Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms

  Martin Johnson Heade, Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms

 I love this because how many times I have seen a hummingbird perched just so, guarding the precious bit of yard and nectar from encroachment!

Incredible Flying Stingrays

It begins with pelicans but quickly transitions to the flying stingrays. No one knows why they fly but there are lots of theories. I just love watching them!

The Hauntingly Beautiful Music of the Trees

Instead of a vinyl disc, Traubeck's record player uses a cross-section of a log or tree trunk, using light to translate the different colors and textures of the tree's rings into musical notes and instruments. Because every tree has its own unique configuration of rings, every tree has its own unique "song."

For details about the technology, read the top comment at YouTube.

Worth a Thousand Words: A Freshly "Hatched" Cicada

Via Hannah

From my daughter Hannah whose arborist job takes her among trees daily. She says, "I've never seen a cicada right out of its old skin, waiting for its shell to dry."

Beautiful isn't it?

The Mystery of the Hopping Cardinal

Walking through the neighborhood this morning, my eye was caught by a young male Cardinal that landed in the grass not too far away.

He was obviously a juvenile, being slim and fairly small, but with a bright red color that contrasted wonderfully with the vivid green grass.

He looked around cautiously and then gave a great hop forward. Again, he looked around and another great hop. The third time this happened I thought, "What is going on?"

Via Wikipedia

There was a grasshopper just ahead of the bird, as it turns out. Every time it gave a hop so would the cardinal. Since I was standing and watching, all the nearby birds got quiet. Except for one chirp from overhead in a tree. I couldn't see the bird but I wondered if that was mama calling.

Sure enough, that little guy caught his hopper and flew up to the roof. Bam -- the other bird landed near him. Significantly larger, but definitely female, this had to be mom. She surveyed him as he gulped.

I rarely get to see those sorts of scenes acted out in nature so it was a real treat.

Snapshot: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

Male

A few nights ago we were eating dinner and Hannah suddenly said, "Look! Next to the Christmas lights!"

(We leave our tiny, colored Christmas lights lining our patio roof and windows year-round, lending a festive, Mexican-restaurant feel, especially when they go on after dark.)

Hovering and darting around the unlit lights were two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. They were a male and female, looking like flying jewels. The male came close enough to the patio window that I got a vivid impression of his ruby throat. Soon enough, they headed off to check out the Crepe Myrtles. I don't know if they could feed on them but at least Crepe Myrtles have the virtue of being real flowering plants.

Female

Then this morning, I stopped on my morning walk to see what some squawking Blue Jays were going on about. I never figured it out, but out of that same tree there zipped a hummingbird which darted over my head to join two others in mid-air. They buzzed out of sight, I assume in the direction of Mexico which is where most of them are migrating to at this time of year.

It was a real treat both times because I never think to put a feeder out and most of them must stick to other wayfares than our yard and street.

Both images are from Wikipedia.