Friday Foto Friends on Saturday

 This week seems to be one of running behind schedule and just not keeping up with everything, and so here I am, a day late and a dollar short...doing Friday Fotos on a Saturday! The Sand Hill Crane Family and the Bluebird "Family" have kept me close to the window with my camera the past couple of days, so I hope you are ready to enjoy some bird watching with me!  I think we will start with the Bluebirds, since I already posted the crane family pictures on Facebook and many of you may have already seen those, (but for those of you not on my Facebook page I will show them here after the bluebirds, who have center stage at the moment!)

I wish I could say that I have some exciting pictures of new babies to share, but not yet! However, I am encouraged that it appears that the Bluebirds are finally bringing food to the nest, so that gives me  hope that there may be some new babies finally inside the birdhouse.  It seems that lately we've had more false starts than success, so I am really hoping this time we will soon be seeing some sweet little faces coming to the window and viewing their new world for the first time.  Meanwhile, Mama and Daddy keep busy searching for just the right juicy bug or grasshopper to satisfy their hungry tummies:

Oh, there's Daddy Bluebird now...bringing something good for supper:

Mama is taking a 'breather' outside in the tree and  playing peek a boo with us while she patiently waits for Daddy to feed the babies inside the house:

With 90 degree temperatures these past few days I am sure that it gets pretty hot inside that birdhouse, and especially if it is filled with growing babies as well!

Daddy said, Ok, I've fed them so I will take off and go find some more food now!

Hey! Wait a minute!  Who is THIS on top of the birdhouse?  Mrs. Mourning Dove is very brave to sit there for even a second. Usually the bluebirds come and drive away any other birds who dare to come anywhere near their territory!  Daddy must've been off hunting and maybe Mama is tucked inside with the babies and doesn't want to come out and risk allowing an intruder come in...not that this big dove could get very far into that hole...and I don't see doves as being that kind of invader, but still...this is a rare moment! By the look on her face, with a raised eyebrow, I think she knows she's in a precarious position, but she's just taking a little break there until she plans her next move. 

Okay, that's more like it...There's Mr. Bluebird back again and all is well in bluebird land...

He's singing his song and telling all the other birds that they'd better stay away from his house!

Oh boy! Doesn't that look delicious?  LOL.  I'm sure to the babies inside it is welcome food... (glad I'm not a bluebird!)

I can imagine they will be happy to see Daddy show up with this tasty treat!

Again, Mama waits outside while Daddy goes in and feeds the babies...

And then, once he's gone, she's right there back again at the nest, checking on her babies to make sure they are all safe and eating their dinner!  After this she went inside and so did I. This is the last photo of the bluebirds for now, but stay tuned for further developments!

Meanwhile, back in the land of the Sand Hill Crane Family, which is actually right next to the Bluebird house... This was the scene early yesterday morning as they came ashore Still Waters Pond for breakfast.  These are the photos I shared on Facebook yesterday, so you have permission to skip over them if you've already seen them...

Young Abe and George are certainly  getting taller every time we see them up close!  

Mama apparently saw some kind of invader into their territory and started doing her hopping and flapping dance to drive whoever it was away...I never did see who was daring to come near...

The pictures are blurry because she was moving so fast...

I know I wouldn't venture forth any further if I saw her standing there like that:

Then she ran down into the pond, and soon the colts followed...

I love these photos of the Mother and her colt together:

We may have a male and female here, so it could be Abe and Georgette...One is definitely larger than the other, and I was told that probably means one is male and the smaller one is female. There really isn't any other way for me to tell. They look so much alike even when adults.

Thankfully after all the excitement, the family is happily enjoying their breakfast down along the shore of the pond.  After that they wandered off to the bigger world beyond for the day, and then back home again in the evening to sleep out on their little island nest in the middle of the pond, where they feel safe snuggled up under their mother's wings.

It's interesting to me to see the analogies given in the Bible as to how God protects His children under the shadow of His wings...beautiful pictures of God's love and protection for us can be seen even in how these birds care for their young...I don't think that's any coincidence, do you? It's just another way God demonstrates His love for us even as we see this in His creation in nature...

Psalm 36:5-9
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
Amen.

Meanwhile, back on the home front, we were hoping to finally be able to go and celebrate my sister Doris' and her hubby Art's birthdays this weekend. Doris is finally feeling better, praise God, and we had plans to go meet them at a restaurant about an hour away from here yesterday.  However, on Thursday my hubby developed a bad migraine and just wasn't feeling up to par, so we had to postpone our plans to get together until maybe next weekend. We shall see how things go. It seems like there's always something as we get older to keep us from doing all the things we'd like to do. But thankfully, he is feeling better today and hopefully next week will be a better week for all of us. Praying it will be so! 

So, my friends, until next time, may you be "abundantly satisfied with the fullness of God's house"...and be safely tucked under the "shadow of (God's) wings".  Amen.