I like it! Silhouette of a Blue Heron flying over. Spring is here!

3-26

Huge piece of driftwood. To me, it looks just like a bird. Would have brought it home, but its huge.

3-27

Song Sparrow

3-28

White Breasted Nuthatch

3-29

Mink are out of hibernation

3-30

Downy Woodpecker

3-31

Caught this meadowlark on the airport fence.