LOOKING BACK ON JANUARY...3

All is covered in snow and ice...

Do you barely see the waterfall, my daughters' little cabin roof, and the Cardinal here?

LOOKING BACK ON JANUARY...2

Can you see the male and female Woodpeckers?

LOOKING BACK ON JANUARY...1

All by its' lonesome in the cold

Weeping Cherry Tree at the ponds' edge covered in ice

Pine tree encased in snow and ice

View out my kitchen window

Reflection of trees lit up by the sunrise
His face says it all!

THE BURNING QUESTION...

Why don't Woodpeckers get headaches?

The Pileated, Red-Bellied, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers claim my woods as their home. We have hundreds of oval and round holes chiseled in towering trees, some are decaying and some are live. Usually these hard workers prefer decaying wood, but have been known to chose healthy trees to call home. I've seen both sexes in each species, subtle differences in coloring distinguish the exact sex. For instance, with the Pileated Woodpeckers, both have red crests on their heads, but the male(Top two photos), has a thin red moustache, whereas the female does not. In Ohio, it's considered an uncommon permanent resident in the area it calls home. I was very excited to see the female first, and a couple of weeks later the male showed up close to the cabin, too. I've seen them from a distance down our driveway in the past couple of years, but never this close...maybe 25 feet from the cabin. Interesting fact, the American Indians used the red crests of these gorgeous birds to decorate their pipes.

One day as I was watching the male Pileated Woodpecker, the largest of the woodpeckers, I thought to myself how that must hurt them hammering away and wondered if they end up with a major headache? After some research, I actually found an explanation. It seems that thick, dense muscles in the neck contract right before a strike to the tree. They have sponge-like bones that act as a cushion and a third eyelid. This third eyelid closes as it's hammering away, which protects the eye from wood chips and literally holds the eyeball in place.

It's a great design when you think that they hammer away and strike about 15 times per second! So, this is the answer to the burning question...but...all this really explains is why their eyeballs don't pop out. We all know woodpeckers can't talk...but if they could, I'd bet they would ask for a Tylenol!

Now, there's something else I'm wondering about...just a third eyelid? Is only one eye protected? Does this third eyelid somehow cover both eyes? If anyone knows the answer, please...drop me a comment!

WARMING THE WINTER SKY...

Keeping true to my original idea of this blog, what brings me calm here in Wishnik Woods...I present yet another vivid sunrise painting the twilight sky. This was this past Sunday mornings' greeting to the world, every color of the rainbow except green. The last sunrise that I shared, I claimed it was the most colorful sunrise yet. I stand corrected! The sky was bursting in color here on the horizon, yet the rest of the skies were very deep muted blues. Darkness lingered for the most part outside as I made my journey to the back of our property which overlooks fields and yet more woods. In the still of the early morning, with a minimum of light to guide me through the woods, I set out with my camera and tripod. Not far behind, my husband hurried to catch up with me. Initially he thought that I was going to capture this sunrise from the pond up by our cabin. I was, until I got outside and the colors quickly deepened and spread further along the horizon. That's when I decided to take a walk through the woods. These images were zoomed in, that...along with the overall dark atmosphere explains the dark silhouettes of the trees. Believe it or not, I could see where I was going. I followed deer tracks along the path. If you click to enlarge this first photo, you can see the snow along the bottom, it was dark out!

My Nikon captures the rise and sets with absolute true color and clarity. I'm extremely happy with the results.
A couple of photos here I cropped for a slightly closer view.

This last one of the series, is the final shot I took as the sun began to show itself. I couldn't last any longer, as I was standing there in amazement, the pain in my toes reminded me that I was quickly freezing over! If I remember correctly, the air was 9 degrees. As I glanced back towards this sight on our way back to the cabin, the colors were quickly fading just as fast as they appeared. I had made it just in time...and I think even my husband was glad he was being the ever protective husband, he hadn't even finished his first cup of coffee!

I'd like to send out one big thank you to all who stopped by and sent birthday wishes to my mother in the last post. All the kind words made her day all the more special. She asked that I let you all know that she says...Hello! ...and a big thank you to all! She was surprised and told me she's not sure she deserved all the praise. Note to Mom...Yes, you do!

ONE VERY SPECIAL WOMAN...

This is her day...

a day we celebrate all that she is. She is my mother...and today is her Birthday! Mom always liked Cardinals, so I chose a few of my favorite captures to accompany her here.

Mom is the most caring, thoughtful and loving woman that I know. She is the very definition of mother. She has given so much to each of us in my family, on so many levels. Inner strength, compassion, and a sense of humor define her. Her entire life she dedicated herself, unselfishly, to our family.
Mom has been a big part of Wishnik Woods...she has supported this dream of ours and had helped out in the building process. I don't know where she gets it, but she has an amazing amount of energy! Just last summer, Mom was out in the woods swinging on vines with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren! She's a real fire cracker!
I decided to post her photo ( it's a current one, she ages gracefully!)today on her birthday because she faithfully reads my blog...AND all of yours!! I call her "Shadow Dragon" for that reason! We live three counties apart, and mom will e-mail me with comments about all of your posts. So, if you've left a comment here...you can be sure she has checked out your blog!

So...Mom...SURPRISE!?!...I hope you're not mad at me!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday today!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I LOVE YOU!!! XOXOXOXOXOXO