March Madness

March is going by pretty fast. My talk at the garden club went very well and I even sold some greeting cards afterward. I am also working on several story ideas. One of these projects led me to the National Aviary the other day where I received a fascinating tour of the animal hospital. I hope that my proposal will be accepted because it would combine my passions of birds, photography, and writing. The gift shop manager was out sick so I don't know yet whether I can sell my photos at the gift shop. Next week, I will participate in the Ladies' Night Out at Soergels Orchards in Wexford.
I am also planning on attending the first Festival of the Birds at Presque Isle in May. My goal is, of course, to write a story about it; but I also want to learn where to find certain birds so I can return later and photograph them without so many people around. I have no idea how many birders will attend the festival but it sure was difficult to find a room in Erie.
We are still experiencing family problems and are therefore, once again, dog-sitters to a very energetic (= high-strung) Jack Russell Terrier. Did I mention she is high-strung? Last night, my husband took her outside and she encountered our neighbor's Labrador. She took off after the Lab like a shotgun and pulled the leash out of my husband's hands. Had it been me, I could have injured myself since she would have likely knocked me on the ground. Brandi is having a good time in our backyard with all its mole tunnels and other critters. Our cats are taking the dog's presence easier than the first time. I, however, am not used to having an animal follow me around wherever I go. The cats' reaction is more like, "So you're home, big deal!" Oh well, this too shall pass. Happy Easter!

Bird Day

Yesterday was a bird day for me. During late morning I heard bird chatter outside and checked what the commotion was about. There was a female turkey under one of our bird feeders, gobbling up the seeds that fell on the ground. By the time I grabbed my camera and went out the front door to not disturb it, it was gone. But then I saw a turkey flying from one of the tall trees on our hillside down to the bottom of the hill where it joined another turkey. Wow, what a sight! I had never seen a turkey flying from a tall tree before. I didn't know they could fly this high.

After lunch I went to the Aviary to get some bird photography done. I had not taken my camera there for a while. The photo above of a Troupial is the best I got and it posed for me several times to make sure I got a good one. I had great fun "shooting" all the different birds but I can't wait to get out in nature again to add some more species to my stock photo list.