The Owl returns

We were out enjoying the cool evening, talking, kids playing ball. We saw a bird flying back and forth between two clusters of trees. Our backyard spot light was on, we thought it was a bat collecting the bugs that were flying in the light. But this bird had white so it couldn't of been a bat. The kids went in to get some italian ice and while they were gone, the owl landed five feet from us. But only for a couple seconds, even if we had our cameras we couldn't of reacted fast enough to snap a pic. It continued flying back and forth and landed again on the ground this time about twenty feet away from us.
It was the same small one that we had seen several times in our backyard, but what it is I'm not sure will have to find out what owls are that small. It couldn't of been more than six inches.

Yes We Have Downey Woodpeckers

Sitting here at my computer I got to see that we do have downey woodpeckers. There were 2 woodpeckers, I looked through my camera, with the tele lens, the one doesn't seem to have red on the back of the neck, the one that landed on the branch right outside of my window was indeed a downey. I will have to look this up, I wonder if the female downey has the red also. If she doesn't than I have two different woodpeckers. Both have the same markings, same size but one doesn't have the red.

I'm still having trouble with these pesky squirrels, they are digging up my gardens. Every morning I find big holes in the container with the tomatoe plants, and the cucumber plants to. They are digging in my caladium, pulling out my morning glories, not eating them just pulling them out and leaving them lying there.

NOT A DOWNEY WOODPECKER

It seems that I misread an info page on woodpeckers, the one that has been in our backyard is the red bellied woodpecker, I was looking up another woodpecker and found a page showing the different woodpeckers separately. So we have had pileated and red bellied in our backyard.
The one I was looking up was smaller and only black and white, it could of been a downey or a hairy, won't know til I can get a closer look. We had spotted a small bird with red on the back of its head, but not the right coloring for the red bellied, looking at this new page it could of been the downey or a yound pileated. Got to get some binogalurs, to get a better look at these birds.

Today was the first in a long time that I saw a hummingbird at the feeder, glad to see they still stop by once in awhile, but with out the glasses I won't be able to see what one it was.

Gopher Tortoise

I haven't been able to catch the tortoise again, I checked this morning and it was already gone at 7:30 am, I just can't seem to catch him/her returning to the hole. I'm careful not to step on the sand in front of the hole, I read that its usually where they lay their eggs. Its great to have something that is endangered living in your backyard.

Downey Woodpecker and Peanut Butter

CORRECTION ITS A RED BELLIED WOODPECKER NOT A Downey woodpecker found the peanut butter mixture and both enjoy it, they have spent most the day at it, each flying back and forth from the feeder to their nest. FOUND ANOTHER INFO PAGE THAT CORRECTED THAT.
I saw chickadees and the titmouses at it too. Even the Cardinal pair stopped for a taste. Of course the squirrels have had a crack at it a time or two. all they can do is lick it. With the downey woodpeckers feeding on the peanut butter mixture it leaves more for the other birds, once they get on the feeder they stay there, or scare off the others when they land.
The confrontations today were the usual, male cardinal chasing another, bluejays were getting into it, even the doves were at it.
This little green hummingbird was flitting about this afternoon, it started at the birdfeeder, then to the two red feeders along the house which are both red and then it left, never checked out the hummingbird feeder

Gopher Turtle?

We were out in our yard checking on the growth of the sunflower plants and we heard a noise. I looked and it was this big turtle coming across the field. By the time I had gotten back with the camera it had disappeared into a hole. A neighbor told us it was a gopher turtle. Guess I will have to look that up and maybe get a pic of him.

Downey woodpecker and peanut butter?

I didn't have to go in today so I got to watch my birds. I put a new feeder out for the downey woodpeckers, but they don't seem to want anything to do with it. I read that they like peanut butter, so I mixed it with seeds and hung it. They seem to prefer the oil sunflower seeds in the other feeder. They would fly under it to get to the other feeder. I tried changing the feeders thinking that the downey would go to the new one, but he landed on the hook looked down and knew that it wasn't the feeder he was interested in, oh well I tried. Now the Bluejays are hitting the feeder, and when the downey would be there they would go to the ground cause the pecker was throwing out seeds. I'm watching the two morning doves hunting around for food. The chickadee and titmouse are hitting the feeder in front of my window pretty steadily.
Haven't seen the hummingbirds lately though. And the Cardinal were eating at the feeder earlier