Three Eastern Meadowlarks were perched up in one of the pond-side Oaks a few days ago.  It was one of the rare sunny and mild days here this Winter so far.  The Meadowlarks have been here on three occasions since October, 2011.  I really enjoy seeing these medium-sized light brown, bright gold, and dark brown-black birds.  The Eastern Meadowlarks tend to enjoy being in the crowns of trees while those out west do not.  Meadowlark birds eat insects primarily and have a pointed bill much like that of the European Starlings.  They root out insects and grubs in the pastures here in the area.  I took these pictures on January 24, 2012 in my yard. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo.  Enjoy!

The semi-resident Great Blue Herons here at the little farm pond have been coming around much more often in recent days.  I believe that at least two Great Blue Herons have established a rookery or nesting area in the tall trees along the nearby private community lake.  Herons eat small fish, frogs, insects and small aquatic animals as a regular diet.  They use their long slender bill to ferret out food from muddy areas of ponds, streams and lakes.  They also are great at flying.

The Great Blue Heron is a wading bird.  It has long legs and walks around the shallows of muddy, reed-filled areas to find its food.  The Great Blue Heron has a squawking sound for its call.  It is most similar in sound to a Canada Goose but more of a slow “cup-cup” sound than a true honk.  At least that’s my own take on it.  I am quite pleased to have the herons around here. They are interesting and graceful birds.  I took these pictures on Jan. 24, 2012, and Jan. 25, 2012 in my yard.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

I was out looking at a beautiful sunrise yesterday when I heard several Common Crows and also two Hawks.  These birds were in the cow pasture way across the pond from my little farm here.  I have no ability to access that pasture as it belongs to the neighbor’s farm.  The crows were swooping and making a lot of loud noise trying to shoo the hawks away.  I think one of the hawks (I don’t know which species of hawk they were as it was too far away to accurately see well) was perhaps injured or sick.  One hawk was flying a bit and was vocalizing a lot.  The cry that the hawks made was to me from a distance, a lot like a loud cat screeching.  Obviously the battle was on!  I think eventually the crows got tired of insulting the much larger and powerful hawks and gave up.  The crows flew off and a moment or two later, so did both hawks.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.

This week’s chapter of Woodpecker Wednesday offers a  glimpse of a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  I took its picture yesterday afternoon here in my yard.  The day was a beautiful one with vivid blue skies and it was warmer out than it had been recently.  This woodpecker flew between big Oaks along the shoreline of the pond.  The bird was likely trying to find its hidden cache of acorns or nuts.

From the look of some of the chewed up branches on a couple of the Oaks, the woodpeckers really have been at work!  Woodpeckers eat insects, nuts, seeds, and berries.  They usually stash their finds away in pantry caches that they create in holes made in the tree trunk or in cracks in the rough bark of  many hardwood trees.  Of course in some areas where there are fewer trees, woodpeckers have been known to peck holes in telephone or electric poles, and house siding.  They seem to like pecking on hollow spaces and like the noise of that action.  Of course, people do wish that woodpeckers would stick to pecking on trees!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

I have never seen any coots here on the little farm pond before.  Yesterday afternoon I was exploring the far end of the property on the pond shoreline and saw a single American  Coot paddling around in the muddy reeds.  Coots are not ducks even though they look a lot like them.  The coots have a large white beak and also have toed feet with webbing like a duck.  A mixture of duck and chicken-like bird characteristics.  Coots are members of the Rail family of birds.  Coots are chicken or duck-sized birds.  They paddle on ponds, lakes and slow rivers, fly, and also stroll around on the shore.

I had a small flock of coots graze on my front lawn last year at the lake house.  Coots eat water plants, grasses, and grains.  They like to dive under the water to seek out tender aquatic plants for their meal.  They also dive to avoid predators.  Coots are themselves favored as a meal by Bald Eagles, Osprey, and most kinds of Hawks.  That is one reason why the Bald Eagles are in the Crossville, TN area during the winter months along larger lakes.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo.  Enjoy!

European Starlings have been here in my yards fairly often.  A number of the robin-sized birds live in the Oaks and Hickories that are on the margins of the little farm here.  These birds often will join together in a large flock.  Earlier, back in the fall, the starlings were mostly here in groups of twenty to thirty birds.  Now, there usually are about a hundred or more European Starlings here.  They make a lot of squeaks, whistles, and chirp sounds.  They are pretty interesting and not any trouble at all to me here.  They eat insects, grains and fruits.  They do graze in the grass to find grubs and worms.  I think they are really handsome birds.  The males are a blue-black color with lighter golden streaks.  They are almost iridescent.  The females are similar in color but are more of a brown instead of a black.  Starlings have a pointed bill that they use to dig in the grass for insects.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

I have noticed that for the last week, the small flock of Canada Geese has been lounging and browsing on the shoreline closest to my home here at the little pond.  These lovely geese like eating the new tender grass here.  The pond is a sheltered body of water and the weather has been stormy.  We have had cold weather, warmer windy weather, and now thunderstorms and fog.  Hardly enjoyable weather for waterfowl or people.  The geese alternate between this pond and the small private community lake across the street.  These geese seem to be here in the wee hours and stay until about noon.  After noon, they fly off for adventures on the lake or at another farm pond in the area.  I like having all the waterfowl here.  It is always a different view every morning.  I took these pictures on January 11, 2012, January 18, 2012, and January  20, 2012,  in my yard and from my living room window.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photograph.  Enjoy!

Like most doves, this one eats seeds, nuts, and fruits.  The Eurasian Collard Doves live primarily in the Southern U.S.A.  Apparently these doves had been released into the wild  in the Bahamas in the 1970′s and have spread to the Southeastern U.S.A..  They are becoming more established here in TN now.   I only saw this single bird here but I did see another similar dove up the road a few miles away when out driving.  I have only seen a dove here twice.  The last time was way back around Halloween (end of October).  This dove is likely a Eurasian Collard Dove but I am not  absolutely sure.  I can tell you, this bird did not look like most Mourning Doves I have seen.  It looked very pink – almost like it was luminously shining.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Here are a number of pictures I have taken of birds in flight.  I have taken these photographs on various days in the last couple of months.  The pictures show European Starlings, a Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese, a Turkey Vulture, a Bald Eagle, a Mallard Duck, an Eastern Bluebird, and an Eastern Bluejay.  It is so interesting to watch birds fly.  Taking pictures of birds flying is a sometimes frustrating thing.   The larger the bird and closer the bird is to me, the better the picture is.   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

While I was taking pictures of the ducks at the pond the other day, I spotted a Great Blue Heron flying in.  When the big bird touched down on the shoreline, it immediately took off again.  I soon saw why – there was another Great Blue Heron at the pond.  The chase was on.  I think it was over territory but it also could have been over food.  The first heron has a bit of food in its bill. The Great Blue Herons live in a nearby rookery or nesting area high in the trees near the small private community lake that is in the general neighborhood where I live.  Herons eat fish, frogs, crayfish, turtles, aquatic insects and sometimes small rodents.  They a keen hunters.  There usually is only a single heron here on the pond.  This is the third time I have seen two herons here at the same time.  I took these pictures in my yard on Jan. 13, 2012 and on Jan. 17, 2012.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!