Taking in Life Around Me....Feed the Birds

This #sundaystills challenge is hosted by Terri from Second Wind Leisure. It's a great themed photography challenge that you'll enjoy. I love seeing the other participants interpretation of the theme each week...it causes me to think outside the box. I joined in hopes of it pushing me to get out and take more photos...I have to some degree, but I also like that Terri is okay with us finding photos in our archives, which is also a lot of fun. So check out my photos and then head over to Terri's page to participate or visit other's posts. There are some awesome contributors who always inspire me.

This weeks theme for #sundaystills is feed the birds. I was hoping to get to our local wildlife refuge or just out and about but I've been under the weather and haven't wanted to do much. I was also going to buy some bird food to coax some birds in our yard but kept forgetting. I did fill the hummingbird feeders but so far I haven't seen any. So, I went back to see what pictures I've posted in the past and then found some that I haven't shared. 

I am anxiously anticipating the return of the eagles along the Lewis River so I can go get some photos with my new lens. It should be anytime in the next few weeks. Now that my daughter lives across from the river, she can alert me when she sees them...it will be obvious. 

In Hawaii this guy was wandering around looking for someone to give him a treat. 

According to google: Oahu has many feral chickens because they are descendants of Polynesian voyagers' junglefowl, mixed with domestic chickens that escaped during plantation closures and major hurricanes (like Iwa and Iniki), thriving due to Hawaii's warm climate and lack of natural predators (like snakes). They interbreed, adapt quickly, and find food easily, leading to rapid population growth, making them a common, sometimes problematic, sight across the islands, prompting local efforts to control their numbers.

When we went to the wildlife refuge a few weeks back, there were plenty of ducks in the water hunting for some food beneath the surface. The kids got a laugh at their little bottoms in the air.

In the fall and winter months, the red winged blackbird eats mostly seeds and grains. 

When we were in the Tampa area and visited Ybor City there were chickens wandering the sidewalks. After doing a little more googling, it seems as though for the most part they are "cherished" as part of the immigrant history, though of course there are complaints. 

According to google search: Chickens roam freely in Ybor City as a living legacy of the19th-century Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants who brought them for food, eggs, and entertainment. These original, domesticated birds were left to roam during economic downturns, adapting and breeding in the area. Today, they are protected as a tourist attraction and a historic symbol of the neighborhood. 

I got a chuckle at this sign outside a coffee shop. 

This pair of eagles regularly sits along the banks of the Columbia River on what, we call "The Bottoms" of Woodland. I'm sure they're always on the lookout for their next meal. My daughter and family just got a new pup and I told her they better keep an eye on him while he's little...he'll look like good eats to an eagle. I captured these one day when I took my camera out before work. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin