Our Backyard Bird Feeders
View Album: Our Backyard Bird FeedersFeathered Friends Good morning, world! Last year, while birding Clower Thornton Park in Gulfport, MS, we ran into several other birder friends. Steve pointed out that Charlie was in the brush in a blind. With some effort, I was able to locate him in his one-person standup blind; very cool. Talking with Charlie later, I…
Biloxi Back Bay, Drain Pipe
View Album: Biloxi Back Bay, Drain PipeIn Search of a Common Goldeneye Patty heard from birding friend, Steve, that he had seen a Common Goldeneye in Biloxi Back Bay near the Drain Pipe, so we headed to Biloxi on Friday morning. As hard as Patty searched, no Goldeneye, but there were plenty of the regulars. There must have been runs of…
The First Week of January, 2026
View Album: The First Week of January, 2026We still have several rare hummingbirds visiting our feeders; fortunately, we have had, or perhaps because we have had a mild winter. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is our usual migration visitor, but it is unusual for it to remain in the winter. What is rare are the Broad-tailed and Black-chinned Hummingbirds; they belong much further west…
Rufous Hummingbird at Charlie’s house January 4, 2026
View Album: Rufous Hummingbird at Charlie’s house January 4, 2026Rare Sightings You met Percy, Patty’s name for our visiting and rare Broad-tailed Hummingbird, we also have a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, common in our Spring and Fall, but very unusual during winter. Well, it turns out that a fellow birder and friend, Charlie in Gulfport, has two rare hummingbirds, the Rufous hummingbird and the Buff-bellied Hummingbird,…
Welcome 2026 from the Ocean Springs Harbor
View Album: Welcome 2026 from the Ocean Springs HarborHappy New Year Happy New Year Friends and Family, Birders, Photographers, Nature Lovers and Mississippi Coast wanderers. Patty and I plan to explore new and old areas this year, with hopes of a few new Live Birds for Patty and me continuing to grow my photography knowledge. Let us all make this the very best…
Percy the Broad-tailed Hummingbird 11/29/25
View Album: Percy the Broad-tailed Hummingbird 11/29/25Who is the Broad-tailed Hummingbird Meet the Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) — a hummingbird built for mountain meadows, pine-oak woods, and high-altitude life. Think of a small, sleek “zoom-bird” with glossy green upperparts and a long tail that sticks out even when perched. What makes Broad-tailed Hummingbirds special Good Sources for Further Reading “Broad-tailed Hummingbird…
Hummingbird Banding November 28,02025
View Album: Hummingbird Banding November 28,02025Two members of Banding Coalition of the Americas, Kyle Shepherd and Emma Rhodes, PhD, came to catch, weigh, measure, take DNA, band, and let Patty release our visiting Broad-tailed Hummingbird, named Percy, by Patty. The Science of Bird Banding Bird banding is a vital tool used by scientists and conservationists to uncover the secrets of…
Sunrise from Point Cadet and a Little Biloxi history
View Album: Sunrise from Point Cadet and a Little Biloxi historyFishing Pier – History of the Biloxi Bay Bridges Point Cadet, Before Hurricane Katrina Before the 2005 storm, Point Cadet was home to several significant facilities and a tight-knit community of fishing families. After Hurricane Katrina Katrina’s storm surge devastated the Point Cadet area, destroying nearly all structures. Since then, it has been largely redeveloped,…
Sunrise and goodbye to my friend Jim
View Album: Sunrise and goodbye to my friend Jim“HEARTWORK Each day is born with a sunriseand ends in a sunset, the same way weopen our eyes to see the light,and close them to hear the dark.You have no control overhow your story begins or ends.But by now, you should know thatall things have an ending.Every spark returns to darkness.Every sound returns to silence.And…
Little Lake, Big Slough & Patty’s New Chair November 12, 2025
View Album: Little Lake, Big Slough & Patty’s New Chair November 12, 2025My most sought after, an Owl! Many of you may know that a vehicle makes a great bird or wildlife blind; I suppose animals have become used to them in their world. Our truck is good and bad as a birding vehicle; it is high, which is good, but the windows distort with both binoculars…
Beautiful Fall Weekend: Friends, Festival & Nature
View Album: Beautiful Fall Weekend: Friends, Festival & NatureUpper & Lower Rhymes Lakes, My favorite, and Patty’s go-to spot, Ward Bayou. On Friday, we drove up to Upper & Lower Rhymes lakes (1) in George County, MS. This is one of my favorite locations within 55 minutes of home. It is absolutely beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. These are oxbow lakes, previously part of…
Halloween 2025
View Album: Halloween 2025Story Celtic origins: Samhain Roman and Christian influence Modern Halloween Modern rituals: Today’s traditions like “trick-or-treating,” wearing costumes, and carving jack-o’-lanterns have roots in these ancient customs. Write Your Story Here Evolution of traditions: Over time, the pagan and Christian traditions combined to form the basis of the modern celebration. Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep. A Nightmare…
Clay Point Park 10/28/25
View Album: Clay Point Park 10/28/25Seeking birds in Biloxi Patty heard there was a Clay-Colored Sparrow sighted at South Clay Point Park, so yesterday morning, we headed across the bay and down Back Bay Blvd. It was a gorgeous Fall Mississippi Coast morning, with lots of birds but no Clay-Colored Sparrow. We also stopped by the Drain Pipe to find…
Clay Point Park – Biloxi Back Bay Blvd 10-23-25
View Album: Clay Point Park – Biloxi Back Bay Blvd 10-23-25Western Kingbird Sighting You have all heard me repeatedly marvel at our access to the great outdoors, the waterway, the national and state forest, then turn around and post photos of and tell of our discoveries right in town. Patty got word of sightings of the Western Kingbird around Clay Point Park in Biloxi, so…
Morning at Ward Bayou 10/17/25
View Album: Morning at Ward Bayou 10/17/25A relatively quite morning. Lovely Fall Morning at Ward Bayou Friday morning at Ward Bayou, and it started out great. At the entrance, Patty was seeing and hearing quite a few forest birds, mostly deep into the trees where it is difficult to photograph. Normally we have Ward Bayou to ourselves but it is hunting…
First week of October and signs of Fall
View Album: First week of October and signs of FallReady for Fall and a bit of Rain Patty is home, and Holly Berry, her dog companion, is so pleased! While getting settled, we have not done a great deal of exploring. We checked out Clower Thorton Park in Gulfport the other morning, and Jones Park while we were there. Yesterday morning, after breakfast at…
Before Patty’s Departure 9/9 thru 9/15
View Album: Before Patty’s Departure 9/9 thru 9/15Between Patty’s Packing and appointments, we worked on a few birding explorations. Patty is off to meet up with her birding buddy Hap, with a brief stop to see sister Sally in Nashville, then up to Murray, KY, for the annual KY Ornithology Meeting, travel to South Carolina to another Birding event, and meet prominent…
Pensacola Beach
View Album: Pensacola BeachStopped at old haunts; The Dog Beach & Fort Pickens The kids and I dropped Patty off at the Pensacola International Airport for her trip to Nashville, Tennessee, Murray, Kentucky, and then on to Edisto Island, SC. Then we headed to Pensacola Beach. I love the beautiful white sand and clear greenish blue water of…
Old Shell Landing Road
View Album: Old Shell Landing RoadBlue Dog & Butterflies After our Sunday morning breakfast at the Blue Dog Bistro, the kids, Patty, and I headed to Old Shell Landing to see what we could find. Patty saw and heard a good variety of birds, but unfortunately, her photographer got a bit distracted. There are quite a few pictures, more than…
Old Fort Bayou Sunrise
View Album: Old Fort Bayou SunriseSunrise & Breakfast at Phoenicia’s The kids and I headed to Phoenicia restaurant in downtown Ocean Springs for breakfast this morning. I really like their pancakes and bacon. It was too early to arrive, so we pulled underneath the Ocen Spring bridge, which is often a pretty spot to greet the sun rising above Old…
Our Yard and Beyond
View Album: Our Yard and BeyondMaking the rounds: Buzzy’s, Back Bay Blvd & Old Beaver PondStory This morning’s Sunday breakfast with the three kids was on the enclosed and cooled back porch of Buzzy’s Breakfast Downtown. After breakfast, Patty and I did a little birding at Back Bay Blvd and The Old Beaver Pond on the way home. With the…
Flower Bed Hummingbird
View Album: Flower Bed HummingbirdUnexpected Visitor We have had a lot of cardinals around our birdfeeders lately, and I hoped to get a few close-ups. We have a bunch of Indian shot, canna lilies growing behind the bird feeder and I set my tripod and camera up just to the side under the porch of our outbuilding. Well, I…
Ward Bayou
View Album: Ward BayouIbis A quick trip out to Ward Bayou was quiet until we encountered some Ibis and Yellow-crowned Night Heron. “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” Carl Gustav Jung Click any image to view full size and browse the gallery.
Bluff Creek to Round Island
View Album: Bluff Creek to Round IslandThere are times for solitude, Quiet, and Nature Yesterday morning, at daylight, the kids and I launched the Bird Barge at the Barge Landing Boat ramp, Vancleave, Mississippi, near the headwaters of Bluff Creek. It was a gorgeous morning; the river, though flowing pretty well, was like glass. We had no particular destination but a…
Butterflies next door
View Album: Butterflies next door“Butterflies are self-propelled flowers.” ― Robert A. Heinlein A few days ago, our neighbors, Anita and Mike, called to ask if I’d noticed all the Swallowtail Butterflies in the field between our properties; I had not. What a delightful surprise, dozens of Swallowtails and numerous other pollinators were collecting nectar from the blooming Spiritweed (Lachnanthes…
Sunrise on the Gulf of Mexico
View Album: Sunrise on the Gulf of MexicoThe comfort of Mother Nature This morning, the kids and I headed out into the Gulf of Mexico on the Bird Barge in search of a quiet sanctum, a sunrise, and to say goodbye to a friend. Mother Nature continually amazes me with her quiet comfort and wonder. “Those whom we love and lose are…
Our Back Yard
View Album: Our Back YardAlive With Color Our backyard was alive with color this morning. We are very excited that our Frangipani, named Margo, is in full bloom. She will create new blooms daily for several weeks to come! “It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose…
Our Yard Flowers
View Album: Our Yard FlowersColors, Colors, Colors I originally intended to send these flower/plant pictures to Patty. She is coming home tomorrow, and I thought she’d enjoy seeing, at least partially, what she is coming home to; let’s not talk about the condition of the house! I know many of you enjoy flowers and growing things, so I am…
Osprey Hunt
View Album: Osprey HuntStory There were three osprey hunting west of the Washington Street Pier; I picked one with several feathers missing on its right wing. You have to concentrate on one to catch the dive, and it was easy to identify as they flew back and forth hunting. It took about 10 or 12 minutes, and my…
Old Beaver Pond & Drain Pipe at Back Bay Blvd
View Album: Old Beaver Pond & Drain Pipe at Back Bay BlvdThe joy of Birding and birding friends Yesterday morning, we headed 35 miles East to Whitehead Lake at Ivy Park in Pascagoula, where Patty hoped to see a variety of ducks. We had just arrived when Aaron, a birder friend of ours, texted us that he had sighted a Fulvous whistling duck at the Old…
