Moth Chase

 Many times when I open my front door, I come across birds in the yard. I like to watch them as they c search for food in the grass. This one time, a small moth flew up from the ground and two of the birds proceeded to chase it around the third bird. 

This went on for about five minutes. With each attempt, the moth was just a little to fast for the two birds. As the third bird watched, he began to chirp at the others. With one quick swoop, the moth flew right into his mouth. 

I was blown away by this action. This was not what I was expecting to see. It got me to thinking. How often do I chase after things, just to have it escape my grasp? Time after time it just a little too fast for me and I miss out. It is only when I wait on the Lord, that the thing I am after swoops into my life.

Today, I will wait on the Lord. It is when I allow Him to be in control, that the moth I am chasing takes a quick swoop into my life. 

JJ

Today, I made my rounds at Mariner Point Park. I have not been going there like I use to do. So, I did not know what to expect to find. At the last pier, I came across this young couple getting ready to annouce the sex of the baby that they were expecting.

As Jeremy and Julia get on the phone, they pull the answer out of the envelope. They reveil to all their family and friends that they are having a girl. They could not be more happier about the news. 

It was nice to hear some good news in this world. There is so much negitive news, that it can bring you down. I congratulated them and they left to take in the news and to begin a new chapter in their lives.

I told them that I would be blogging their news and title it JJ. So, JJs, I pray that when you daugther arrives in February, that she is healthy and strong. I pray also, that God sends you many years of blessings,

My Good Deed

Today, was no different than any other day. I got up and headed out before the heat of the day. My destination? Swan Harbor Farm.

As I was getting ready to leave my car, These bicyclists came upon me. They thought that I worked here. They were hoping to get some water from inside the building. The place was closed.

Than, I remembered that I still had a case of water in the trunk of the car. So, I opened up my trunk and handed out the water to those who needed it. I know that they were refreshed and ready to head off down the road. I did my good deed for today.


It felt good to be able to give what God had provided. I even felt refreshed as I made my way to the marshy area of the farm.

I always beleive that God puts you where you are needed. I want to obey His calling as I go about my day. I know He was pleased as I got to see many birds.


This was the first time I got to see baby killdeers. The wood ducks were at the same spot, but, this time there were four babies instead of two with the mother.


It was a good day for a good deed. It was a good day for some rare sightings. All in all it was just a good day.

Rock Find

With all this talk about the virus, it is hard sometimes to see hope. So, when I found this rock, it put a smail on my face. It reminded me that "All will be well". I picked it up with the plan on placing it at one of my other favorite location for pciture taking.

As I made my way out of the park, I stopped in the office to see an old friend. I had not seen him for a while because of the parks being closed due to the virus. It so happened that I saw his car and knew he was in his office.

It was a good thing that I did stop in. It turns out that he is being tranferred. He was struggling with a decision that he had to make by four o'clock. We talked for a few minutes. I gave him a hug goodbye and headed for the door.

It was than that I remembered that I had the rock. I took it out of my pocket and handed it over to him. "Here, I think you need this more than me". I knew it touched his heart.

This "rock find" did double duty today. It not only put a smile on my face, it also put a little hope in my friend's heart.  I hope that who ever is reading this today, also fines "That all will be well".

Heron Splash

I just love these big bird. The great blue heron always stop me in my track as I search for a photo opportunity. Today, as I past the marsh, I saw one ready to get his lunch. I pulled over to watch him make a big splash, only to get back out with nothing.


When he got back up, he just shook it off. I am sure this was not the first time that he had failed to get his goal. Just as I am sure he keep trying again and again. You know the saying, "if you do not first succeed".


He looked around for awhile, decided that there were nothing else to get and flew to another section of the marsh.

I think that we can all learn from him. We will not always get things right in life. The thing we need to learn fron the heron splash, is that we need to not give up and move on.

Catbird Peanut Lover

I am so use to seeing the different birds of the park go after the peanuts I put out. Today, was the first time that I caught the gray catbird picking one up. I had no idea that the catbird was a peanut lover.

I find myself eating the peanuts as I make my way around the park. I am a peanut lover myself. Among the many birds that like these morsels of protein are the red-bellied woodpecker, titmouse, red-winged blackbird, cardinals and the blue jay.


One of my favorite pictures is the red-bellied woodpecker holding a peanut. This is what got me seeking to get on film birds with peanuts.


Of course, I get plently of pictures with the many squirrels holding peanuts. I do not think anyone else love peanut more than the squirrels. It is nice to be in good company with all the peanut lovers at the park.

Lost and Found Art

Many times as I walk around Mariner Point Park, I will find things that people have lost. When I find something, I take it to the office. After a while, the office has a box full of lost and found things. Someone, with a sense of humor, decided to create this piece of art with the lost tiems.

We need to find something to smile about these days. I love hearing on the news the many things people are doing to ease the pressures of being stuck at home. There are a lot of sense of humor going out on the internet and the tv screens.

So, I decided to put this picture up just to put a smile on your face. I hope it helps a little to ease the pressure today. I hope you like this lost and found art.

A New Sighting

It was a great day to go birding. The sun was shining and tempature was just right. My husband and I went to our new favorite place, Swan Harbor Farm. As we slowly drove down the road into the farm, we stopped by the one spot where I have seen the yellowlegs and the snipe. But, today there was a new sighting.

Try as I might, I could not get a good picture of the unusual ducks and they flew away. They were with a few mallards and I coud see they were much smaller. We parked our car and walked around.

It was not until we decided to go to the marshy area, that we got our second chance to get these new ducks. They were still with the mallards. I got my camera ready and steady, than got the shot that I was after.

I still had no idea what kind of ducks these were. I was so glad that I had one of my bird books in the car. There, I discovered that we had gotten out first pictures of a blue-winged teal. I could not wait to get home and get the pictures on my computer.

Today was a great day for a new sighting. I love the way God lets me see his beauty each day.

Out Of The House

There are times that you you just need to get out of the house. For me it is everyday. Cabin fever is a real thing. Each day as the time goes by, I find myself pacing the floor. I feel like that I need to scream just like this swallow is doing.

He seems to be yelling at the female swallow, "This home restriction is driving me insane." I can relate. I am so glad to get out and walk around to the different places. It helps me to stay grounded and not fly off the handle.

I spent the day in due to the rain. Tomorrow, will bring another chance to get out.  I will keep my distant, at least six feet apart. I will not be like this swallow and get too close.

Woodpecker Pop

I have been searching for any kind of nesting sites. I want so bad to catch babies on my camera. So when I saw this woodpecker hanging outside this hole, I was excited. So, I waited and waited and waited some more. The woodpecker kept looking into the hole but never went inside. Soon, he flew away.

Day after day, I would stop by the tree in hope of seeing the woodpecker around the hole. But, there was no sign of him, until today.


Finally, I caught him coming out of the hole in the tree. This is what I was waiting for. Now, I hope to see little ones soon. With not working, I can afford to come by everyday. The only thing that will stop me is rain. I hate waling in the rain.

With the woodpecker popping out of the hole today, I have hope that the future will bring new life to the park. I just hope, I get to see it. 

Got Stick

I watched as the great blue heron flew past me to the shore line. I knew if I waited long enough, that I would get him pulling something out of the water. What he pulled out was not what I expected. He got a stick.


The heron continue to pick out different sticks. I guess he was trying to find the right one for the new home that he was making. After all, it is spring. The time of year that birds of all sizes are getting ready to the new babies.


As I started to walk away, there on the walkway, I watched as this pair of cardinals courted each other. I knew that they were getting ready for their own family as well. Soon, they would be collecting sticks fo their own.


The heron got his stick. Now he will carry it to the new home. Soon, he will start a new family and the cycle of life will go on. Life does go on. I need to get my stick and move on.

Fish Fight

I went out in search of action from the birds. I gto it in the last stop of the day. It was a fish fight between a sea gull and the coot.

My first stop was the marsh. It was pretty dull there. I went on base to get some shopping done. Than, I headed to Swan Harbor Farm. As I got half way down the road, I got to see the lesser yellowlegs and the Wilson snipe. Before I could head to the parking area, a convoy of workers trucks come roaring in and scared off the birds.

This turned out to be a good thing. So, I headed to the boardwalk in Harve de Grace. Just as I get there, I got to see the coot catch a fish. I was not the only who saw action.


Out of the blue, a gull came in for the kill. The chase began. Would the coot hang onto the fish, or would the gull snatch it from his mouth. The fish fight was on.

The coot won. He just was too fast for the gull. The spoil went to the victor. With the coot last gulp of the fish, I went on my way to see what else I could find. The boardwalk was alive with many more birds.


All in all, it turned out to be a good day to witness a fish fight.

Lunch Time

This afternoon, I got to see what was for lunch for the critters at the park. This bunny came out of the bush as I pulled in to the parking lot. I waited to see if he would eat the bread that someone left. As you can see, he did.


I always see the many squirrels enjoying the peanuts as I make my round. This squirrel was working hard to crack this nut. With his strong teeth, he will have no problem getting to the meat for his lunch.


The birds are out watching me as I put out the nuts and seeds for their afternoon treat. It had been a while since I have seen the titmouse. He was eyeing the broken nut shell hoping that his favorite morsel was within his reach. It was. He got and flew off.


This ruby-crowned kinglet was not interested in the meals on the post. He was looking amoung the trees for his lunch. He is one hard bird to catch on camera. I was lucky to get this shot.

After watching all the creatures of the park enjoy their lunch, I went home and enjoyed my lunch. Lunch time is fun when you can enjoy it with others. Since these days, I can not enjoy it with friends. I can at least enjoy it with my park friends.

Going Crazy

I think it. No. I know it. I am going crazy. I do not know how much longer I can stand this. I need to go back to work. There is just too much time on my hands.

The one thing that I can do is at least go out for a walk. Of course, these past two days has been a little too windy. I can not hold my camera still enough to get the shot.

The wind caused this king fisher to have a bad hair day. The birds all around seemed to have a hard time with the wind. Yet, there were many birds who used the wind to soar.

Through the days that I fine looming ahead, I can go crazy. I know that there are rough times coming. I can let it put me in the insane asylum. But, I think I will count on God to help me soar.

Yes, I am going crazy. Yes, there seems to be no end to this virus. Yes, with God all things are possible. With God, I will soar and this virus will be history.

A Hopeful Future

Yesterday, sitting by the marsh, I watched the swans flying around. As they landed, they went about doing the mating ritual. This gives me the hope that I will get to see new life in this marsh. Several years ago, I got to see the mute swan with their babies. So, this will be a new set of swan babies.

After that, I went to Swan Harbor Farm. There I ran into my old boss from Toys R Us who is a true birder. When I told him about the swans activity, he was quite excited about it. It turns out that if they do have babies this year, it will be the first recording of it in Harford County.


While taking, he pointed out a small brown spot near  the water. There sitting in the grass was a Wilson's Snipe. I am glad that my camera got me closer. These guys makes my day each time I see one.

I love birding. With spring in full bloom, there is hope for the future. There are nest everywhere. The birds are going through the mating rituals. Now, it just a waiting game.

Everyday is a waiting game these days. But I know that there is a hopeful future for us all. As the birds goes on with their life, we must go on with ours.

One Wise Ant

Today while walking around Swan Harbor Farm, my husband and I enjoyed a nice variety if birds. On the way back to the car, I was surprised to see a dried up worm moving. I soon realized that there was one tiny ant pulling more than his weight.


When the ant got to the indent of the walkway, the worm got stuck. Yet,God created this one wise ant. The ant went up, down and all around the worm. He figured out the problem and went to work to solve it. So, he pushed and pulled the worm until he got it moving again.

There are many things in life that seems to be too hard to figure out. We need to be like this ant. With the help of God, we can move what seems unmovable. 

A Two For

Today as my husband and I drove into Swan Harbor Farm, we had to pull over. The cars ahead of us had stoppped. Two people got out with their cameras and headed across the narrow road. So, I got my camera and got out aw well. This is when I got this tow for one shot.

We knew these birds were yellowlegs. What made this so cool, was that there was one greater and one lesser yellowleg sharing the same spot. This was a first for me.


This was just a start of the many birds we would see through out the time walking around the farm. The meadowlark was another first there. Sparrows, kinglets and phoebes playfully flew from tree to tree keeping us on our toes trying to get a shot off.


All in all this was a great day to get a two for one photo. Getting the yellowlegs together was the icing on the cake. I never know what each day will bring. I do know that there are many wonders to see.

Old System

I pulled out the old Playstation 2. With the help of my daughter got it running. Why? Do you ask? Because, I wanted to play DiscWorld. This was one of my favorite games from the by-gone years. It was like going back in time to an easier time in life, when thing were not so hectic.

I was so glad to have the cheat guide. I would spend hours and hours playing just the first level. I never did pass the second level. So, with the help of this book, I got the first level done in just a short time. Tomorrow, I will start the second level.

Staying home has made it easy to find some old treasures. I am using these treasures to make my days light hearted as best as I can.

The Playstation might be an old system. But, it will keep me entertain as I practice my social distancing.

A Spring Walk

Nothing helps to ease the soul than to take a spring walk. When the trees are in bloom and the cool breeze is in the air, the day asked to be enjoyed. We all need a little bit of relief from the stresses of the days.

I need to get out each day just to remind me of the grace of God. Through all His creations, I find such joy in the beauty of the colors and fragrances that I experience with my walks. It does not matter what season it may be, there is always something to enjoy.

Spring brings about the sense of new life. After a dull winter, a colorful spring is so refreshing. I want to enjoy it everyday. So, today, I will enjoy a wonderful spring walk.

Washing Hands A Must

This was an unexpected sight. Once again, I was brought back to the reality of the new norm. As I got in line to go into the commissary, I was confronted with a sign on the window that washing your hands before you enter was a nust.


This was not the only surprise that awaited me on base. Going over to the clinic to get my medicine was even more of a shock. I was not even allowed to enter the building. Everthing was done from the front of the building.


The first line I got in was the same one from the last time where they asked all the new norm questions. Got my ticket and instead of going in, I had to go to the tent where I gave them my ID card and was told to go back to my car and wait for a text.

Once I got my text, I had to drive up to the tent and get my meds from the soldier. Wow! What an eye opener. This virus has turn this world upside-down.

Ever where I went today, I did make aure I washed my hands. If nothing else, this is a practice I will continue for a long time to come.

The Battle Begins

This is the time of the season that the geese are seeking a spot for nesting. As I search the marsh for the locations of these nest, I heard some commotions. By one of the prime nesting spot, the battle begins.

One pair of geese seek to take over this prime real estate from the other pair. The battle is fierce and last a while. By the time the battle was over, the challengers left with their heads hanging down.

We are all in a battle today. The virus' battle will rage on for a while to come, I am afraid. But. we will come out of it with our heads held high. The challenger will be defeated.

The battle begins. The battle will be long. Yet, the battle will be won by the grace of God.

Washing Squirrel Paws

I always wondered as I past this tree, if I would ever see anything come out of the hole. Well, it finally happened. This little guy popped out to clean his paws. He is practicing his hand washing skills. It was cool seeing this squirrel washing his paws.


I sure do love watching the squirrels do their things. They could be collecting the peanuts I put out, only to hide them for a new day. Nests are being made and more leaves added for the new babies to come. Whatever they are up too, I know that it will be entertaining.

I need to look for anything to put a smile on my face. Today, watching this squirrel washing his paws did the trick.

Singing Wren

Today was just perfect. Apparently, this wren felt the same way. He spent the morning singing his guts out. When a wren sings, you can hear it from one side of the park to the other. When you get more then one singing, it is music to my ear.


The other day, two wrens were courting each other with their song. It was a sing off. Spring is in the air. I am sure to hear more singing wrens in the days to come.

With all the dreadful news flying all over the place, it is nice to be able to smile a little. With the sun shining, the wrens singing and getting outside to soak it all in, made it a beautiful day.

A Mouthful

This Titmouse really has a mouthful. He loves the peanuts I put out as I make my way around the park. The Titmouse is one of my favorite bird. He had so much character.

Today, as I entered the park, there was not a creature in sight. It was eerily quiet. I searched the trees for any signs of birds. Not even a tweet could be heard. This made me think that a hawk had to be hanging around.

After a few more minutes, the silence was broken by the sound of the Titmouse. Soon, the Chickadee, sparrows and Carolina Wrens joined in the music of the park. The mouthful of chirping was a sweet sound to my ears.

 This Titmouse had his mouth full of a peanut. I, on the other hand, enjoyed an earful of chirping and singing by him and his fellow feather friends.

Chipmunk Allergy

This allergy has gotten the best of me. I have gone through several tissue boxes in the past week. Just like this chipmunk, I keep blowing my nose.

Kidding aside. I love spring time. This is when everything starts coming alive. The problem, so do all the pollen. I am not running to the store to get toilet paper, it is to get boxes of tissues.

Even with the couching and sniffling, I still have to get out to see all the beauty that is still here in the world. Spring is busting out all over. The trees are blooming, the flowers are opening and the animals are getting ready for their babies.

I can not wait to capture it in photos. I will be glad when this allergy runs it course and that I can stop using so much tissue. I am sure this chipmunk will be happy as well.