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Tallies, Birds, and Scapes

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I  thank the few of you who voted in my three polls found within my last post from “Three”. Below you can find those results if you are interested. If not, just skip down to part 2 of this post.

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Would you have attempted a conversation with this woman (with the lavender hair)?

 Yes  66.67%  (6 votes)
 No  22.22%  (2 votes) 
Undecided  11.11%  (1 votes) 
Total Votes: 9

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Do you consider Hubby’s reaction as a normal guy reaction?

Yes  54.55%  (6 votes)
No  27.27%  (3 votes)
Other:  18.18%  (2 votes)
Undecided  0%  (0 votes)
Total Votes: 11

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If you had a scarf over your face, would you have spoken to anyone while out walking?
Yes  62.5%  (5 votes)
No  25%  (2 votes)
Undecided  12.5%  (1 votes)

Total Votes: 8
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As far as Spring birds go, I’ve seen and heard a male Cardinal breaking out in a mating song, a flock of Robins and Cowbirds, Starlings, and most recently, a male Red-Winged Blackbird. Was I able to capture any of these birds besides the Starlings? That would be a negative. Every time I saw or heard these birds, I did not have my camera. Figures, right?

But I did capture some birds, two from a Nature Preserve I go to and from our backyard. First up:

Male Downy Woodpecker

 

Female Downy Woodpecker

These two birds were nowhere near one another. Because they are so small, I didn’t realize they were a male and female respectively until I examined these images in my editing room. I couldn’t help but ask myself if these two birds are mates or if they are mates of other Downy Woodpeckers. To capture both a male and a female on the same day I thought to be very fortuitous.

We seem to have attracted some new-comers to our backyard. Crows. And yes I did the research to determine if these are crows or ravens. To the best of my knowledge, they are crows.

Crow eating a mouse.

 

Lateral close-up shot of a crow.

 

Oh-oh I got caught taking pictures. The glare!

 

And now for a few landscapes in which the sky held remarkable cloud formations. Observe how I attempted to merge the landscape with the skyscape to create one seamless image. I call it making art.

Wooden bridge.

 

The lone Evergreen caught my eye. I lined it up with the cloud formations.

 

The icy barrenness I found to be exceptionally moving.

 

There is a lot of the white stuff in our forecast, so that being said, I’m not sure when I will be able to continue to go hunting for Spring birds. Let us all hope Father Winter has just this one last blow out before Sister Spring glides gracefully in to stay around for a while. May all of you have a really good day. Thank you so much for stopping by to view my post today.

Photography/ “Tallies, Birds, And Scapes” /Feb. 2020@AmyRose
http://www.herladpinkrose.wordpress.com
All images watermarked for protection.

69 thoughts on “Tallies, Birds, and Scapes”

    1. No worries, Andrew. Thank you for stopping by to see my pictures today. You being the sensitive person you are, can sense the tranquility and my “zone” when you see what I offer here. Hope you are feeling better!! Much love to you! xo

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  2. Wonderful photographs and you’re so lucky to have crows. Ours still haven’t made a comeback since the bird flu killed all of them years and years ago. I miss them so much. I do love the way the crow is starting at you. LOL Fabulous.

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    1. Sorry to hear about crows your way, Gigi. How sad about the crows. They do manage somehow to make a comeback so do look forward in seeing more crows. For a few years here the American Goldfinches were dying all over the place and I think it was due to people spraying their lawns. I was heartbroken. However, they are back, ever growing in number, and I’m pretty sure they are staying away from those areas that are toxic to them.
      I laughed too over that crow who glared at me as I got caught peeping and shooting. Too funny, right? Have a great day! Hope you don’t have the snow and high winds we have today. YUCK! xo

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    1. Tim, please no apologies. I understand what it is like to be busy. We can only do what we can do with any given situation. Glad you enjoyed these images!! Have a great day and don’t work too hard! xo

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    1. LOL re: the stink-eye, Dan. I got caught. What can I say? The day I went to the Nature Preserve was the 50 degree day and I was amazed, despite the incredible amount of people all over the place, I did get some good captures. Not as many as my usual, but what I did get I made count. Glad you enjoyed these! I think because you are out in Nature so much you will understand how I felt when I realized I actually photographed a male and a female Downy. What are the chances, come to think of it? Hope you are NOT getting the winds and snow we are. It looks as though we are borderline blizzard here and today it is my gym day. Bummer!!

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  5. Awesome photography Amy, I love birds so much, I am enjoying your series. I was surprised to find the female Woodpecker as beautiful as the male, that doesn’t usually happen in the bird world. Just lovely….I missed the poll, where was I?

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    1. The female Downy does not have a red patch on her head and the yellow band across her nose is a bit brighter then the male’s. Differentiating between a male and female in birds sometimes is really challenging. As for the poll, it was my previous post but if you read my posts from the reader they will not show. You have to go directly to my blog in order for the polls to show. Much love to you! xo

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      4. Awwww, bless you, Holly. Your thoughts mirror mine. Many are missing the whole point of my photography. I’ve got it set up with a pleasant background color and the pictures themselves are full screen. You’ve made my day!! (((HUGS)))!!! xoxoxoxo

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      7. THANK YOU!!!! IF I put polls up next time, I will alert everyone the only way you can see them is through your browser on your phone or right from my blog directly. Phone browser should bring you right to my site. Lots of learning through this one post, Holly. (smile) xo

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  7. How did I miss the poll? I read the post. Hmmm. I just love the light that shines through your photos. Even the glaring crow glows. You have a wonderful day, too, Amy.💕

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    1. Julie, check to see if you are still following me. I would think you are due to being here so often. Hubby for example, could not see the polls cuz he doesn’t follow me. Yet, wait. He has windows operating system. Perhaps those who have windows couldn’t see the poll. I have a Mac. I dunno. I was really surprised though that so few got involved with the polls. This is a mystery. Perhaps the polls didn’t show up on some computer screens. Huh.
      I also humbly thank you for acknowledging the light that yes does come through my pictures. Bless you for saying so. You have encouraged me today. THANK YOU!! (((HUGS)))!!! xoxoxxo

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      2. I solved the mystery, Julie. When you read my posts in the reader even on your phone, you do not see polls. When you use Java Script for example as is on my phone, that directly brings you to my blog which is lightly colored green for the background. You most likely read it from the reader. It shouldn’t make a difference, but it does.

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  8. You caught the nictitating membrane on that 1st crow image– not a common nor easy thing to catch! I’ve been hearing spring bird calls, as well, so heartening.
    Hope the blizzard isn’t too terrible for you today. Peace! ❤

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    1. Aw, Eliza, bless you for saying something about the nictitating membrane on the first crow’s eye. I must say however, that I got “lucky”. I was shooting burst mode and honestly did not actually see the third eyelid. When I did discover this in my editing room, I was thrilled. This is the second time I’ve done this! My first time was with a Red-Bellied Woodpecker a few posts back. (smile) Lucky me!
      Regardless of the blowing out there, I am going to the gym. Hubby is grumping that I am so dedicated cuz that means he has to snowplow the driveway. He actually doesn’t but what can I say? LOL Much peace to YOU this day! xo

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  9. Fantastic pictures again. Those crows with that half mouse… impressive. I love that one picture of the bridge leading over the frozen pond. The blue sky, the white, the brown plants… I love this.

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    1. Thank you, Erika! Even though this Preserve was packed with a lot of people, and I didn’t take as many pictures as a result, the ones I did take made the grade. (smile) Someone else commented on the bridge picture as well as you. I think that may be my favorite one of this series. I took a long time studying the layout, the sky, where the placement of the sun was in the sky, and very carefully made sure where I was standing and what angle I took this picture from. A lot of thought went into it. I only took one shot of this bridge so I was pretty confident I aced it the first time around. That doesn’t happen a lot.
      Hope your week is going smoothly as we begin to head into the weekend all ready. It’s blowing and snowing here ….. March is coming in soon and it looks like it will be coming in as a lion. Good. Then it will go out like a lamb! Hurray!! Love, Amy

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      1. Your efforts in planning this one photo worked out wonderfully! Compliment!
        The weather over here is crazy. Rather wet than snowy and no snow which lasted more than a couple hours. But therefore we are having a lot of storms this year. Hope that spring is the lamb that calms everything a bit down too… lol

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    1. LOL, Scott!! I’m not sure where that mouse came from but crows being the scavengers they are, found it and ate it. That’s quite all right by me. What I got a huge kick out of is how I got caught in the act of spying. I had a lot of nerve. LOL

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  11. I voted Amy. It appeared to me ok with a normal computer and screen but I think maybe some mobile phones or smaller tablets may not be able to. Just a thought.
    Great pictures my friend, and I think you are right…those crows caught you taking them and did give you the ‘eye’ 😂
    And here in Australia our ravens are slightly larger and have a reasonably distinct ‘crop’ of feathers that slightly stick out more at the throat. Plus when they give you the ‘eye’ you apparently turn to stone. Your still with us so I think you can safely say they are crows 😂 🤣

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    1. Mystery by moi has been solved, Mark. When you read a post with polls on it from the reader, the polls will not show. I did a trial run from my phone viewing the post first from the reader then from Java Script. Java Script brought me directly to my blog and there I saw the polls. Does this hold true for the reader on a laptop or computer? I don’t know. All I do know the polls won’t show in the reader when you are using your phone.
      So glad you enjoyed my pictures. I really did laugh out loud when I saw how that crow was glowering at me. If expressions said it all, his did! How dare I!! LOL
      In my research I did learn about the raven’s distinct crop of feathers and how they are larger too. As it is, I was taken aback how big these crows were. I’ve never seen a crow this close before.
      No I haven’t been turned to stone. LOL Much love to you! xo

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      1. Well that is very interesting Amy, the polls do not come up in the reader using my ‘normal’ desktop computer. At your blog site it comes up fine.
        I actually don’t use the reader because it restricts me in the way I interact with everyone…for me. It does brilliantly but distracts me with all those additional posts everywhere. I have enough trouble reading and answering a couple of hundred in my email each day 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽

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      2. You would think WP would be consistent and it wouldn’t matter if you are reading a post from the reader or from the actual blog. I dunno. Someone earlier had mentioned she didn’t see the polls and so I began to solve the mystery. I too go directly to the blog. And as for email notifications … oh my gosh no way! I couldn’t handle that kind of mail. So …. my question to you …. If you are answering those notifications and leaving comments, why aren’t more people coming over to see your blog? Another mystery …..

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  12. It has not occurred to me what crows eat. Now, I know for certain. I think they are smart birds. Are they the same family as raven?

    Love your “Wooden Bridge” picture, great composition and the cloud!!

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    1. Crows eat just about everything to my knowledge, YC. They are the ones you see around road kill, for example. They are scavengers. Crows are not in the same family as ravens. They appear similar but there are differences.
      You are not alone in your admiration of that bridge picture. Not only is it my favorite, but a few others in their comments said so as well. Thank you on the compliment regarding the composition. I took my time figuring out how best to shoot this. A lot of thought went into it. Have a great day today!! xo

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    1. Kamal, I am so touched by your comment. Thank you so much for your generous praise. I’m very happy you enjoyed my pictures found on this post. As soon as the snow that is falling here is over with, I shall continue with my ongoing investigation finding signs of Spring. Have a great day!! xo

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    1. That’s OK, Jude. No worries. I’m not here every day and I honestly don’t expect anyone else to be here every day. Thank you on the compliment regarding my photography. You have encouraged me. Bless you! xo

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  16. Hi Amy! Beautiful landscapes – just lovely, and yes, how you captured the tree mimicking the clouds – very cool! As always, I believe your bird photos should be in a bird identifier catalogue! I’ve got an app for birds in the UK with photos – you could easily have one for your area. Still raining here . . . lots of flooding. Take care and have a great weekend!! Much love, Donna

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    1. Oh wow, Donna! You and another commenter blew me away, saying basically the same thing about my bird images. I’ll tell you what. I will put that THOUGHT out there in earnest, and IF it is to be, a breadcrumb will appear for me to either choose or ignore. I will choose it to see how far that road will take me. I do not have the time to actively seek out ways to show my bird images yet if someone came my way to assist me or to offer me a way, that would be ideal. Yes? I just told my hair stylist today I would love to have a manager to his statement of I need to be selling my work. With all I have on my plate, I don’t have the ability to apply myself as I would have to IF I didn’t have a manager.
      It is SNOWING here and blowing. Looks like March is coming in like a lion which means it will go out like a lamb. YAY. Have a great weekend too! I’m yawning as I write this ….. LOL Much love to you! xo

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    1. Thank you so much for the link, John. I went there and was enthralled by what I saw. I am so touched, so honored that you really think I am good enough to have my bird images displayed. I don’t want to appear to have an ego, yet I must admit truthfully that I am thrilled by how I am shooting now and for about the past year. I’ve come a LONG ways. Thank you again for the glorious compliment you sent my way regarding the woodpeckers I shot. I don’t know much about these woodpeckers so I don’t know how territorial they are. May you have a really good weekend!! xo

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  18. Loved your picture of the wooden bridge; it was fabulous. And you had captured the woodpeckers so well. The crows’ eyes look soft and tender when they are not eating something, isn’t it? I took the poll and my first two answers go with the majority voters:) Hope you have a lovely weekend. xo

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    1. Ah good one, Christine! You are the only one who associated the blue sky with Spring. That was one of my goals to do just that, only not saying anything. I applaud you!! Thank you so much for telling me you loved my photography. Comments like yours encourage me to keep growing in my camera skills. Bless you! xo

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  20. The blue sky, green grass and sunny day are looking promising. Spring is coming!
    I need these kind of hunters to my backyard (I mean crows). Unfortunately, I have so many voles and they ruined all the grass. My loan is looking ugly. Looking for the way to fight them. Would you please borrow your cats for the hunt. Lol…

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    1. YES Spring IS coming, Alexander! As for your lawn …. we had a really bad problem with moles (voles). I just asked Hubby what he did and he has to “think” what he did to remember. As soon as he remembers, I’ll let you know. Cats believe it or not will not touch moles (voles). Yes, true. They however do love mice. (smile) xo

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    1. We normally don’t have crows in our backyard but this year it seems they are a newcomer. I got lucky with that picture. I was in the right place at the right time. Again. Seeing much love your way! xo

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    1. Sheryl, so many Spring birds are here yet the “order” in which they usually come seems chaotic this year. I’m just so happy to hear birds singing. What joy!!! Much love to you! xo

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