Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Feeder frenzy, fawn photobomb and fabulous fungi

It was a cold morning and I'd just flung a bunch of wild bird seed out.
The birds rewarded us with early morning visits.

Two hungry acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus)
neatly photobombed by a mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) fawn.

THREE acorn woodpeckers on one pinecone. Impressive.
Especially the one that's upside down.
I also like that one tiny bit of feed falling 'neath them.

Sticking the tongue out.


First saw these two Steller's jays (Cyanocitta stelleri)
and wondered why the little one was standing its ground in the face of a larger one.

And then I thought: oh... the little one is probably the offspring of the big one.*
And rather than threatening with the big mouth, it's saying, "Feed me!"
It's a theory.*

Since we've gotten a bit of rain these last few weeks,
the hygroscopic earthstars (Astraeus hygrometricus) unfurled again,
much to my delight.

I love this olive green one... so elegant.

Nice beige, crackly one.

This one shows JUST how much they can look like an exploded acorn.

So, that's some of the things kicking around the property in February.

I will be posting more images of birds
and the early-blooming flowers soon.

In the meantime, here's to more rain here in the west! Woo-hoo!

xoxoxo bb


*Yes, it's a theory, but it's probably wrong. Two smarties commented that
this sort of behavior is common in mated pairs. Flirting, basically. =) Thanks, peeps!

11 comments:

  1. Funny timing on this post---I had never seen an acorn woodpecker before a couple weeks ago-and selected that to learn to paint. Love your photos!

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  2. Begging is sometimes a courting behavior between adult birds.

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    1. ooh! Thank you. I like the sound of that... wooing! =)

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  3. Good to see your world again!

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    1. Thanks! =) Happy to be here. Thanks for visiting. =)

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  4. I've never seen an Acorn Woodpecker before. Neat!

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    1. Oh, super cool. I grew up around them, and when I moved here, the sound of their calls was quite the flashback to childhood. They are communal nesters, a very interesting species.

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  5. oooh that second earthstar photo I was distracted by that fine acorn in the right background.

    love acorns
    agree about the begging behavior in mated adults

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    1. =) Ah, we've got PLENTY of acorns to ogle here, though I never thought of doing that before your comment. =) Thanks for the confirmation re: birdy behavior. Much appreciated!

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  6. oooooh!! those are the coolest birds! we don't have those woodpeckers or the stellar jays here in FL. GREAT shots!!
    earthstars...we have here...and i love taking pic's of them too!

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    1. Isn't it funny how you don't think about what you have that others do not? Glad you enjoyed them. I saw earthstars at Cape Cod--seems they have a WIDE distribution. I'll have to revisit your blog to peruse your photos, woot! =)

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Cool people write inside rectangles....