Shamsie-fied

I was thinking about random things the other day, you know how you do, when washing the dishes or some other repetitive task where the mind can wander as you function on auto-pilot.
Anyway, I got to thinking how pretty Shamsie is because, well, she's gorgeous.

She is literally the color of my paint bottles!















At some point it occurred to me how weird it would be if other things were the same color scheme as Shamsie. 
If they were.........








....Shamsie-fied!

Fauna Friday

Today's feature is Shamsie again!  She's so cute hanging out in the window, she likes to sit there for a few minutes and see what's up outside - there's construction going on across the street so she's curious about the hammering and whatnot.

A piece of paper will often keep her busy for a while and stop her from chewing up things she shouldn't mess with.  Here's a video of her fiddling around on the window sill.

Fauna Friday

Nesting time!
We were walking along the Clinch River and I noticed a Great Blue Heron nest, the bird appeared to be feeding chicks or maybe arranging sticks in the nest.  Sorry for the shakiness but when you zoom in that far every little wiggle becomes a giant wobble.

Fauna Friday

Along the Clinch River by Norris Dam, you can often see Great Blue Herons.  These big birds really are a sight when soaring through the air and wading in the waters on their long spindly legs.  The other day, one flew right over our heads honking like a loud old goose - wish I could have captured that on video!
Here is one patiently fishing at the weir dam:

Fauna Friday

Spring is inching closer and the birds and frogs are singing up a storm around here.
A beautiful bright red cardinal was singing his little head off in our backyard yesterday.
You might need to turn up the volume, I filmed this from inside the house with no doors or windows open - he was pretty loud, though!

Frogs are laying their eggs now.
This cluster was spotted near the Little Pigeon River in Great Smoky Mtns National Park. Frogs will often lay their eggs in abandoned hog wallows such as this, which collect and hold water after a rain.

Fauna Friday

Today, let's check in on my Indian Ringneck, Shamsie.  She's been sitting on her eggs for a while now (there are 5), they won't hatch as they aren't fertilized..... but instinct is strong and she will brood them for a time before she decides she's had enough of that.

"Um, you do know you're about to get mauled, right?"

"For cryin' out loud, can't a girl nest in peace? Bug off!"

Friday Feathers

It ain't easy being busy and trying to get multitudinous things done when you've got a bird attached to your chest. But who could say "enough, go away!" to this adorable little face?? Not me, that's for sure :-)

It's Saturday, so it must be.....

..... cleaning day! And when it's cleaning day I run the vacuum. And when I run the vacuum, Shamsie goes berserk. Because to this bird, vacuum = bath time. Without fail, I turn on the machine and that bird is having a bath. She's so smart, she knows "clean"!


She does a much more thorough bath and less running around the cage when I'm actually pushing the vacuum. I'm amazed she let me video her this much, I suppose the call of the tub was too strong.

Look, up in the trees....

..... it's Turquita!















I was weeding in the yard when I heard her flapping around up there. She's been around a lot lately (on the ground) and it's always a treat to see her.

She's Baaaaaack!

Been a while since I've seen her but today, just before a thunderstorm, she was eating birdseed in the backyard. Yay!
I call her "Turquita".

Wordless Wednesday

Turkey time

Sunday and today I've seen the same young wild turkey in our backyard, I think it's a hen. She's a beautiful bird and a lot of fun to watch.
I keep hoping she'll drop a feather out there for me but all I found after her visit today was a few muddy footprints and some poop.
She stops to munch on the birdseed I spread out every few days. This morning she hung around the yard a long time and had to share the buffet with a blue jay, a flock of starlings, 3 of my tribe of 5 crows, and a rabbit that she chased off. I heard her vocalizing in the woods later, I considered getting out my turkey caller but I don't want to confuse her or scare her away :-)

Here's a video, at the end she saw me standing in the window:

Hearts All Around - Part 5

Ok, here it is, the last installment of the Valentine Series! I've had great fun discovering heart-shaped designs and I'll probably keep looking for them.
These two images are my favorite.
First up: A 1931 topographic map section of Cades Cove in the Smoky Mtn's Nat'l Park. Note the heart shaped contour line to the west of Whistling Gap. Cool! I discovered this a few weeks ago while doing trail research and actually it is what inspired me to begin this little project.

And finally: You may think this is a stretch, but it looks like a little heart to me! A heart with a little face. Although I could be influenced by the superluv I have for him, and what could be more appropriate on Valentine's Day than that :-)
He's sitting on my shoulder supervising as I type.
Click the photo to see it larger.

I hope you've enjoyed the series, thanks for following!