May for the Gracks
had to be something special, and in the non-judgy calendar, you see the OG, Count Grackula himself. He has stopped coming this season, and I think he may have just gotten too old, but his white markings made him very recognizable. The good thing is, the legacy is carried on, there are more like him with white spots. All other photos show why I had to make two Grackle calendars, I just like their poses but they are so awesomely goofy when they look straight into your face.
All calendars will be on sale from tomorrow until January 2nd 2024 here: https://tinyurl.com/ff6bj43m
Hummingbird activity
has continued the trend from previous years, being very slow. I do not know the reason, we have flowers growing, lots of habitat, water, no pesticides, you name it. I used to see them regularly for several years, and now I don’t. They have been absent all season, and now in August I get glimpses. This may be the only photo I get this year. I miss them. I used to see them from May until September. I know others have similar experiences, and I hope they somehow can recover, this is not normal. Good thing is, it looks like this one got plenty of flower juice, judging by the pollen on the beak.
It has been a while
since I posted some photos but things have been rather quiet with so many birds nesting right now. But the light is nice and the backyard looks green and I am excited about all that’s coming up. Here are a few from the last couple of days. I had to move the cams around a bit to avoid direct sunlight, so there are some fun different backgrounds. (male Redbellied Woodpecker, Grackle, male Bluebird, female Rosebreasted Grosbeak, juvenile Starling, male Rosebreasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Blue Jay)
Another ice storm today,
but the spring migrants keep coming. Here's a very weather-battled Cowbird.
Let's hope the power lines stay put!
I am happy to announce
that the 2023 calendars are ready and available. It always takes me a while to go through the photos and decide what to use, and this time around I was actually a bit nervouse because it felt like it was not really a great year, but in the end, I think I really like this calendar. The page that I am selling them through handles everything for me, from printing to payments to shipping, so if things go wrong, you will have to get in touch with them. They are made to order. There will be promo sales too, so it is good to check back there every now and then. I made five sizes in three formats. 12 x 12, three rectangle formats in different sizes (8.5 x 11, 11 x 14, 12 x 16), and a desk calendar. You can choose sizes and binder to your desires. I will talk about the birds and photos in the calendar as the weeks go on. I am so happy it is done, it is a bit of a reason to look forward to 2023. You can find the main shop page here: https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/ostdrossel
It is always fun
to see young birds learn and explore, and the size does really not matter with that. I have a big desk, and there is a kitty bed on there because she likes to nap while I work hard to earn bird seed money. At some point I noticed that she was watching something outside, and it was the funniest little scene. A young hawk (I am guessing Cooper’s) was sitting right there, on a gutter pipe that the chipmunks and squirrels love. Turns out, there was a Red Squirrel in there, waiting to leave. The hawk kept a watchful eye and tried to figure the situation out. At one point, the squirrel made a run for a big tree. The hawk went after it, so the squirrel ran back to the pipe and the cat and mouse game continued. I do love the squirrels too, so at some point I just knocked on the window and he took off, as well as the squirrel. Light is a bit murky in that corner and I had to use the Canon, so it’s not all perfect.
Kentucky Flood donation effort
We all have seen the images of the recent flood in Kentucky, and I feel like this would be a good time to get some donations going again. The statebird of Kentucky is the Northern Cardinal, so the King of the Yard will be the symbol for this one. I created some more Cardi designs in my shop, you can find them here: https://tinyurl.com/mjz3s4km All other proceeds will be donated as well. I hope you have a pleasant evening.
The 2022 calendar is here!
Hello, dear followers, I proudly present the 2022 Ostdrossel calendar. I have to admid that it was tough to go through the photos of the year to narrow the selection down but I think it worked out nicely in the end. There is an early bird special going on for the next couple of days, too. I will introduce the monthly species in the coming weeks as well.
They come in three formats and four sizes. There is a rectangle wall calendar in two sizes, a 12 x 12 wall calendar and a desk calendar. Only the wall calendars have the species names on the back.
Link to shop: https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/ostdrossel
(Please note, all orders are made on demand and handled by that website.)
Have a beautiful Monday and week!
