Sunday Samplings....

Just a couple hours after I posted my last blog we had our first visitor to the hummingbird feeder...

This male Ruby-throat Hummingbird checked out both feeders.

He stops by a few times every day now.... after he has a mate and they build their nest we'll see them more often.  

I bought a hanging basket of bright red petunias to attract the hummers...

They love the color red and will fly close to check you out if you're wearing a red shirt or hat.

I thought the Yellow-throated Warbler was maybe a one-time visitor, but he's been coming by every day around 4 or 5 pm.  He likes the suet cake...  just grabs a few bites and flies off.

We seldom get Bluejays at these feeders, but this guy stopped by recently.  I know they are noisy and scare off other birds, but I love them.  Apparently he wasn't aggressive enough to scare off that nasty Cowbird that is on the left.  Cowbirds have a melodious call, but their habit of laying their eggs in another birds nest is definitely an undesirable habit.

We get several woodpecker species at the feeder, but the Red-bellied is my favorite.

There are Pileated Woodpeckers around but I haven't seen any so far.

Our bird feeders (which are just outside our motorhome) here on the farm are in a very good place for attracting a variety of birds...

I took these photos from inside the rig...  looking out the back and driver's side windows. 

Bill started planting trees here 40 years ago...  nearly every mature tree you see is one of his trees.  There were no spruce or pine at all when he moved here, so it's a pleasure to look out and see a 50' high pine tree looking healthy and being a shelter for birds.

This morning when I looked out...

These 4 deer were just over the hill....  seeing if there was any feed around.

At the lower center is a box holding a mineral block, but I also put out sweet-mix horse feed.  I think these were 2 does and 2 yearlings.  Mom will soon birth this years fawns, so we won't be seeing many does during May.

Yesterday was cold and overcast, but of course Saturday morning means Farmer's Market...

I'm standing about in the middle of the market....

there are vendors lined up along both sides of this row...

Looking in the other direction...

We bought a loaf of artichoke/leek bread, a container of ramp pesto, 2 bottles of salsa, 1 rabbit (dressed... ready to cook), some asparagus, and FRESH STRAWBERRIES!!!  I'd show you a picture of those juicy, red, sweet strawberries, but we ate them already.  We're located about 30 miles from the Ohio River and farms along there always have corn, tomatoes and fruit weeks before anything is ripe here.  The vendors at this market come from miles around to sell here.  In the summer there is even an Amish vendor who comes in his horse and buggy.

The market is always great, but this week there was a special treat...

I didn't see where this group was from (possibly part of the OU School of Music), but they played classical selections throughout the morning.  There are often "street" musicians playing guitars or the such, but to have an entire ensemble for the entertainment was awesome.

We're heading over to the Muskingham River after lunch today.  There is a CITO geocache event.  That means "Cache In, Trash Out".  It's a get-together of geocachers who pick up trash and clean up a designated area.  This group will be cleaning up a cemetery and having a social time as well.  We probably won't know a soul there, but I'm sure it won't take long to make some new friends.

That's All For Today!