Spring is Blooming!

Part 1 of my adventures in Virginia this past weekend!

When: March 26 2011

Where: Alexandria, VA / Washington, D.C.

Last weekend I went to my dad's in Virginia for the weekend... and I'm SO glad I did! The reason for going was the fact that he finally bought a house and I wanted to say goodbye to our ol' apartment. To make the weekend even more fun, it was the beginning of the annual Cherry Blossom blooming! These world-famous trees were a gift to America by the Japanese, therefore making this year's blooming a bittersweet sight. The flowers only are open for about a week, and I have been lucky enough to see them two years in a row, now! Check out these beautiful flowers...

Mallards are always a common sight alongside the Cherry Blossoms, as the trees line the Patomac river. I settled down near a pair of sleeping ducks and took advantage of the incredible mid-day lighting:

On the way back from viewing the blossoms, I got a surprise: Pied-Billed Grebe! Not a Life bird, but certainly a year bird and a really neat one at that! Grebes are wonderful little birds. Unfortunately I was on a busy bridge when I sighted these guys, so I couldn't switch to a bigger lens. I had my Tamron 18-270 out, however, and used that to get this photo:

Next, it was time to see my dad's new house for the first time. It's beautiful and very cute, in a great neighborhood. My favourite Virginia birding spot, Huntley-Meadows Park, is only 15 minutes away (more on that park in my next post). The previous owners of the house kept a great backyard, with beautiful flowers like these:

Also, I've neglected to write a post here about my new puppy Shelli! She is a Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier, 4 months old now. I'll be sure to post some more photographs, but until now you can enjoy this one I took at sundown, at a dog park:

That evening we went down to the Old Town harbour, by the Torpedo Factory Art Center... the harbour is always a fun time with lots of birds! I saw my first Black-Crowned Night heron there last April. This time, I saw some year birds (Wood Duck and American Black Duck), and an interestingly coloured Mallard drake...

Presenting, the "Jumpin' Coot"!

Plus, I spent a while observing these striking immature Ring-billed Gulls (GULL FREAK = ME!)

And a Coot butt, inspired by my wonderful supporter and bird-buddy Dave!

Keep watch for Part 2 of the Virginia fun,

** Peace Always,

Kristina **

Messenger

A Tribute to the Red-tailed Hawk

The Hawk is one of my Life totems; she has inspired me to be creative and to inspire others to change the world for the better. I would like to showcase the power and beauty of this sacred bird. Hawk's message is to inspire creativity and action in others, to awaken one's life purpose, to initiate and lead for a better world, and to protect our natural world from future harm. It is the ethical and personal level we should all strive to reach. So now, enjoy these photos I have taken of Red-tailed Hawk in all her glory and remember, however common and abundant she may be, Hawk always brings new light.

* * Peace always,

Kristina * *

Could it Be?

...Could it be that spring is really here? It's hard to believe but...I think it's official! Over the past week, I've seen everything from American Wigeons to Ring-necked Ducks in my neighborhood ponds! I've been for quite a few walks around my development (which includes farmer's fields, three large ponds, and a few patches of woods.) and they've been quite exciting. So far, the early migrant list for my neighborhood includes:

American Wigeon (1)

Ring-Necked Duck (4)

Greater Scaup (1)

Hooded Merganser (3)

Gadwall (4) LIFE BIRD

White-throated Sparrow (7+)

Turkey Vulture (3+)

Song Sparrow (5+)

and a questionable Lesser Scaup...

And...the first antlered buck of the season! That's really exciting; for those who didn't know, I love watching deer as much as I love observing birds, and I have even began to catalog my neighborhood deer.

Combine that all with rain, and you've got SPRING!

Ring-necks, some of my most favourite waterfowl

Mrs. Gadwall puts on a show

"C'mon, honey, I don't like the look of that girl over there..."

Song sparrow say whaaat?

Landing gear in place!

Sorry for such a short post, but I was so happy about spring that I couldn't wait to share! Happy trails everyone, and don't forget to leave a comment if you liked what you read!

~ Peace always

Kristina ~

PS-- THE SPRING LAYOUT is now live on my blog! Look around...green is here!