Got the Pictures

Were we ever fortunate yesterday. The five orioles came to the feeder at one time. We were not able to get a picture of all five but we did get four of them in one. The quality of the pictures leaves something to be desired. First I discovered that we could not get decent pictures from the porch. All the windows have screens; now why did I forget about that? These pictures are taken from the kitchen window. We did clean the glass inside the house and outside the house but obviously could not clean the glass inside the the window which is double pane. Also you have to keep in mind that we are using a hand held camera with a telephoto lens; it seemed a little difficult to put up the tripod in the kitchen sink.

After dinner last night, I discovered that the jelly feeder was empty. As I returned to the feeder with the jelly, one of the orioles was sitting on the hummingbird feeder watching me. We timed it; three minutes after I left the feeder, two orioles came to eat.

We have scrutinized the birds and compared them to pictures in bird identification books. We think that the five are juveniles that are now out on their own.

Just because it is so cute, I included a picture of one of the chipmunks. We had the telephoto lens on the camera and tried to get a picture of it.

Yesterday morning while I was out, our son says he saw five orioles at the jelly feeder and hummingbird feeder. All the time I thought I was seeing one male oriole coming and going but maybe I was seeing two. Ben says that there were at least two males in the yard.

They are still a little too shy for me to take the camera outside to try to take their pictures. After I wash the floors this morning, I am going to clean the porch windows and windows by the front door. I am going to try to take pictures of the birds from the porch through clean windows.

I am a little concerned that they might have gone to someone else's feeders. Although Ben saw a lot of them in the morning yesterday, it seemed to me like there were not as many visits during the afternoon. I hope I have not missed the opportunity to take pictures of them.

Because our home backs onto a city park, we have always enjoyed a variety of birds but until last year, I did not realize that we could attract specific birds. Last year, we enjoyed visiting humming birds all summer long. This year, the humming birds do not seem to be interested. A few have flown through the yard but none have stopped at the feeder.

Last year a friend told me about attracting orioles with a jelly feeder. I gave it a try but until this past week, I thought we would not be successful.

I like the cardinals that we see in the area. They are bright red. I am happy to see the orioles coming to the feeder now. The less bright females are primarily interested in it but a bright male has come. I like orioles because they are so distinctive. I am going to see if I can attract indigo buntings. I have seen one during one summer years ago. They are a very bright blue and very distinctive.

There are so many birds that I feel especially fortunate.

In the late afternoon yesterday I noticed that the cups in the jelly feeder were almost empty. I intended to wait until after dinner to refill them but decided to do it before dinner. While I washed out the cups and filled them, the orioles sat on the humming bird feeder and the top of their feeder. When I came out with the fresh jelly, they flew into the apple tree. They were watching me because as soon as I went into the house, they came out to examine the jelly. We knew they had been waiting for it.

The orioles and brown birds continue to come to the feeder. I think I ought to clean the porch windows. I doubt that the birds would stay around if I went outside to take their pictures but they might not notice if I take their pictures from inside the porch. I cannot remember if I told you that one of the orioles tried to feed from the hummingbird feeder.

This morning I put the pillows out to air but just now brought them back inside. It is raining a little. It felt extremely humid this morning when I went out to walk. If the temperature goes up during the day which it probably will, we will have a 3-H day, hot, humid, and hazy. It will be perfect growing weather for corn and tomatoes.

The weather has been a little wild. Friday night/Saturday morning we had severe thunderstorms. The lightening hit quite a few buildings and homes. Fortunately our community did not have any fires started by lightening. Ben did go out a little after midnight and did not return until about 5:00 a.m. yesterday morning. The fire department was primarily resetting fire alarms that had been set off by the electrical surges when a transformer was shorted.

During the day yesterday, the humidity shot up. There was so much moisture in the air that we felt subtropical. The temperature was not that high but the humidity sure was. We turned on the air conditioner primarily to take the humidity out of the house. I had not been outside between late morning and mid afternoon and was surprised by how humid it was. In the evening a complex of severe weather came through; it also brought rotating wind which means there is a potential for tornadoes if it touches the ground. Even where it did not become a tornado, wind blew down trees and caused other damage.

During the afternoon, the female oriole/s came to the jelly feeder and a hummingbird flew through the yard. I cleaned both feeders, replaced the jelly, and made fresh syrup. The feeders looked extremely fresh and bright. Later a male oriole came to the feeder. There was a big variety of birds visiting too.

We are speculating that the orioles had some favorite food source growing somewhere. It is no longer producing food so they are looking for feeders.

Things are looking a lot better in this household. It was fortunate that we were able to make an appointment for our son with a doctor yesterday. As it turns out, he has a problem in his inner ear that is causing him severe vertigo. He has medications to relieve the symptoms. The problem should go away. He is better this morning and may be able to go to work today. This is quite a relief for all of us.

Now on to the big news. Yesterday a female oriole came to the jelly feeder twice; or at least I thought it was the same oriole coming twice. This morning I saw two female orioles and the brown bird on the feeder at the same time. I am just planning to watch them for a while if they continue to come to the feeder. I hope that they become accustomed to our presence so I can take pictures of them.

Yesterday I basted guidelines on the fabric that I should have used. Later today I think I will try washing the fabric that I first used. In a couple hours, I have an appointment to meet with a needlework designer who is here in Woodbury visiting with her sister. Yesterday it was fun to hear her voice on the telephone for the first time. She will be giving me one of her unpublished designs to stitch which is very exciting to me. This design goes with one of her designs that was published in Just Cross Stitch magazine. Once this design is published, I should be able to show you what I stitched.

Yesterday the rain was gentle and very good for us. During the night we had some severe thunderstorms; it would have been better if the rain had been more gentle but it was rain. This morning, the sky still looks dark and like it may rain more.

Things are settling out a little bit. I successfully picked out the stitching; it left traces. I used masking tape to remove it if it was actual fibers. That took out a lot. It is hard to say what now remains. Is it just the fact that the spaces between the fabric threads are enlarged or are there also traces of excess dye and thread fibers? The next step is to gently wash the fabric. I am not certain if the dye is fast as it is a custom dye job.

Our son is no better this morning. I called the clinic and explained the situation. I was informed that yesterday he was not seen by a doctor but by a nurse practitioner. I personally think this one was performing functions beyond her training and knowledge. It has been arranged for my son to see a doctor this morning. I do so hope that this will give us some answers.

Yesterday the most interesting brown bird came to our jelly feeder. I have no idea what kind of bird it is just that I know it is not a sparrow. Maybe it is a thrush. It ate the jelly; I could see little jewel like purple bits in its beak. There have been no orioles so this is something to watch.

This morning, it is raining. One of the largest and best art fairs in the area begins today. It is unfortunate for it that there is rain. Honestly, we need the rain so desperately that I am having a difficult time feeling sorry.