The blasted recycling truck picks up very early every Wednesday morning. Our block is first on the route. It's the only time that I come close to first in anything.
If at all possible, I carry the bin out on Tuesday evening, but since the prodigious winds continue to blow hoolies, this week I thought it best to hold off until morning. Consequently. I was out in my PJs at 6:45 hauling both garbage bag and recycling bin curbside.
The truck came shortly afterward, and when I looked out the window, I saw our empty bin being blown southward. Sigh . . . out I went again.
With the wind in my mind, at first I was refusing to go for our late morning walkie. However, I relented as long as we would choose another sheltered route. Off we drove to O-Kee-Lee Park. which, like the nearer trail of yesterday's post, we don't visit during winter. As you can see, it is also a scrubby woodland, probably even scrubbier than yesterday's trail.
I don't know birdcalls well, but I can identify cardinals on a good day, and I did hear one yesterday. We eventually found him. Luckily, my compact camera does zoom a little, and you can find the tiny but glorious red patch that is Mr Cardinal in the middle of the image. ↓
I decided to capture its joyful song, but you probably will have trouble finding him in the middle of this ↓ clip, which is the main reason why I have showed you the above photo.
Great shot of the cardinal! And it is a scrubby walk but hopefully out of the direct wind.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a Canadian cardinal!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bird! Scrubby walk out of force of wind - a good idea. Wetlands are the nursery of so many critters.
ReplyDeleteWe have to bring recycling out the night before, too. They come very early. I hope you had a sheltered walk.
ReplyDeleteAwwww I love cardinals! We have them in great abundance most of the year back in the trees beyond our pool. Their little cheep-cheep-cheep is so precious! And I like your swamp pics. I hate it when the wind blows a hoolie and trash receptacles skitter down the street! xoxo
ReplyDeleteWe have high winds here this morning and we walked a sheltered path similar to yours. The first photo looks remarkably like our area here. So good to be out though. I’ve never seen a cardinal in the wild but we saw a woodpecker.
ReplyDeleteI wish our trash collection was regular like yours. I've heard them go by anywhere between 5 am and maybe as late as 2 pm. This makes it difficult to not end up with neighborhood trash blowing everywhere if they are late on particularly windy days. I keep a pile of rocks, chunks of broken concrete, pavers and bricks and if I know trash day will be windy, I weight my can with a couple of those.
ReplyDeleteThat cardinal really stands out. We saw some in Texas and were amazed since I don't think we have them here. (?) I put out my cans the night before because sometimes they're early and other times late. And hope for no strong winds!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of merit in both scrub bush and swampy bush, for birders and people who don't want grand vistas to photograph.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that wind. And I left for an appointment in town in the midst of a mini blizzard yesterday morning. Now, Thursday at noon, it is just lovely.
How I would love to have a cardinal. They don't like it out here. But when I go to town, there are songs everywhere. Ah well. I can listen to the blue jays.
I like the mini videos from, was it yesterday? Cripes. I am so far behind it is ridiculous.
We got new cell phones and I installed an app that identifies birds by their calls. I tried it the other day, a warmer one then today, and it heard a starling, a song sparrow and a cedar wax wing. I know the first two were around but I've seen nothing of a waxwing so I think it got that wrong. The cardinals are quite numerous around here too but not that day.
ReplyDeleteGood for you getting out to walk.
I do like a swamp, I guess because it is such a different environment to what I am used to. Or maybe I am harking back to my father's Louisiana childhood?
ReplyDeleteGreat capture of the cardinal and his sweet song.
Our trash is picked up once a week. We have to load it in the truck and take up to the end of our driveway, where we can our trashcans in a bin that keeps dogs out and trashcans in.
ReplyDeleteOur garbage collection is overnight which turns out to be anytime between 10 pm and 4 am so things have to be out in the evening. It always seems to rain on garbage night and the bins get filled with water.
ReplyDeleteI like your scruffy trail.
Beautiful the way the cardinal stands out in the bare tree branches! The cardinal call sounds pretty distinctive. There are a couple I know (not being a birder at all): Quail, which are very distinctive, and hawks, which are easy.
ReplyDeleteVery enjoyable post! Your photo of the cardinal is striking and says much about how we actually see birds in the wild. I loved the audio clip too. Thank you AC AlohaVery enjoyable post! Your photo of the Cardinal is striking and says much about how we actually see birds in the wild. I loved the audio clip too. Thank you! AC Aloha!
ReplyDeleteI could set the time according to when my garbage is picked up. I'm the first pick up of the day.
ReplyDeleteCardinals are such beautiful birds! Always a delight to see them.
ReplyDeleteWhat IS it with the wind this year? It's bad here, too. And I especially hate it on pick-up day! I love the cardinal-- they really show up, too, don't they?
ReplyDeleteCardinals are a wonderous bird.
ReplyDeleteThe dry woods look fantastic for me.
ReplyDeleteBoy, your wind is strong! I loved seeing that speck of bright red in the barren trees. Very pretty!
ReplyDeleteEvery day has been windy here which is not good for trying to photograph some blooms that have finally come out.The only bird call I can easily ID is a blue jay's
ReplyDeleteYour Canadian cardinal looks like our Hawaiian cardinal. We're lucky that our neighbors will bring our garbage bin into our driveway for us if we miss the garbage truck before leaving the house.
ReplyDeleteCardinals are one of the few bird calls that I recognize immediately. I don't know what it is as we do not have a lot of them around us, but when we are traveling and I hear one, I know what it is immediately.
ReplyDeleteGreat shot of the Cardinal! That's so typical; they sit high in the treetops and sing.
ReplyDeleteYes. That sure is a cardinal.
ReplyDeleteOur garbage gets picked up every Thursday, before we are up. We never even hear the truck because our bedroom is at the back of the house.
Nice spot. I do love the cardinals!
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