In Pecking Order (Patagonia, AZ)

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker keeps its distance from me most of the times.  At least far enough away that I cannot get a good photo of one.  I usually see or hear them in the higher branches.  Some have even dropped bark on my head...I think they laugh at me afterwards.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker - female

This female surprised me by landing in a branch hanging over the trail and a big plus - in the sun.  Yea!  I finally got a few good shots of her while she looked for food.

......and I stayed out of range of the flying bark too.

I like watching the different woodpeckers, but there are times when they can be very annoying especially the Gila Woodpecker.  Recently, I had to replace my hummingbird feeder because a Gila decided the plastic flowers were in his way, soooo he pecked them off which lead to drowning several honey bees as they climbed inside to get more sugar water.  I was an unhappy camper about the drown bees, so I found a metal feeder.  NOW, the Gila can peck all he wants!  That flower is not coming off.

same photo from last post - Gila Woodpecker

What got me started on the woodpeckers?  Well, yesterday our gate sensor that announces the arrival of visitors started going crazy.  ding-dong! ding-dong!  We looked out - no car...no person....hmmm......Dan walked out to the gate to see if there were birds or an animal hanging around the sensor.  Yep, you guessed it.  The Gila was pecking away at the lens of the sensor and poked a couple of holes into it!  Goodness, Mother Nature can be a challenge and entertaining at times!  LOL!

On The Cutting Board
When I'm not chasing woodpeckers through the woods, I am busy getting some needlework done on the Cuddly Critters quilt.

The paws and ears are ready to applique, but I need to applique the raccoon's mask and add three muzzles to faces before I add them to the quilt top.

Embroidering the eyes was quite a job!  I should have ignored the instructions and appliqued the eyes.  Oh well, they are all done now.

When I need a break from the applique, I have been getting quite a bit done on the embroidery squares.  The designs are very tiny.  If I decide to make another set, I am going to enlarge them!

I have eight blocks done....

....and...okay, I don't think I'll count the ones I have left to do.  There seems to be quite a few left, but I don't mind.  It is a nice change of pace to sit and embroider these cuties.

Happy Quilting!

Breaking News? (Patagonia, AZ)

Not the best breaking news - I broke my quilt stand.  Yep, I broke it.  I don't have a level area when I have a quilt in the hoop, but I am not quilting.  I try to balance it with a makeshift box, but it slides out and then the stand tips.  I will have to find another place or a different way to store it.  

I really like my quilt stand because it is very well made by  Hinterberg.  Plus, it is small and easy to break down and store.  I went online to see what was available and the good news - I can order another stand without getting another hoop.  So, I just ordered a new stand that is more adjustable than my old one and my hoop will fit on it.

Quiet Please!

Remember our Western Screech Owl?  Well, recently he has been spending more time in his hole during the day.  The Preserve has had a lot of visitors since the sighting of the Rufous-backed Robin.  I'm so happy the request to see him has slowed down this week.

Many of the visitors wanted to see the owl as well so we explained what he was doing and where he was located.  Would you believe some visitors witnessed someone banging on the Owl's tree trunk?  What is wrong with people?  Do they really think he is going to come out to see who is knocking?  

What really amazed me was how fast this information got around the Birding Community by word of mouth not online.  We had people showing up within a couple of hours and talking to us about the incident.  That warmed my heart to know there were so many concerned people out there worrying about our Owl.

Our manager decided to rope off the area to protect the tree as well as the owl.  People can still see him, but from a distance through the branches. So this is the last good clear view I have of Mr. Owl.

Here's a couple of nature photos:

Doves in the White Sycamores

 

Tuesday Treasury!

Belted Kingfisher - Check! (Patagonia, AZ)

I got him!  I couldn't believe my good luck.  After a month of chasing this bird up and down the creek, he landed in a very good spot close to me and I got my photos.

There he is - the King of Punk - the Belted Kingfisher.  Woohoo!  I think of him as a punk because of his tufted head feathers, those wild looking eyes, and the sound he makes is very unusual.  I swear he sounded like he was teasing me as he would fly by or away from me.  Sort of like from the show - Full House's Jackalope:  "fast as fast can be! you'll never catch me!"  Ha!  Gotcha!

 

Okay, enough with the crazy lady.  Here's a few more photos....

Abert's Towhee

Abert's Towhee

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (female)

And yes, this time I do have the correct woodpecker.  I double checked the books.  ;0)

and one squirrel pretending to be part bat...

Not too bad for a slow week of wildlife sightings.  Of course, I would have been happy with just the Belted Kingfisher photos.  He made my week.

Oh No! Short on Supplies (Patagonia, AZ)

Must be my week to be short on supplies.  First, I goofed on cutting strips, so I had to use some of my green border material.  Here's the result....

Not too bad.  I haven't decided if I'm going to make more blocks or stop with what I have now.  In honor of the Delighted! fabric, I think I'm going to call this quilt "Delightfully Dizzy".

I accepted a challenge from a Facebook group called "Crafty Mavens" to finish one project a month.  I figured it would be a good incentive to get some of these UFOs done.  I started with this crochet blanket that was halfway done.  I can't believe I miscalculated how much yarn I needed and I ran out!  

The nearest Joann's Fabric Store is an hour away.  It does not make sense to drive to Tucson for one skein of yarn, so I went to Joann's website with hope of finding the same yarn.  Not only did I find the same yarn, it was on sale!  Yes, I know the dye lot will not be the same.  Hopefully, it will not be too glaring of a difference.  It seemed silly to buy one skein for under $4 and pay $6 shipping....so I bought 7 skeins instead for the same shipping cost.  Now I have enough yarn for a second blanket.  The reason for finishing this project was to get it out of my closet so I can have a little more space.   Okay, did that make sense?

Well, back to my projects.  I'll leave you with some photos of a Ladder Back Woodpecker  Red-naped Sapsucker  getting a drink of water from the creek.  I spent two days trying to get pictures of this guy while he was pecking away on his favorite tree across the creek.  On the third day, I guess he felt sorry for me because he landed in the creek right in front of me!  (Oops! I goofed!  Thanks Barbara for letting me know!)

That lady has been watching me for two days..

Okay, lady.  Are you watching me?

Yea?  How about this view?

Heh!Heh! I'm a baaaaad boy..