May birds

I have been enjoying the birds this month!

  
The orioles have loved the oranges and "mikan" (or cuties) I have put out for them along with the grape jelly.

 I find I have to resupply daily!

 The orioles have been singing in my snowball bush, just outside my bedroom window.  LOVING it!

We daily have battled with the sparrows as they continually try 

to occupy the purple martin apartments!

The great egrets continue to visit our creek.  And my resident bunny who lives under our spirea.

This month's bird walk was such fun!  I'm not sure if it was because it was so very early, or if there were just so many activities (city garage sales, etc) but there were only 4 of us on the bird walk and the 3 others were expert birders!  

 foggy morning

So, instead of the usual 1 1/2 hour walk, we took over 3 as we stopped often to just observe and listen!

                                                                                Mississippi kite

Blue bird feeding her young

We saw so many birds this day!  It is hard to capture them on camera.  It will become even more so as the trees leaf out. We saw or heard the great crested flycatcher, blue jays, wood thrush, red starts, yellow-rumped warblers, warbling vireo, winter wren, brown thrashers (who imitate with 2 consecutive calls unlike the mockingbird that makes 7 calls at a time), and sharp-shinned hawk. 

I learned some new bird calls this time, along with some ones I already could identify.  

The rapid chipping of the bells vireo - chiree chiree chee chiree chiree choo.

Harris sparrow's 2 long note song.  The blue jays 3 note call.  

The "tea-kettle" call of the carolina wren or the "here I am, look at me, here I am, up in the tree, way up here!" call of the red eyed vireo.

The bzzz bzzz sound of the sparrow.  Each bird has several different kinds of calls.  I don't know how to keep them all straight, but I'm trying to learn!

 

So much rain

This spring we have seen lots of rain.  LOTS!

 I do love a beautiful thundercloud though!

And the sound of thunder.

But in all my years in Kansas, I have never seen roads closed like this year!

I35 north of the Oklahoma border was closed!  

And Highway 50 from Newton to Hutch was closed!

Our niece was graduating from Hutch JUCO and we wanted to go.  I heard at the last minute that they had finally opened up the road to Hutch!

The airport at Halstead under water.  They had the flood gates closed to Halstead and people who lived there were finding alternate ways to get home.

 This is a field!

We were able to see our niece graduate!

 Congratulations Bailey!!

With all the rain, the creek behind our house was filling up.  The upside to that is that the great egrets and herons were loving that!  One morning there were 4 egrets!  (you can only see 3 in this picture, but there were 4)

1. More rain is in the forecast for this weekend and next week.  And possibly some tornadoes.  Maybe we can go storm chasing!  Rain reminds me of the song below.

2. I love this song!  

3. There shall be showers of blessing:
   This is the promise of love;
   There shall be seasons refreshing,
   Sent from the Savior above.
   • Refrain:
     Showers of blessing,
     Showers of blessing we need:
     Mercy-drops round us are falling,
     But for the showers we plead.
4. There shall be showers of blessing,
   Precious reviving again;
   Over the hills and the valleys,
   Sound of abundance of rain.
5. There shall be showers of blessing;
   Send them upon us, O Lord;
   Grant to us now a refreshing,
   Come, and now honor Thy Word.
6. There shall be showers of blessing:
   Oh, that today they might fall,
   Now as to God we’re confessing,
   Now as on Jesus we call!
7. There shall be showers of blessing,
   If we but trust and obey;
   There shall be seasons refreshing,
   If we let God have His way.
8. 
   

Rain down Your blessings, Lord!

Spring beauty

When I got home from Wisconsin, it was so good to see all the beauty of spring in Kansas!

The orioles had migrated up to our state!  I put out the feeder just in time for them.  I just had this feeling... I put out 1/2 orange, grape jelly and sugar water (1 part water to 1 part sugar - I heat up the water and then dissolve sugar in the water).

The purple martins had also arrived!

It is a chore to keep the sparrows out of the purple martin apartment complex!

The war is on!

The spring rains began.

If you wonder why we duct tape the middle sections, we have read that the purple martins get along much better with space between them.  We may try to purchase a house with dividers between the openings.  Here are some options when we buy a new one.  They can get pretty pricey!

 

I love the cry of the blue jay.

Their courting call is quite interesting!  

This one sat on my deck and bobbed his head while chortling.

The rains have filled up our creek behind our home and the great egret likes to fish in it.

The hummingbird arrived a little later than past years.

I mix 4 parts water to 1 part sugar for this feeder.

A Bible verse I happened to read this morning:  be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” Matthew 10:16.  We are to be wise and also innocent as we represent Christ here on earth.

For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies

Lord of all to Thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise

For the beauty of the hour
Of the day and of the night
Hill and vale
And tree and flower
Sun and moon and stars of light 

Lord of all to Thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise