SWF......Birds_Turtles and the sky

I am linking up with  Nature Notes  and   Skywatch Friday 

On the 24th Friday mid-morning. I took a walk to the Prettyboy study area with my hubby and his sister. It has a been a busy week with my SIL visiting from Washington State. But we still took some time to enjoy nature and its simple pleasures and to help with the bird study.



It was a pretty sky and the weather was wonderful. I enjoyed the blue sky and puffy white clouds.

One of the two Eastern Box Turtles I saw while walking on the fireroad. To learn more about the Box Turtles click here Eastern Box Turtle and conservation concerns. And another great link about turtles in trouble is Smithsonian National Zoo

I read that they can live in a variety of differnt habitats they are most abundant in moist FORESTED areas.

I am helping my bird club by taking my walks to the study area at the reservoir near my home. They are doing the study to see if  the tree cutting has an effect on the birds especially the breeding birds. There is a  record of the birds known to be in the area and the study over the time period will show what birds continue in the area and if any new birds appear. There are three areas included in the study....one area is where the trees where just thinned, the next area is the treed area or the edge around the clear cut and the last area is the clear cut area itself. I included the birds seen and heard at my house and yard because it borders the reservoir and the birds should be the same birds seen and heard at the study area. One bird I was hoping to hear or see around the study area was the Wood Thrush but during all my visits to the study area I have not even heard one. Luckily I am still hearing at least two in the woods next to my yard.


We have been seeing these roses growing next to the fireroad near the clearcut area. Maybe more sunlight in the clear cut area is helping these pretty flowers grow.  It could be these roses are re-appearing  when they were actually growing around the farms and houses on this land before the city acquired the land for the watershed protection around the reservoir.

The walk and birding took place from 10:15 to 11:30 on Friday. I have listed the birds I saw in the trimmed area off the fireroad and the clear cut area and the edge of the clearing.

I also had a nice view of the moon with the white puffy clouds at the clear cut area.

In the the trimmed area I saw and heard

Red-Eyed Vireo..many
Pine Warbler
Ovenbirds..many

On the trees located on the edge of the clear cut  I saw and heard
Bluejays
Catbirds
Titmouse
Red bellied Woodpecker
Mourning Dove
Pine Warbler
Ovenbird

I sat at the clear cut area  for about 30 minutes while my hubby and SIL walked down to the lake

During this time the only bird I heard and saw at the clearing was

Indingo Bunting... while I was there 10:15-10:45. Maybe it was slow due to the time I was there?

Back at my yard the birds seen in my yard and in the reservoir property next to my yard.

Chipping Sparrow
Catbird
Mourning Dove
Carolina Chickadee
Bluejays
Cardinals
Titmouse
Robins
Mockingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Scarlet Tanager.. male landed in my weeping cherry tree for a few seconds
Pine Warbler..sounds coming from the adjacent woods..reservoir property
Ovenbirds... sounds coming from the adjacent woods...reservoir property
Wood Thrush..sound coming from the adjacent woods...reservoir property
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
American Goldfinches
House Finches
House Sparrows...nest in yard
House Wrens...nest in yard
Eastern bluebirds...nest in yard
Brown headed Cowbirds
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker....seen in the adjacent woods...reservoir property and in flight over yard
GB Heron...flying over my yard and sounds coming from the adjacent woods...reservoir property
Turkey Vulture in flight over yard

These are scenes and sky shots from my walk, I hope you enjoyed them.  To see more please visit Michelle's   Nature Notes   and  to see more skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday.

Thanks to Michelle at Rambling Woods and thanks to the gang at Skywatch Friday: Sylvia, Wren, Sandy and Klaus. 

Also thanks for stopping by to see my post, I hope the rest of your week and the weekend is wonderful. Take some time to enjoy nature and it's simple pleasures.