Birds, I can't tell you how much I love them. You might of heard of John James Audubon and his book, "The Birds Of North America". There are only about 120 copies left of this book and one went on auction in London just a few months ago. In 1820, at the age of 35, John James Audubon decided to record and draw every bird in North America. Rather than using oils, which was popular for the day, he used water-colors and pastel crayons. The 435 drawings that he did are all completely life sized. It is true that he killed many of the birds in order to observe them and to sketch them. He tried to get the money for his project from New York and Philadelphia, but instead he had to go to the United Kingdom for help. In London, he found Robert Havell as a publisher but it was his son, Robert Havell, Jr who completed the work. Today, the Audubon Society has this mission: To conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.
If you want to see some fantastic photos of birds, just click on the following...
audubon magazine photography award winners
 |
| Cardinal In My Back Yard! |
http://www.berry.edu/eaglecam/
There is a pair of bald eagles nesting at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. If you click on that link above, you can see the eagles with the new eaglets that just hatched in January! (Can't see them when it is dark though!) Richard and I loved watching the live cam from the location in Maine this past June showing the opreys with their babies...it was fascinating to watch them tend to their young, how carefully they fed them, how the female would hold her wings over her babies to protect them from the sun, how the male would bring back big fish for them to eat. We look forward to seeing if we are able to witness this with the Bald Eagles too!
On February 15-18, there will be a Great Backyard Birdcount and this year, for the first time, it is not just for the USA, it is for the whole world! Wherever you are in the world, you may participate. You may read all about it here.
Birds...I love them!
 |
| Photo from Audubon Society Magazine |
There is a pair of bald eagles nesting at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. If you click on that link above, you can see the eagles with the new eaglets that just hatched in January! (Can't see them when it is dark though!) Richard and I loved watching the live cam from the location in Maine this past June showing the opreys with their babies...it was fascinating to watch them tend to their young, how carefully they fed them, how the female would hold her wings over her babies to protect them from the sun, how the male would bring back big fish for them to eat. We look forward to seeing if we are able to witness this with the Bald Eagles too!
On February 15-18, there will be a Great Backyard Birdcount and this year, for the first time, it is not just for the USA, it is for the whole world! Wherever you are in the world, you may participate. You may read all about it here.
Birds...I love them!
 |
| Carolina Wren |
We have had something similar in the UK for a few years now. I know my son-in-law, Mark, has participated in it. I must do so as well this year.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I meant to say how much I enjoyed this post, Kay.
DeleteThanks, Scriptor! Let me know if you do a bird count and which ones you see. I love the birds in England too!
DeleteI've clicked on the link to the eagle cam, but of course right now, it is just gone 7.00 am in Germany, which means 1.00 am in Georgia, I think, so there is just darkness on the screen.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that nowadays people tend rather NOT to kill something they want to draw...!
You know I love watching the birds from my kitchen window; there is always a lot of activity out there, especially now that spring is approaching.
I am afraid the Eagle-cam is not as good as the osprey-cam that was in Maine. This one is from a tree near the nest, whereas the one in Maine was just beside the nest! You felt like you were one of the babes in the nest, the picture was that clear!!
DeleteOh, and I don't even get me started about hunting, you must know that I don't like it!!
Maybe you could do a bird count in Germany? I know you are busy with your new job...hope you are doing well, dear Meike!!
Hello Kay:
ReplyDeleteIt is, we feel so important that everything possible is done to promote a general awareness in, and the value of, all aspects of Nature. The worldwide bird count is yet another example where this is happening.
Living in the city we do so miss so many of the birds which were, when we had a garden, regular visitors.
Hello Jane and Lance!
DeleteSo happy to see your comment here!
I was very pleased to see that this bird count is now world-wide. We really do need to remember this is one world, and we are all in it together!
I love the photos especially the bald eagles. We have some beautiful young swan down the road from us that I will try and get a picture of tomorrow.h
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, by all means, try to get some photos of the swan!
DeleteI love birds too. Some of my most treasured memories are of bird-watching with my Dad when I was younger. We would spend hours trecking through fields and crawling through bushes trying to get a glimpse of a feather - happy days. x
ReplyDeleteOh Julie, thanks so much for your comment. How wonderful to have those memories! And I love that phrase..."A glimpse of a feather"...that is exactly right! Sweet happy days to you too! xx
DeleteBird seed is always in my budget! I even had a yellow rumped warbler out on the porch yesterday, though most of my diners are house sparrows, house finches, and titmice.
ReplyDeleteOh Betsy, we saw a yellow-breasted chat in the Spring at Panola Mountain and it was amazing!!
DeleteYou must get chickadees too, if you have those other birds!
And what about wrens and cardinals?
I love bird watching. My daughter called yesterday and said the tree outside her window was loaded with cardinals. She was trying to get a picture but they'd fly away every time she got close enough. What a beautiful sight they make. Enjoy your bird watching and counting too!
ReplyDeleteBirds are really difficult to photograph because they can fly away so very quickly!!
DeleteMy mother-in-law from England was just amazed at the sight of the cardinal that she saw for the first time when she visited! And we just take that fantastic bird for granted, it is so common to us.
I, too, love birds---they bring me such utter joy and delight. We've had a white-throated sparrow hanging around this winter, and I can tell you that hearing a single call from that little sparrow lifts my heart straightaway when I'm feeling sad.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite bird books is a very simple one put out by Reader's Digest---Book of North American Birds. It's reasonably priced, as well. It has lovely little paintings of birds and is perfect for someone like me who adores birds and likes to identify who I'm looking at in my backyard, but doesn't really care about becoming an expert scientific avian authority. :-)
Happy birdwatching, Kay!
Hello Beth! So happy to see your comment here!
DeleteAnd yes, I love birdsong as much as love to see them!
We have a small birdbook from Audubon from 1990 that we always use to look up birds. Also, if we see one that we are not sure of, we do a search on the internet, and that is even easier!!
I don't know that will become an expert scientific avian authority either...but I might become THE most appreciative bird lover in the world, I am on the way to that title! :-)
The best thing about my kitchen window over the sink is that i get to watch the birds while i'm washing dishes.
ReplyDeleteWe look at birds while washing the dishes, and gaze at the moon when we take out cat litter. Hey gal, you are just TOO much like me!!
DeleteWhat would this world be without birds? I truly can't imagine it! I watched a fascinating documentary not that long ago (on Netflik) on James Audubon.
ReplyDeleteHey Jane!
DeleteI will have to check that out about him.
Of course, you love the birds too!!
I have lots of cardinals in my back yard here in Kentucky. Their red feathers look spectacular against the backdrop of a snowy yard. I have not yet managed to capture a good photo of one. Visiting the John James Audubon State Park here in Kentucky is on my to do list for this spring and summer.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I ever saw a cardinal against a backdrop of pure white snow, I understood the reason for all the Christmas cards with similar photos...just pure beauty!!
DeleteOh, that park sounds wonderful. Please do a post on it if you do!
Your cardinal pic made me laugh. He certainly looks like he is in charge. We need some warmer weather to see them regularly here; which I am looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteHAHA, that cardinal is worried that I am going to move the ladder. He knows that my husband left it there!
DeleteThat red cardinal looks splendid - I never see anything that colourful here. Mainly, I have seagulls squawking overhead!
ReplyDeleteOh, you are making me homesick for Eastbourne!! I LOVE the sound of the gulls, reminds me of my visits there.
Delete:-)
My English in-laws LOVED the bright red of the cardinal too!
Gorgeous header!
ReplyDeleteI love birds too. We don't have a huge variety of birds, but what we have, we really enjoy. My fav is the Great Horned Owl. We hear him almost every day, and see him less frequently.
Thanks, Terry!
DeleteI love owls too! If you look at my post called "Christmas Cartoon and Poem", the poem is about owls.
Thanks for this interesting post! I too love birds, in the winter I miss hearing them sing. I often get out a CD of ambient music that has nature and bird song and play it for myself and my cats!
ReplyDeleteOh boy, I can just see your cats listening to that birdsong and trying to figure out where they are coming from!!
DeleteThanks for your comment! :-)
I love birds too and to take a lot of pictures of them. I have a card file where I take notes of every new bird I shoot.
ReplyDeleteFunny about that Danish hair curler:-)
And I am so happy that when you "shoot" them, that is is with a camera!!
DeleteOh yes, I am appreciative of the good workmanship of the Danish!!
I love this! I have always loved birds. I love the picture of the cardinal. Great blog you have :)
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much!
DeleteAnd you know, you have a very nice blog too!
You could always follow me and you would be number 119!
Isn't that a nice number? (I am so subtle.)
Take care and please visit me again! :-)
Oooohhhh! I like your new header, Kay.
ReplyDeleteI too love birds. I have a blog friend in France who captures amazing photos of birds: Noushka at http://1000-pattes.blogspot.com/
If you haven't spotted her blog yet, you might want to check it out!
Take care!
Oh, thanks so much! My sweet hubby took that photo, I usually give him the camera!! It is a sunset from the top of Arabia Mountain.
DeleteThanks for telling me about that blog, I think I have seen it on some other blogs too.
I love beautiful photography, I am not very good but my husband is!!
And of course, Noushka is one of my followers! She is the one that has a bald eagle for her photo. I can't look at her blog very well, sometimes I can't if there are alot of photos on it.
DeleteI think I need a new computer.