It's Been Tough

Male Downy Woodpecker napping at the Studio
( Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz )

It's yet another foggy/overcast day here at Prairie Hill Farm studio. I've been going through tedious web site work for projects and other clients. I caught myself having a tough time staying on task and even awake (!) when I looked out the window to my left and there clung this downy little ball with no head! Now this snapped me out of my lapse of alertness, and I looked closer...here was a male Downy Woodpecker napping on the side of the tree trunk I hang the bird feeder from. I watched for several minutes and nothing...I went and got my small camera and took a picture of him with his head tucked into it's side.

Occassionally another bird would happen by, but the Downy seemed to be really "sawing logs", paying them no mind. I missed a really good image when a House Sparrow happened by and landed right next to him and gave him a very curious "look over". Very funny.

Eventually he came to, hopped over to the feeder and ate a little suet, then hopped back around to a different spot and tucked it's head under and snoozed some more.

This went on for all afternoon...I ended up video taping 2 or 3 times when he was sleeping and waking; he seemed as "out of it" as I was feeling!

It's been tough...no sun here for many days, thick fog is the norm. The snow is slowly melting but it's more conducive to napping around here lately!

Eastern Screech Owl (gray phase)

A few days ago we had another feathered friend here get caught snoozing during the day. It was drizzling, cold, windy and foggy...a nasty day. Georgie spotted this little Eastern Screech Owl (gray phase) napping on a 2X4 brace inside the lean-to where we park. It started out soaking wet, apparently coming under the lean-to to dry off and catch up on it's beauty sleep. We let it dry off and rest there all day, and could almost walk right up to it. Too bad the backdrop for our little owl wasn't better for the sake of a decent photograph...I'll just have to file this away until I come up with an owl drawing or painting idea down the road!

I think I'm awake now...the Downy is back and sleeping again (it's been awake, gone and back at least 8 times now), hope it goes "home" for the night or that little Screech Owl may have a feathery snack after dark!

Happy Turkey!

November is slowly transitioning back to where it usually is now, but I don't see anyone complaining about having those three good weeks of weather after that rotten September/October stretch! What I'm really confused and frustrated about is how we got here so fast!

But Thanksgiving is a great time around here...the house and studio smell so good...Georgie cooks in the house and we feast out here where we have more room! We can seat around 20 out here (in the studio) with the majority around the same table, and we use the framing counter as the food service area.

It's been raining steady for the past day here and the farmers are stuck waiting till December now to complete harvest. It sounds like snow tonight and maybe tomorrow but we hope it's nothing to deter guests from arriving safely tomorrow and Thursday.

A couple days back when I was walking over to the studio I was noticing quite a ruckus in our north grove. Our year-round resident Red-headed Woodpecker was throwing such a hissy fit that Mudd (our resident farm cat/best buddy) even went over to see what all the fuss was about. She returned to the deck after a few minutes and I decided that maybe something was worth a look.

I saw nothing obvious - sometimes there will be a crow or hawk or owl around and the residents get a little agitated. We have been seeing a gray phase Eastern Screech Owl in the west grove Wood Duck box and I thought maybe it was outside snoozing and was attracting some attention, so I started looking in the conifers for it.

Eastern Screech Owl

The denser trees are good spots for these little guys and I found the "suspect" in one - buried back next to the trunk...don't know what all the fuss was about, he seemed perfectly content to stay tucked in until nightfall. After I went and got my camera it did give me some "looks", kind of like "Don't make me come out there"! type of looks or scowls. I couldn't get any more of the little owl than just a face shot because of the dense cover so I left it alone to nap the rest of the afternoon through.

I'd like to wish everyone out there a nice Thanksgiving with family, friends, or by yourself if it works out that way. Stay warm with good food and Love!