October Changing Light and Hues Flights Stirring Fallen Leaves

October drifted into our lives, already alive in colors changing to their true hues, with several flocks in flight stirring up fallen leaves beneath our stately Rock Maple trees. Cedar Waxwings, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, solitary Blue-headed Vireos and Bluebirds flit about calling out in high pitched trills and tweets. A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers dash and tear the sheath of air around the shivering, nearly golden Black Cherry. Everything is in constant motion most all of the time, but just now there is an excitement to the changing season and journeys underway.

The male Bluebird returns to his garden after some weeks of silence and secrecy . . . "Where have you been?" . . .  I silently wonder. I have missed your soft murmuring warbles. The couple furtively, though in plain view, raised two broods here this summer and will claim their chosen homesite to begin again when springs slips over the land. Until then . . . come what may . . .  we will have months together, on this east facing hillside, beneath the mantels of autumn and winter. For now, I must get out and clean their nestbox.

Just at the edge of the Crabapple Orchard a Tree Hydrangea's off-white petals melt into blush pink below a heavily laden Crabapple tree. Flocks of Robins and Cedar Waxwings, along with a Flicker or two, have already been testing the tartness of these tiny apples. 

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are busy gleaning the trees of, even more tiny, insects but never seem tempted by the small apples.

Light and colors are ever in a state of change. Soon the serpentine Black Cherry will be wearing all flaxen tresses and when a large breath of wind moves through her mane . . . golden rain will shatter and fall freely like a flight of butterflies into the pathway of breeze. At this moment . . .  here . . . having lived this time . . . years upon years . . . the images are like parts of a tapestry . . . each year another woven picture within a large hanging called . . .  a seasonal life. A life well seasoned . . . nearing an autumnal age. Yet, I never tire of the excitement of such profound changes within the tides of nature surrounding me.

Plants and shrubs become poetic in exhaling one last flower before inhaling their life fluids deep into their inner trunks and cores. People too may pull in towards their winter souls and move slower through  the pages of months yet to be turned.  These last blooms will nurture our poetic natures and fuel the many pollinators still busy about the gardens and fields.

Light dances throughout the landscape creating colors of cooler and warmer tones. 

The Ruby-crowned Kinglets are delighting in the black aphid population occupying a giant Impatiens glandulifer Royal. The teeny morsels of protein will aid them in their flights south. There is an abundance for all . . . I am not sure what this tiff is all about . . . respecting boundaries I would guess. These might be females or just not very seriously upset, for if they were males and truly pissed, a bright red tuft would suddenly appear atop their heads. We all hide parts of ourselves, don't we.

This Blue-headed Vireo flies about with, and looks very similar to, the much smaller Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Careful observation reveals the true identity, however. As in all life it helps to pay attention to the details and not lose sight of the true nature of things. Not to hint at our country's present state of affairs too lightly.

This morning there is a thick blanket of fog hanging between Flower Hill Farm and Walnut Hill . . . the river below gushes rapidly from the heavy evening rain . . .  wearing and lapping down the memory of what the stones might have been. Earlier, as I was reading, soft chatter of birds and people's voices wafted in between the words and paragraphs . . . guests from Pakistan and Florida . . . a beautiful child wearing a white unicorn stealthily steps about the garden paths with her elegant grandmother who floats in a hammock for the first time in her sixty years. Her kind face, lush dark hair and rich light yellow and pumpkin colored finely woven silk shalwar  (loose trousers) and kameez (long tunic) fill the roped hammock and wild garden with an unknown joy to its being as well.

Each day the hillside fades just a bit more . . . from forest greens to oranges, yellows and reds reminiscent of springs early blooms.

Birds in Review Part XXVII 'A Bird Parade' Blue-headed Vireo and Red-eyed Vireo

There are no blooms in my gardens as yet, but I am up to my neck in colorful plumes searching through my archives to create the Flower Hill Farm 'Bird Parade.' A catalog, of sorts, of the many birds that visit, live and breed in my gardens and forest from the last two years. The procession continues on with two Vireos. A Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) seems to be keenly eying for insects in the Crabapple Orchard. 

I wonder about tiny insect eyes gaping back at these wide eyes of the Blue-headed Vireo and then how the eyes of this Vireo are staring back towards my eyes or one large lens gazing back over at him. Something or someone is always eyeing someone else it seems. Nature is filled with hungry eyes espying all about the landscape, forest and gardens.

The Blue-headed (formerly Solitary Vireo) Vireo is a small songbird often seen in forests of the northeast. This fellow has a distinct white circle around his eyes that flows out towards his beak, a coloration sometimes referred to as "spectacles." The head and back are a blueish gray and two bars can be seen on his wings. As far as Vireos go, this one falls in the medium size range. They winter in the southern United States and throughout Central America, where they may be seen eating fruit as well as insects. Breeding occurs usually from parts of the Carolinas drawing a thin diagonal line up and widening across New England, covering east and western Canada.

You can see the brush stroke of light yellow along the flanks of this Blue-headed Vireo. White seems to be the only color beneath the throat and along the underbody. Mostly these birds are seen in the forest gleaning middle levels of canopies for insects. They seem to enjoy the insects in my shrubberies and Crabapple Orchard too. Proof that forest dwellers will often come out to visit the right habitat. Planting shrubs and small trees will encourage birds to visit your gardens. 

Here we find a slightly smaller Vireo the Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) as he prepares to feast upon a poor caterpillar. 

The Red-eyed Vireo widely populates eastern forests. It is thought to be a rather small plain bird with an olive-green back, blue-gray head and whitish underbody. It does have a very discernible white eyebrow and a black line through its red eye. It may not be as showy as other songbirds, but I think it rather pretty.

The sun hits the eye of the Red-eyed Vireo just right in this photograph revealing the color it is named for.

One of the most incessant singers of the forest, this cheery fellow will fill the air with his song. Similar to Catbird phases, he warbles out a combination of notes that seem to ask and answer questions rather continuously throughout the day right up till darkness covers the forest and gardens.

Overwintering in South America the Red-eyed Vireos summer breeding grounds cover most of the United States and into Canada.

I believe this to be a very young Red-eyed Vireo. You can see how the line is not quite developed through the now brown eye. The white eyebrow is not fully developed either. 

Color is so varied depending on light . . . the colors of the Red-eyed Vireo appear darker on this overcast day. Still this photograph gives us a good view of the entire blue-gray crown and a good part of the olive-green back and tail feathers. You might have noticed by now, that the Crabapples are a big draw to birds of all kinds. I am always amazed at how different a bird might look in each position they may take. Then again, I suppose people can look very different too when sitting, stretching or turning sideways. 

I can offer some blooms from the Smith College bulb show for this Bloom Day. Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see other blooms from around the globe. 

I must end this post with some very concerning thoughts. I sincerely hope and pray that the nuclear power plants in Japan will not have complete meltdowns. There is already radioactive leakage and it only takes a tiny bit to cause cancer in children and adults. Nuclear power is not a safe form of energy. If we would all call our leaders  . . . we could stop the taxpayer subsides for this sort of toxic energy and spend more towards safe green energy. How close are you to a Nuclear Power Plant? How insane is it to invest in energy that creates extremely toxic waste that is shipped all over the globe for storage. We care about our gardens and environment. Please think about this and call the representative in your governments . . . let's put an end to this madness for the sake of our children, our earth and all of its inhabitants. 

Birds in Review Part II 'In Flight'

Immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Indigo Bunting

Male Eastern Bluebirds

Male Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Robins love the Crabapples this time of year!

Black-capped Chickadee

Male and Female Northern Cardinals

Rose hips are a favorite of the Cardinals.

Male Northern Cardinal

Male Scarlet Tananger

Blue-headed Vireo

Immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbird sipping  very late blooming Lilac

Now that we have stepped firmly into 2011, I wish to take on the stance of Janus and look back, as I look forward, to glean through archives of mostly 2010. Several posts will illustrate the flora and fauna that visit or live in the gardens, with one or two being from 2009 archives . . .  the year I began blogging. I will be sharing more birds with you . . . here you will see birds in flight and alight . . .  both in being settled and by chance, as all of my photos are captured in that serendipitous way. All of these wondrous birds are captured here at Flower Hill Farm throughout the seasons in their habitat of choice. I have no bird feeders, but my garden and forest do feed my feathered friends year round. I never feel alone in the gardens, for there are always little black eyes watching me. The photos I take are always by chance. After years of working the land and gardens many birds have honored me by taking up residency. All I have to do to get portraits these days is to get out into the gardens. Some magical encounter usually happens. The key is to have my camera! I hope you are enjoying embarking on this new year and that these images bring you joy. Thank you so much for all of the warm New Year Greetings! The upcoming post will offer Bird Duets . . . both dueling and in more amorous moods.

Blog Action Day 2010 WATER

There is an injustice in our world regarding safe clean water. 

Some are only able to find drops of water . . . like these clinging to the crabapples.

The little wild and beautiful Solitary Vireo is not interested in a drink and flies away in a hurry. 

Water is a human right and every person on our planet should have safe access to clean drinking water.

Some people have waterfalls of water . . . simply by turning on a tap.

It effortlessly flows into our sinks and glasses. 

Are we aware and careful . . . thankful and thoughtful in our use of water?

This beautiful waterfall is about a seven minute drive . . .  down a steep hill and along a curvy, country road . . . from my home Flower Hill Farm. Many women and children in the world must walk miles and miles to find water . . . then home again. I am not certain of the mileage, but it would take most of half a day I would guess . . .  walking the distance to Chapel Falls to fetch water and return . . .  with rests along the way to help my back . . . perhaps longer . . .  when considering bathing and washing clothes . . . then some time to linger and appreciate the power and beauty of such a vital force. There would not be much time for this joyous reverie, as there is much work still to accomplish in the daylight hours. I would be lucky if there were no contaminates running off from a factory into the stream and falls. Certainly this line of thought makes me appreciate the immense value of refreshing, unpolluted water that runs so easily into my daily life. This year 'Blog Action Day' is focusing on water in hopes of raising awareness, for those who are without pure water. You can learn more about the important issue of water here. I am posting this a day early so others, who might not have heard of this action, might want to create their own post. I am keeping mine rather simple, but there are some truly inhumane efforts against vulnerable peoples in the world, by those who would bottle or try to own all rights to water . . . shockingly even rain that falls into containers. We can always call our politicians and let them know that justice around water rights is very important to us. I am also offering this as my Blooming Friday post where Katarina has chosen a theme of wild and beautiful. Visit Roses and Stuff to see other blogs from around the world.