Holding the new grandkid

 

Personal shot here as I have had a couple of excellent opportunities to hold the Peregrine, our newest grandchild, a few times in the past week or so. Stephanie is being appropriately cautious and I have tried to stay as clean as possible to get some chances to hold the baby. The little guy is just over 5 weeks and doing very well in his sleeping, crying, eating and pooping. It is about as good as you can do at this point. Strong little guy. Also getting playing time with Clio, Echo and Leigh with all the working at home. I get an extra hour sleep in the morning and another hour to an hour and a half to visit with the family after work without the commute. Really enjoying working at home. Super busy with all the worry and concern about credit risk in the market. Wish we didn't have an environment that had so much worry but that worry  keeps me busy. Rather that than sitting around all day thinking of things to do. However, always willing to jump up and hold the baby while Stephanie gets a quick bite to eat!!!

A second new visitor

 

A second new visitor appeared at the feeder this week when I just about jumped out of my skin (this is what my life has come to) when I see this dramatically dark streaked bird with a bit of a yellowish/orange head. Never seen this bird before. Turns out it is a female red winged blackbird. The male is very common and I have seen the male before. Maybe once at the feeder but not in enough frequency to get a picture (and none lately). The female showed up a couple times last week. Nothing this week so don't know if it still around. Anyway, fun times in the backyard with the cute Black Capped Chickadee and this dramatic blackbird. I am looking forward to seeing more fall and winter visitors. 

Whole Lotta Corn Going On

 

I am no expert and I have not been driving around as much as usual this year, but my impression is that there is going to be a whole lotta corn coming to the market in 2020. Every time I drive out in the country, all I see is super high corn stalks going from post to post. So, grab some ears and put them on the grill. Your country and local farmers need you to step up and do your duty. 

Common Grackle

 

Never much of a fan of the Grackle. Very crow like and pushy. When the Grackle comes to the feeder, it usually wants a clear path to the seeds. However, there are some nice colors to this bird and I thought a painterly filter would give it a bit of dignity. No, didn't happen, but I like the filter anyway! 

A New Visitor

 

We got two new visitors to the bird feeder this week. The first, shown here is a Black Capped Chickadee who loves to hit the feeder, grab a seed and skirt off to a tree limb to eat it. If you are not watching closely (and what else do I have to do between conference calls and emails from work?) you could mistake the little chickadee for a male House Sparrow, which also has a black bib under his chin. But this little one has some faint orange and blue coloring and a strong black cap on his head. They often feed sideways or even upside down on a tree. Thanks for buddy Bill Pavlecic for coming over for a socially distant beer and helping me with the ID. After a couple of days where "he" (I am not sure of the sexes here, as the males and females look the same) just stopped for a quick seed, the Chickadee is now a frequent visitor. Good to have a new visitor. Look for another new visitor in tomorrow's post. 

Morning Doves

 

Good morning Morning Doves. Look who found the feeder. They certainty like getting up there. I kinda think of them as the cows of the bird world. They are huge compared to the sparrows and finches of the world. The place gets crowded when they visit.

Green Above

Took this shot while hiking last month to show a cool perspective of the sky above. I am in a narrow slot-type canyon at Turkey Run State Park in central Indiana. Very cool area, sort of like Starved Rock or Matthiessen State Park in Illinois but much bigger. A tiny bit of the canyons of the west but with a lot more trees. You hike in part through a small stream so be prepared to either get a little bit wet or where appropriate hiking shoes. Definitely, worth the trip down there for a hike.  Turkey Run State Park is about an hour south of Lafayette, Indiana. So it would be a long day, but it is a trip you can do all in one day from Chicago. We ended up hiking about 5 miles on one of their more challenging hikes. Quite fun. 

Turkey Run State Park, Indiana

Got to visit and hike in the wonderful Turkey Run State Park in central Indiana last month. You know it is going to be a cool hike when you hit this area in the first section of the hike. A different world from just a half mile down from the trailhead. Very cool area. 

American Goldfinches

It took a few weeks but the American Goldfinches also started to visit the finch feeder. This is a female on the higher ledge and the much more brighter male below.