Has it really been over three months since my last blog post? It is my wish to post more often, but I have had difficulty finding the time. My husband and I have spent the majority of the summer at our country property in Indiana. Bruce has been working diligently building the house and has made great progress. Unfortunately, we do not have internet service yet, so I am unable to process photographs and put together blog posts until we return back to our home in Chicago.
We have so enjoyed the beautiful summer of 2013 in northwest Indiana. It's been a stellar year for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds! Wherever I travel on our acreage, I am able to spot these diminutive, energetic birds zipping through the air. I'm thrilled that more hummingbirds resided on our property than ever before. I placed fifteen feeders out at the beginning of the spring season, but had to add three more in July when the hummingbirds drained several of them in less than 8 hours.
Our resident Eastern Bluebirds raised two broods this year, though sadly, the adult male disappeared right before the second group hatched. Mom bluebird did a great job tending to her young even though she lost her mate.
I was able to locate a few tree nests and observe both Baltimore Oriole and Blue Jay parents successfully raise their young. As always, the House Wrens were busy building many nests in the available nest boxes. Currently, there are lots of tiny juvenile wrens flitting around our property.
Last year, a handsome pair of Eastern Phoebes built a nest in the unfinished garage of our new home. The couple returned and built a new nest in the same location and reared two healthy broods.
Below I feature several of the lovely birds seen on our acreage this summer.
A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird defends his feeder
A resplendent Cedar Waxwing perches on a branch
Crooning an early morning song ~ Blue-winged Warbler
A handsome pair of Sandhill Cranes lift off in unison
Searching the field for food ~ Juvenile Sandhill Crane
Ever alert! ~ Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
A radiant Indigo Bunting pauses briefly
Just moments out of the nest for the first time, a baby Blue Jay checks out the surroundings
One of two pair of Brown Thrashers seen on our property
A pretty Yellow Warbler forages for insects amid the leaves
A very attentive male Baltimore Oriole brings a plump, green caterpillar to the hungry nestlings
Little House Wrens can be quite demanding!
Our resident pair of Eastern Bluebirds claims the nest box
You can still see the pin feathers on this disheveled looking young hummingbird
No vacancy at this popular feeder
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33 comments:
hier word ik even stil van,wat is dit mooi.
So much lovely colored birds.....Julie you have them very nice photographed.
Greetings, Joop
http://joopzandfotografie.blogspot.nl
Hello Julie,
You show here very good shots!! So wonderful to see. Shot 3 is really amazing with that loud singing bird.
And great how you've photographed that two Sandhill Cranes in their funny flight. Well done Julie!!
Many greetings,
Marco
Wonderful, Julie!
SOOO nice to hear from you again! i am hoping you are making good progress on your new home. i just love all the birds you get to see there! such beauty you share when you get the chance!!! :)
Oh yes, they're beautiful. Lovely layout.
Gorgeous photos. I sure wish we had more Hummingbirds around here,but I do enjoy the ones I see.
Julie, your new property is filled with wonderful birds. I love all the hummer shots. And the beautifl blue-wing warbler would be a lifer for me. The cranes are awesome. You have a bird sanctuary there, gorgeous photos.
Dearest Julie,
The 3 months wait is very rewarding with all these hummingbirds and other birds and baby birds! Incredible what you all have living on your acreage. Hope your home is coming along well. We too had a very busy summer but our renovations are done by now. Best investment was our forever roof; Interlock Aluminum Slate in Aged Copper. We had our exterior painted by very meticulous painters. Pieter did put new Italian tiles on our balcony and replaced the Vintage Woodworks Texas wooden balusters and railings with polyurethane ones. We did have a very wet summer with lots of flash flooding. Also water in our basement but we got it cleaned up; no actual damage, just a lot of work!
Hugs to you and hope all is well with you and your loved ones.
Mariette
Wonderful shots, Julie. That's a handsome Brown Thrasher.
Hi Julie, I just can't imagine how delightful it would be to watch all those hummers regularly! You have some incredible captures of them! All those sweet babies are quite a treat as well! Your new property is a little piece of heaven:)
Wow this is beautiful Julie. Pure enjoyment what have you got beautiful birds for the lens.
Gr. Tinie
The pictures here are beautiful. This is what I am aiming for. You have wonderful birds to photograph on your property. Thank you for sharing.
such beautiful birds and such lovely clicks of them!!
http://www.myunfinishedlife.com
So nice to see an update from you today!! You sure do get a great variety of birds, your images are just wonderful!!
It was just great to see your hummingbirds, I did not get many this year!!
Your shots are so REAL..... and by that I mean you've caught their behavior and their beauty!! Another AWESOME post my friend!!
I love the Sandhill Cranes flying and the hummingbirds flying in group by the feeder.
Hi Julie,
What a beautiful series of birds! They all have something special. Like you, my heart goes to hummingbirds and the last picture is stunning!
Hope you will have the chance to post more often, we mist you... :)
Have a great week!
Louise
Hi Julie
I am glad you were able to spend the time at your country place you got some beautiful photos. The Sandhill Cranes were just stunning we had some fly over this summer but I will have to find out were they nest. Thanks for sharing you hummers with us, all the best.
Guy
Lovely. You sure do have lots of hummingbirds!!
Good to see you back Julie and even more wonderful to see the birds you have on your property through the summer!
Beautiful birds Julie, the baby blue jay is a stunner as are the hummingbirds,
Wonderful shots! I love the hummingbirds.
Hello Julie,
You must fel in paradise in this new home of yours!
I have just gone through many of your latest posts, the birds you see are gorgeous!
The Indigo bunting is magnificent and how lucky to have the Sandhill crane around!
I can't comment each photo but they are certainly are well worth it!
Love to discover your birds!
Cheerio, keep well!
Hi Julie, I hope this note finds you and your husband well. I just want to thank you so much for your kind comments on my blog and forgive me for taking so long to reply. This new post with all the hummingbirds is just wonderful. Hummingbirds are some of my favorite birds. They just seem to be able to do the impossible. All of your photography is an inspiration to me. Honestly, every time you publish a new post it restarts that desire to get out and take some serious photos. I enjoyed reading your introduction on this post … It sounds like you have had a great summer out at your new place. When everything is finished I hope you will share a few photos. I wonder what you will do about not having the internet out there? Do you think you will try satellite? I have not experienced it but have read that it works quite well. Now, one more thing regarding the hummingbirds … Several years ago my brother-in-law and I visited Lake Chapala in central Mexico during the winter. That seems to be a place where hummers winter-over. We heard about a lady who was famous for caring for the little creatures and welcomed visitors to view the birds around her feeders. My BIL wrote the whole story of our visit up and it may be interesting to you knowing how you love birding. The story is so old that it doesn’t quite print out perfectly, at least on my computer, but you can find it at this URL
http://www.scribd.com/doc/28321968/The-Hummingbird-Lady-of-Lake-Chap-Ala
Very best wishes to you for a great fall and thanks again for keeping an eye on John’s Island and your very kind comments. John
Julie, I've been on a 3 week trip to Africa so I have not been by anyone's blog for awhile. What can I say about your amazing photos that I have not already said time after time!!!! They are fabulous, as always. Wonderful captures and such interesting (and cute) little birds. Love the hummingbirds--I have not seen a single one here in Wichita this summer. Mickie :)
Awesome photos as usual, Julie! It is interesting to see the hummingbirds share a feeder without any territorial fights.
Julie, you have brought to us again the beautiful birds that surround your country property. The variety is quite amazing. It's always a pleasure to visit. Oh... I know exactly what you mean about finding and making the time to post.
Hi Julie,
Wat en ontzettend mooie serie foto's heb je weer van die schitterende vogels!
En thank yuo for your reaction on my blog.
Lovly greeting, Joke
Love your photos! They're brilliant, vibrant, full of life! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful pictures, they are superb Julie.
Hi, Julie, I've been remiss at checking blogs this summer but so glad I finally stopped in for a visit. The birdlife on your property is amazing. I never get so many hummers at the feeder at oone time. They chase each other away! Once I saw two on opposite sides. I just assumed they couldn't see each other!
I was wondering where you have been but I think it's busy for all of us....however building a house is a big deal:) Love the common birds found around the Midwest. I have yet to find all of them:) Brown Thrashers, Eastern Phoebes, Eastern Bluebirds sound so exotic:)
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