Ahhhh! I love puppies. Nine! I hope little mama is doing ok.

I saw the seagulls heading over on their way out to the lake. They go over early, before 8:00 and head back about 6PM.

What should one do with an empty nest? Our complex maintenance crew had to cut down a tree that was leaning too far into the drive. They found an empty nest and set it aside by the building. Do you think any birds would use it if I could get my grandson to put in up in another tree?

Don't know..it is quite possible, there are many bird species, as well as mammals that will use a 'prefab' nest.

Our finches have been using the same 2 nests (they alternate batches) for 3 years.

And if you wanted to see them, this is Momma (Shelby) and pups. She was huge during transport, now they can see how skinny and underfed she really is. She is definitely getting all the groceries, love, and care she can handle now.

What a sweety - lovely dog. Prayers are coming her way.

Congratulations on the Puppies! That's a BIG bunch! I hope Momma and babies are doing well.

It's been real noisy around here with the hawks. I thought Momma Hawk was trying to coax her little ones from the nest. However, I was finishing up sweeping this morning and opened the back door just in time to see her fly over. I stood and watched for a second and not one, but two males flew to the trees nearby. The female has been making all the noise, so I'm not certain what's going on.

Yesterday afternoon, I took a break and picked up my knitting. The female swooped in and perched on the fence. I took three pictures through the window and the flash didn't seem to bother her. The window screen made the picture a little blurry.

How lovely Momma Hawk is!

So far this morning I have heard a lot of birds and Ravens. But, all I have seen is a bunch of ants on my patio.

We've got the circle of life in full swing. Monday I was helping a friend with some paperwork. She went to leave and there were two lizards on the front porch column in the middle of procreation. Our columns are square and they were on the side more than a foot above the floor.

Both of them actually looked up as we went out the door! What a hoot! If a lizard can have a facial expression, their's definitely implied "A little Privacy Please."

They stayed right there, clinging to the side of the column, as I walked my friend to her car, checked the mail, and went back into the house. Grabbing the camera just didn't seem appropriate.

My brother and I were down at the Truckee River in Sparks, NV, yesterday and saw a large dark bird sitting in the top of a tree. It looked very much like a Great Commorant, but we were not sure. I just looked up in wikipedia and found the following picture:



This is definitely what we saw. It is rare to see one in this area. Wikipedia notes:

The type subspecies, P. c. carbo, is found mainly in Atlantic waters and nearby inland areas: on western European coasts and south to North Africa, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland; and on the eastern seaboard of North America, though in America it breeds only in the north of its range, in the Canadian maritime provinces.

So - this is rare indeed for us to see one.

Just had to share our dog splashing in his little pan of water yesterday. It was soooo hot and he loves to dig in the water, stick his face in and blow bubbles and splash all over the patio. We are going to get him a small child's plastic pool to put in the corner of the patio so he can immerse himself in the cool water. See how happy he is - he is smiling!

Congrats on the commorant siting! They are one of my favorite water birds. When they hold their wings out and wave them back and forth to dry in the sun, it is truly commical. They seem to be doing a funky dance.

It doesn't show up well in the picture, but they have the most beautiful eyes, electric teal in color.

I am completely perplexed with the hawks. All three of them (2 males and 1 female) are still hanging out in and around our yard. This morning the female was in the front yard and one of the males was in the back yard. Both were squawking at top volume. Our coming and going doesn't seem to bother them in the least and that worries me a bit. Saturday, my husband went out to finishing mowing the back yard. Our girl was up in the live oak, squawking as usual. My husband looked up at her and said, "I'm going to cut the grass now, is that OK with you?" She hushed, sat, and watched him.

I've been taught hawks bring the message to "Pay Attention." However, I don't know if these guys are hanging out to bring us a message, or to enjoy our over population of squirrels and lizards. We had a 5ft black snake in the yard this weekend. In Georgia, it's illegal to kill a nonpoisonous snake. I told my husband not to worry, the hawks will see it.