Red-breasted Sapsucker for Wild Bird wednesday

This guy or gal loves to hang around the suet feeder.

Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) a very cool bird.  Adults have a red head and upper chest; they have a white lower belly and rump. They are black on the back and wings with bars; they have a large white wing patch. Red-Breasted Sapsuckers nest in tree cavities. Northern birds migrate to the southern parts of the range; birds on the coast are often permanent residents. Like other sapsucker, these birds drill holes in trees and eat the sap as well as insects attracted to it. They sometimes catch insects in flight; they also eat seeds and berries.

 A sapsucker’s tongue is adapted with stiff hairs for collecting the sap. Red-Breasted Sapsuckers visit the same tree multiple times, drilling holes in neat horizontal rows. A bird will leave and come back later, when the sap has started flowing from the holes. Repeated visits over an extended period of time can actually kill the tree. The insects attracted to the sap are also consumed, and not only by sapsuckers. Rufous Hummingbirds, for example, have been observed to follow the movements of sapsuckers and take advantage of this food source.

To see more fabulous Birds go to  http://www.paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com/ and enjoy!!

Historic Wilson Hotel~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Monday Murals

Lisa Liedgren designed a mural for the renovated Historic Wilson Hotel in Anacortes, Washington, in 2006. The piece was unanimously selected by the jurors of the Anacortes Arts Commission and funded by Beacon Development as part of the hotel’s redevelopment project. More than two stories tall, the mural features a portrait of Annie Curtis Bowman, the town’s namesake, translated into dots of reflective copper-colored paint.

The Wilson Hotel was built in 1890 and renovated in 2006.   Anacortes was named for one of the founding fathers, Amos Bowman, wife Anna Curtis.

Go to http://oaklanddailyphoto.blogspot.com to see more Murals for Monday

Two shots for Weekend Reflection

This shot taken in June of last year when the snow was still covering the lake. This is Mt. Shuksan and somewhere under the snow is Picture Lake.
I thought you all would like something cool because it has been so hot.

 Mount Shuksan and Picture lake last November before too
much snow fell.
It seems like role reversal.

To see more reflective shots go to http://www.weekendreflection.blogspot.com

Some Veggies in the Garden

We have planted Potatoes,Pumpkins, Acorn Squash, Sunflowers Zucchini and Bob's son Jim has planted a huge Tomato and Pepper crop and Lettuce and cabbage and Broccoli but I will show what's for dinner NOW!

 The onions at this size are excellent but by fall they will be huge

 Artichokes are a fun crop

 Tomatoes are ripening and they are so sweet

Summer Squash is good sauted when it is still small

Some of my flowers

These are some of the containers I have put together.

 Purple Petunias

 pinkish petunias

 Allysum, Purple petunia called Prisilla, red geranium and Bacopa

 Red Geraniums and Marigold backed by Nasturtium

 Burgundy Petunias

 Blue Lobelia

 Stonecrop

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

July 4th Independence Day in the U.S of A

                                                                                   ENJOY

Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch is a small bird, growing up to five inches long. The males, in breeding season, are the easiest to identify, because they are bright yellow with black and white markings. In the Winter, the males lose their bright yellow feathers and become dull brown. They keep the black and white markings though. Females are dull year-round.
American Goldfinches live in brushy thickets, weedy fields, gardens, and roadsides. Since they eat mostly seeds from grasses and wildflowers, they tend to stay where there are a lot of these food sources.

 I like this picture of the resting Goldfinch in the apple tree

To visit more birds go tohttp://www.paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com/rds go to