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Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, May 14, 2012

Twiddling my thumbs

Yep, that’s what I’ve been doing the last couple of days.  Since I extended my time here for three more nights in order to arrive in Georgia with time to get an unreserved COE site for two weeks to cover the Memorial Day Holiday, I’ve been biding my time.  I’ve visited most everything I hoped to see in the area, but plan to make one more little trip tomorrow.  I’m not real interested in visiting old houses, but there is a National Historic Landmark in Demopolis.  It’s a typical antebellum mansion and is only open Tuesday – Friday.  When I get home in the afternoon, I’ll start my pack up routine.

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At least there has been some activity at the Hard Rock Bird Café lately.  An adult male cardinal frequents the feeder to fill his crop.

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He’s not alone, however.  Waiting in the wings (pun intended Smile), are three of his offspring.

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So far, I’ve counted one young male and two young females that patiently wait for their dad to feed them.  They’re not quiet about it, and continuously chip and flutter their wings to remind him to hurry up.

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You can also tell they’re youngsters because their feathers are rather scruffy looking, and their beaks haven’t turned red yet.  I’m very thankful that Emma is the type of dog that wants to chase squirrels, but doesn’t give two hoots about little birds.  Sometimes, the unschooled youngsters land just inches from her nose.  They have a few things to learn yet.

That’s about all that’s been happening in my world lately.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

22 comments:

  1. How did you get that first photo of the cardinal? He looks like he is looking right at you. Love it.

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  2. Wow, great photos! Is it normal for the male cardinal to feed the young? Where is the female?

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  3. Just love your cardinal pictures. Young ones are so funny aren't they?

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  4. More good photos, thanks Judy, as a (St. Louis) Cardinal fan I appreciate your efforts.

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  5. We have also been watching the Cardinal...Isn't it funny how the Males feed the females in a courting ritual..and they also feed their young...What did we do wrong?

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  6. You have a smart plan to secure a place to stay over the holiday weekend, so it should be worth it for the extra days you are waiting.

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  7. Have to agree that that first cardinal photo is stunning.

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  8. Kids! They're never happy with their parents!

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  9. Well, I think the Cardinal rule for twiddling thumbs is to do it backwards without gloves on, & before we feed our young......

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  10. Eldy is also a Cardinals fan so he loves the photos as well! Me, I just love bird photos, especially yours!

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  11. This was a difficult post to read, as I simply cannot visualize you just sitting about twiddling your thumbs . . . or any other body appendage! ;)

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  12. Love cardinals but we live too far north for them to frequent our feeders.

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  13. I absolutely loved the Cardinal photos! The male was looking right into the lens!
    Has your snail mail caught up with you yet?
    Kathy

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  14. Your wonderful pictures make me miss our place in Georgia. We had so many birds and always enjoyed watching the babies this time of year. NO...we don't want to go back.

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  15. You take such great photos!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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  16. What a great shot of the Cardinal.

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  17. Great shot of the male cardinal. I like that in the bird world the kids are whining to their dad just like in our world. :)

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  18. I don't think I can get pictures like that with my point and shoot.....well, shoot.....

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  19. A little twiddling is good for the soul :-)

    Boy that header picture looks like a government building not an antebellum plantation house. If that's "typical" I can see once more why lots of folks didn't want to give up their "lifestyle". An interesting though juxtaposition to your photos from Selma a few days ago.

    Sherry
    www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com

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  20. Really great pics of the cardinals, it is nice to learn more about how to identify the different stages- thx

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