BrandonBlount

Joshua, repairing any damage on any bird is difficult, raptors add quite a bit more to the situation as they are armed with formidable weapons. Growing up on a farm with a flock of over 200 chickens gives one lots of practice with birds of various sizes. Many things can happen to birds some of which are not easily repaired without some knowledge of the anatomy and direct experience. While chickens are not an equal to a hawk, they are similar in size, and some can be quite fierce to deal with. (fully grown Rhodes Island Red Roosters are a perfect example).

RingNeck Pheasant Tail Feather. :-)

Thank you Karen! I bet as the ponds fill up and stabilize you will be seeing lots more of them around.

Beautiful Macros Karen! Congrats on getting so close and nailing the focus! Spot on! :-D

Steer clear of this plant. It is quite a danger, the sap from it can cause photo-dermatitis. Skin contact followed by exposure to sunlight produces painful, burning blisters that may develop into purplish or blackened scars. In some more severe cases it can cause severe reactions requiring hospitalizations and removal of damaged tissues.

Thank you Jeanette! I love listening to these little guys and gals. They often start calling in mid-day if there is a storm coming, or even light rain, also just before dark they start a chorus through out the back yard.

Thanks Cindy. I try to keep everything very organic around here. in the vegetable garden I plant many many many variety of insecticide type plants, including marigolds, citronella, and yarrow. While the pollinators have no issues with these plants, most of the other insects do, and those that end up making it through the natural plant barriers soon fall victim to the mantis and lady beetles that get transplanted to the gardens. ;-)

:-) Thank you Cindy. Starlings and other birds have a tendency to line their nests with the leaves of the yarrow plants. (while it acts as a natural insecticide it's not recommended that humans use it for this purpose as it can in some cases cause photo-sensitivity leading to rash and blisters). It works great when mixed in flower beds though to keep out pesky insects that may eat your flowers and plants.

Looks like a Mud Dauber Nest. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_dauber

They almost look like Parrot fish. Parrot fish eat the algae and top bits of the coral. They excrete fine grained sand after digesting the coral. :-)