January Monthly Summary

We started January with a family breakfast. John and Lindsey went to a church function on New Year’s Eve and I had to work, so Papa Jimmy had Mason to himself. I am sure it was the first of many times to come. They spent the night at our house so we had us a big breakfast, and spent most of the day together. A great way to begin the new year.

We received our passports the 2nd, and started making plans for a trip to the Panama Canal. We leave tomorrow morning to Florida to board the ship on Tuesday. The cruise will last 10 days, then we will go to our time share in St Pete Beach for a week.

I started my new blog this month and am still working on cleaning up my original blog. I want to make it easier to find photographs worthy of framing and using in my greeting cards. So I first used bloggers new export/import tool and sent the whole blog to my new blog (the one you are on) and then started removing some of the post from the original blog. All of the post are staying on the Photos For Fun blog. I have also prepared post for the 3 weeks we will be gone, so I hope all of you will visit and leave comments while I am gone. I will catch up with your blogs when I return.

This month Shelley has given us all a big scare about our photos stored on our computers. I have gotten all my photographs transferred to the external hard drive. That was quite a job, even with the majority of them already there. Just hope it doesn't crash. Now I am thinking maybe I need two external hard drives, surely they wouldn't both crash at the same time.

The house in Rockwood is finally livable, Jimmy spent his first night there on the 12th. The following weekend we spent most of the weekend there. On Saturday Jimmy and I went to Ozone Falls, which is located between Betsy and George and our house in Rockwood. Come spring we will have to meet them there one day. I was surprised as cold as it was the little parking area was full of vehicles when we left. Guess everybody was like us, they wanted to see Ozone with some water tumbling over. Came home late Saturday evening so we could go to church on Sunday. After an afternoon with the family we went back to Rockwood.

I have seen lots of birds at Rockwood, it may turn out to be my bird haven.
So far I have seen and photographed…
American Goldfinch
Brown Headed Nuthatch
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Bluebird
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Mourning Dove
Cedar Waxwing
Pine Siskin
Carolina Wren
Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
The last 4 are new birds to my lifer list.

So this month has been a very exciting birding month.

I did some photography assignment work 3 different days for

Safe n’ Sound Creative Technologies.

This afternoon we will be celebrating Mason's first birthday with a family party.

He was sick on his birthday, but has improved enough that we all plan on having a great time. He has been taking a few steps by himself, maybe he will take off today!

Sometimes I take on more than I can swallow

I read somewhere that birds have to acquire the taste for Safflower. I think this one liked it ok, he just needs to learn how to eat it, without choking. Enlarge the 3rd photo for a better view.

American Goldfinch in old tree

House Finch and American Goldfinch sharing lunch

The House Finch is so much larger than the Goldfinch, even when he is in the background. Like Richard has mentioned the House Finch are already turning color, getting ready for breeding season.

Hey, where you going?

These were all taken pre-blind days, straight from the glassed in room with the door barely opened, but they have been cropped some too.

One House Finch and one American Goldfinch

One House Finch and one American Goldfinch sharing a meal.

American Goldfinch feeding

The American Goldfinch do seem to like this feeding location. I place the water there when the birdbath freezes.

Well, they have a visitor. Trusty ole House Finch has come to visit.

Look how much larger the House Finch is than the Goldfinch.

More Goldfinch on the back deck

Notice in the first photo of these Goldfinches the bird in the back appears to have 3 parts to his bill. Caught him right as he grabbed up a seed. Monday I posted Eastern Bluebirds, one photo showed the Bluebird at the frozen birdbath. The blue dish is what I put water in when all of the birdbath's water are frozen.

When the water in this dish freezes I just dump it out and fill again.

Goldfinch on the back deck

The Goldfinch came for a visit earlier in the week.

The last one has a House Finch visiting with the Goldfinch.

Goldfinch at the birdbath this morning

One good shot and then this Goldfinch was gone. I also moved the chair on the deck so maybe tomorrow I can get more before they are scared away. Who put that chair there anyway?

Then I noticed the water was frozen. The sun will hit is soon.

Brave little Goldfinch

All summer I tried and tried to catch the Goldfinch on the sunflowers, but they would not even let me get close.Here I sat minding my own business.
And this little one just jumps down on the limb, right above my head.

Looks at me, like "What are you doing there?"

"If I don't look at you, you won't be there!"

Gives me a hateful look (dont' you think?) as if to say "What are you still doing there?", then took off.

He wanted to jump down on the wall and get the seeds I had spread out, but wouldn't with me there. Actually he was closer to me in the tree than he would have been at the seed.

Goldfinch in the Crepe Myrtle

I had the hardest time trying to catch these Goldfinch in the Sunflowers, but there they sit for me in the Crepe Myrtles. They did fly, but they did watch ME first. Sometimes they are as curious of us as we are of them. The sunflowers are now gone. Pulled them up and tossed them on the burn pile. If there are seeds left I am sure they will find them, we have been waiting on some rain before burning them. The rain did start Monday afternoon, it has been a slow steady rain, which we need so badly. This is our 2nd summer of drought.

Goldfinch in the yard, not at sunflowers

More photos of the Goldfinch in the yard, just not at the Sunflowers. I keep trying.

Goldfinch eating sunflower seeds

I don't know if this is a female or a young one. Either way, it sure did let me get close before it flew.

Goldfinch on Sunflowers

I finally got the Goldfinch on the Sunflowers.

Oh, Oh, he spotted me.

Got one more before he took off.