I liked Denis Dailey’s kickoff to the Challenge. I was a little slow on the uptake, but today I ventured into the yard to record some of the fauna and to record why those of us in Chicago are anxious for daffodils to appear.
I wasn’t able to coax these two to the bird feeder since we haven’t stocked it much this year. The battle with squirrels and raccoons was too much for us. I will share a list of futile attempts to ward those critters off to those who like challenges.
The heron shown is standing at his usual position where he overlooks a part of my bed where I put my latest and best Mitsch bulbs. He has molted but, unlike the pair that produce a youngster on our little lake each year, this one is brown the year round. He just can’t get up the gumption to go south for the winter.
The duck usually is under the tree next to the driveway, but I moved him so that he is not plowed under when the driveway is cleared. He, too, has no feathers and is just a brown duck. Just above his bill will appear some of Steve Vinisky’s good ones from two years ago.
I was able to sneak up on both of these without alarming them to flight. You may note the hummingbird feeder I bought at a Dollar Store on the arbor. It has not had many visitors lately. A better photo of the duck would show that his eye has color. I think it’s a green aggie.
Now, how about the points for these sightings…
There is a Heron, but I guess I couldn’t count Archeron or Theron, even though they are almost the same.
There is a Mother Duck and a Ruddy Duck but perhaps the best choice here would be Daffy Duck.
I was disappointed that there are no daffodils with the word “rust” in their name. Well, that’s if you don’t count the 8 like Trusty or Rustic Charm, also almost correct.
There are 5 Snow Birds or Snowbirds and an Early Bird (I took these photos about 7 AM). Could I count Liarbird (No, it’s actually Lyrebird) and Mockingbird?
I’m glad I’m retired and don’t have much to do. I intend to send a picture of a real heron later.
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Some years ago our first slide show from the ADS was of daffodils with bird names. Is it still around?