The Sad Loss of Hennie Roe

Sadly...

Hennie Roe meet the Great Red-tailed Hawk predator. We were prepared with netting covering the night barnyard for owl attacks but never imagined a daytime threat of a hawk. Loud squawking was heard and when Mike went to investigate, the hawk spread its wings and looked at him--clearly this was his meal! Hennie Roe is missed, especially by her sister, Hennie Pennie.

No matter where you prepare your last bed,
No matter where the sword of death falls,
The terrifying messengers of death descend,
Horrid and giant; and glare with thirsty eyes.

Friends and family, weeping, surround you.
Eyeing your wealth and possessions,
They offer prayers and enshroud you.
Unprepared, you pass away;
Helpless and alone.

Poem from From 'Songs of spiritual change' by His Holiness the 7th Dalai Lama (transl. Glenn Mullin)

peanuts anyone?

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta sristata

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Cyanocitta

Characteristics
The blue jay is between 9 and 12 inches long. It is bright blue on top and white to gray on its throat, chest and belly. It has a gray-blue crest on its head and black and white bars on its wings and tail. Its bill, legs and feet are black. It also has a black "necklace" on its lower throat.

Range
The blue jay can be found in southern Canada and in the United States, east of the Rock Mountains. The blue jay is migratory and northern populations will move south in the winter.

Habitat

The blue jay is common in deciduous forests. It is also found in residential areas.

Diet
The blue jay is omnivorous. It eats fruits, acorns, seeds, nuts, insects, mice and frogs. Sometimes a blue jay will raid a nest for eggs and young birds. When a blue jay eats nuts, it holds the nut with its feet and cracks it open with its bill. The blue jays is a seed spreader. It often buries food to eat later. Some seeds and nuts are never recovered and grow into trees and other plants!

Life Cycle
The female blue jay lays four to six eggs in a nest made of sticks and twigs and lined with grass. Nests are made in trees and shrubs. The female incubates the eggs, although sometimes the male will help. The eggs incubate for about 17 days. Both parents bring the chicks food.

Behavior
The blue jay is very aggressive and territorial. Groups of blue jays often attack intruders and predators. They often drive other birds away from bird feeders. The blue jay is also very vocal. It makes a number of different calls including its distinctive "jay- jay." It also growls, whistles and chatters.

Other sites and sounds of interest:
International Migratory Bird Day
Free clipart for students & teachers (very nice line drawings, including a birds & botany catagory)
Official State Birds
International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC)
Nominate an Important Birding Area in New Jersey
All About Birds

Text from: NatureWorks
Map: ©2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Photo: ©2006 Sheila M. Parks

cold

2 frosty ducks on the farm























where is the head; where is the tail?






















morning coffee

Frost

A cold December day in South Jersey!

Willow Grove Lake Nature Conservancy Preserve

Weather and Fishing Forecast for Willow Grove Lake

Willow Grove Lake is located along Willow Grove Road at the border of Pittsgrove Township and Vineland City in Southern New Jersey, Salem County.

In 1994, DuPont donated the 1,000-acre Willow Grove Lake property to The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey.

Here are some pictures from a walk that Mike and I took.

Nature in New Jersey

Mike and I journey through the rural lands of Southern New Jersey!!!