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The Pointer
A Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) that looks as if it is posing for an artist. About to become a museum piece on canvas. This Junco, the one that I am used to seeing, is one of 14 or 15 subspecies of the Dark-eyed Junco. Each having the same basic size and shape but colors that…
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Spiderwort
Today a few leaves of Spiderwort (Tradescantia) were spotted emerging from the soil. It’s native to eastern North America. Come May, blooms will be gracing the garden, to the delight of bees. _____________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts, sign up here!
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Feather Care
A Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) yesterday at the birdbath. Feather care. Keeping those feathers clean is essential for health. Clean those feather little bird. Keep those feather free of dirt, parasites, and bacteria. Keep those feathers in tiptop shape. The birdbath next to the garden here at the cabin is a busy place even during the…
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Blue Quartz
A good bit of time yesterday was spent roaming a lovely spot in western Albemarle County, Virginia. Me and my camera, spotting new to me Lichens and Mosses. On a meandering trail to the Mechums River. I was pleased to find Groundcedar (Diphasiastrum digitatum) and Striped Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) along the way but I wasn’t…
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Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). That’s quite the scientific name to remember. Both the male and female Red-headed Woodpeckers look exactly the same. The juvenile has a gray head rather than the red head that his parents have. I’m delighted to finally get a photograph of this woodpecker. Now I’m going to concentrate on getting a…
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Occasional Winter Resident
Little, friendly creature. Doesn’t come to the feeders, but loves the birdbath. An irruptive species that only migrates this way when food supplies dictate. Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis). During the summer the Red-breasted Nuthatch is found in the northern parts of Canada, where like woodpeckers, a nesting pair will excavate a hole in a favorite…
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Frequent Visitor
Captured here, in its classic pose. A White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis). It often will start at the top of a tree, going down head first, looking for insects, nuts and seeds, and invertebrates. Sometimes it will stash away what it finds, in a crack or crevice in the tree bark, carefully covering it with moss,…
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Sulphur Dust Lichen
There are many rock walls up here in the mountains, including some that are around my cabin. This one, above, is a tenth of a mile long, reflecting an enormous amount of hard labor to create. These walls are reminders of how intensely farmed this land was. A remarkable thought considering how rocky and how…
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¡Por Fin!
Or, in English, FINALLY! Freezing rain during the night, ending with nearly an inch of snow over everything. Here, an image from this afternoon. I am pleased as Punch! _____________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts, sign up here!
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Ruffle Lichen
Lichens, such beautiful and intriguing things. Not a plant, not an animal. A combination of two organisms, a fungus, and a alga or cyanobacterium. This particular one, Salted Ruffle Lichen (Parmotrema crinitum), found growing on a tree branch. _____________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts, sign up here!