Woodlet Heads, Thinking About Coming Out of the Tree

The magic of Photoshop has helped improve the quality of these a teeny, teeny bit; at least they are not quite as dark as the originals.


It's a long way down

Woodlets 2009: More About Fledging Day

The woodpecker parents spent Saturday morning alternately feeding the woodlets and then calling to them from nearby trees as if to say, Come out, come out! In the photo above, a little woodlet head is poking out of the hole on the lower left side of the tree; it's thinking about it. Below is Woodina in the tree in the middle of the patio, where the woodpeckers never sit, calling them out.

Woodlet Mania: Fledging Day 2009!!!

The woodlets fledged today! And I actually saw it happen!! There are two of them. Here is one of my first photos of the day; they go downhill from here, but the sun and the shadow of the tree were against me. Yes...I'll blame it on that. More pictures to come!

Mutant Giant Walkingstick from Outer Space!

The larger walkingstick in this photo is NINE inches long. She is THE BIGGEST walkingstick I HAVE EVER SEEN. The little one on her back is the he.


Walkingstick eyes?


Yow! Thanks gods it was outside and not in. These are the one insect that really give me the creeps; but curiously, I find that the larger ones are actually not as alarming as the littler ones.

The Woodpecker Tree at Dawn

Photos by Hugh

Innocent Bystander: Not a Brown Recluse

When I saw this teeny spider through the lens, and it was fairly dark as seen in the photo below, I was certain it was a brown recluse; but the photos show that it's definitely NOT a recluse. Yay! Touch wood. Last year was a heavy recluse year here at the cabin, and we'd like not to repeat that. Come on, scorpions!

Sunday Sky

I Was Wrong!

The woodlets are still there! The parents were feeding them this morning! There is still a chance that we will get to see them fledge! Yay!!!

AND I saw a roadrunner on the driveway as I was leaving this morning. It's a good day!

A Woodlet Head Appears...and Then is Gone??

This morning I saw the head of a woodlet for the first time this year! There it is, peeking out from the hole....or craning, rather. Mum is up above, having just fed the young ones (see the photos at bottom, and doesn't that look suspiciously like birdseed?). All of these photos were taken around 8:45 a.m., before I left for work this morning.


I was terribly excited; I checked last year's posts and learned that it was four days from first woodlet head sighting until the woodlets fledged. This weekend, I thought, this weekend it will happen! We will see them leave the tree!


By the time I got home it was rather late in the evening, but not too late for evening feedings, and when I walked onto the front porch I saw a little head sticking out from the hole in the tree, all right. But after getting closer, causing the head to withdraw, and waiting waiting waiting for it to appear again, it turned out to be...Woodie. Dad was in the hole, and I realized I couldn't hear the woodlets anymore, which means they must have fledged today.



A THOUSAND CURSES!


Will I never see them fledge, ever ever ever?


I also accidentally deleted the closeup photo of Woodie in the tree. A sad day for me, but a good day for woodlets, and all the better that Hamilton the Giant by happenstance was in the house today. And there's always the possibility that I am wrong, and the little ones are still in there....but I will not bet the cabin on it.

Monday's Moth

Woodina 2009

Woodina came to the feeder this afternoon and ate voraciously. Then she left with her mouth full of feed...for the woodlets, perhaps? Are they eating solid food already?

The New Dog...

...likes being under the bed.

Snouty Moth

On the kitchen counter on Friday the 22nd. I didn't realize its snoutiness till I saw the photos, actually.

Oh, WOODIE

I love you. All day you and Woodina work so hard at feeding the woodlets. When are they coming out?

Saturday After the Rain

Sunset


Ruby


Fritty

Camouflage Moth

It pains me that I could not get a better photo of this moth; lord knows it was not for lack of trying. Above, tail in focus; below, head in focus.




A dark top view. It didn't help that it was sitting at nighttime on the very shiny and reflective-of-flashes handsoap dispenser.


Both ends in semi-focus, or semi-out-of-focus—whichever way we'd like to think of it.

Shiny of Head and Many-Eyed: Herringbone Jumping Spider

Found in the kitchen this afternoon, and still there just now when I went to refill my coffee. I encouraged it to stick around.






For scale. And yes, my cuticles need some attention.

Orange-Striped Moth

Kitchen window sill, Thursday morning (though it was there Wednesday night as well).

Red Cat

Super Crazy Moth!

I don't even have words for this guy; I must let his face speak for himself. Itself. Whatever. I found him in the kitchen on the mushroom brush last Wednesday evening.


Do moths have feathers? That sounds insane, but just look!


And dig that the glowing carnelian-like spot on its head!


Its posture was strange.