Silly Dog

Wednesday afternoon I was talking with my sister on the telephone. It was her birthday and I had called to wish her a "Happy One." While we were talking Bentley started barking quite loudly at the television. He has done it a couple of other times recently when there are bells or dogs barking or the such. This time the barking was not at a tone or woof or the like but at Rudy Giuliani. Rudy was being interviewed and Bentley was having none of that. I got him to quiet down and my sister got another call. She called back very soon after that to say that her new grandson had just been born in Tennessee. What a happy day for her!!

After dinner on the same day I was flipping through the channels with the remote when I landed on Greatest American Dog. It is a silly show but there was barking when I landed on the channel and Bentley started barking and got closer to the screen, barked some more and then decided he would watch the show. It was rather intriguing watching him watch the show.

Here are a few pictures of him watching. He seems to be taken with the Maltese but he also liked the obstacle course.

Silly dog, silly owners. Whatever, we love him.

New Residents

Our new residents, I am not sure what type, have really set up home now. I told Bill earlier that I think the bird is pretty small but it certainly has a loud song in the afternoon. In fact, it sounds almost as if it is in the entryway. Besides, the reconfiguration of the wreath and the mud on the door, every day there are little berries left on the porch. When Bill got home this afternoon he swept them and then got the ladder out to check inside the nest again. This time he discovered three blue eggs.

Oh my, I guess it will stay for the time being.

Not Quite Sure What to Do?

This is a close-up of the summertime wreath I made last year and put again this year. I made some needed repairs when I put it up a few weeks ago but then I started to notice that things that were solidly anchored were starting to dangle, had dropped off or were completely missing. It was the vicious wind we have been having I thought. But, I also had this funky feeling that perhaps one of the birds of the neighborhood might be thieving. My suspicions were confirmed late last week. I went out early for an appointment and was taken aback by more debris than usual following a thunderstorm. I went down the steps and turned around to look at the door and sure enough there was a bird's nest on the wreath. Why I had not noticed before I can't say. But, in the days from when I first became curious to the confirmation some bird has been very busy. In the last day or two of construction a muddy mess also showed up on the door.

The mud has been cleaned off of the door. There are no eggs in the nest. We have not seen the resident. However, there is evidence of nest maintenance each morning. Everything on the wreath is now askew and droopy. It's a nice little nest. Do let stay for a few more weeks or do I take it down?

Late 4th Posting

Life here has surely become LSD (Lower Slower Delaware) or did I say just a short time ago? We have each been involved with a couple of projects this week that has taken me away from the blog. But, I did want to share some the pictures I took on July 4 when we went out to Prime Hook. This short drive took us to both Prime Hook Beach and to Fowler Beach. The photos are all from Fowler Beach. The day was not all that hot, maybe high 80's but for some reason when we got out of the car at Fowler Beach it felt like we were under an intense sunlamp. This beach was damaged in the Nor'easter that hit in mid-May. We could not get to an area we normally do and the damages to the marshes and the like were evident. That coupled with the summer sun and heat makes for some eerie sights.

I always seem to be trying to catch a heron. I got a lot of poses of this guy, appears to be in molt but the fact that I got more than one photo while shooting the camera thrilled me.

The next wildlife we came upon were a couple of snowy egrets. This first picture is just after the egret caught a fish.

Here we have two egrets. I was able to get several pictures of them passing one another, from afar and then back around each other.

An outing is not complete without a picture of Bentley.

I love taking pictures of the beach grass.

This picture illustrates how hot and hazy it was.

This is my first photo of a Black-necked Stilt. The two following are of the same fellow.

Horseshoe crab are an almost primitive species. But, they are essential to the survival of many shorebirds. This picture captures the carcasses of the horseshoe crab and lots of shorebirds.

Last Week of June

Last week the first of the grain was harvested. The field I have been following was combined the day before I went to photograph progress. Now, I know that I cannot say with certainty whether or not the field was wheat or not I do know that it is a grain and I pretty sure that it wheat. The photos below are of an adjacent field being mowed. I am in awe of how close everything seems here.

The folks at our local farm stand say that the sweet corn will be ready in a few days. That is wonderful. I believe that the corn we get from local farms here in Sussex County Delaware is the best I have ever had. The same holds true for the local tomatoes. It is believed that this should be an excellent year for the farmers and consumers (good product) alike. Let's just hope that drought conditions like last summer do not raise their ugly heads.

Just across the road from the above crops is this field. I am pretty sure that it is barley. I love the color this grain is at this time.

While I was out taking these pictures a rain storm came into the area. As I was crossing the pond I was able to capture a turtle in rain and a couple waning cattails.

I have to admit that I enjoy going out and following the progress of the crops. Oh, I know that a lot of you are saying, "Get a life."