Chipping Sparrow

LINKS:
at enature
at cornell

Songbirds of North Dakota
Sparrows
Chipping Sparrow

UPDATE:
Here

Barn Swallow

Juvenile?
Cornell says:
"Juvenile looks similar to adult, but tail shorter and less forked. Underparts paler."

It sure doesn't look like the pic at Cornell. This little fellow looked pretty rough. Maybe it was the damp weather (See note below).

See also enature.

He was standing guard by the nest up above him.



Barn Swallows
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Coneflowers on the Prairie

From the field:













LINKS:

Native Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands

Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)

Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpureum)
(This was that little purple flower in the vase photo.)

Flew In For A Photo Shoot

Look who flew in for a photo shoot. I mentioned before that birds like to perch and poop on our outdoor temperature gauge. Usually they fly off before I have time to grab my camera. Tonight, this one just stayed and stayed. I got 24 good shots of him. Very unusual.






What kind of bird is he? Some kind of Warbler? or Flycatcher? Kingbird? I'm not sure, but I think maybe it's a Western Kingbird.
I've definitely heard that sound around here.

On the Net - Western Kingbird:
at enature
at cornell

NOTE:
See also Kingbird Returns
and
Picturesque

21 Jul 09:
Junior flew in a year later - here.

Mourning Dove Close Up

This is as close up to a mourning dove I'll ever get. (Original size, crop, no sharpen.) Incubating those eggs in one of our evergreen trees. I didn't realize it at the time, but it looks like there were two on the nest instead of just one? There's a tail on the right side.



I did use the zoom, so I wouldn't have to stand too close, and cause them even more stress by my presence.

At Cornell it says:
"A Mourning Dove pair rarely leaves its eggs unattended. The male usually incubates from midmorning until late afternoon, and the female sits the rest of the day and night."

The pic was taken early morning with my S3 IS 12x zoom Canon.

More mourning dove pics
here
and
here

Coleslaw Recipe

And here we have a crappy tripod picture of coleslaw.

Actually, I'm posting this because I always use the coleslaw recipe on the package of shredded cabbage I buy at the store and today no recipe on the package!

So now the recipe will be on my blog where I can always find it.

Coleslaw recipe
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use light)
2 T milk
1 T white vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1 package (16 oz.) shredded cabbage

NOTE: I put extra sugar in it because I like it sweeter. I also don't mix the dressing in with the cabbage. I use it as a salad dressing on the side. Why? Because if we have leftovers, after a day, it gets watery and soggy.