Graffiti Gossip» My Garden http://graffitigossip.com The jewelry blog and photographic travel journal of Sandra Miller Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:20:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 THE VULTURES ARE CIRCLING…LITERALLY! http://graffitigossip.com/2011/10/the-vultures-are-circling-literally/ http://graffitigossip.com/2011/10/the-vultures-are-circling-literally/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:32:17 +0000 Sandra Miller http://graffitigossip.com/?p=5330 BOTSWANA VULTURES 3213Can you imaging my surprise yesterday when Steve calls me on the cell phone as I'm sitting at my computer and says "GET OUT HERE!"   ….I sez  "GET OUT WHERE?"…..he sez  "THE DRIVEWAY" I run outside and ask whats up and he points to the sky and says "BIRDS"…  OMG there were at least 50 [...]]]>

Can you imaging my surprise yesterday when Steve calls me on the cell phone as I'm sitting at my computer and says "GET OUT HERE!"   ….I sez  "GET OUT WHERE?"…..he sez  "THE DRIVEWAY"

I run outside and ask whats up and he points to the sky and says "BIRDS"…  OMG there were at least 50 turkey vultures soaring ever so gracefully over our Douglas Fir trees (Cayennes old nesting ground).

I ran into the house and grabbed my camera. For the next 45 minutes I stood in the driveway until dark, taking photos of these magestic creatures.  I actually had no idea  what kind of bird I was taking photos of until I got them loaded in the computer

But one thing I knew…these modern day pterodactyls were enormous!!

At Twenty-five to 32 inches long, with a wingspan around 6 feet a healthy adult turkey vultures weighs in at approximately 5 to 6 pounds.  The word BREATHTAKING is the only way I can describe the scene because I had to literally catch my breath a number of times as I gazed at the spectacle above me.

Once I got my photos up I then had to decipher what they were.  They are so very close to a  Golden Eagle in silhouette, and I had no color in these images from the time of day they were shot, so the  white banding on the vultures was absent in my photos.  A quick inquiry on one of my Birding ID groups on Flickr gave me the answer. 

The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

 

LEARN MUCH MORE ABOUT TURKEY VULTURES AT THIS WEBSITE…CLICK HERE

 

ABOVE:  This is not my photo but a good way to see the coloring on this magestic bird

There were so many birds I couldn't get them all in one shot.  The currents must have been perfection as the vultures caught the draft and climbed higher and higher….never once drifting away from the invisible perimiter of our fir tree clump.  The silence in the air was deafening…almost surreal.   I expected to hear screeches or some sort of sound (not yet knowing these were vultures) . Once identified I read that vultures don't have voiceboxes!! They can only hiss.

 

As the sun started to drop in the sky, the vultures settled in on our trees for the night.  I could hardly sleep and set my alarm to catch them as they woke up with my 400 telephoto lens….but alas the fog was as thick as pea soup!!!  I'm not disappointed though.  I am thrilled after 12 years of living in the city of Portland that such a sight could be witnessed from my own yard.  From my research it sounds like this group may be gathering to migrate south, as they were not hovering for prey.

Speaking of Vultures…I dug into my archives to show you these from our Botswana Africa trip. They made my garden variety vultures look dwarf in comparison!!

The garbage disposals of the savannah!

Researching I found out that a defining trait to vultures are the "finger" that form from the feather tips as they fly

A happy group in Botswana , looking out for the latest kill.






]]> http://graffitigossip.com/2011/10/the-vultures-are-circling-literally/feed/ 2 OUR HOUSE…in the middle of our street. A NEW VIDEO of the house transformation http://graffitigossip.com/2011/07/our-house-in-the-middle-of-our-street-a-new-video-of-the-house-transformation/ http://graffitigossip.com/2011/07/our-house-in-the-middle-of-our-street-a-new-video-of-the-house-transformation/#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:14:36 +0000 Sandra Miller http://graffitigossip.com/?p=4906 Some "AFTER" shots of the house painting  You all knew it was coming!!!! I’ve been diligently taking photos of every phase of the house facelift to ultimately do a timeline video, and I just got it completed today!!  You will see a number of brand new shots taken yesterday towards the end of the video that show the BEFORE and AFTER [...]]]>

 


You all knew it was coming!!!! I’ve been diligently taking photos of every phase of the house facelift to ultimately do a timeline video, and I just got it completed today!!  You will see a number of brand new shots taken yesterday towards the end of the video that show the BEFORE and AFTER versions taken with my wide angle lens (causes a bit of distortion but really shows the overall house pretty well)

I hope you all enjoyed watching the house morph right along with us… (or at the very least were mesmerized by the orangeness of it all !!! LOL!)  I usually take the summers off from my jewelry biz to catch up on the house and yard , and you know how I love to blog, so this was the perfect chance to share a little of my outdoor “art” as well!!

CLICK ARROW ON VIDEO BELOW TO START THE SHOW!

Thank you one and all for your comments and feedback here at GRAFFITI GOSSIP and FACEBOOK.  Now comes the fun of finishing the garden, and you can be sure I will be updating on each step of that project too!!

]]> http://graffitigossip.com/2011/07/our-house-in-the-middle-of-our-street-a-new-video-of-the-house-transformation/feed/ 13 HOUSE AND GARDEN UPDATE…Asian Influence with a French Accent http://graffitigossip.com/2011/07/house-and-garden-update-asian-influence-with-a-french-accent/ http://graffitigossip.com/2011/07/house-and-garden-update-asian-influence-with-a-french-accent/#comments Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:55:13 +0000 Sandra Miller http://graffitigossip.com/?p=4891 Provence Tablecloth I purchased earlier this yearBelow  are some of the updates we did to the garden and house over the weekend.  We were surprised after visiting the local French Festival (Bastille Day Celebration) how over the years we have managed to fuse two of our favorite cultures together quite unintentionally in our decorating.   Somehow the Provence France tablecloths and the [...]]]>


Below  are some of the updates we did to the garden and house over the weekend.  We were surprised after visiting the local French Festival (Bastille Day Celebration) how over the years we have managed to fuse two of our favorite cultures together quite unintentionally in our decorating.   Somehow the Provence France tablecloths and the vivid color scheme from the fabrics worked their way into every corner of the garden.   The stark Mandarin Orange and black accents just make all these colors pop!!

The moonbear mailbox finally made her way to the post…FINALLY and I gave the post a fresh coat of Chinese orange/red paint.  A SAVE THE MOONBEAR sign will go on next!

Click any of the photos below to see them larger and with descriptions at the bottom

BELOW THE PHOTOS FIND A SLIDESHOW OF SOME PHOTOS FROM THE BASTILLE DAY FESTIVAL

Gracie under my new Provence tablecloth My new Cicada tablecloth from Provence My lavendar in bloom Provence Tablecloth I purchased earlier this year A vintage rooster carousel animal my garden helper brought me! The moonbear mailbox is now installed The moonbear mailbox is now installed The moonbear mailbox is now installed The new mirror on my front gate Starting to decorate by the front gate

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