Friday, April 19, 2024

Robbery

Robbery in Progress

So tempting!

[Click on images for larger view]

Yummm!

My neighbors recently hung a bird feeder in one of their trees. The tree is located close to a wall which provides reasonably good access for critters other than birds. I happened to spot this squirrel at work one afternoon when I did not have my camera with me. I hurried inside to get my camera and was actually surprised she/he was still at work when I captured the shots above. Isn't this an interesting and amusing aspect of nature? I checked back a couple hours later and about 1/2 of the seeds, you can see in the pictures, were gone. 😊 I do have to admit, perhaps "looting" may be a more accurate title.

Linking up with Saturday's Critters. Eileen has some amazing photos on her post this week. 

Skywatch Friday - A few recent skies

I posted this photo in my March 5th post to express
my delight in learning that the rosy light on the
mountains, I was observing, is called alpenglow.
One of my blogging friends, Soma, commented:
"That's your view?!! Breathtakingly beautiful."
Thank you, Soma, for the kind words.
Yes, it's my view ... but, of course, I was zoomed in quite a bit.
The next photo is a zoomed out look.
My view is looking west over Puget Sound to
Bainbridge Island, and in the distance,
the Olympic Mountains.

Just after sunset on March 14, 2024.

Looking more to the southwest, in the far distance, the 
southern end of the Olympic Mountain Range. On
this day, April 5th, clear skies existed in the far 
distance and in an unusual way highlighted the rain
falling from closer storm clouds.
The little yellow star, on the left, is above something that
appears to be a submarine. Actually, it is just an outcropping
of rocks, known as Blakely Rock 

This is one of those scenes where, when you see it, you've
got to quickly find the camera. You can capture some of
the beauty here with a smartphone camera, but really, an optical
zoom is the way to go.  April 9th.

Tulip Festival

Yes, the Tulip Festival is going on in the Skagit Valley
about an hour or so north of Seattle. It's definitely worth
a drive up to see it in person ... check out the photos 
in the link. My photo above is like a tiny bouquet
of tulips near the entrance to my driveway. It's fun
to keep an eye on these little plants as they open up 
in spring.

One of my long-time blogging friends, DJan, posted
this image on her blog, Eye on the Edge, on
April 23, 2017. She lives not too far from the
Tulip Festival and attends almost every year.
Yes, she did give me permission to post her photo,
and thank you DJan!  😊
She posted about her visit to the Festival
this year with more excellent images.

Cottonwood Tree Update

Last year I planted cottonwood tree seeds.
See my post last year for the details.
Over the winter, the tree lost all leaves, and
at times, appeared dead. The next image
shows how it looks this year, with new
leaves and in good condition.

Here is my Cottonwood Tree about one year
after I planted the seed.
I know this sounds funny, but I, for one,
am AMAZED.  😊

Randoms - Just a few random shots ...

Fully loaded freighter heading out to the Pacific Ocean.
Evergreen Marine Corp. has a slogan
Nature Above All

A different EVERGREEN ship on a clear day,
headed northbound to the Pacific. In the distance,
the Olympic Mountains.

     Looking up ...

I'm keeping an eye on this nest in a tree along
my waterfront walk. So far, no birds have returned
this year. I am curious about birds returning to 
nests over and over. I know Eagles do.


I just had to get the deep blue sky
above my neighbor's Apple tree,
which is currently loaded with
red/pink blooms.

Closing thought ...

"Every flower of every tomorrow are in the seeds of today."
       Virgil   (Ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period.)

Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

23 comments:

  1. I finally had to take down my bird feeders because the squirrels were getting most of the food, and they were a real nuisance. Fun to watch, though. Love your pictures, as always. I had a wonderful time at the Tulip Festival this year, but I sure do like that picture from 2017.

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  2. Those squirrels are fun to watch and they are clever.
    Love all the tulips.

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  3. Always lots of variety from your randoms. I like the sky photos at the beginning of your post. And yes I did read the rest of the blog!

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  4. i thoroughly enjoyed the robbery images ,glad you returned John and took some very nice shots to cheer us up :)
    it is part of survival when happen in other species but humans are given conscience to keep check the concept of "right and wrong"
    many thanks for enchanting sky sunset shots ,the glow on the mountain peak is certainly CAPTIVATIONG !
    the other shot of sunset without zoom is powerful enough to hold eyes for long !
    the ship watch is interesting hobby i can imagine :)
    more blessings to you and family!

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  5. Squirrels are very adept thieves! I seem to have been engaged in a battle of wits with them for almost as long as I can remember. And they are still ahead! They are enterprising little creatures. At least 20% of the bird seed I but is consumed by them.

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  6. Your post shows such a cheerful spring in full swing! Your cotton tree looks great, I wonder at some point will you plant it in the ground!

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  7. Squirrels are like Houdini. They love a challenge but can always find a way to do the impossible.

    The photo of Apr 9th is exceptional. Natural phenomena are some of the best!

    We are a month away from tulip season here. We plan a trip to the tulip fields this year.

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  8. You do have a fabulous view and live in a beautiful place. We have some of those pesky robbers too! Enjoy your weekend my friend!

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  9. Such interesting little tidbits of life where you are. I do love the squirrel. From one who has theiving squirrels all the time, one just accepts them as clever little beings. Looks like your cottonwood tree is ready for a larger pot. You must be very proud it looks so happy. Do you have plans as to where it's final home will be? I enjoyed catching up on the goings on around you. It's wonderful how exuberant you are about life. It would be a welcomed experience walking and talking with you.

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  10. Hello John :=)
    How would you like five squirrels at your feeder, if you have one! I had five only yesterday on my balcony . I had even put out food for two of them, and don't mind, but five is too many. They are cheeky, and tell me off for appearing on my balcony. but they have aesthetic appeal and I love to watch them, they also cost me a small fortune in seeds.
    All your sky views are very beautiful, and the first one is, breathtaking
    How lovely to have some Tulips at the entrance of your driveway, and
    I think congratulations are in order for the successful outcome of seed to Cotton Tree plant, which does look well. You must be pleased
    that germination took place, I know I would be.
    Take care John
    All the best
    Sonjia.

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  11. Haha, this is fantastic! The little bandit has definitely figured out a way to game the system. Love the sky shots!

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  12. Squirrels are so acrobatic and they make me smile :)
    I enjoyed seeing all of your photographs here today, what a great collection.

    Wishing you a happy weekend and sending my good wishes.

    All the best Jan

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  13. The feeder photos gave me my much-need-Sunday-morning chuckle.
    We have a Droll Yankee Flipper feeder, in which the battery is dead and the squirrels have figured it out and they are going to town :):) Oh well - I figured let'em be happy.
    Thanks for sharing with all of us. Be well!

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  14. I wondered what we were going to see with your title. We don't have squirrels in NZ so found them interesting. As always I enjoyed your post. :) Thanks for sharing.

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  15. I think looting is certainly the right word. Certainly made me chuckle! Beautiful skywatch photos! Zoomed in or not, that is an incredible view. I do hope you have a desk by that window, so you can enjoy the view while writing in your journals. The tulip bouquet in your garden is lovely. Plants are hardy beings! I am so glad your cottonwood tree is doing well. It looks beautiful. Have a great week!

    -Soma

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  16. ...squirrels have overtaken my bird feeder. I guess that they are now squirrel feeders. Why would you want to grow cottonwood trees? I'm not fond of "snow" in May!

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  17. I agree, you really do have gorgeous views. LOL at the robbery in progress. Thanks for the fun post!

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  18. ¿Está buscando un préstamo? ¿Préstamos personales o comerciales?
    Me sentí tan devastado cuando mi negocio estaba cayendo debido a la situación financiera hasta que encontré al Sr. Pedro y el sitio web de su compañía de préstamos en funcionamiento, luego los contacté por correo electrónico: cf-loans@outlook.com  y Telegram / whatsapp +393510140339 y luego me dieron un términos y condiciones sobre cómo funcionan los préstamos, estaba contento porque estaban dispuestos a financiar mi negocio con la cantidad de 86.000,00 libras con un reembolso del préstamo del 2% de rendimiento anual para expandir mi negocio. Todo el proceso fue muy transparente y rápido. Gracias.
    Este mensaje es para que usted lo ayude a superarlo.

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  19. Oh how I love your weekly diaries!! It is no wonder that your blogging friends from far away are amazed at your mountain views -- I am always amazed at your photographs and I've seen those same beautiful mountains and that beautiful water and sky when we've visited the Seattle/Tacoma area. It's so wonderful you can walk every day along that path and catch those wonders at their very best... The cheeky little seed burglar made me laugh, but I'm not the one paying for the bird seed. I'm betting the neighbors catch on and move the feeder away from the wall, which will work for a little while, until the squirrel figures out a new way to get at the goodies.

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  20. Your skywatch photos are stunning.
    And your view of the Olympic Mountains is breathtaking.
    I'm glad to see your cottonwood tree thriving, and those tulips near your driveway are a lovely touch of spring.

    Thanks for sharing these glimpses of your world, John!

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  21. Hello John
    Sorry I am late visiting and commenting. Hubby and I spent 10 days traveling around Arizona. Cute photos of the squirrel, it appreciate the food from your neighbors. You do have beautiful views of the mountains, sky and the ships. The tulips look beautiful. Great collection of photos. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day and have a great week ahead.
    PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  22. I've never seen a cuter thief. I want to keep putting something out just for it to keep coming back. As always, lovely photos, John. Hope you're doing well.

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  23. ...John, I have several robber squirrels that come to our feeder too. Keep looking up at the beauty of the sky. Tulip time has come to an end for this year for us. Your fascination with Cottonwoods amazes me.

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