Bird's Eye View

Tim and I had planned to spend the weekend with Jessica and Terry and family in Carroll, OH.  On the way up today we were going to have lunch with Nat and Addy.  Then on Friday, Tim's mom and sister were going to come to Jessica's for supper.  But, since Tim has been under the weather this week, we decided it would be best to stay close to home/doctor.  It made us sad because we were sure looking forward to seeing the family!  God has a reason and we will go with the flow.

We went to our thrifts so we would still be close to home.  We knew Tim would not be able to hold up for very much longer than that.  We had lunch out.  And the rest of the afternoon Tim spent resting.  I really hate seeing him like this!  Sometimes, the melanoma meds mess with his digestion where he feels full all of the time.  But, another side effect of the seizure med is loss of appetite.  So, he had some ice cream in the afternoon and drank some cranberry grape juice besides whatever else he drank today and his lunch.  So, that was pretty good, I guess.  Better than nothing all day!  But, it still isn't Tim.  Tim enjoys eating!  And when Tim is not eating, it worries me.

We did not hear back from the doctor today.  Since it is a holiday weekend, he probably is out of town.  If he were in the office, we know he would've called!  Please sustain Tim, Lord, until we hear from the doctor!  Give him the strength he needs to preach this weekend!

Since Tim was resting, I spent the afternoon out under the car port reading my Bible and other Christian books, devotionals and Christian fiction.  I took several video clips of the birds as I watched them today, too!

One thing I noticed today while watching the birds was their eyes.  Most of them seem to be totally black, no pupil, or maybe all pupil!  But, the mockingbird is the only bird (that I can recall) that definitely has a pupil from the birds I watched today.  I may be wrong.

What a beautiful day it was today!  Enjoy!

My "bird's eye" view.

Tufted titmouse.  See those eyes?

Mrs. Goldfinch.  See those eyes?

Full house!

Morning dove.  See those eyes?!

Mr. Goldfinch.  See those eyes?

Mrs and Mr. House Finch.  See those eyes?

So pretty!

Mrs. and Mr. Brown-headed cow bird

Mrs. Cardinal.  See those eyes?

As you can see, the seed is at the bottom of the feeding hole.  The birds landed several times at this feeder, but did not stay.  They went to the condo instead.

Mockingbird.  Even in this picture, you can see the pupil.

I believe this is Mrs. Brown-headed cowbird.  But, I might be mistaken.  But, look at the eyes.

The ladies congregated.  Mrs. Cardinal and Mrs. Brown-headed cowbird.

Mr. Brown-headed cowbird.

I finally looked up how the Cowbird got it's name.  Here is what I found at the Bird Watcher's General Store:

Historically, cowbirds followed the great herds of bison that once roamed this country (before the settlers thought it would be cool to kill them all). Why would the birds want to follow buffalos? I’m mean, have you seen what’s behind those stinky things? It turns out that the birds really don’t have a use for the buffalos themselves, but they like to feed on the insects that herds stir up as they go. The phrase “as they go” is important because there’s a theory that the moving bovines have influenced the cowbirds’ breeding strategy. Let me explain. It takes time for the cowbirds to stop and raise a family. But if they stop, their beloved bovines will be gone. So, the cowbirds have evolved a plan B. Unfortunately, plan B has made them one of the most disliked birds in North America. The nomadic Mrs. Cowbird doesn’t have the time to build a proper nest. Nor does she have time to incubate her eggs or raise her own kids. Instead, she drops her eggs into the nests of other birds and lets those birds deal with her kids. In birds this is called “parasitic.” In humans it is called “daycare.”

Mrs. House Finch has a pretty song.  Listen below.

Mr. and Mrs. House Finch

Mr. Cardinal.  I sure have a hard time taking photos of this guy!  He must be camera shy!  If he even thinks I'm looking at him, he flies off!

Mr. Robin.  LOVE his eyes!

Beautiful eyes, too!

Mrs. Cardinal

Mr. and Mrs. Morning dove???

Here's praying Tim feels better tomorrow!