Quacking Around, Mallard-like

Every day, a Mallard couple ambles through the grass toward the feed that BirdManBob tosses outside his window. Having promised myself not to return to the Wild Bird Rescue Center without my camera, I held it ready for whatever species came around, from Great Blue Herons, to Cooper's Hawks, to warblers. In addition, having learned from Ben to rely on a tripod, I had it available, too. The use of a tripod improves sharpness, and so I prove it again today.

I first spotted the couple coming through the weeds. The male, leading, stopped short when he saw me. The female, hungry and bold, decided I looked harmless, and so overtook her mate and lead the way toward the WBR Center.

The volunteer mower, thankfully for this image, has not mowed the grass yet. Color is lovely in photography, but see the image below. . . 

Let us play "spot the female Mallard."

They stopped for a few moments and looked up at the doorway of the center, as if expecting to see BirdManBob or Missi's Mom.

 

Male Mallard.

Female Mallard.

Here he reveals his blue wing bar.

Five Minutes at Wild Bird Rescue

When I visit the Wild Bird Rescue Center, I walk through their door expectant of what species of birds I will see. I've reached the point at which I dare not go there without my camera. Here is today's crop of pictures.

Cedar Waxwings.

Mallards. 

Harris' Sparrow at the bird feeder outside BirdManBob's office window.

An immature White-crowned Sparrow. 

I noticed the male White-crowned Sparrows seemed less territorial than the females.

Junco. 

In late winter, when birds are transitioning from immature to adults, they seem hard to identify. I'll send this picture to Penny and ask her about this bird. 

At Hackberry Flat

The Red River Photography Club hosted a day trip to the Hackberry Flat, near Frederick, Oklahoma. Visit the Hackberry Flat web site at http://hackberryflat.home.mindspring.com/  I added a few bird sightings to my "life list," but more importantly, I became aware of the importance of wildlife management.

American Coots take off as we approach them. 

Lesser Yellow Legs in flight. In this picture you can see the kind of habitat the birds thrive in, thanks to the wildlife management provided by Oklahoma.

Vesper's Sparrow.

Savannah Sparrow.

Red-tailed Hawks seemed numerous and beautiful. 

We saw a large number of Northern Harriers, too. 

This Northern Harrier appears to keep his eye on us. 

I like to call this picture "Spot the Hawk." The lines and posts seem intriguing even without the profile of the hawk. As with all other birds, the hawk flew away from us. 

The Nexrad I rely on for everyday weather-watching stood at a crow's flight,

if you pardon the pun, from the wildlife management area. 

On our way home, we visited every fascinating barn we saw. 

The door appeared to have the original doorknobs. 

A fertilizer spreader and a television sit abandoned in the next room, along with couches and chairs. 

I particularly enjoy this image, and I think seeing it helped me appreciate the challenge of taking pictures of old barns.

Old wood and new wood. In this barn, Larry found a medicine bottle.

Later, at home he washed the bottle and saw the year 1846 on the bottom of it.

James Polk was serving as US president during that year.

We stopped by for a few images of an "Oklahoma Centennial Barn," 

presumably established in 1900 (that's the number on the gate). 

A vehicle full of photography enthusiasts will more often than not stop at every opportunity for pictures. 

Here we stopped to visit with the dromedary camels on the Hudson Ranch along Highway 287.

The male has a big cranium. 

Ben celebrates the capture of a good shot. 

See his impressive photography at http://photographybybenjacobi.blogspot.com/

American Goldfinch

I hope this little fellow will not catch conjunctivitis. Missi's Mom from Wild Bird Rescue advised me to clean all the bird feeders thoroughly to prevent further contagion. Unfortunately, there seems nothing else I can do to cure the finches from the disease. 

Finch in Need

This sweet fellow seems to have an eye infection. I've emailed Wild Bird Rescue for suggestions in regard to curing him, and mostly to containing a possible contagion at the bird feeders.

Donations by Artists of Wildlife Art

Wild Bird Rescue received generous donations for the next fundraising auction.

"The Next Generation." Original watercolor by Cherie McBride.

"Ferruginous Hawk." Wood engraving by Julie Bender.

Acrylic by Dellalonga.

Men, Women, Schedule Your Mammogram Soon

The federal government has changed the laws in regard to scheduling mammograms. A woman may now schedule annual mammograms directly with her favorite imaging center, rather than ask her physician to schedule them for her.

Doctor's Other Half invited me to join her and Sweet Cheeks for a tour of the mammogram center at United Regional Hospital.

A certificate of excellence recognizes the improvements in mammography in recent years, most particularly those practiced by the United Regional Hospital.

The friendliness of the technicians, or "breast navigators," ameliorates any fright one might feel upon entering past the caution sign into this cold, clinical room. So would the act of engaging a "navigator" to "explore" one's breasts seem striking enough to ameliorate any feelings of fear by keeping one's mind preoccupied by the meaning of words. Technological changes occur more quickly than a society can adapt, and linguistics play a key role in the changes. That a technician would assist a man or woman in "navigating" in search of masses seems simple enough to understand once I assimilated the new use of the term "navigator," for, indeed, one "explores" the breasts as methodically as one studies a map.

The image shows a mass. Among the eighty-year old population, 

one in five women develop breast cancer. 

Animals and men, not just women, may develop breast cancer. 

Ellen, the "breast navigator," articulated something that not many people have yet conceived, saying that one must take action, or be pro-active, with one's health in order to remain healthy.

Apache Oil Field

Walking around on an oil field I snapped a few shots of an abandoned pump, a bike blown in -- probably by a tornado -- a pair of Northern Shovelers, and a flock of geese startled by my presence.

Jewel in Greenville

While My Mr Mallory and I explored Greenville, South Carolina (Thanks, Papa Charlie!) we came upon a museum devoted to the history of the South, particularly the late 1880s. This museum seemed to me to want to burst at the seams because of its numerous items on exhibit, and the friendly, passionate volunteer said they had even more items in storage. Of note is its pre-1770s piano. They restored the piano and now play it once per year at their fundraiser, "Christmas in Dixie." It seems worth visiting there just to hear the piano!
Passionate though he seemed about the museum, the volunteer did not allow me to take pictures except those of My Mr Mallory; so, to see pictures of the piano, do visit the museum's web site at http://www.confederatemuseum.org/Christmas.html
And here are the only pictures I took of the jewel in Greenville: