Category Archives: Birds

Some days, revisited

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

16 July, 2017 Some days, revisited “Some days it all adds up And what you got isn’t enough” – U2, Some Days, 1993 A Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) in Glen Allen Wednesday morning: I drove east from … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, cats, Dogs, Fun, James River, People, Pony Pasture, raptors, red-shouldered hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), whitetail deer | Tagged cats, Dogs, Fun, james river, mourning doves, nature, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, red-shouldered hawks, Rivers, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, whitetail deer | Leave a comment

Planes that take off

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

9 July, 2017 Planes that take off “…we journalists have a bias toward bad news: We cover planes that crash, not planes that take off.” – Nicholas Kristof, New York Times, 1 July, 2017 Good News, … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, James River, Pileated Woodpecker, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | Tagged Dogs, Fun, james river, nature, outdoors, Pileated Woodpecker, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, smile, Smiles - human AND dog smiles! | 2 Comments

Wildlife Center of Virginia – Wildlife Book Club

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

2 July, 2017 Wildlife Center of Virginia – Wildlife Book Club Much of what I see and learn at Pony Pasture (and elsewhere) is informed by books recommended by the Wildlife Center of Virginia Wildlife Book … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, James River, mockingbirds, People, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), Wildlife Book Club, Wildlife Center of Virginia | Tagged blackberries, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, james river, John Steinbeck, nature, Northern mockingbird, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Rose of Sharon, smile, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, Wildlife Book Club, Wildlife Center of Virginia | 4 Comments

Cobbled together

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

25 June, 2017 Cobbled together I was hiking Saturday morning. Sometimes there are no words: I took that picture when we arrived around 10:15. We hiked for over an hour and we were almost at the parking lot when a … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, coffee, Endurance, Flowers, Fun, James River, moon, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), sunsets, triathlons, whitetail deer | Tagged clouds, Dogs, Endurance, Flowers, Fun, james river, nature, outdoors, pictures of the moon, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, smile, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, whitetail deer | Leave a comment

Sunset from Kroger on Maui

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

18 June, 2017 Sunset from Kroger on Maui I took this picture from the parking lot of a Kroger on Maui: I’m kidding about Maui, of course. I took that picture on Tuesday, June 13, from … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, James River, ospreys, People, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), Snakes, sunsets, whitetail deer | Tagged clouds, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, james river, nature, Ospreys, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, smile, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, whitetail deer | Leave a comment

Up close and personal

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

11 June, 2017 Up close and personal [[WARNING! THERE IS A PICTURE OF MY NEPHEW TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST! YOU WILL FIND HIM IRRESISTIBLE!]] I was dropping a buddy off near Bon Air Wednesday afternoon when … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, coffee, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, James River, mockingbirds, ospreys, People, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Shenandoah Valey, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | Tagged CONTRAILS, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, nature, outdoors, People, Red-tailed hawks, smile, Smiles - human AND dog smiles! | 3 Comments

People who put the “sweet” in “bittersweet”

Posted on June 4, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

4 June, 2017 People who put the “sweet” in “bittersweet” Our Mom died in her sleep five months ago today. Friends of hers and of Dad’s and of ours throughout our lives joined us when we … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Blue Jays, Carolina wren, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, grateful dead, James River, mockingbirds, People, Pony Pasture, Rivers, scarlet begonias, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), sunsets | Tagged Dogs, Flowers, Fun, grateful dead, james river, Northern mockingbird, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, Rivers, scarlet begonias, smile, Smiles - human AND dog smiles! | 6 Comments

Big Mike Biathlon

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

21 May, 2017 Big Mike Biathlon My Dad enjoyed shooting rifles, pistols and shotguns his whole life. I did a lot of that from my early teens until I married in mid-1987, but slowed down after … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Dogs, Flowers, Fun, honeysuckle, James River, koans, mockingbirds, Pony Pasture, raptors, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!), whitetail deer | Tagged Colonial Shooting Academy, Flowers, Fun, james river, nature, Northern mockingbird, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, Smith & Wesson, target shooting, whitetail deer | 7 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

14 May, 2017 Happy Mother’s Day! I did a post with the same title a year ago. None of us had any reason to believe it would be her final Mother’s Day. Last year on Mother’s Day mom went swimming … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, cardinals, Downy woodpecker, Flowers, Fun, Gardenias, Insects, James River, raptors, Red-bellied woodpeckers, Red-tailed hawks, Rivers, roses, Smiles (including "dog smiles"!) | Tagged bluebird, Dogs, Downy woodpecker, Flowers, Gardenias, james river, nature, outdoors, Red-tailed hawks, Roses, Smiles - human AND dog smiles! | Leave a comment

Three decades of triathlon, and another snake!

Posted on May 7, 2017 by Jay McLaughlin

7 May, 2017 Three decades of triathlon, and another snake! I was hiking with the dogs Saturday morning when a woman named Pam pointed out a baby Barred Owl on one side of the trail: … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Dogs, Endurance, Flowers, Fun, James River, People, Pony Pasture, Rivers, Snakes | Tagged Dogs, Endurance, Fun, james river, nature, outdoors, People, Pony Pasture, Rivers, Smiles - human AND dog smiles!, snake | 2 Comments