Aww shucks y'all.

Oh Melanie, I know you were just teasing me. Tease to your hearts content. Teasing is great fun too. I wish there were an unmistakably teasing emoji. I tease all the time but it's really hard to pull that off online without getting misinterpreted. See, I would use a wink for that but I suggested we get a winking emoji once & I was flabbergasted at how many people said a wink would be offensive to them or thought as flirting. Whenever my mom or dad teased they always winked.

Ann, I remember when you requested the wink emoticon and my thinking was just like yours ... winking as in teasing! at least some of us think alike.

A few backyard bird photos from today ...

Boat-tailed Grackle ............................. Red-winged Blackbird ......................... Cardinal, juvenile male?


Dove ..................................................................................................................... Dragonfly to fill the space

Beautiful birdies and dragonfly too!

Is that the dragonfly named after Halloweed? I think it is...

Doves are so nice to look at, love the water background.

Mourning Doves are among my favorites. That Grackle looks quite surprised that you caught him, @plantladylin.

Depending on how they perch, Bluebirds look cutely plump. We are blessed that they are still hanging around.


Here is a Mourning Dove with an intruding Bluebird. :)


At least my powerline photos show birds this time.

Our duck was quacking up a storm overnight. She's kept in a cage/shelter thing at night , but can see what's going on around her. What time it was, I don't know... it was dark. I fumble around for a flashlight, figuring a feral is just prowling around. Stepping onto the porch, I expect to hear just bugs, but was greeted with the song of a nearby Sedge Wren. What was he doing singing at that hour? Maybe he was telling Fluffy to be quiet!

Great photos y'all! I love Doves too & we had a lot down south but have very few here. I love to hear them cooing.

I love the cooing of the Mourning Dove too! My favorite bird sound. Reminds me of a flute. Not sad, more like all is well and at peace.

Since I had seen nobody eating jelly I brought the dishes in, cleaned them up and put them away over the weekend. Have had no migrating orioles this year. Anyway who shows up this morning but an adult red-bellied with a juvie!! I felt so bad. The adult even got on the hummingbird feeder checking it out!

Maybe the orioles are running behind schedule... if that happens.

About a half hour ago I spotted a Limpkin perched on a branch in the Cypress tree. I managed a couple of shots before it flew from the tree; I walked to my back deck (the direction it flew) thinking it would be behind the house and I could get more pictures but the Limpkin was gone and walking along the waters edge was a juvenile White Ibis.

Limpkin ................................................ White Ibis, juvenile/teenager growing into his solid white color:

Wow...... really nice!!!!!

Thanks Claudia!

wildflowers said:Is that the dragonfly named after Halloweed? I think it is.

Christine, I had to go look and yes, that Dragonfly is called a "Halloween Pennant" - Celithemis eponina for those who are into the scientific names ... I had to look it up!

Claudia said:Since I had seen nobody eating jelly I brought the dishes in, cleaned them up and put them away over the weekend. Have had no migrating orioles this year. Anyway who shows up this morning but an adult red-bellied with a juvie!! I felt so bad. The adult even got on the hummingbird feeder checking it out!

This is so typical. The minute you take them down here they come. Frustrating.

My dad was over in St. Pete yesterday hunting a Eucalyptus tree (he's a woodturner). He spotted a couple of wild Peacocks and took a picture for me. Thought you guys would enjoy it.

I love the wild Peacocks, but we don't see them this far north. Some folks consider them a huge nuisance though ... loud and they make a big mess but I kinda like their sounds. We used to vacation in the Longboat Key/Sarasota area and there were flocks of wild peacocks that would roam the neighborhoods over there.

I think they are beautiful birds, thank your dad for the photo, Melanie.

I did not realize there are wild peacocks! Learned something new.

Well, I put out a dish of jelly last night. Not sure if the Red-bellied Woodpecker with juvie will come back or not. However, while outside this morning I heard then saw a Baltimore Oriole! So jelly is there just in case.

I like putting out oranges and jelly for the Orioles, but there are times in the summer, they get over run with flies and some type of beetle. Ick. If there were any fly-eating birds around, they could have a feast. I've been hearing Baltimore Orioles off and on for a few days, but they must just be moving south since I only hear them in the morning. Last year the orioles (both Orchard and Baltimore) hung around until early September.

We have a lot of juvenile Red-bellied WP's around lately ... one came around with daddy this morning. The juvenile stayed in the palm tree while dad went to the suet feeder. I sure wish I could have gotten some shots of the adult feeding the youngster but my camera setting was on macro because I'd been taking close up pic's of a flower. It took me a minute to figure out why I wasn't able to focus on the birds way up in the palm tree. Duh! Another moment when I need one of those slap my head emoticons. Anyway, I managed a few shots after the camera setting was readjusted to the correct spot.

Red-bellied Woodpecker, adult male and Red-bellied WP, juvenile


Northern Mockingbird at the top of another Palm tree, perched on an old flower spike


Red-winged Blackbird, male in the Bottlebrush tree and female in a Foxtail Palm

plantladylin said: I sure wish I could have gotten some shots of the adult feeding the youngster but my camera setting was on macro because I'd been taking close up pic's of a flower. It took me a minute to figure out why I wasn't able to focus on the birds way up in the palm tree. Duh! Another moment when I need one of those slap my head emoticons. Anyway, I managed a few shots after the camera setting was readjusted to the correct spot.

I do not know how many times I have done that. Yes, a slap my head face would go well here. My old camera would automatically go back to the landscape setting after turning it off. This new improved model leaves it at the last place you had it. I need a bird camera and a flower/bug camera.