I know I had made another entry but like others, they just disappear. Twice yesterday, I went around the corner of the house to see the small hawk at the water pan. He is a peregrine falcon from what I read in eNature identification. I didn't know they would be so people friendly. He didn't fly away but watched as I passed. He was a distinctive browns, black and white. He was a bit bigger than a crow. The picture was much too dark to see any bird. It has been a very long time since we've had any rain and the temps lately have been up to 100°F every day. 

Every few days I put chicken scratch out for the wild turkeys. I have another water pan in the front and they show up all day long! Most of the best pictures I can take from the windows and are posted in From My Window.

It has been three weeks now since I have heard the whippoorwill at night. I didn't know so many could get to singing all at the same time but it sure was a treat. But all of the sudden, silence. There was one evening when I'd heard one just at dusk. I grabbed the camera and made an attempt to capture his picture. What I saw was a big brown and white bird. He was big like a swallow, bigger than a jay or crow. The one thing I do notice is that the owl is hooting at night. I never hear both; it's one or the other.

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05-09-03

  I spent about an hour catching up this section to have it suddenly disappear. All of the icons for frontpage on the task bar became all the same. Everything I had done and not saved was gone. I turned off the machine and went to the water pump to tap it around and coax it to giving us water for yet another day. So far so good but I'll sure save everything by the paragraph from now on. I also keep too many pages on the task bar but I sure enjoy working on a dozen things at one time. That's the only way I get Wanda additions all sorted to their proper places. 

  The main reason I opened this page for update was to comment on all the noise we hear at night. Since we first moved here I have been delighted by the calls of the whippoorwills all through the summer nights. It was several years before I heard a bird return the call. Yet another year when the call was returned but when the male reached the other bird, he went back to calling, like they weren't compatible. The only pictures I can find show a bird sitting down among leaves and branches with colors you can hardly tell there is really a bird there. I wouldn't know one if it were sitting at the water pan. There are several I see only occasionally and don't know what they are. Two nights ago now I was out closing up the hens at dusk when I realized I was hearing one then two then three whippoorwills. Within a few minutes, I was hearing at least 5 and couldn't tell for sure if there were more.

  I was glad for the problems with the computer and the problems with the water pump switch. As I walked the distance to tap the switch, a beautiful swallow did a graceful sweep in front of me as if to say, here is the tree where we live now. They can put on quite a show but this was only one so the mama is probably setting on a few eggs or already tending babies. One day, I will remember to take the camera every time I go outside. The best shots would be at such non-occasions.  

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03-28-03

  I looked out the kitchen window this afternoon in time to see the ground moving. It was the several dozen quail scurrying about the yard. The are so cute to watch. They are nice and fat so they waddle around.

  The hawks have made a showing just about every day. The goldfinches have been gone for a week now and it is so quiet and sad without their colorful antics.

  It has now been three weeks since I've heard the geese, so they must have moved on back north. I didn't get to see them as often this winter as last but it was nice they did come back. 

  I plan on putting out the hummingbird feeder soon. We are forecast for freezing temps on this Friday and Saturday nights. The blue jays are still around and they usually disappear as soon as it starts getting hot. ________________________________

12-12-02

  Several times today, I went to see what Max was barking about to find he was looking up in the sky. I didn't hear the usual noise of the geese but they were high above and Max sure did hear them. As we watched the 4th group move on over, a huge red hawk swooped down across the yard and made me say, Wow, would you look at that. Max just continued his barking. No markings at all, a solid deep red color and certainly not the small size of the white and red one we'd been seeing in the past month. This one was so big that he would have trouble getting through the trees to even try to bother the chickens.

  Just before I let Max off the chain, we'd walked up to the road in time to see a roadrunner running away. Max would have given chase and that's why I wear my gloves. Sure saves ripping up the fingers. Ouch. I did convince him that chasing such a small bird was not worth his while. He minded and we continued our very fine walk through the woods. ________________________________

11-13-02

  There was plenty of noise for about half an hour before I finally saw lots of the geese flying around. They were roosting in the big oak trees and would take off in small groups to fly around the tree tops and back again. So beautiful, I am so glad they are back this fall. 

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11-06-02

  I was out early yesterday morning when I heard the chatter noise that the flock of geese makes as they move past. I'd heard it several times this past week but could never see a thing. What I saw yesterday was probably 3 big groups. They were not high in the sky and I wonder if part of them will stay here for the winter. We usually have a fair size group that hangs around. But this was at least 5 dozen, many more than usual. 

  The little hawk, probably a falcon has been around quite a bit lately. I hear him land on the roof at night. He swooped me one day on my way to the chicken yard. They eat mice so, he can catch his own. He just passed in front of me as if to say, see me, I am a bird, you could feed me, too. Randy mentioned that he had seen the blue jays chase him away from their area. He just doesn't fit in with the other birds. Jays are so noisy, hawks can make lots of racket but they lose out to a group of angry Jays anyday. 

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09-27-02

  The hunting season brings the hunters out on every weekend now. And they seem to know that here they are not shot at. When we go for walks, we scare up lots and lots of dove and quail. So cool for there to be so many. 

  I've not heard the whippoorwill in several weeks but do hear an owl that stays around the yard and hoots all night. Sometimes Max will do a little growling and barking at him but not much. We have a big population of blue jays moving in for the winter. They are so pretty around the water pan. I can't see them in the forest, only hear them. When they come up into the yard, I can see them from my window while I work at my computer. Just realized that I've seen no geese in formation, honking loud and moving to the south. When they come within range, they can be seen and heard for about 15 to 20 minutes as they move on across the sky. We usually have a large group of geese decide to stay in the area for the winter. I will be watching and listening for them.________________________________

09-18-02, During a recent walk in the woods, I realized how many dove and quail there are this year. Max loves to scare them all up and out of hiding. I don't think he even tries to catch them anymore he just loves the chase. The camera we hope to get soon will have a decent zoom for getting great shots of distant birds. I could never get close enough to see detail on most of the birds. I haven't seen any snowy egrets in several days now. 

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09-16-02, As the weather begins to cool down, I find myself looking for the return of the blue jays. Some folks hate their noisy demeanor but I enjoy them. The beautiful blue colors and the stark black markings are so awesome. It's usually after it has started getting cold at night. We have been hearing a night bird in the last few weeks. The best I can describe its song is a shudder. I have no idea what the bird looks like since I've never seen the bird. We have lots of sparrows but they are year round like the tufties and the chickadees and the cardinals. 

  I do think I saw a gold finch but he was out in the oak trees and did not come up to the window. I plan to put out some of the special small seeds to lure them up to the window. Every thing is still soaking wet from the rain on Saturday.

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09-06-02, Lots of sightings this summer. The scissor tails have been plentiful with lots of pairs doing their swooping and singing deep in the dense forest. We usually have maybe a dozen snowy egrets but in the last few weeks they have been massing. I counted at least 8 dozen yesterday morning. I am sure hoping to be able to get some good photos when we get a camera. In the early morning, they can be seen out in the pasture, spaced out across the field. At dusk, they can be seen swooping around in the almost dark in the tall trees. I'm not usually out in the dark time, and was very surprised to see such big birds gracefully sailing from tree top to tree top. 

  After we get a camera with super zoom, I hope to get a shot of the hawks we see frequently. Some are very small and some are much larger. We see lots of vultures but they circle high up and move on quickly.

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05-26-02,  The scissor tails have returned. Just after the mesquite trees leafed out. They sing such a pretty song. They don't ever come up into the yard and I've never seen them anywhere except for above our driveway and on the fence line. They swoop and make loops and sing a beautiful tune for hours on end. 

  Seeing a few hawks. They occasionally come down into the open areas of the yard. Guess the pickings are sparse and they must be looking for rabbits, squirrels and rodents.

  We have a regular visitor that we have never seen. It is the whippoorwill. It only starts its call when the day's light has faded and it's almost dark. Some nights it will move around the area and sing all night long. I only hear it when I am in the bathroom and the window is open. I have never found a picture in any book and would not recognize it if I saw it. Year before last, his call was answered one night and I just happened to hear it. They called to each other until all the songs stopped and I heard no more for the rest of the summer. This past summer, there was an owl; another bird I only heard and have never seen. He started out just calling from outside the house. But he stayed the entire summer always calling from close by. The whippoorwill ceased his call and was not heard again all summer. It's nice to have him back this year and no owl so close by. 

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  05-24-02 Just discovered that since I started the From My Window section, I haven't been putting any notes in here. I will catch up soon.

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  04-23-02  Haven't seen the geese in about a month now. There was a report on national television the week after they were last seen here showing a place where they had gathered moving on to the north. We'd had about 5 dozen spend the winter but this group was thousands upon thousands. What a sight and what loud noises. Just wish I'd caught where it was. Anyone know?

  04-12-02 I was standing outside at just the right moment to look up and see 5 white egrets fly over, circling the area. Didn't see them at all last summer but the year before, the group of about a dozen had flown around and around every evening until dark. It was an even to look forward to and be outside to watch. Just realizing that I have seen no scissor tails this year yet and they are suppose to be the absolute sign that winter is over. They show up late. The mesquite trees and the desert willows are both fully leafed out. If you have lived in Texas a long time, you have seen the mesquite fooled by mother nature and we'll have another late freeze! 

  We are beginning to see a few red-winged blackbirds and lots of cow birds. The cow bird doesn't make a nest, just uses the other bird's nests while the blackbirds will make and tend the nest and raise all the babies.

  April 1st, no fooling, I saw our first hummingbird of the spring. I ran to grab the feeders and mix a batch of nectar. He was gone when I got back with the feeders but it wasn't but a few hours and he was back to drink his fill. We have an abundance of wildflowers and they are making  beautiful yellow blooms that the little hummers love! Last year, they showed up a week earlier in the year and we had two more freezes before finally staying warm. 

  For many years now, I have noticed that we have a huge flock of geese that spends the winter here. A lady called up the local TV station and told them that the geese were flying north and that winter was over with! That was about six weeks ago, about the middle of February. I didn't call and correct her error because I didn't want all those hunters trying to find them and shoot them. Usually every day, they could be seen flying in great circles over a huge area. They would take on the traditional V shape but land in their accustomed trees. About three weeks ago was the last I had seen (or heard) them. A week after that, I saw on the national news where all these geese were gathered as they prepared to move on North. We had only about 5 dozen, this place on the news had thousands upon thousands. I did not hear where the annual gathering occurs but it was captured on video and the most beautiful sight.