Tuesday, April 21, 2009

With A Little Help From My Friends


I have learned much from other bloggers in the past two and a half years and have been inspired to look for new things in my own world. I have also met people who share my interests and have made some new "flesh and blood" friends as well as on line friends.

Last spring I met Cheryl on a local trail. Her binoculars were a sure sign she was a birder and we have kept in touch since that day. She emailed me the very, very cute picture above of Barn Swallows at her father's farm and wrote,

"As the babies grow the nest seems to get smaller until finally they are forced out. I attached this picture I took last year of a "bursting nest". Note the horse hair... I hope that in the near future you can come and see the barn swallows at the farm. You will be able to watch them from just a few feet away. The timing window of the babies bursting out of the nest is small (maybe a week or so). "

What a great invitation!


Deb is a co-worker who loves nature and birding. We have gone out together several times. She sent me pictures of ducks she found in an out of the way spot, including the Blue-winged Teals above, some Wood Ducks and a Hooded Merganser. I found the area and now have another quiet spot where I can go to observe birds and wildlife. There were no ducks there tonight, but a Kingfisher flew around noisily and a large flock of Wild Turkeys was in a nearby field.


Esther Garvi of Niger has written a couple of interesting comments on recent posts. She sent me this picture of one of their white herons which looks like a Cattle Egret to me.

"We have white herons here in West Africa. They nest in thorny trees and make so much noise, but the worst part here when you are unfortunate enough to have them settle in your garden (and don't have the heart to chase them away) is that their little ones get stuck in the thorns and rot in the trees. A large majority fall down from the tree in their attempts to fly. I imagine in the wild, they would make easy prey for predators but in the city, they starve to death. Although I love the herons when I see them in the bush, I am very grateful not to have a heronry in my yard!"

(If you don't like that mental image, drop in to see this post of hers for a big dose of sweetness.)


My cousin Samuel moved two hours east of here at the end of March. I will miss birding with him. On our last outing he took this great picture of gulls at Lake Ontario. He has moved close to the shores of Lake Ontario and I hope to get over to see him for some new birding experiences.

And so I continue to learn and share, to make new friends and see new places.

17 comments:

  1. Your blog title set me to humming happily "I Get By with a Little Help from my Friends."
    Wow--such a wonderful series of bird photos from your fellow blogger/friends. Great that you shared them.
    Is Sam the cousin you went birding with and wrote about?

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  2. Well Ruth, your blog is an inspiration to look for beauty in the little things around us and that's precious!! On top of things, I love your birding experiences! How long have you been birding?

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  3. It is so true that blogging gives us a whole new set of friends.I may never meet most of my blog friends but I am so thankful for each one,and that includes you.I enjoyed the pictures from other bloggers.
    BLessings,Ruth

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  4. I am constantly amazed at the friendships, generosity and talent of the bloggers we meet in this blogging world.

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  5. I know Sam is going to miss his outings with you. What a great young man.

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  6. Happy Earth Day back at cha! Lovely to make friends online--the blogging world has brought me friends from across the Atlantic that I might never have met. And, as a new birder, I learn so much from you and all of my other birding bloggy friends!

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  7. On Sunday, when we were in the garden spiling the lamb, my mother brought us a little bird who fall from his nest. The kids loved it. After i took a photo, he flew away.
    I will post this photo in a next post.
    Loved all the photos but especially the first one.

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  8. Sad to hear that Samuel moved away but like you say, an opportunity for new explores.

    One can learn a lot through blogging, a lot of neat people ... and it does inspire one to keep seeing and learning.

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  9. Hi Ruth.......I love the first photograph......they are such beautiful birds. Swallows are nesting in the stables our neighbours own......

    I have made many new friends in the blogging world.....they have opened many doors for me, and I am grateful for that.........

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  10. Wonderful photos and stotries to go with them. blogging and birding seem made for each other! And aren't those baby swallows the cutest thing ever!!

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  11. Ruth..."with a little help from my friends" goes both ways. I'm sure most of your blogger "friends" will agree with me that you have helped us in many ways. You have taught us so much, not just in birding but also the wonders of the world.
    Call me bias...but I still smile when I look at those babies! I think of a singing quartette when I see that picture, each in their own tone...Feed me, Feed me, Feed me, Feed me....please!
    I do like the Egert picture too, he looks so peaceful.

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  12. Anonymous6:49 pm GMT-4

    And your blog is an inspiration to me. You have a very gentle, relaxing way of presenting your posts..just very nice....

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  13. What a delightful post! Those swallows in their nest are so sweet.

    I also have made many friends and learned a great deal from blogging.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  14. I love the barn swallows in the nest. I would accept the invitation!

    Sharing your connections with friends made through blogging and birding is wonderful. I am grateful to have found you and your blog.

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  15. Ruth,

    You are definitely going to miss Samuel. I hope you can get together a few times a year to do a bit of nature hiking.

    Enjoyed the photos and your post.
    Blessings,
    Mary

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  16. Great Post Ruth! You are lucky to have such nice friends on and off blogger..
    That first photo your friend sent is priceless.

    Thank you for your beautiful photos and posts! You are an inspiration and a great bloggy friend.

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  17. Thanks for all the commments on behalf of myself and my guest photographers. KGMom- yes, Sam has appeared on this blog several times. Esther- I always have liked trails and nature, but since I started reading other birding blogs in the past 2 years, I have become far more aware of birds and started keeping lists.

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