Anne's Creative Cornucopia: May 2014

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Friday, May 16, 2014

Female Northern Cardinal - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a female Northern Cardinal in my yard this past week.

She was with this male, and they are a different pair than the "bald headed" pair.

I managed to get a nice shot of her as she was taking flight off of the bird feeder.

Male Northern Cardinal - Photograph

(Click on image to enlarge)

I took this photograph of a male Northern Cardinal in my yard this past week.

He was with this female, and they are a different pair than the "bald headed" pair.

American Goldfinch - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a male and female American Goldfinch pair at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, CT this past week.

I was leaving the park, having given up on getting any good bird photos, when this yellow blur landed nearby, in the Dandelions. I didn't know what type of bird it was, and none of the ground shots showed him, because he was masked by the flowers. As luck would have it, someone walking along caused him to fly into a nearby pine tree, where he was joined by his mate.

Woodpecker - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a Woodpecker in my yard this past week.

American Robin - Photograph

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I took this photograph of an American Robin in my yard this past week.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Bald Female Northern Cardinal - Photograph

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I took these photographs of a "bald" female Northern Cardinal in my yard this past week.

She looked like some kind of weird vulture bird, but she was with a mate, so I knew she had to be a Cardinal.

I did an Internet search, and found that bald Cardinals do happen, but the experts aren't sure why. This site said bald headed birds are usually seen in the Summer and Fall, when they're molting, but it is Spring here for me in the Northern hemisphere. (And I'm in the North East US, where it has been an unseasonably cold Spring.)

But they also said this: "Other cases of baldness may result from feather mites or lice, or some environmental or nutritional factor. But no one knows for sure, and the condition has not been well studied. Fortunately, new head feathers grow in within a few weeks."

Note: The hole in her head, below her eye, is her ear. (I read that on another site, when I was researching this.)

If anyone knows more about this phenomena, or has seen this too, please leave a comment.

My first photo is my entry for the following, in the hopes that people who know more about this will see it and leave comments:

Wild Bird Wednesday
Camera Critters #318
I'd Rather Be Birding

Male Northern Cardinal - Photograph

(Click on image to enlarge)

I took this photograph of a male Northern Cardinal in my yard this past week.

This bird was with a bald female Northern Cardinal.

Mail – Moo (1.1" x 2.8")

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This week’s Moo Mania challenge was "Mail."

I created an envelope first, then used some of the images from it on this Moo.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

"Postal Mail" – Postcard Envelope 6.5 x 4.5

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This week’s Artful Times challenge #55 was "Mail Art."

This week’s Moo Mania challenge was "Mail."

I created a 6.5" wide by 4.5" high postcard envelope template that would be large enough to mail postcards in, using GIMP 2.8.10. Then I used the template to create this mail art envelope, printed it, cut it out, and glue sticked the edges.

My printer is low on ink, so the color didn't print uniformly on this. Then when I folded it, I was off a little, so the image didn't line up. Lastly, I got some of the glue on the front of the envelope, tried to wipe it off with a wet Kleenex, and ended up smearing/staining the ink.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

"The Hunters" - Photograph

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I took this photograph of three Great Egrets at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

They rarely got within close proximity of each other, so I was fortunate to get a shot of them when they did.

The first photo is my entry for the following:

Wild Bird Wednesday

House Reflection in Low Tide Water - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a house reflected in the low tide water at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

Red Flower Blossoms - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a blossoming tree at the Audubon Center in Fairfield, CT this past week.

White Flower Blossoms - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a blossoming tree at the Audubon Center in Fairfield, CT this past week.

Bird in Tree - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a bird at the Audubon Center in Fairfield, CT this past week.

I'm not sure what type of bird this is.

Bleeding Hearts - Photograph

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I took these photographs of the Old Fashioned Bleeding Hearts in my yard this past week.

The plant growing on the left side of my Saint Francis statue is much smaller than usual this year. I think it was damaged this Winter. My Dogwood Tree also sustained damage, and most of the flowers are malformed. I am hoping those plants are back to normal next year.

Rustic Front Door - Photograph

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I took these photographs of a brown house in Easton, CT this past week.

The beautiful rustic front door always catches my eye whenever I pass this house, so this time I stopped to take photos of it.

Lesser Yellowlegs - Photograph

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I took this photograph of a Lesser Yellowlegs at the reservoir in Easton, CT this past week.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Small Waterfall - Photograph

I recently took this photograph of the water behind my house, to show how it looks normally. Compare that to how it looked after heavy rainfall.

Forest Scenes - Photograph

I took these photographs in the Pequonnock River Valley Park in Trumbull, CT this past week.

Spring is about 1 to 2 weeks late this year, as far as the trees being in full leaf goes.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Time - Tag

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I created the background for this tag using Tim Holtz's Paint Marbling Technique, which he described here. I also used a lodge lattice.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The words are from the book The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Paint Marbling Technique - Tag

(Click on image to enlarge)

I created the background for this tag using Tim Holtz's Paint Marbling Technique, which he described here. I also added a few scratch marks to it.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

"Circus Girl" – Postcard

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This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was "Life is a Circus."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.10.

The vintage images are from a DuckDuckGo search.

The words are from the song "The Impossible Dream."

The fonts are Lindsey and Pescadero.

Greater Yellowlegs - Photograph

(Click on image to enlarge)

This is 1 of 3 posts of photographs I took of a Greater Yellowlegs at the reservoir in Easton, CT this past week.

This is the first time I've photographed one of these types of birds, and the accompanying Lesser Yellowlegs that was with this one. I almost didn't see them, because they blended in with the background. Fortunately they weren't skittish, unlike some birds, so they didn't fly off due to my proximity to them, and I was able to get many photos of them.

The first photo is my entry for:

Weekend Reflections

"Head Dive" - Photograph

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This is 2 of 3 posts of photographs I took of a Greater Yellowlegs at the reservoir in Easton, CT this past week.

It was amazing how fast this bird dove its head, as you can see by the motion blur in these.

"Water Rings" - Photograph

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This is 3 of 3 posts of photographs I took of a Greater Yellowlegs at the reservoir in Easton, CT this past week.

I especially liked how the water rings looked in the first photo.

Lesser Yellowlegs - Photograph

(Click on image to enlarge)

I took this photograph of a Lesser Yellowlegs at the reservoir in Easton, CT this past week.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Black-crowned Night-Heron - Photograph

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This is 1 of 2 posts of photographs I took of a Black-crowned Night-Heron at Perry's Mill Pond in Fairfield, CT this past week.

There were actually two or three of these birds here. I had only seen one, and was creeping closer to try to get photographs, when two others flew off. This one went into a nearby tree, then remained "frozen" in place. I think he thought if he didn't move, he would be invisible to me. I didn't get too close, because these birds are very skittish, and tend to fly off.

The second photo is my entry for:

Wild Bird Wednesday

Black-crowned Night-Heron - Photograph

(Click on image to enlarge)

This is 2 of 2 posts of photographs I took of a Black-crowned Night-Heron at Perry's Mill Pond in Fairfield, CT this past week.

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Friday, May 16, 2014

Female Northern Cardinal - Photograph

Male Northern Cardinal - Photograph

American Goldfinch - Photograph

Woodpecker - Photograph

American Robin - Photograph

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Bald Female Northern Cardinal - Photograph

Male Northern Cardinal - Photograph

Mail – Moo (1.1" x 2.8")

"Postal Mail" – Postcard Envelope 6.5 x 4.5

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

"The Hunters" - Photograph

House Reflection in Low Tide Water - Photograph

Red Flower Blossoms - Photograph

White Flower Blossoms - Photograph

Bird in Tree - Photograph

Bleeding Hearts - Photograph

Rustic Front Door - Photograph

Lesser Yellowlegs - Photograph

Monday, May 12, 2014

Small Waterfall - Photograph

Forest Scenes - Photograph

Friday, May 9, 2014

Time - Tag

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Paint Marbling Technique - Tag

"Circus Girl" – Postcard

Greater Yellowlegs - Photograph

"Head Dive" - Photograph

"Water Rings" - Photograph

Lesser Yellowlegs - Photograph

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Black-crowned Night-Heron - Photograph

Black-crowned Night-Heron - Photograph