Where's that Nuthatch?

Yes, this is all there is.

I shot myself in the foot with a decision I made two weeks ago. Why did I wait until the week the hummingbirds were leaving to remove the bird feeders? Now I have nothing. It’s quiet outside and I’m incomplete.

Regardless of that foolish decision, I’m living with it. The pigeons left immediately and the fifty House Sparrows have fled, well, all but two are still shacking up in my neighbor’s attic vent and sipping from the pond. May they all search for a new and better motel and restaurant, miles away! Birds I haven’t seen in over a month have visited and that’s great news unless you love to photograph them. They tease me. I’d appreciate more than a glimpse.

How about fire ants? I’m fascinated by these formidable pyramids you can see from the road. Like a child, I drop large stones on them to see the activity spew in defense. I haven’t been stung yet but I know it’s in my future. It’s a banner year for fire ants in NC.

While Ruth at Body, Soul, and Spirit is feeding Chickadees on her hand and Big Sits all over the country counted more species than I’ll ever see, I’m scanning treetops and listening, very closely, to what might be a bird.

My camera is screaming to take photographs of birds perched and waiting for me to say "cheese". Instead, every avian creature I see avoids me, knowing just how far I am away from them. The above bird’s a snob.

Where I found the turtles and a Great Blue Heron on Saturday, I heard what I thought might be Brown-Headed Nuthatches. Where are those nuthatches? Clear across the pond, that’s where. Can you see them?

Until I reviewed these photos, I wasn’t sure what I was photographing. With my dear Kodak, I would have never considered taking a shot from this distance.

He belongs a mile down the road at my house! Can you find the male Downy?

Another desperate attempt at the grocery store pond.

I kicked dirt.

Sick of it.

Plain sick of it.

During my mild tantrum, I hadn’t noticed what I was missing a few feet away from me at the water’s edge…and what I saw was what I needed.

and,

a male Ruddy Duck changing to winter plumage. Too far away, but a Lifer. Being impatient with field guides and overlooking an easy, obvious ID that night, I asked Julie a.k.a. Science Chimp for help, who is always eager to soar in to help kindly or beat me with a nerf bat. Love it.

I need to settle down.