Rare Bird Sighting Evening Grosbeak

Rare Sighting-Evening Grosbeak Male

 I was surprised to look out my window and see this large yellow, brown , black, white, bird at my feeders–and then there were TWO!

I hadn’t ever seen these birds before so I was very excited! I’ve read my Birds of Western NY Book over and over again and so I’m familiar with everything in that book and knew I was seeing something rare for my area.

Hurricane Sandy had just gone thru the area so I thought perhaps it was blown in!

The large bill reminded me of the Rose Breasted Grosbeak which we have frequently, so I just did a search under Grosbeak and sure enough I found my new birds!

These colorful creatures are called Evening Grosbeak and they are males by the looks of it!
Learn all about the Evening Grosbeak at:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/lifehistory

Yellow brow markings look like a W

Size comparison

Backside Coloring

Male Evening Grosbeak

See the bird in action in this video I captured:

http://thea-creations.smugmug.com/Wildlife/Evening-Grosbeak-Sighting/26260094_g2nx7b#!i=2186577731&k=5d4JL4P

Do you have any migratory birds that come to your feeders in winter where you live?

 

Now, Listen to Thea and have yourself a Great Day!!!
~Thea 🙂

Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page to see exclusive photos right on your newsfeed!
Listen2Thea’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Listen2Thea-Wildlife-Photography-More/236253616466167?ref=ts

Weekly Photo Challenge: Near and Far

Sitting on the waters edge you feel like you can see for miles and miles to the mountains in the distance.
One of my favorite spots in the world! Close to nature and far away from the craziness of everyday life.

Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page to see exclusive photos right on your newsfeed!
Listen2Thea’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Listen2Thea-Wildlife-Photography-More/236253616466167?ref=ts

Sign up and enter your own photo for the Weekly Photo Challenge!
More info at the Daily Post here:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/introducing-weekly-photo-challenges

Now, Listen to Thea and have yourself a Great Day!!!
~Thea 🙂

Prayers For Baby Nolan – A Must Read Post

I have someone very special for you to meet!

This is Nolan

Nolan is a beautiful, happy baby boy. He was born on Dec 9th 2011. On July 16th 2012 Nolan was hospitalized and diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes thick and enlarged. The thickening can make it harder for blood to leave the heart, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood. It also can make it harder for the heart to relax and fill with blood.

After 3 weeks in the hospital Nolan was sent home. On Aug 24th 2012 Nolan was re-hospitalized to find out his heart condition has only gotten worse. Nolan is being put on the heart transplant list  and transferred to a hospital out of state.

During this entire hospital stay Nolan’s parents have stayed by his side. They will continue to stay with him. Unfortunately, now they are out of paid time off.

Even though little Nolan is ill, he still fills our days with smiles and does his best to stay a happy baby boy!

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How you can help:

We ask for prayers for Nolan who is now officially on the heart transplant list. Nolan has to remain healthy enough while he’s waiting to receive a new heart to remain on the list.

We then ask for prayers for the family, whoever they may be, who will donate their child’s organs. In the midst of their pain, they will choose to save a life. Although we don’t know who or when this will happen, we weep for their loss and also rejoice in their generosity and love.

In an effort to try and help Nolan’s family stay strong and not have to be worrying about the bills to come we have set up a donation fund for Nolan.

Please check out We Heart Nolan’s official Facebook page  to find  ‘We Heart Nolan’ bracelets, auctions and other fund-raising events to help support this lovely family.

You can make out your checks to: “We Heart Nolan” and they can be either mailed or dropped off to ANY First Niagara Bank!

You can make PayPal payments to weheartnolan@gmail.com

You can also make donations through:

www.gofundme.com/weheartnolan

It all ends up at the same place! ♥

Please be sure to ‘Like’ Nolan’s Facebook page to show your support and receive updates on how this adorable little boy is doing and new auctions and events: http://www.facebook.com/WeHeartNolan

Thank you so much for your support! We appreciate you all so much!

On a personal note from Listen2Thea: I’m hoping my post will help generate awareness to this situation and that people will share their generosity.  I think about the bus attendant who was bullied by children on the bus and that people donated thousands of dollars to her.

THIS cause is so much more important in my opinion so please, help if you can, any way that you can.

Please re-post this blog post to spread the word as this is truly important.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Wrong

What can I say…..
I always wanted a long haired Dachshund
🙂

Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page to see exclusive photos right on your newsfeed!
Listen2Thea’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Listen2Thea-Wildlife-Photography-More/236253616466167?ref=ts

Sign up and enter your own photo for the Weekly Photo Challenge!
More info at the Daily Post here:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/introducing-weekly-photo-challenges

Now, Listen to Thea and have yourself a Great Day!!!
~Thea 🙂

Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit

How truly sweet life must be…
to be a free spirit like this
hummingbird I see.
Darting about from flower to flower,
just to sip the sweet nectar that each has to offer.

Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page to see exclusive photos right on your newsfeed!
Listen2Thea’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Listen2Thea-Wildlife-Photography-More/236253616466167?ref=ts

Sign up and enter your own photo for the Weekly Photo Challenge!
More info at the Daily Post here:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/introducing-weekly-photo-challenges

Now, Listen to Thea and have yourself a Great Day!!!
~Thea 🙂

Picture The Mood

What is the color of your emotion? Do certain colors make you feel happy or sad?
I love how color, color depth or lack there of, can change how you feel about a picture.
Here’s some examples from my latest photos. You may click on each photo which will open into a larger photo, then click your back button to return.
Which pictures speak the loudest to you?

Framed Spotted Fawn with tongue out

Black & White photo of Spotted Fawn with tongue out

Framed Black & White Sharp-shinned Hawk

Framed Sharp-shinned Hawk

Framed spotted fawn

Black and White Framed Fox Photograph

Framed Red Fox

Framed HDR Toned Red Fox

Sharp-shinned Hawk framed within the Trellis

All of these photos were taken in my backyard, and could be seen by looking out the window in our living room. If you enjoyed your visit today, please share my blog with someone you know who enjoys wildlife. 🙂

Poolside Hawk

The Hawks have been all around the pool lately, I caught one walking across the solar cover and another using the slide!

Sharp Shinned Hawk Crop

As the parents teach their young one how to hunt, I’m glad to say I haven’t seen them be successful yet. Not that they haven’t been mind you, I just didn’t bare witness to any successful attacks. But I do enjoy watching them zoom around the yard, and listening to the sound of them calling back and forth to each other.
Don’t forget to shake your tail feathers!
~Thea
Follow me on Facebook at Listen2Thea Wildlife Photography and More

‘What Do You See’ Poem -Warning Grab Your Tissues First!

(Sorry, everyone. I removed the picture that was first viewed with this poem when I was informed it was a stolen picture. Not by me mind you, I asked permission to re-share it and wasn’t informed the picture wasn’t theirs to share.) The new picture is of my parents kissing–not as touching as the original but I think it still works 😉

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.
One nurse took her copy to Melbourne .. The old man’s sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.
And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this ‘anonymous’ poem winging across the Internet.

Cranky Old Man…..
What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you’re looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . … . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .’I do wish you’d try!’
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . … lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you’re thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse .you’re not looking at me.
I’ll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I’m a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he’ll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don’t mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. …Babies play ’round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future … . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I’ve known.
I’m now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It’s jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I’m loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. …. . ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within … . . .
we will all, one day, be there, too!
PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM,
The best and most beautiful things of this world can’t be seen or touched.
They must be felt by the heart!

I saw this on What We See’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/whatweseee
and they gave me permission to share it on my blog.
Check out my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Listen2Thea-Wildlife-Photography-More/236253616466167

Hawk Hunting *Updated with more pictures

I’ve been watching for a couple of weeks now a pair of Sharp-shinned Hawk’s which has been really interesting. The little birds give them away with their squawks of alert whenever the hawks are around and I like seeing the hawks but I’m cheering for the little birds and yell at the hawks when they are coming in for an attack. Today, to my surprise there were three hawks, one of them being a young hawk that they are trying to teach to hunt. The young one was very chatty, squeaking and squawking and I was able to get some good pictures of him after his failed attempt at capturing one of the little birds. He sat in the tree in open view for a good 10 minutes before flying back with his parents. Here’s some of the photos I captured of him.

Fawn Love

This is what I imagine the fawns saying:

http://thea-creations.smugmug.com/Animals/Fawn-Love/24251570_xrsVZJ#!i=1973848701&k=XF5DFjV&lb=1&s=A