The Blizzard Brings Bohemian Waxwings

This blizzard brings many birds to our yard for shelter. I feed the ducks and the pheasants cracked corn. They eat quickly before it is buried by the snow blowing sideways. Chickadees, purple finches, goldfinches and starlings come to the feeders, and pick seeds from the stag-horn sumac cones. These are the usual guests.

Late in the afternoon, the tops of the maples and birches fill with Bohemian Waxwings, and one robin. The waxwings are infrequent visitors to my yard. As I watch them, they take turns flying down into the crab apple tree, to eat tiny frozen apples the size of blueberries.

The strong wind makes photos a real challenge. The branches are moving, their feathers are ruffling and they have their backs to me, facing into the gale. The gusts make the pictures blurry with grains of snow.

Still, aren't these birds lovely?  Their grey feathers hide them among the grey of tree limbs this time of year.  Their cinnamon crests and yellow terminal tail bands, their chestnut under-tail coverts and white, red and yellow wing markings give them away.

It is growing dark now, but I know they are still in my yard.  I can hear, over the howls of the storm, their faint, high pitched, quavering whistles just outside my kitchen windows.

And one lone robin

I'm glad they are finding some shelter from the storm and feel lucky to have been able to watch them this afternoon.  They are a gift from the storm. And company for the lone robin.

Flower Friday

 

 

 

 

Flower Friday

Photos are copyright Carol Steel.

Black-capped Chickadee Visitors

Black-capped Chickadee Visitors

On this gray, drizzly day, the only cheery notes are the songs of the Black-capped Chickadees, the provincial bird of New Brunswick.  They flit to the feeder, grab one black oil sunflower seed and fly, bouncing to a maple or spruce to hide in the thick branches and eat.

Fun to watch, their quick aerobatics to and from feeders mean I have to be quick to capture photos.   As I sit by the window on the lookout for them, I notice them investigating me; these enchanting chubby birds with black caps and bibs.

Black-capped Chickadees have white cheeks, soft grey backs, grey wings with white tips and grey tails.  Their whitish undersides with buff coloured sides give them a cuddly appearance.

New Brunswick isn’t the only place where Chickadees are found.  There are seven different varieties found in North American; five types live in Canada.  For more info, click on:   http://www.birds-of-north-america.net/chickadees.html

One legend says if a Chickadee flies into a tree and sings, chick-a-dee-dee-dee, someone is coming.   http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheThunderNationAndTheEagle-Unknown.html

I wonder who it will be.

Words and photos are ©copyright Carol Steel.  Text in red will take you to another website with additional information, if you click on it.

Copyright Infringement

Copyright Infringement

I received a comment today from a photographer whose image I used for a blog post last year.   I had taken the photo from Google images thinking any photo posted there was for free use by anyone.

Boy, was I naïve!

I started blogging in February 2011.  After helpful hints from my daughter’s sister-in-law about how to get going, I have been self-taught.  

My learning has gaps in it...huge gaps.  I have discovered, after researching copyright infringement, it is not OK to take photos from Google images.  It infringes on copyright and can end up with me getting sued.  Not a happy scene.

And I’ve discovered through these two websites 

http://www.roniloren.com/blog/2012/7/20/bloggers-beware-you-can-get-sued-for-using-pics-on-your-blog.html 

 and 

http://withrealtoads.blogspot.ca/2012/08/beware-of-copyright-infringement.html

… what I have been doing amounts to just that…copyright infringement.  I am embarrassed at being so naïve and horrified at my own stupidity. 

Over the next few days, I will not be posting any new blogs.  I will be combing through my 357 blog entries removing or replacing the photos that don’t belong to me or that I do not have permission to use. 

As the two sites above state: Ignorance of the law is no defense.

And my comment request from the photographer whose photo I used?  He has kindly allowed me to use his photo as long as I credit the source of the photo and link back to his website, which I have done…and done promptly.

I am lucky to have learned this lesson early in my blogging career.

As for photos from now on, if they aren’t mine, you won’t be seeing them on this blog unless I obtain permission to use them.

My husband says that I could just post photos of the cats anywhere I need to have a picture, but that would just be too much, don’t you think?  And I don’t want to make light of this issue.  It is serious.

Ignorance of copyright law is no defense. 

The photo is mine of the cats helping to make the bed.  They too are amazed at my stupidity but love me regardless.

Gulls at Parrsboro NS

Gulls wanted to be in the shots I took today at Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.

They weren't afraid of the car or me, as they sat 

on the stony beach...waiting.

These scavengers will have a long wait. 

The take-out restaurant next door

doesn't open until summer.

Or, perhaps, like me, they were enjoying the view

from the shoreline.

Photos are mine.

To learn more about Parrsboro NS, click on the words in red in the blog post.

Snow Shimmering

We opened the curtains this morning and saw drifts of snow shimmering.  I've hankered after photos of the snow glittering in early light, but have not succeeded in capturing one, the perfect one, yet. 

Let me explain.  Snow sparkles...on frigid days...in slanted light.  This means I have the opportunity to take these photos on bitter mornings.  There is a problem.  I cannot hold the camera without shivering, therefore moving...on cold mornings.  Shaky camera equals blurry photos.

Gary offered to go outside, as he didn't mind the cold as much.  For a half hour, he wandered the yard taking photos.  He was in and out of the house.  He came in to check on the results and to warm the camera, then back out.

We will have to try again as nothing he photographed did justice to the silvery shimmer of the morning.  He took pictures of our ducks, as they waited for him to stop fooling with the camera and bring out their food.

The ducks were patient and sat watching, while he meandered, snapping photos.  They were thinking, " Hey, it's cold, man is it cold.  Could you throw the food and forget about the sparkly snow?"  

He did.  We'll capture the perfect photo another day.  By "we", I mean Gary.  I'll be cheering for him from inside where it's warm.

Photos were taken by Gary.  Words are mine.

Photo Wall

It’s Christmas, time for the annual influx of updated photos from our grandchildren.  Always delightful!

And challenging!  We have photos of our grands displayed on a side wall of the stairway; a staggered showcase of children from 3 to 17 years.  This photo wall charts our family’s evolution.

It’s a recording of physical growth, emerging personalities, hair colours, hair cuts and hair styles, of baby teeth, teeth missing, permanent teeth and braces.  The wall shows dimples, and grins and lopsided smiles, kinky hair, curly hair, straight hair and hair that won’t behave.  Blue eyes, hazel eyes, green eyes and dark brown.  Each photo is a delightful reminder of a much loved grandchild.

The updated photos each year are a delight and a challenge.

The challenge is to arrange the photos on the slanting wall, using the nails that are in place, to form a cohesive format.  Some photos are vertical and some horizontal, some are smaller requiring mats. They are all framed with simple 8x10 black borders for continuity.

While rearranging the new crop of photos, I struggle with using the spaces and nails already there.  I can’t get them right, no matter what.  I’ll have to poke more holes in the stairway wall.  I’m certain the housekeeping gurus at Martha Stewart would be appalled.

After considerable fiddling, I’ve managed to arrange the photos (fairly) evenly – at least until the new ones arrive – either photos or babies.

Now to enjoy them!

The words within the text, written in red, will take you to another site with additional information, if you click on them.