Fishing - Kingfisher Bird

I'm back... kind of, sort of and hoping to catch up on what's been going on.
After being hit with a cold/flu that never wanted to go away and finally getting ill enough to drop milk from my diet, I thought I might give up blogging but I really miss all of you and kept wondering how everyone was doing.

I haven't had much time for art and certainly haven't had much nature in my life other than the sparrows, doves and quail that wake me up each morning to remind me to feed them.  It's been a cold, unpredictable spring here and not appealing enough to draw me outside when I'm not feeling well but I am optimistic that I will get a chance to enjoy some nature soon and I'm looking forward to visiting all your wonderful blogs.

Enough rambling, here's an painting I did with my son-in-law in mind.  He's an avid fisherman who also loves birds  .   In September, he and my daughter moved to the "Fishing Capitol" and they looked forward to many days of great fishing as they usually catch a lot.   Unfortunately, in the time they've been there, they've caught only one small fish and so in honor of this, the Kingfisher came to mind.

Funny, Humor Fishing - Kingfisher by countrymousestudio

Belted Kingfisher - with fish - Bird Collection by countrymousestudio
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Belted Kingfisher - with fish - Bird Collection by countrymousestudio

Finding nature where you can

After moving to the city, it became very important to find nature where I could. Fortunately, we moved near a lot that has been difficult for developers to sell because it has a little stream which drains the hill above it.  You can't see the water in the photo but you can see the little green plants still growing even in the snow.

I walk here often but because I usually have my dog with me, I stay on the road to avoid the burrs lurking in the grass.

But today, I decided I needed to get out on my own even though the snow was pretty deep. It was so much fun, I felt like a kid again.


Even the weeds were beautiful

I stopped long enough to notice there was still food left for the birds

and heard the cheerful singing of a little brown bird. It wasn't a sparrow and of course it wouldn't come close enough for a photo but I'd seen this little bird before by the lake.  It flicks it's tail like a wren, and every time I've spotted one, it has been near water.

After reading about the American Waterthrush, I thought I'd identified it but it shouldn't be here through the winter. 

Mind you neither should Red-Winged Blackbirds but one is still visiting our feeder.
This fellow has been staying through the winter for about three years.  I always wonder why some of them don't leave.

Well, that was it for my walk, it was short and not very exotic but very much appreciated.

California Quail

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a 2011 full of health, love, joy, peace and even in these difficult times - prosperity

I have been ill with a cold/flu thing that has been really hard to shake so I've been absent from visiting blogs and from posting but I will be reading between naps.

The closest I've been to any nature in a long while has been my own backyard but it doesn't have as many exciting birds as some of your yards do. I'm continually amazed at the number of bird and animal photos captured that way. I've seen more wildlife from people blogging in urban areas than I ever saw all the years I lived in the country.


These California Quail are sweet little birds that were introduced here to help eliminate bugs in the orchards. I'm sure the first ones were not too happy with all the snow but somehow they've survived and even flourished in this area.

They are such friendly birds that you often have to wait for them to move when driving or walking. Although they can fly, they usually choose to run instead.

For years, I never saw them in the winter and have often wondered where they went but then one day, I purchased a bag of bird feed with a large amounts of ground corn in it and I don't know how they found out but not even 2 hours later a whole flock arrived.

I am so pleased that in spite of the local cats, coyotes, hawks and owls, they are so numerous. California Quail are one of the nicest surprises I discovered in this area.
Well forgive me if there are mistakes I keep reading this over and over to edit it and am not absorbing anything so I'm just going to post it.

California Quail by countrymousestudio

California Quail Mug by countrymousestudio

Minty Marshmallows - not my normal post

In September, I wrote a post about bales of hay wrapped in green that looked like mint flavored marshmallow.  Since then, my whole family has wondered why no one makes them.   Then this week, while searching for a recipe for Christmas cookies, my cookbook fell open to a recipe for marshmallows.
That was it, since I had mint flavoring on hand, I had to make them.

Once cut into 4 they made perfect Hot Chocolate toppers

Here's the recipe for those who want to try it.

Marshmallows

2 tbsp gelatine
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup water
pinch salt
1 tsp mint extract

Soak gelatine in 1/2 cup cold water. Heat sugar in 3/4 cup water until dissolved, boil for 1 minute.
Add gelatine to syrup and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat, let stand until partially cool.
Add salt and flavoring.

Beat with rotary beater or electric mixer until stiff.
Dust pan with icing sugar and pour in 1/2 inch deep.

When set, cut into squares with a knife dipped in cold water.

Roll in icing sugar.

They are very soft the first day so I let them dry for a day and they had a crust that everyone preferred.

Hope all of you are finding time for some peaceful moments with a cup of something warm.

Hungry Birds, Bad Photos & Frustration

Hungry Birds

We recently went through a cold, snowy spell where the birds were hungrier and more tolerant of my camera.  As I've mentioned before, I gave up using bird feeders, since the neighborhood cats were catching too many birds and instead I've been throwing the seed on the ground in a wide open area with no hiding spots.

 
This means I only get ground feeders and most of them are sparrows and brown, but that's okay, they're cheerful.  The other daily visitor is a family of Magpies.

bad photo of sparrows taken through frosty window.

 

I have watched this Magpie family over the last 3 years and noticed that most have remained in the area and still seem to spend time within their family.
They came down to feed in groups of three or less at one time, but there is 6 or 8 of them, in the family.
Each morning they stop by and if there is no food, they will sit on my roof and chatter.

Because it was so cold out I felt sorry for them and gave them dog food and a few pumpkin, sunflower and oatmeal muffins.

 

As you can see the photos are bad, first they were taken through a frosty window and second I could only get some of them to upload properly.

 I had to put them on Picasa Web Albums in order for blogger to take them, then they would only take two out of the whole album.

Has anyone else had problems uploading photos to blogger?

Magpie, Dated, Photo Ornament to Customize by countrymousestudio

Christmas Magpie Card to customize with your own greeting or name by countrymousestudio

Ginko Biloba

This summer, I went for a walk at a park, just down from my home and discovered that the city had planted Ginko Biloba trees.  I didn't know they grew here and was pleasantly surprised to see they had planted a new variety.  I love the unusual leaves and took some home to admire and make prints of.

photo from www.plantplaces.com

This morning in the news was an article about a family living in Toronto, Canada where the city  unknowingly planted a female Ginko Biloba tree in front of their home. http://www.canadaka.net/link.php?id=64391 Those living in the neighborhood  are complaining that when the ripening fruit falls, if it gets stepped on or broken, it smell like a cross between dog feces and vomit.  She said they have to go out each morning and pick the fruit so people won't step on them, get the smell on their shoes and track it into their homes and of course, each year the tree gets larger and produces more fruit.

So I went to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba and sure enough they said the fruit smells like dog feces or rancid butter. 

So here's a warning to anyone wanting to plant these beautiful trees to make sure it's not a female.
Anyone have any experience with this?