Travel and Tourism – Page 2 – Circadianreflections Blog

Friday’s Feathered Friends- Hermit Thrush

January 31, 2025January 28, 2025Posted in birding, Friday's Feathered FriendsTagged Birds in the Wild, Hermit Thrush, Nature, Photography, Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, Travel and Tourism46 Comments

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

While we were visiting the Santa Barbara Botanical gardens recently He-Man stopped in a little garden rest area with a bench to retie his shoe and out popped a Hermit Thrush! I was so excited because I don’t see these shy birds too often.

©Deborah M. Zajac | http//:circadianreflections.com Image

We got several minutes of good looks at it while it was foraging around area.

Fun Facts-

Males usually gather food for the nest, while females feed the nestlings. The young birds start by eating bits of larvae, then grasshoppers, moths, and spiders. They sometimes eat small vertebrates such as salamanders.
Hermit Thrushes usually make their nests in and around trees and shrubs, but they can also get more creative. Nests have been found on a cemetery grave, on a golf course, and in a mine shaft.
Hermit Thrushes sometimes forage by “foot quivering,” where they shake bits of grass with their feet to get insects. They also typically begin to quiver their feet as they relax after seeing a flying predator.
East of the Rocky Mountains the Hermit Thrush usually nests on the ground. In the West, it is more likely to nest in trees.
Hermit Thrushes make several distinct calls around their nests. They will sometimes make a rising byob sound similar to a mewing kitten. Females frequently rearrange their eggs while making quit quit noises. In the morning, two adults meeting near the nest will greet each other with a pweet pweet call.
Hermit Thrushes are part of a genus (Catharus) that includes four other similar thrushes in North America: the Veery, Swainson’s Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Bicknell’s Thrush. In the northeastern mountains, the Veery lives at the lowest elevations, Hermit Thrushes at middle elevations, and Swainson’s Thrushes at high elevations.
The oldest recorded Hermit Thrush was at least 10 years, 10 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Maryland in 2009. It was originally banded there in 1999.

Fun facts gleaned as always from allaboutbirds.org

I’ll be a little late replying to your comments as I’m out birding this morning.

Nikon D850|Nikkor 500mm PF-e lens

more to come…

Thurs. Doors- The Eagle Little Library

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025Posted in Architecture, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Eagle Little Library, Little Libraries, Natural Materials, Reading is Fun, Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, Travel and Tourism, Whimsical50 Comments

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

Last week He-Man wanted to break in his new car with a little road trip to the seaside. Santa Barbara, CA. was where he wanted to go. We did some kayaking, birding and a lot of walking. One of the places we birded was Santa Barbara Botanical Garden. The trails are great and while we in the Backcountry section of the garden we came across a Little Library. It’s an Eagle named Nest where you’re invited to enjoy reading while in his nest. I loved it!

This is the coolest Little Library I’ve ever seen.

This post is part of the weekly challenge Thursday Doors hosted by Dan Antion over at https://wordpress.com/tag/thursday-doors

Head on over there to see more doors from around the world or join the craze and add a door or two of your own. 😊

more to come…

Thursday Doors-Favorites of 2024

December 19, 2024December 18, 2024Posted in Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Architecture, Bar, Church, Door Pulls, Doors, Photography, Restaurats, Travel and Tourism54 Comments

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

This week we’re sharing our favorite doors from the past year.

I’ll start with Coventry Cross Church.

The Round House from Put-in-Bay, Ohio

From Florida Quaker Steak and Lube has to be here. I loved the door pulls the most.

©Deborah M. Zajac | http//circadianreflections.com

Speaking of door pulls I have to include the door my friend in CT sent me from her visit to Gillette Castle with its unique door pull and beautiful door.

Oh, the beautiful turquoise door/gate must be included in my favorites for the year.

I have more favorites than I thought I did for this year.

The little bird bungalows

Last but not least, my favorite door of all. From our house to yours, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

©Deborah M. Zajac | http//:circadianreflections.com
Home ❤️

This post is part of the weekly challenge Thursday Doors hosted by Dan Antion over at https://nofacilities.com/2024/12/19/2024-favorite-doors/

Head on over there to see more doors from around the world or join the craze and add a door or two of your own. 😊.

Thursday Doors will be back in January 2025, see you then!

more to come…

Thursday Doors-Guest Doors

August 22, 2024Posted in Adorned Doors, Architecture, Doors, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Gillette Castle, Guest Doors, Photography Challenges, Thursday Doors, Travel and Tourism, Wood45 Comments

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

These aren’t Guest in the sense your mind probably went to when thinking about Guest doors, no. These doors were sent to me from a friend who lives in CT but, wishes to be anonymous for the time being.

She moved to CT oh, 4-5 years ago…time flies! Anyway a couple of weeks back she sent me an email saying,

“I visited Gillette Castle in Connecticut over the weekend and they had the most beautiful interior doors, all hand carved and I thought of you 🙂 Here are just a few but there were many! There were three stories’ worth and each one was unique. The castle was fascinating!”

She didn’t include the stories or details but, we have her images of three of the doors.

The door knobs are interesting. They’re wood!

*Image used with permission from photographer*

She included a close up the door knob as the third image. Those door knobs are different! The doors remind me of quilts with their square patterned designs.

I looked up the castle and it does look beautiful and interesting.

Here’s something about those door knobs.

“Gillette designed 47 one of kind doors made from Southern White Oak found on the property. They were all hand carved. Each door has a unique, elaborate latch intricately carved of wood.”

Here’s a little intro about the castle from the website:

” Atop the most southerly hill of a chain of hills known as the Seven Sisters sits the retirement estate of noted actor, director, and playwright William Hooker Gillette. Named the Seventh Sister by Gillette, the property’s focal point is a 24-room stone mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle”. There’s a photo of the castle at the link and lots more information about the man and more photos.

https://www.gillettecastlefriends.org/history-of-the-castle

The doors are lovely. Don’t you love our door enabling friends!

Here’s a BIG SHOUT OUT to my friend in CT for sending me these beautiful and interesting doors.🥰 May she continue to send me doors to share with you!

This post is part of the weekly challenge Thursday Doors hosted by Dan Antion over at https://nofacilities.com/2024/08/22/still-more-from-iowa/

Head on over there to see more doors from around the world or join the craze and add a door or two of your own. 😊

more to come…

Thursday Doors- The Round House

July 25, 2024July 25, 2024Posted in Architecture, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Ohio, Put-in-Bay, Round House Bar, Thursday Doors, Travel and Tourism31 Comments

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

This is the last door I have from our trip to Put-in-Bay, OH back in May.

The Round House Bar.

I love the arched door, color theme, the dome roof, and the structure at the top of the roof. What is that called? Viewing room? Oh, and the Rooster weather vane. I do like the rooster theme. Fun fact about me: I was born in the year of the Rooster in Chinese Astrology.

We didn’t have time to go inside, but I do want to return so maybe one day I will get to see the murals on the walls.

Here’s some history:

“Originally housing the Columbia Restaurant, this building opened in 1873. Back in the day, there wasn’t a good way to keep things cold. Thanks to intrepid island dwellers including Valentine Doller, they figured out a way. The Columbia Restaurant was able to serve up ice cream and cottage cheese using blocks of ice gathered from Lake Erie in the winter. Housed in what is now the Put-in-Bay Winery, the ice kept things nice and cold.

The famous circular bar was then built in 1944 by the Greunke family, commissioning the Cincinnati Brewing Company to construct it. It was the perfect place to hold concerts “in the round,” with Mrs. Greunke as the featured pianist. They moved the stage to its current location so the performer wouldn’t have to play with their back to the audience.

The McCann family has owned the Roundhouse since the early 1950’s. Most of the building is original, with the exception of the floor and front porch. The original plaster walls have remained. They were also responsible for painting it its signature red, white, and blue along with artist Scott LoBadio painting the outside. The inside walls features murals by Canoe Bob.”https://putinbay.com/dinings/round-house-bar/

This post is part of the weekly challenge Thursday Doors hosted by Dan Antion over at

More From Reiman Gardens

Head on over there to see more doors from around the world or join the craze and add a door or two of your own. 😊

more to come…

Thurs. Doors- Hampton Court Palace

November 12, 2020Posted in Nikon, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Hampton Court Palace, London, Nikon, Royal Palaces, Surrey, Thursday Doors, Travel and Tourism, Travel Photography32 Comments

It seems like an age ago that I shared an image for Thursday Doors or from our trip to London which was just this past January!

I’ve let some of these images marinate long enough. ☺ Here’s one.

One day we Ubered out to Hampton Court Palace the favorite palace of King Henry VIII. It’s 12 miles southwest and upstream from central London on the Thames River.

The drive there was lovely passing small towns and beautiful countryside.

This is an entrance to one side of the palace through the left door and the courtyard entrance in the center. I think the door on the right was a cloak closet, but it’s been awhile since being there that I’ve forgotten! I should have made more notes. It’s a palace I’d like to tour again one day.

Thursday Doors is the creation of Norm 2.0 Head on over to his blog to see many other doors from all over the world that other door lovers have shared.

Nikon Df| Nikkor 24-120mm| PS CC 22.0.0

more to come…

Thursday Doors: Lord John Russell Pub

January 23, 2020January 23, 2020Posted in iPhone 7 Plus, iphonegraphy, London, UK, Photography, Thursday Doors, Travel and Food, Travel and Tourism, Travel PhotographyTagged Blue Doors, iphonegraphy, London Pubs, Lord John Russell Pub, Russell Square London, Thursday Doors, Travel and Tourism, West Central London33 Comments

Whist in London over the Holidays I passed this pub on the way to the British Museum and had to stop to get a photo of the lovely Blue Door. I love the hanging sphere plants and that shade of blue. Lord John Russell

I did a quick search to see how long the pub has been there and found it’s been there a LONG TIME! In 1856 a John Russell was in the postal directory at this address.

Here’s the link to the London pub wiki that shares the pub’s history.

To see more doors from around the world visit our favorite Doorlican Norm here!

iPhone 7 Plus| PS CC 21.0.2

more to come…

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