Birds: Others

I had such a fun time watching the penguins on their island! They swam in the water, played, preened their feathers, and sunbathed in absolute happiness! It was a joy to see them, and I just love how well this picture turned out!! :D

This image was taken during the MeetUp hike around one edge of Howard Prairie Lake on August 11, 2011.

3 more pictures in notes above ! :) You can also find me on Facebook ! It was another freezing cold day today, and I decided to stick close to the house because I'm a big baby and didn't want to "die of frostbite" again like yesterday! :D Stepping out onto the front porch, I saw that the flowers growing in two planters are now seriously on their way out because of the frost. But that doesn't mean they aren't still beautiful! :D So I spent some time taking pictures until my fingers and toes started yelling at me to go back inside! :) (You'll find two pictures after this one to show my picks!) I went into the kitchen and looked out onto our back deck, and what did I see but the adorable sight before you! Three extremely fluffy mourning doves, huddled up around a water dish (formerly a pot saucer). Now, if you know anything about me, you'll know that I simply go crazy whenever I see a bird with fluffed-up feathers! Here we have THREE!!! When they didn't fly away after a minute of me cooing at them, I ran for my camera and they were quite happy to sit and pose for me as I got pictures through the window! :) Doves are one of the most recognized symbols of peace. They also symbolize love and are a symbol for messengers. You can find out more about the dove as a symbol on this Wiki page: Wikipedia: Doves as symbols John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), commonly known as "Jack" or by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from January 1961 until he was assassinated in November 1963. Wikipedia: John F. Kennedy

One of the things we love so much about where we love is the sheer number and species of birds here. So many we had never seen before, including this large relative of the woodpecker, a Northern Flicker. These stunning birds love to eat the suet that we put out and sometimes there have been as many as 5 of them at once at the feeder! I got lucky with this shot on my husband's birthday at the end of April in 2013!