Harsh Light

There was no way to shoot around the light when this scene unfolded in front of me this morning.  I was sitting on the deck having my tea when one of the male cardinals showed up with his male fledgling and proceeded to feed him right in front of me.  I didn't dare move for fear of spooking them.  (The youngsters are particularly quick to fly at the slightest movement.)  So I took my shot and tried my best to correct some of the flaws in LR and PS.  Sometimes its about the moment, not the quality.

This is a very late brood for the cardinals as they usually wrap things up in August.  This pair has three kids they are feeding - two females and this male.  It's delightful hearing the youngsters soft, high-pitched chipping as they beg their parents to be fed.  Hopefully all three youngsters will survive - cardinals in general have only about a 25% first-year survival rate.  

Speaking of nesting and such...Hubs was cutting back some huge shrubs in front of the house (he's not allowed near them during the nesting season) this afternoon. When he found a nest (not in use), he carefully cut out the branches it was attached to and brought the entire thing to the backyard so I could look at it.  What a guy!  I just love that he does things like that for me.  The nest is fascinating and amazingly well constructed.  I believe it's either a catbird or cardinal nest - both have nested in those shrubs every summer, so could be either.  I'll have to do some research on nest construction and see if I can figure out which it is.  Meanwhile, Hubs says there are two more nests in there and he's going to try to get both of them out for me.  

Still feeling under the weather and not sure if its a cold or allergies. Either way, I'm sleeping way more than usual and feeling generally crappy.  MIL is coming over for Sunday dinner, so I'm letting SIL and Hubs do all the cooking just in case this is a cold.  I've also disinfected door knobs and anything else MIL is likely to come into contact with - not going to take any chances on passing along a cold to her.

Hubs and I had a bit of a shock during dinner last night.  It's amazingly warm so we decided to eat on the deck, looking out over the garden and woods.  As usual, there were birds and butterflies and bees flitting through the yard...very tranquil.  Until...two mourning doves flew over the patio and, out of nowhere, a Cooper's Hawk grabbed one in mid-air and flew off into the woods with it.  It was one of those moments where your brain takes a few seconds to process what your eyes have just seen.  Wow.  Well, at least it was fast.

Two more monarchs released today for fellow Blipper Laurie54's grandparents.  No photos because they were both anxious to take off.  Looks like two more will go tomorrow and after that, about 26 chrysalids left.  I can still take about 20 dedications, so please let me know if you want one released for someone you miss.

Signing off...

Debbi