Birds, Berries, Boxes, Bernheim & Brrrrr

Birding at Bernheim last weekend found me walking around the wildflower meadow and the many different groves of Crab Apple trees with their bright red berries ripe and ready.

As I made my way back to the front of the meadow, there stands a grove of Crab Apples completely covered in bright red berries ready for the picking. And that's just what this Cedar Waxwing had in mind. And he had no plans for a photo session. Hence, the not so sharp image, as he stopped long enough to hesitate and then take off again. Are they finicky birds? I don't know, as I'm not accustomed to photographing them. Perhaps I should look that up.

Closer to the front of the trees I found a much more compliant photo specimen in this White Throated Sparrow. He actually stayed put for more than a few seconds while I snapped photos. All in all the birds were busy jumping from tree to tree and limb to limb and berry to berry.

Soon the berries will be gone and many of the birds will too. But just in case they should decide to overwinter in Kentucky, there are plenty of bird boxes at Bernheim for them to seek refuge from the harsh winter weather. Speaking of which someone turned on winter today with snow and 32 degrees. Brrrrr. ENJOY!

Image of Fall Past

A storm is on the horizon today. The winds are blowing in and blowing my pillows around on the patio floor. Soon the rain will begin and continue throughout the day and into the afternoon and evening. The sun is only barely peeking in and out of the heavy cloud cover.

Today seemed the perfect day to travel back to Fall in year's past. My journey through my archive began by traveling from Fall 2009 on to Fall 2010, and then on to last year, Fall 2011. Each year's Fall vastly different from the previous. By chance I stopped at this image from Fall 2011 where my journey ended. As this image captured my attention, I went back in my mind to the wildflower meadow of last year. So glad for the opportunity to remember those beautiful natural wood bird boxes, sitting in the wildflower meadow at Bernheim, before they were painted earlier this Spring in bright yellows and blues. And while I never discovered the why behind their brightly colored paint jobs, I am certain there must have been a very good reason. So I share this image with you right where my journey halted, just as this bird box stood in the meadow in the Fall of 2011, when the wildflowers were more plentiful in this meadow. Sadly this year only wildflowers along the parameter of the meadow survived the drought. Sad but true, time changes everything. What has time changed in your world. ENJOY!