New Florida Blog is Online

We've arrived in Florida after six days on the road...we traveled from Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Thru Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, and Alabama...all new states for us..
Spent a night in a great hotel on the beach at Panama City Beach in the panhandle of FL...
Spent two days with good friends and their family near Orlando...
And yesterday we landed in the area we'll be staying for a month or two
With hubby's brother until we find where we want to settle...

http://findingfloridaatfifty.blogspot.com/  ...Here's the link to my new Blog!

I truly hope you'll continue to follow me there as I explore Florida!

Moving On..and Over and Down

Big life changes seem to happen in threes, don't they? They do for us anyway...

A lot has been happening the past 2-3 weeks...plenty of stress is involved, but ~ great news ~ tomorrow we'll be signing an updated real estate contract and our house will be closing escrow in a month... and we'll be moving to Florida finally! The Huz and I are hot and heavy with the sorting, packing, yard sale-ing, stressing, freaking out, etc. etc. that comes with moving long distance.

So, Huz retired in July, the house will be sold in Oct. and we'll be moving to FL in Oct. I think that's enough excitement for one year, LOL. This will be our third long-distance move/house sale in almost 29 yrs of marriage...big surprise, it doesn't get easier w/ age or experience!

We've had seven...uh, interesting years in the Black Hills...and survived seven long, hard winters, which is the main reason we must move on now that Huz is career-free ...that and the fact that we both were born with sand in our ears and miss the beaches terribly...BUT...

I discovered my love of nature photography here in S Dakota and had a wonderful time traveling the Hills capturing the birds, beasts, and botany in the area, starting in '05 when all I had was a pocket camera and a strong interest in the wildflowers when we walked our then-dog in a nearby canyon. I had especially fabulous photography years 2008-2010 and feel so blessed!

This is my last regular post for JEllen in the Black Hills and I thank all of you so very much who have been a visitor to my little space in Blogspot-o-sphere. I'll be creating a new Blog once we move and sincerely hope my regular visitors will follow me there! I'll be covering more subject matter besides nature...everything of interest that I come across in the Sunshine State is game!

I'll do one more post with a link to my new Blog, hopefully in Nov. Keep on Blogging!

Silent Sunday

Summer's Last Stand

Autumn is definitely in the air...we're still having nice, sunny weather in the high 70's to low 80's but it's supposed to come to an abrupt end Wed., dropping to the 60's. Autumn is very short-lived in S Dakota (sigh) before we start seeing s**w...last year we were real lucky, no white stuff until the very end of Oct. Well, not that we plan on being here for at least part of winter....

Anyway, we had company earlier this week, an ex-co-worker of hubby's and his wife were heading for Oklahoma and stopped in for a couple days. I did the tourist guide thing for them, including a drive thru the wildlife loop at Custer State Park...

It's that time of year...the bulls are checking out the females...we came upon two separate herds, both mainly females and calves, with a few bulls among them sizing up the gals for more procreating...

This bull is just chillin' with a female he seems to fancy...

...But this wiry red-haired calf isn't necessarily his offspring....junior was looking a bit nervous...I would too with a one ton hooved hunk of meat breathing down my neck...

Many of the "wild" (my ass, pardon the pun) burros have foals...they are cute but the traffic jam tourists cause due to burro gawking is slightly annoying...you can pet the burros, that's how wild they are...they block traffic looking for handouts...mom trains the foals in this fine art...

...Most of the buffalo calves have turned brown by now...

Life's rough on a sunny day in a state park...for now...little does he know, in about two weeks he'll be getting a hot iron brand pressed to his rump! The annual buffalo round-up is Sept. 26th this year.

Hazy August Daze

I finally ventured out with the camera Sat., and naturally it was an overcast day...the days before and after were sunny and clear...I'm just really out of it this year...and am also trying to pretend that summer isn't winding down...but the curlycup gumweed and goldenrod are in bloom...

I meandered around the usual farmland area to see what nature had to offer...

I thought I'd found a flock of lifer birds but they turned out to be yellowy-colored house sparrows...

(Update: Thanks Hap, you're no doubt right about this being an immature or female bobolink! I knew something was off about ID'ing it as a yellowy sparrow! LOL)

Sigh...a flock of European starlings...in their winter color no less...yikes...

The wild cucumber is in bloom...this vine took a hold by a nail on the post...

The Eastern kingbirds are still around...

...Some with plenty of 'tude...

An American kestrel was out hunting...

Two bucks ran across the road in front of me, into the underbrush...I tried to get a focused shot, focused on the buck and not the grass but that didn't happen...

Sunflowers and chicory are still in bloom...the blue and yellow are pretty together, even on the side of a dusty dirt road.

Sturgis Skulls

The 71st Annual Sturgis Bike Rally officially ended Sunday...it's always fun to see the bikes pouring in and it's always nice to have traffic back to 'normal', heh. Now for the four-wheeled tourist traffic to die down...can you say, Mt. Rushmore? Anyway, the Huz and I owned various Harleys for about twelve years, until '08, and before the Harleys we had other bikes...we still go to Sturgis during bike week to check out the bikes and nosh on some vendor food...this year we checked out some custom bikes...clearly skulls are a popular theme...

...There was an orange skull...

...Hard to see but the white designs all have skulls...

 Skull and angels, hmm.....

...A sea creature like the one in Pirates of the Caribbean...looks skull-ish...

 ...Even the seat can have custom skulls carved in leather...and some foul language...oopsie...

...A charming trio of skulls....

This is what Main Street in Sturgis looks like during bike week...no cars allowed.

I haven't been out w/ the camera stalking nature very much at all this year, but hopefully I'll follow thru on the threat to get out real soon.

Mariposa Lily

“And the stately lilies stand

Fair in the silvery light,

Like saintly vestals, pale in prayer;

Their pure breath sanctifies the air,

As its fragrance fills the night.”      

Julia C. R. Dorr

Eurasian Invasion?

The backyard feeders

Are getting a lot of exciting visitors this year,

I'm thrilled to say...

The biggest thrill factor is

A pair of Eurasian Collared Doves!

They are clearly nesting nearby...

According to the Stokes field guide,

The doves (Streptopilia decaocto) 

Were introduced to the Bahamas,

And have spread to Florida,

With sightings in GA, LA, and AR,

And further expansion is expected...

According to Audubon,

which calls it the Ringed Turtle-Dove,

(Streptopelia risoria),

it was introduced in S. Calif., AZ, AL, and S. Florida...

Either way, they've made it to the middle of the country!

But which is it?

Or are they the same w/ a very minor discrepancy?

I'm an Ornithological Oaf on these things...

They certainly look the same...

When I first saw the doves,

I thought they were mourning doves...

But a voice in the back of my brain

Was telling me something was 'off' ...

They seemed really pale...

And there's that dark line on the back of the neck...

So I looked them up in the good books...

Turns out the tip of the tail is blunt also...

They are shy, polite creatures...

Below, they wait patiently for the sparrow to leave...

(More about that fellow later)...

Here's a mourning dove for comparison...

(Zenaida macroura)...

It's darker with dark spots on the wing tips...

The tail feathers come to a point...

And no collar...

This one is out in the farming community...

Mr. and Mrs. Mt. Bluebird

Have been nesting in the neighbor's birdhouse...

In June, the Mrs. was seen in our yard...

Gathering nature's tidbits for the nest...

But for the past few weeks now,

It's just Mr. Mt. Bluebird...

Who is seen daily,

Gathering grub for his brood...

He checks out the seed feeders but doesn't eat...

But he does drink water from the bird bath...

He has been very, very busy

Faithfully feeding his family...

Dashing here and there...

Until recently, we also enjoyed Mr. House Finch's visits...

His red head is a very brilliant crimson...

Here he's in one of our two apple trees...

This one now has small green apples...

Now the female finches 

Are abundant in our yard...

Along with their fledglings...

Another surprise visitor, a squirrel...

That discovered the sunflower seeds...

Now we know who was sneaking out at night,

Eating all the seeds up!

It was a mystery...

How a deer --or two-- could creep in

And not leave any 'calling cards' !

The feeders come inside at dusk now...

Esq. Red was here a couple days, is gone now...

Another unusual, exciting visitor...

A black-capped chickadee!

I may not be good at ID'ing bird calls,

But I know the chickadee's unique raspy song,

So quickly grabbed the camera...

And there it was,

Yesterday and today so far...

The goldfinches that first showed up weeks ago...

Have been very scarce of late...

But one male has come back

The past couple days...

His yellow is the brightest hue of sunshine...

Now, about that sparrow...

There are a couple male house sparrows...

This fellow in particular...a fledgling? ...

That are visiting every day...

Not only to eat...

But to lounge for hours on the feeder's ledge...

A safe haven til they develop their wings?

There's one in every crowd...

A few rowdy crows

Have found our Ornit Oasis,

Unwelcome new guests...

They show up in the morning,

Cawing loudly;

Who needs a rooster?

But fortunately they don't stay long.

The other unwelcome guests,

The brown-headed cowbirds,

Though pretty in their subtle way...

Have disappeared,

I'm happy to say!

Crop Magic

One of the coolest things about nature photography, esp. when you're taking a photo of a subject at a good distance, is that once you get home and crop a photo, you discover there was more in your shot than you realized.....

 

The shots I took of this doe are a great example...I couldn't figure out why she was frozen in place. I was probably almost 100 yards from her but still, she looked like she wanted to bolt.....turned out she had a wee fawn nursing under her!  :o)

Rocky Mountain High -- Part II

Once we were heading north in the Rocky Mt. Nat'l Park, it wasn't long before daughter's boyfriend C. spied a lone moose just inside the treeline...Huz turned around, pulled over, and I was able to get several shots before other tourists zeroed in on the action...

Turned out, this was a young male...

Across the road from the moose was this female elk...

Another wildflower, Rydberg's penstemon...

Looking back at the valley where we'd been, during a steep climb up a mountain.....

Another view from the same turn-out as we climb in elev....

Western bistort...

The Continental Divide...

Top of the mountains, Alpine Tundra, at 11,796 feet elev. (above and below)

Purple fringe grows in the delicate alpine tundra, as well as several other wildflowers. I've always been intrigued with how wildflowers can grow, thrive even, from the most rugged, dry, rocky terrain.

I'm ready to go back to Colorado and explore more of the Rockies! Sylvia...no, we didn't do any hiking...we're in no shape to hike in the Rockies unfortunately, esp. at the higher elevations, plus we didn't have the time. I was thrilled just to get up into the Rockies and SEE them!  Did I mention, I'm ready to go back?  ;o)