 Bluebird-A favorite nesting box bird in our yard.
 Tree Swallow(TRES)-Another favorite for nesting boxes.
 House Sparrow, aka English SparrowYou will find a slew of info and photos to identify the HOSP's and information on them. A very useful site dedicated to bluebirds but also contains pertinent other information!
Sialis-
HOSP Identity- Myths-
HOSP are non native to the US. They are by far the most seen-in your city parks, urban areas. They are ones you hear and see the most around these areas. They are also a destructive bird to native cavity nesting birds! They are rather smart intelligent and very dominating. If they want that nesting box nothing stops them. They will peck, toss, eggs and have attacked bluebirds and tree swallows while they are sitting on nests. More info with pics - House Sparrow Attacks. I can't help but feel much distaste for them.
About 6 years ago I began noticing beautiful 'blue' birds entering a nesting box which I had for decoration. I started researching and found them to be Eastern Bluebirds and their numbers were on the decline, in part to non natives taking over nesting boxes or cavity nests by the HOSP.
The TRES also have a problem using nesting boxes in our yard. After discovering the bluebirds and that website above, I then realized we had been feeding and welcoming the HOSP to our bird feeders. Next-research on how to get the sparrows under control. The first year we captured a couple hundred over the season. That's the adults and juveniles born for that season. To date have caught about 400-500 over 4 years. No you can't be 100% sparrow free but at least it's under better control. WE still have problems with them taking over the nesting boxes but we are at least having success with Bluebirds and Tree Swallows having a brood. The BlueBirds have two or three broods a year when left alone.The Tree Swallows have a brood a year on a occasion they have been known to have more than one in a year.
Both have been ousted from nesting boxes at least once or twice during the season.
These are the traps I use-
One is for the nesting boxes-Vanert Universal TrapThe other is a Deluxe Repeating Sparrow TrapYour traps must be closely monitored at all times. You don't want to trap native birds!
Updated LINKS page and added a Lenzus comment section-for testing-linked to here on Weebly, to see if it will work or if others are interested in even leaving any comments or remarks on those buildings or area. Lenzus doesn't have a comment section unless you are a member. Lenzus is where I have stored the photo shoots of the East Liverpool buildings and surrounding areas dedicated to the buildings we have photograph. The pure exhilariton of being in there to see, to walk where others have done so, long before our time is a connection of wonderment, like a child exploring a new place with eyes wide open and anticipation. They hold a certain imaginary mystery! I do best to keep updated-but there are still more pics and buildings to upload.
Well it is spring in NE OH, per se calendar date-by no means does it feel anything like spring! It can not warm up fast enough. Feels like winter wants to hold on little more and more, as if to say I don't want to let go! Silly I know-it is just winter....So, so ready for warm up so can get out for outside activities like, gardening, driving & photography.
Just a small gallery of 'over winter pics'. I react to winter like a cat does to water!
Some enjoyable July weather moments. What ever the mood or type of weather it is, each one has their mood setter. Heavenly, romantic, cool-fun in the sun, exhilerating! I enjoy weather moments!
To top off the dark & moody storm moving in on Stratton & the dams, The American Queen was also making her trip up river to Pittsburgh Pa. We followed it from WV's Crestview Park, an overlook that looks over the scene of locks, dams & Stratton OH all the way to East End of East Liverpool.
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Here in NE OH, winter has been tolerable! Am very much glad about that. We've had anywhere from 2 inches and more at any given point followed by warmth - up to 50 + degrees, which melts it away. At the same time I think snow gets a bad rap, if the temps didn't get so cold, snow would be a bit enjoyable.
The first recollection of snow was when we lived in Bandon OR ( i was 2nd grade). We were with my dad on way our way home. The snow was heavy, white and beautiful. Dad stopped several times so that we kids, may peer up into it-it was dizzying & delightful. Its unusual, for the Oregon Coast climate it's normally rainy, cloudy & windy. The next morning there was 4-6 inches in the area. had lots of fun making a snow man and throwing snow balls at each other, so did my dad-he was from the Western PA and this is what he grew up with, I'm sure- he was recollecting what his life was like before he made the west his home. Love ya Dad, I still can see you in the driver seat of the car that night. It's something that has stayed in my mind, especially when the snow is heavy, white, wet and dizzying!
Be always at War with your vices,
at peace with your neighbors,
and let each New Year find you
a better person. Benjamin FranklinMay all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions. ~Joey Adams
A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. ~Author Unknown
"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.
A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."
~Bill Vaughan~ May your 365 days a year be blessed in all things-in all ways with abundance of love, joy, peace, forgiveness, By gones-be-By Gone....Thank you very much for stopping by-God Bless-Happy New Year Cheers, Everyone!A few fave pics from the last month or two & added a Road slide show
All I could think of was East Liverpool in the fog when I woke up. How grand that would be to photograph the buildings through the fog imagining they would be popping out of the midst of it. When arrived at the destination of Chester WV-situated across the Ohio River from East Liverpool-I was hoping to find a decent view. Drove around the streets on the hill looking through and over houses, roof tops, poles and wires. Well, didn't think I was going to find any of all the city. But, okay-I will just work with I could find. There were a few unobstructed partial views-thats okay-Happy with that! Oh wait when I get home, the buildings weren't popping & standing out like I visioned, The fog was thick and could barely tell they were there. So experimented with other options to make it pleasurable. Hope the revisions were suitable! Thank you for looking!
I planned for a couple days to go to Chester WV to find a location to take a photo of East Liverpool, OH. Drove a few back streets to find a suitable one. Actually there was a few spots but the view was foggy. From one of those streets followed a road around a valley and came out in Newell WV. What a nice drive, I enjoyed the tree lined, creek, curvy roads. Sort of an amusement park feel but with better scenery! Took another side road & found a few abandoned buildings on top-with surrounding fields, What a lovely lovely setting! Have no idea why places like these look they were just up n left when its such an ideal place to live. For whatever the reason it made for photo opportunities, quite the excitement for me, to find it. I was tantalyzed & mesmerized by the scene and having become interested in history of general area, it left much to my imagination. With recently downloading Topaz Labs' trial B&W Effects-I thought I'd try a few filter effects which seemed befitting for the scene.
The transitional difference of September. The beginning signifies the end of summer and the end signifies beginning of fall. A subtle & beautfiul transition. You see more fog as result of heat cooling and clashing with the warmth of the earth. Warms nicely in the day, cool-sometimes cold by morning! Even though fall is a beautifiul season, I can't help but think of after all the vibrant color, winter comes way too soon! Hope you enjoy the beginning & end of September.
Well, I sat down yesterday for 1-1 1/2 hrs writing, checking, editing, a new blog about the day of using this fun lens. I attempted to do a poll and before I knew it, I mistakenly deleted it - recapturing those words, the mood~gone! Felt it was one the best done so far, :(. Now that I got that off my chest, It's okay- C/P into an editor! Lesson learned! Here's my smiley face- :) . Now onto the sharing! I took a day of shooting the Holga 60mm with the wide angle. My goal was to practice & learn-I did! After lugging tripod and thinking 'wish I didn't have to carry this everywhere', words I read from this blog were going around in my mind "I set iso 1600-3200 to help with camera shake" Ohhhhh-I'm trying it! Yes! it works, woohoo! So spent first half of time shooting with tripod & the 2nd half hand held, experimented with different iso settings according to the available light and in camera sharpness(adjustable within camera). I'm sooooo enjoying this! Shot colored & in-camera monochrome (b&w's). I put BW's here & will get back to colors in a bit. Everyone, have a great & blessed day!
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