Ohio Birds,Backroads and Bakeries!

We are traveling once again. Ohio being one of the places we enjoy spending some leisure days.  The Millersburg and Berlin area  are so quaint and beautiful.  Our pace is slowed as we enjoy this  rolling farm landscape. The lush gardens of flowers,vegetables and fruit are abundant.  They beckon us to enjoy and taste the fruits of the Amish labor .  We love the bakeries and always "gain a few" when we partake of the fry pies and fresh baked bread.

Birds are abundant in this area also.  The crops and water attract many species.  We drove by a large tree with many birds in it yesterday.  I realized in a few moments that they were Northern Flicker with young.  We actually saw adults feeding their young. Fun to see!!! In Ohio we have seen the Eastern Kingbird, Yellow Warbler, Eastern Bluebird, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Phoebe, Killdeer, American Goldfinch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, many Canadian Geese and Ducks, multitudes of invasive House Sparrows and many Hawks we have not identified.

Leaving Ohio's Farmland, as when leaving other areas of this amazing country saddens us and at the same time we look forward to our next adventure. I hope you enjoy my photos of the Holmes County area.  Blessings!

Golden-cheeked Warbler and Others, Pedernales State Park

Golden-cheeked Warbler

Male Painted Bunting

Lesser Goldfinch

Male Ladder-backed Woodpecker

 

 

 

 

 

 

Female Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Bewick's Wren

Lark Sparrow

J.G. and I spent a couple of days in the "Hill Country" of Texas.  We visited a few antique shops in nearby towns.  We love to browse the shops and look for a "treasure" or two to place with others in our home. We almost always find something old and vintage that we feel we must buy! It is a fun hobby. 
We spent both early mornings at Pedernales State Park .  We were blessed to see the Golden-cheeked Warbler both mornings.  We were on the trail to the falls both times we heard and saw this warbler. The first morning I heard a Golden-cheeked singing high in a tree top.  J.G and I saw two on the trail the next morning, flying through the trees. We did not get any good photos.  I included one just so you could see it was a Golden-cheeked.  A few years ago, two G. cheeked Warblers flew right into our campsite area while we were enjoying morning coffee. This Warbler has been on the endangered list for years. The Park has the combination of mature Ashe Juniper and hardwood trees for this birds nesting habitat. It is awesome that the Golden-cheeked Warbler is successfully breeding.
A Gray Fox appeared in the bird blind chasing a rat while we were there.  Everyone in the blind enjoyed seeing this animal. The bird blinds are so wonderful at this park. I have written in other posts about visiting this park and enjoying seeing the birds from such a close vantage point.   We saw Painted Buntings, Lark Sparrows, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Lesser Goldfinch, Bewick's Wren, Black-chinned Hummingbirds and many White-winged Dove. We love our time spent in this beautiful part of Texas and look forward to visiting again soon! Blessings!

Hummingbirds!

Hummingbirds are fast-flying insect and nectar eating birds.  Their closest relative are swifts.  When a Hummingbird dips deep into a blossom they often become dusted with pollen, which is then transferred to the female part of the flower.  This process can pollinate the bloom so that it can produce seed. There are about 21 species of Hummingbirds that reach the United States, 16 breed here.  The largest number of species is found in the mountainous regions of western Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. One, the Buff-bellied breeds in south Texas.  The Ruby-throated is the only Hummingbird that is known to breed east of the Mississippi.  To reach wintering grounds in Mexico and South America, the Ruby-throated flies across the Gulf Of Mexico, returning to nest by the same route.  J.G. and I have been entertained by male Ruby-throated performing their acrobatic breeding behavior in our yard. They are fun to watch and we are beginning to believe some may nest in our home yard we named 2.9 Woods.  Today I enjoyed one particular male R.T. Hummingbird returning over and over to his same perch. I captured him preening himself as well as guarding one of the feeders.  I hope you enjoy the beauty! Blessings!