Look at those wide open mouths! Great shot Brenda! I needed a little R&R this evening after a crazy week at work and trying to get caught up with the grass after two weeks of rain and trying to get ready for installers next week, so I decided to spend some time this evening with the birds and the camera. And the bird gods smiled on me as I saw my first mockingbird! A common bird for many but I had never seen one so now I can add it to my yard-list. I was sitting in the garage mounting the camera on the tripod when he landed on the driveway and stood real still for his portrait. Shortly after that an indigo bunting appeared. This is the closest I have been able to get to one, they usually stay in the tops of the trees. They have a cheerful song and sing all through the day and evening so a wonderful bird to have around. This one is either still molting into his bright blue attire or is a first year male and still developing his mating colors. And an interesting shot of his tongue!

Hello all, Well it has been 3 weeks since my last post so I thought I would give an update. I now have all my plants in the ground and/or pots. Wow, what a chore. Now to sit back and watch them grow and produce I hope. I have small pods on a few. I have been pinching off buds/flowers up until this point, but from here on I am going to let them do their thing. Some look really small but that is because I did a lot of pruning and buried them real deep after cutting on the bottom 3 layers of leaves. This is my first raised bed. All super hots Bill

Thanks Claire for the comment. I like this one better too because I can zoom in while videoing besides having clearer videos. It's mostly Crooked Beak's bottom bill that is growing out. Squeaker has been teaching Baby how to Squeak like him too- it's funny listening to them. --------------- Hi organic_bassetlvr. I been having many redpolls show up (have on videos), but there still is some that seem to have what looks like a black top with a long black spot on the chest Claire provided photos and info about the redpolls in her post about 'Great Backyard Bird Count' (thanks again Claire!), so I'm leaning towards them being redpolls more than the warbler. It's no problem on skipping the orbs, it was just something else I was sharing. I'm glad you enjoy Crooked Beaks story and thank you for your kindness and concern. --------------------- Hi dreamgarden. Thank you for you kindness, I'm glad you like! The camera I was referring to about videoing and being better was the Sony HD (Handycam) HDR-CX260. The new camera before that was a Samsung HD- it seem to have multiple problems like with focus, sound and stability. The camera before that was my original Kodak EasyShare that just started having multiple problems too- it was a good camera. The cameras I have for monitoring outside are the IR night vision. I have 16 of them now to monitor the birds and any other activities I have around the house. I did install mine myself and have them all hard wired (I can't use wireless) . You might have better luck with the wireless than I did (frequency issues). The wireless are easy to install, it's also the best bang for you buck. You can get them on ebay- http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-4G-Wireless-Home-Outdoor-CCTV-Security-Night-Vision-IR-Color-Camera-System-/221041070311?pt=US_Surveillance_Security_Systems&hash=item33771310e7 Or you can type in- '2.4G wireless CCTV IR Night' on ebay search. The system comes with two wireless cameras and a receiver. It cost under a hundred dollars too. The 16 cameras I use are the 2.4 GHz waterproof 380 TVL 1/3 CMOS NTSC 3.6mm lens CCTV Night vision with audio. ------------------ Here are some videos I added if you haven't seen them already- "Zippy" the Red Breasted Nuthatch- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVYPQ5FpBDw --------- "Rav" the Raven- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyyaWHIN_lM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2R7k7tjle0 --------- "Sue and "Lou" the Common Redpoll- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UelrTOoY0U ---------- "Centra" the European Starling- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-j6gXSQ9FM ----------- Some other Redpolls- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klb44uKe6Z0 ----------- My dog "Cody"- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f11FUslzBA Hope you like them, Ed This post was edited by Trickyfingers on Mon, Mar 25, 13 at 21:50

I can vouch for Bill's toys as he showed me his surfmobile, the car that he transported his toys to the beach in, and it was packed with boards (long boards, surf boards, etc.). Bill's hobbies take up all his green space and his garage and surfmobile..lol. Bill always great to see you and catch up. Laura, You were missed @ Bills, but your name and salutation was passed on to Bill :) Bills walkway was amazing and he edited out some of his potted plumies, looked like a totally different back yard. The front and side were meticulously maintained as usual. Hopefully will get a chance to see you both this season. Cheers.