Saturday, December 20, 2008

A nice day for a walk

Just a short walk down a path on a nice autumn day. This same path is now being used for cross-country skiing.

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First I saw a white-throated sparrow perched on a branch.

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A white-breasted nuthatch hiding food in an old woodpecker hole.

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I almost stepped on a butterfly, but right before my foot crunched down I noticed him and of course 'snap, snap, snap'. But I was clueless what kind this little flutterer is. Finally, I dug out my butterfly book. I bought the Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America when I drove to Oshkosh in July to meet Marilyn, but I think of her every time I see it and I hadn't been able to look at it without thinking about the fact that she is no longer here. Damn cancer! I had a hard time making cards for a while too but have pushed through it and decided it was time to open up this book.

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So, I have it narrowed down and am pretty sure that it's a Comma. I think it's a Green Comma, but it could be a Hoary or a Gray – I'm no expert, obviously.

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When I got home I was happy to find my little shrew out and about. In fact, we have two living here now, one is darker than the other.

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And the dark-eyed juncos came back!

19 comments:

  1. Wow, such fantastic photos! I've never heard of a shrew - I'm deciding on whether or not it scares me, LOL. I'm a big baby when it comes to that stuff, ha!

    Love the birds and the butterfly though - just lovely.

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  2. Wonderful photos! I am sorry to read that you too must miss a dear one now at Christmas. Cancer is a rotten disease. Have a good weekend and a better New Year than this.

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  3. Beautiful pictures and not winterly at all ! That's what I need !

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  4. Such a beautiful series of images. My garden birds are eating twice as much this year.

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  5. The shrew is so cute, love his little whiskers.
    I'm sorry about losing your friend Lisa. It will be a wonderful day when these diseases are cured.

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  6. these are wonderful photos. the lil shrew peeking out from the grasses is so cute! and the butterfly is gorgeous. i'm glad you looked to see what kind he is. i'm really sorry about the loss of your friend. hugs

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  7. Lovely walk...thanks for taking us along!

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  8. Love the shrew! We have a lot of juncos too. They come in hoards and hop all along the grass searching for a morsel!

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  9. Oh, the shrew is so adorable, you must be lucky to snap him (her) on a photo !
    Have a lovely Christmas !
    Greetings from Belgium !

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  10. Beautiful series. The first and last images are just awesome compositions and poses

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  11. Great pictures!
    I love your blog template!

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  12. Lisa,
    The butterfly is just beautiful.

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  13. well, that sure was a nice walk!

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  14. i see you love all living things equally and without bias :) i loved the squirrel post :) i have come to welcome all creature into the garden...even those i would very prefer would not visit quite so often... like the deer who eat ALL the tomatoes, and the squirrels who eat ALL the birdseed in one sitting... they must have an inborn eating disorder or something.
    enjoy that new baby lisa!

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  15. Beautiful post. I guess butterflies in general will make you think of your friend because of the book.

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  16. In the spring and summer one of my favourite things to do outdoors is to find birds nesting in trees and tree holes. It's fun to walk about and to see the usually unseen side of life.

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  17. I've never seen a shrew coming out for a visit like that

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