Changes

Remember the nest of 4 eggs in the pine tree...

with mother Robin keeping watch...

.

then they hatched into fragile babies with fuzz...

who all slept a lot...

.

well they sprouted a thin coat of feathers...

but remained just as sleepy...

.

within days their feathers thickened...

and wide awake and hungry they became...

...changing...

between feedings
they would still close their eyes and rest...

...waiting to be fed.



Always ready for food...
opening their mouth wide...
when they thought it was time.




They became very alert...
looking more like
their parents as they grew...
... changing...




Then one day I found them in the trees...

and not long after that...changing to this...

but not a complete change...

still being lovingly fed...

-all photos enlarge-

and later taught to search on their own.

Baby deer can be found this time of year...

quietly waiting somewhere for their mother's return.

This was a family of three last year...

-twin fawns-

The mother brought them to the bird feeders often

throughout the winter.

Then this early spring...

they could be seen visiting alone...

-changing-

They each have different personalities...

one is a little more cautious than the other...
and always seems ready to flee.

Just last week they were visiting in the field...

you can see they are beginning to grow antlers.
-changing-

Maybe those antler nubs itch a little!

-photos enlarge-

Remember
the Morel mushroom I found in the woods...

but didn't pick because it was passed it's prime.

Well it later changed to this...

In the garden

the Poppies and Iris are still in bloom...

but with each day...changing.

Spent Iris blooms turn in on themselves.

The Poppies...once so full

turn into seed pods on long thin stems...

...changing...

This moth changed once from a caterpillar...

maybe a caterpillar that looked just like this...

and this clinging pod only looks like a caterpillar on a Poppy...

.

which makes for a unique change in the Poppy.

Missed and Noticed

This photo will substitute for a glowing sunrise

...something that has been missed lately

...not because I don't get up before dawn...

but because of overcast skies....

but...it produces interesting photos...

.

such as raindrops on Poppies

.

.

and Iris that glisten....

and a yard without shadows...something I'm missing.

The cool damp temperatures seem to halt the blooming of

flowers...

but increased a noticeable growth of a green patina on and in

the birdbath!

Something I almost missed but didn't...when I noticed

just what I was listening to.....it wasn't a red Cardinal...

but a Scarlet Tanager

-photos enlarge-

They are usually a shy bird that stay near the top of trees...

This one was just above me and stayed for several photos.



Here "is" something I noticed near the top of a tree...

Can you guess what it is?



It
stayed
there
forever...
it's
a
small
Gray
Squirrel
being a lookout I guess...
.

or just watching Herhusband get the car ready
for grandson Nathan to borrow for the prom...

Meanwhile...
I took the path behind the house into the woods.

.

Did you notice this mushroom in the above photo...
at the base of the tree or did you miss it?
.


I later noticed this Box Turtle farther down the path...



he slowly disappeared...


into his shell


As I walked I became aware of the sweet lemony
smell of a Honeysuckle Bush.




At the base of this tree I noticed a small pool of dark water...
almost a heart shape...


Here again is something I would have missed...
but he was singing loudly and flying low...
deliberately trying to get my attention...
there is probably a nest nearby.


-all photos enlarge-

Can you see him?

It's a Wood Thrush...

Many consider his flute-like song the most beautiful.

Farther along...the fern is beginning to cover the hillside.

I started following a well worn deer path...
.

which eventually led back up the hill...at a spot where the

tree roots look like steps...and where I noticed...

.

a past it's prime...Morel Mushroom...

and a large tree stump with a tunnel running through it...

and the remainder of it lying on it's side slowly decaying

and covered in moss.

The deer certainly take the hard way...

just like all of my grandsons have done.

I worked my way home...which was just up and over

the hill.

Two Mourning Doves were waiting in the trees...

most likely for their turn at the bird feeder...

where they eat the fallen seeds on the ground.

Besides the Cardinals and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks...

notice in the photo above the Chickadee at the birdhouse entrance...

and the Downy Woodpecker on the tree.

The Grosbeaks are our newest residents...sometimes

they have small disagreements with the our Cardinals.

They are a little bossy and slow at the feeder.

Even this little Finch knows it's best to wait.

Hope he doesn't miss his turn.

Late one afternoon there was a rather big commotion...

almost like a small riot going on with the birds...

so I grabbed the camera to tape...

Watch for a Hawk chasing a Bluejay...it's easy to miss!