Sue Thomas

I should have also mentioned that I used Carole's banner 2 special font, which I bought. I'm hooked on creating banners at the moment, especially after watching the more recent master class on banners and pennants. Also used one of her punches, which I love. For the circle photo I used the technique I have demonstrated before. Personally, I prefer to use it on oval and circles rather than square or rectangle shapes. I did give instructions on how to create that effect, using vector shapes, to maintain clean sharp edges. As using the selction tool creates very jaggy edges on anything that isn't square or rectangle.

It really pains me to reduce an image to 600 pixels and under 200kb. lol Saying that I understand completely why it is nescesary to do so. Although I did reduce the imgae for facebook from 6mb to 1.5mb. As you say facebook is a handy alternative on occassions. When the wild fires started last year, there were two hundered and so, this year when they started there were over 300 fires. Unfortunately, the wild fires have to be controlled due to more and more people wanting to live in rural areas. Wild fires play an important part in renewing and recycling ecosytems. Many of the trees planted today for commercial use, are quick growing, and are unable to withstand the fires like so many of the native plants and trees, which depend on the fires for their survial. Fires open up the forests canopy to sunlight, to encourage new growth, including tree saplings.

I'm having to change the birds bath water several times a day. I also have 2 small solar fountains which I have in what were shallow animal mineral tubs. The birds love a shower. I even have bowls of water out for the ground squirrels, rabbits and other 4 legged mammals. The corvids are social birds, also highly intelligent. They willingly interact with others as you have witnessed. I have to clean out the horses watering bowl daily, as the birds not only use it to drink from, but as a bath. Then there are the birds that use bird baths to dispose of their young droppings. Taking attention far away from the nest. We really don't need to provide food or water for birds, we do it purely to attract them for our own enjoyment. It's a huge lucrative industry.

Here is my page for the Tut /tech challenge. I create the page a week or so ago. I added, by creating the date banner, lifting some of the pennants, also I added a ribbon, and lifted one edge. I replaced the date stamp with the banner. Head on over to the facebook page, if you want to see a much less compressed layout, to see the details and colours in the photos. I rarely edit my photos. If I find there is a need to, all I tend to do is use the brightness and contrast, and crop tools. In this case the photos weren't edited. Also, for those that may be interested, birds are like dog, they don't perspire, instead they pant like dogs. For the past fortnight the temps have been in the high thirties, again today it is 37c, and hazy, due to smoke blowing in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/441451292922964/user/1421371617 There has been a few posts since I posted the Mourning Doves, you can either scroll down as Corrie suggested, or click on the link above. I too have been taking pics of Thistles. Your page showcasing this one is awesome. It would pass for a macro shot. Tremendous contrasting depth of field too.

I will eventually get around to showcasing many of this season's photos. At present I'm taking a break, ejoying the summer, kayaking, cycling, riding, and of course photographing wildlife, of all kind. Head over to the facebook page, as I have posted some images of the Mouring Doves, which although I sized them down, not as much as I would have to on here, in the campus. I have never had so many Mourning Dove pairs as this year. I have six nesting pairs that I have found. THis family, although high up in a tree, it was fairly accessible, to take photos off.

Week twenty nine. There aren't many nestlings now. To my knowledge I have this family and the last of the Robins. A newly fledged Robin came to the dinner table this morning. This was the only easily accessible Mourning Dove nest I could find. Mind you I still had to get the ladder out, prop it up against an ajoining tree to take shots, without distubing the dove family.

As am I. Many of the birds have such vibrantly colourful colours. Would you believe it, if I was tell you that they are incredibly difficult to spot, as even with their bright colours they blend into their habitat perfectly. Usually, especially with the orioles, as they are always very vocal. I listen from where the song is coming from, and then look hard for them.

week 28 Cheeky handsome male Baltimore Oriole. They are such little amusing characters. My week almost always starts on a Friday. I'm a day early.

What a delightful photo. It has so much going for it, colour and movement

Included in the script zipped folder you will find a read me document. Within that text document it will tell you where the script is to be placed. Restricted or trusted folder. Along with other information relating to the script.

The UK and European badger are one of the same species. In canada they too are endangered, not through hunting or trapping so much but through loss of habitat. In the UK there is a totally different view to the badger, they have been persecuted for hundreds of years, through badger baiting as sport, which has been illegal for a long time now, but still goes on under the cover of darkness. It is barbaric. Farmers will trap and kill them as their cattle and dairy cows can contract TB. Farmer have to have their cattle tested every six months, at their own cost. Over 220,000 badgers have been culled to date, blamed for the disease. Actually the TB bacteria lives in soil and water. East Africa is the home to TB and it's human host. Yet, the badger bears the brunt of the blame for transmission. which I don't agree with.

It would have been wonderful to have seen them when they were much younger, and smaller. Still you can see that she is still suckling them, even though they are as big as mum. I was so excited to see them, a real treat.

Week 27. It is prooving difficult to single out a photo to showcase for this challenge. Never the less, I won't be short of photos to showcase down the road. North America sow badger with her 3 cubs. They are not closely related to the UK badger. American badgers breed between July and August. The embryos don't start to grown unitl December or February. They don't hibernate. I see their tracks in the snow throughout the long winter months. Also the UK badger is a social badger, whereas the American is solitary. Mother was keeing a close eye on me, and I wasn't going to antagonize her either, as they can be aggressive, espcially when felt threatened. Her set is impressive, just over half way up the drive, which also runs under the drive, with several entrances and exits on either side. A rare treat to see them out in daylight, as they are nocturnal.

Thank you Corrie, photos can speak volumes. Not only about the subject, but also the photographer.The fox cub is one of three out in the crop. I have photos of them playing while mum sits and watches over them. As for the ground squirrels, I wish I could tell them apart but I can't. Choosing a weekly photo is difficult, it would be easier to post them all if it was possible.

Susan, it is the tongue, just prior to lapping up a mouthful of jam. They are hilariously entertaining. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to post far more shots, the campus isn't a photographic site, plus resizing down is time consuming. You will have to wait for when I create layouts, where I can add multiple photos.

The swallows are aerial acrobats, I never tire watching them. As for the ground squirrels, they never cease to make me laugh. Mind you they weren't amuzed to have jam on their faces and feet. They would rub their faces in the grass to get it off, then lick the jam of the blades of grass, once they had washed themselves. I decided to place a spoonful of jam on top of the jar for them. Such great enterainment all around, when one is prepared to look for it. Plus it is free.

I'm now caught up with this challenge.

I too have bird window prevention collision strips on all the house windows. Also all my feededs are out in the trees, far the house.

My goodness, there must be loads of them, if your crew is only a small one. On average cats will kill over one hundred million birds a year in Canada. Domestic and feral cats aren't native to any ecosystem. Not only on birds but other native wildlife. It has been estimated that cats in Australia kills an average of one million birds per day. About three hundred and seventy seven million per year. Same, for the UK. The numbers are staggering world wide. Although they make wonderful pets for some people, they threaten birds and other wildlife and disrupt ecosystems. Rarely, I will get a stray tom cat from the neighbours, as they will travel long distances. I trap and dispose of them, cruel as that may sound to some. At least numbers are trying to be controlled in your area. It is a controversial issue. Here is a shot of one of my Red winged Blackbird's (male) on a cattail. I haven't noticed any fledgelings yet.

Cool photo you took with your phone, better than I can take. You must have a body of water close by, as typically they like marshes, with cattails, sedges and bulrushes, nesting close to the ground. I'd be concerned for their safety from the ferel cats you feed.. They flock with the grackles during migration.

Week twenty six. Nestling tree swallows waiting for their parents to come with food. I took this shot along with many others of them, even being fed late this afternoon.

Week twenty five, fledged North America Robin siblings.

week twenty four, ground squirrel helping himself to the Robins and Orioles blueberry jam. I have run of my own jam. I have to wait until the new season of Bluberries come into the shops.

Week Twenty two, male barn swallow. Fox cub, around 13-15 weeks old.