Merry Christmas!!

Taken last year...but one of my Favorites

 Angry Bird

Red Bellied Woodpecker. You can see some red on the lower part of it's abdomen. A fun bird to watch. They love the high protein suet in the winter.

Hot Coca Please! 

Brrrrr,,, Hello Winter!!

Female Downy Woodpecker...lacks the red spot on back of her head the male has!

Spotted this bird out my window the other morning...thought it was very weird looking...and thought..kind of looks like a Starling...but kind of doesn't! So had to go in search of  It is a Starling but in it's Non breeding state. Guess I didn't realize they had that many spots in the winter!!

We had crazy wind in our area yesterday. Took a drive over to Lake Michigan in Sheboygan to get pictures of the waves. It was too hard to even stand, much less take pictures!! Here are a few that I did manage to get.

 Waves hitting the pier

I have a pretty good imagination...:) To me there seems to be a face forming in the mist on top of the waves.

Maybe, just maybe...If I sit here all cute like this...the nice lady will throw me peanuts! 

I couldn't get lucky enough to have these two birds land on the feeder at the same time!! Put two pictures together so you can see the difference between the Hairy and Downy Woodpecker. The Hairy is a little larger and beak definitely larger. 

A few Fall pictures from a couple of weeks ago. Another year the leaves didn't change all at once :( A lot of bare and green yet when the pictures were taken.

The Blue Jay is not a popular bird with most people. I find them comical! And picky...as you can see they go through the peanuts selecting just the right one :) 

Return of the Dark Eyed Junco. For us Northerner's..sign that cold weather is approaching. The Junco migrates farther North and into Canada for the summer,

Appears this female Cardinal has had mites. Missing the crest on top of her head.

Splish Splash I was taking a bath!

Think this may be a Black Russian Honey Bee.

Full Harvest Moon. The clouds sure didn't cooperate with me on this picture!

Think this little gal is getting ready to start her journey South. She has been at the feeder often. Sure will miss them!! 

Squirrel Yoga anyone? 

Killdeer family strolling along the Lake.

Thinking this is a very battered small Black Swallowtail. They are so delicate!

I spy with my little eye...and Oriole hanging upside down in my tree! 

Caught her with a little bit of her tongue out! :)

What you do not want to see on your plants. Japanese Beetle. Destroys plants, shrubs, and trees! 

Mourning Dove in the morning Sun.

Just read that Baltimore Oriole's start migrating back South in August. Sure enough spotted this female at the hummingbird feeder couple of days ago.

I learned something today!!! :) How to distinguish between a Male and Female Monarch Butterfly. This is a Male..a little beat up it appears. If you look towards the bottom center of this picture..you can see a small black spot. Wings are not open enough to see the other spot.  The females do not have this. Plus the female's black lines are a little thicker. 

This little Swallow was really checking me out as I leaned out the car window and snapped a picture :)

Cedar Waxwing by Lake Michigan.

 

 



Strolling by Lake Michigan yesterday caught this Goldfinch having a blast on the Thistle.

      

Red Admiral Butterfly

Asiatic Lilies in the morning Sun.



Black-Capped Chickadee in the evening Sun.

 

Morning Sun just peeking over the roof tops..puts a little glint in the eye of this juvenile Male Ruby Throated Hummingbird.
                                                    

And we Thank You for our food,,,Amen!

Who is that Masked Man? Cedar Waxwing. Taken last winter. I can hear them around the neighborhood right now but with the trees full with leaves now...hard to spot them.