Yesterday morning, just as I was starting to scrape the barn after the cows had been let out, Husband hollered from outside, "Hey, one of those big herons or cranes just landed in the crick........maybe you should go down there and try to get a picture." Well.........pull my string & I jump!! Ditching the scraper, I ran to the house, grabbed my small camera, and headed down the hill toward the "crick".
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Along the way........voila.......an abacus appeared on the fence! I think these are "Eastern Kingbirds".
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Here's what my Birds of Iowa field guide by Stan Tekiela says about Kingbirds: A common bird of open fields and prairies. Perceived as having an attitude (COOL!), acting unafraid of other birds and chasing the larger ones. Bold behavior gave rise to its common name, King. Perches to watch for insects. After flying out to catch them, returns to the same perch, a technique called "hawking". Males and females return to mating grounds and will defend a territory together..JPG)
Anyhow........what number would these Kingbirds be displaying if they were an abacus? I recall working with an abacus way back in grade school, but don't remember exactly how the numbering system works.***
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I do know this number below is "FOUR"!
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I do know this number below is "FOUR"!
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........and "ONE"........One being the loneliest number, you know........according to "Three Dog Night"! Anyone remember that song? Or "Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog"?!! Or, other "Three Dog Night" songs?
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Well, my walk to the crick was definitely a "wild heron or crane" chase, for such a bird was not in sight anywhere! But, there were some patches of weeds beginning to turn to fallish colors.......smartweeds, vervain and timberweeds. Amazing that autumn's approach causes even weeds to be beautiful!!
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(Thank you, rhymeswithplague, for pointing out my huron/heron spelling error-----now corrected-----I did not go to the "crick" searching for one of the Great Lakes or a Native American tribe!)
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7 comments:
And he encouraged you to get off the tractor and go pix taking?? Awesome! Great job, by the way, too!
And oh how I remember Three Dog Night!
Very nice Jeannelle as always. I am learning so much from your flowers and bird pics and all the great information you provide. I guess I won't harvest any of that meadow sage after all. LOL. I thought it was wild sage for my turkey! Tee hee.
I just love that you saw an abacus in this.
Jeannelle, that elusive bird was a crane or a heron, not a huron. Huron is a Great Lake or an Indian tribe, like Erie.
Oh, my goodness.....thank you, rhymsie! I will fix it when I return from the football game!
What beautiful little birds. We had some sort of heron land here in the ditch next to one of the hay fields.....did I have a camera handy....No. He or she was such an interesting bird to watch.
My brother and sis use to listen to Three Dog Night, so I grew up listening to them as well. ( I am much younger then my siblings......17 years and 14 years between us.) I still listen to Three Dog Night to this day....=)
I really love coming to your blog each day......Happy Days to you.
Hi, deserthen!
That's a cute nickname!
It sounds crazy, but I now take my small camera along in a fanny pack when I take walks or do fieldwork.....just in case some cool bird, etc., shows up. Sometimes I forget the camera and that's for sure when something good will appear!
I take it you have three dogs at your place!? Or three howling neighbor dogs!!?
Thanks for your kind words!
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