Northern "Bullock's" Oriole

Another bird for my life list...this Oriole has an almost peach-colored stomach that shows up when he flies. They like fruit and nectar from the hummingbird feeders.

He came back!!!!

The Vermilion Flycatcher............

And my pictures are better than the one I got online. He was sitting on the satellite dish just outside the side window. He stayed there about 2 minutes and I was able to get several shots with the zoom lens. Probably the prettiest bird I've ever seen!

So cute....looking right at me!

A masked bandito!

Lessor Goldfinch.....

Back on 2-9-09, I spied this little yellow bird across the road. Someone had washed their car and the birds had a field day splashing around in the puddles. I took the pictures from inside the camper, through the window. They turned out pretty good and when I zoomed in, I was able to identify the Lessor Goldfinch. It is identical to the picture in my bird book. These guys are not found in the southern states, just the southwestern states from Texas westward.

In the first picture you can see another bird's head in the foreground. The Lessor Goldfinch is looking toward the camera and has the black eyes and forehead.

In this picture, his back is toward the camera and you can clearly see the black and white design on the wings and back.

Another one to mark off my Birder's Life List.

~ PROJECT 365 DAY 1 ~

I thought the best way to begin my Project 365 was with a picture of the camera I use. It's a Kodak Ease Share Z650 with 10X Zoom. Not too big, not too little...just right for me. I've had it about 1 & 1/2 years now. I love the zoom feature.

And here is my first real picture for Project 365, even though I didn't take it today I did take it a few weeks ago. If anyone is ever in Atlanta and needs directions on the Northwest side of town, the Big Chicken is given as a reference point. I guess it's the original KFC store. Hey - I can't find her on my Bird Watcher's Life List! Aw shucks.

The Big Chicken!!

~ Melegris Gallopavo ~

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It's only fitting that I should see my first Wild Turkey only 3 weeks from Thanksgiving. There were three of them, walking across a field about two miles outside the park. I'm adding her to my Life List. I actually did see one about a year ago but she ran across the road so fast that I didn't realize what happened until she disappeared into the woods. These three were just meandering along without a care in the world, unsuspectful of the hunter we came across a few miles back.

~ A New Hobby....."Birding" ~

I've always loved birds and have had bird books with pictures of exotic types but just never got really serious about keeping track. It's pretty pointless when you live in the same area for 50+ years. There are only so many varieties to be seen.

Now that we are more mobile, I've seen some different ones so I decided to start my Life List. The first bird to be officially added to my list is this Osprey, spotted at St. Andrews State Park on October 10. He was up in a dead tree, enjoying his fish lunch. My camera did a really good job of capturing the moment although one of the pictures is a little blurry. The more zoom I use, the more steady I need to hold the camera. (Another mini hobby).

I'm going to try to get as many pictures of my sitings as possible. By the way, thanks FabGrandma for posting your bird pictures a while back. It reminded me to finally start my list!

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Footnote: Gas in Lynn Haven, Fla. $2.38!