Bluebirds, Blue Skies Blue skies Smiling at me Nothing but blue skies Do I see Bluebirds Singing a song Nothing but bluebirds All day long – Irving Berlin, Blue Skies, 1927 It’s nesting time at Little Piney with lots of activity on the nest box trail! In a courting ritual, Mr. Bluebird tries to persuadeContinue reading
Tag: Bastrop Tx Lost Pines
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Bluebirds and Bluebonnets
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Partially Leucistic Female Cardinal Joins Flock
She’s Still Here! I’m happy to say that this pale beauty appears to have made Little Piney her home. The partially leucistic female Northern Cardinal seems comfortable vying for feeder space with the Chipping Sparrows and her own kind today in the front yard oak. She first appeared at Little Piney last week, and itContinue reading
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Mixed Flocks at Little Piney
Mixed Flocks Return Cool weather brings a return of “mixed flocks” to Little Piney. Fast moving, noisy, and often in the treetops, a mixed flock is a real challenge to identify and count. When a cloud of dark silhouettes descends on bare branches, chipping and flitting from branch to branch I’d better have myContinue reading
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The Gray Palette of Winter
The Gray Palette of Winter at Little Piney As the golden tones of autumn fade, the gray palette of winter is pleasingly rich and textured. Here is a collection of photos highlighting both warm and cool shades of winter gray.
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Winter Birds are Back at Little Piney
Winter Birds are Back at Little Piney Winter birds are back at Little Piney! I had a wonderful morning birding with friends, one a frequent birding partner, and the other a new friend–an expert birder who seems to hear and see everything at once! She spotted a new bird for my Little Piney listContinue reading
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Knock-Knock–Who’s There?
Pileated Woodpecker We always know when the Pileated Woodpecker is hungry. His distinct and resonant hammering sound is the loudest of the wood-pecking birds at Little Piney. No matter how many times I see a Pileated Woodpecker, it’s always a thrill. At 15-19 inches tall, with a brilliant red crest, shiny black back, pure whiteContinue reading
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Birds! Bald Eagles! Lake’s Fall Look
Backyard Birds So many birds were hanging out with us at Little Piney this weekend, I could scarcely let go of my camera and binoculars. The birds below were all photographed while visiting the feeders or within view of the feeders in the back yard on Saturday. In addition, a noisy group of Cedar WaxwingsContinue reading
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Rainy Weekend at Little Piney
Rainy Weekend Thirty-six hours of rain, and I’m not complaining. First of all, the rain put an end to the Hidden Pines Fire allowing efforts to shift toward clean up and assistance for the families affected. Second, the long, steady rain puts an end (at least temporarily) to the threat of more wildfires. Third, rainContinue reading
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Fall Planting for Butterflies and Hummingbirds
Fall Seed Planting Fall is a busy season at Little Piney. Fall is the time to plant wildflower seeds, watch bird migration, and work and play outdoors while the weather is as good as it gets. I’ve had my seed packets in hand for October since spring, but now that planting time is here, it is a challengeContinue reading
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Nature Writes Her Own Story
Red Shouldered Hawks Last Sunday, I planned to spend the morning discovering fall migrants–the warblers, orioles, hummingbirds, etc. that birders all over Texas reported daily for the past week. I didn’t have much luck with that plan, though. Instead, Sunday’s story was about larger birds. Red Shouldered Hawks patroled at Little Piney all day. I saw themContinue reading