On the Road and In Your Backyard

Good Morning All,

This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into their world, whether they’re far away or close to home – pictures with a story, with context, with meaning, sometimes just beauty. By concentrating travel updates and tips here, it’s easier for all of us to keep up or find them later.

So please, speak up and share some of your adventures and travel news here, and submit your pictures using our speedy, secure form. You can submit up to 7 pictures at a time, with an overall description and one for each picture.

You can, of course, send an email with pictures if the form gives you trouble, or if you are trying to submit something special, like a zipped archive or a movie. If your pictures are already hosted online, then please email the links with your descriptions.

For each picture, it’s best to provide your commenter screenname, description, where it was taken, and date. It’s tough to keep everyone’s email address and screenname straight, so don’t assume that I remember it “from last time”. More and more, the first photo before the fold will be from a commenter, so making it easy to locate the screenname when I’ve found a compelling photo is crucial.

Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the pictures!

 

Without further delay – BIRDS! trav

Today, pictures from valued commenter Albatrossity.

It’s fall, and if you are a birder, you are thrilled because of all the migrant birds right now. I thought it would be good, and perhaps perk up some spirits, to show some of the fall birds in my part of the galaxy (eastern KS, USA). I know that they give me a thrill to see them, photograph them, and know that we share the same planet with them. A lot of these are sparrows, a vastly underappreciated (IMHO) group of birds. Enjoy!

PS – In August some of my images from a trip to the Northern Great Plains were featured here (https://balloon-juice.com/2017/08/01/on-the-road-and-in-your-backyard-11/). A essay that I wrote about that trip has been accepted for publication as one of their “Letters to America” in the online literary journal Terrain.org. If you are not familiar with it, it’s a great site, and worth a visit. Here’s the direct link to my piece – https://www.terrain.org/2017/guest-editorial/letter-to-america-rintoul/

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Common fall migrant in these parts, a notorious skulker, but quite pretty if you can lure one into the open.

Female Northern Cardinal

A subtle beauty, and familiar to most folks who live in the eastern half of the continent. I love this picture because it shows her fancy, but subtle, red eyebrow.

Pine Siskin

Not a sparrow, but a finch, and quite abundant here some years. This seems to be one of those years!

Southbound view of a northbound Osprey

Fall and spring migrants in these parts, and always fun to watch.

Savannah Sparrow

Another common migrant and also a skulker, although they are easily coaxed into view by squeaking noises (aka pishing in birder lingo)

Spotted Towhee

Yes, this is a sparrow, albeit a larger one. We have the Eastern Towhees here in the summer, but those head southeast and are replaced by these western birds in the fall and winter.

LeConte’s Sparrow

The prettiest sparrow in North America, I think, and if these guys don’t get you to appreciate sparrows, you need to stop reading about Trump and get outside more!

 

Thank you so much Albatrossity, do send us more when you can.

 

Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.

 

One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email