Assateague Island contains over 37 miles of pristine beaches; besides the beaches and dunes, there are pine forests and salt marshes. Assateague became a National Park in 1965, and together with the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and the Maryland State Park, the land and water boundaries total over 48,000 acres in both Maryland and Virginia.
The island is a vital resting and feeding area for a large variety of birds. The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, located on the southern end of Assateague Island in Virginia, is one of the most popular birding destinations in the United States. Bird watchers can enjoy the wealth of over 300 species of migratory and resident avians. Assateague is an essential part of the Atlantic Flyway; prime habitat for thousands of waterfowl and other birds with migration instincts that carry them north and south annually. Each fall, large flocks of waterfowl, like snow geese, begin arriving on the island, where they will spend the winter traveling between the sheltered and protected bay and salt marshes, and the fallow farm fields on the mainland.
Besides the island of Assateague itself, several salt-marsh islands in Chincoteague Bay are also included in the National Seashore and CNWR protective areas. Found on the island are loblolly pines, sweet gum and black gum trees, white oaks, holly, persimmons, myrtle, sumac, poison ivy, roses, blackberries, bayberries, and many species of Smilax (aka catbriers, greenbriers, and prickly-ivy).
Assateague Island in Maryland, according to the National Audubon Society, is an Important Birding Area at the global level due to the 62 pairs of Piping Plover that nest on its beaches, representing 2% of this birds' global population. Bird species occurring in significant numbers at the State level include: the largest ground-nesting colony (114 pairs) of Least Tern in Maryland [most nests of this species are now on artificial surfaces, like rooftops], Black Skimmer (Endangered Species in Maryland), and the Peregrine Falcon. Assateague is an important migratory corridor for Peregrine populations in eastern North America, with more than 400 birds counted in most fall seasons. Migrant shorebirds congregate along the ocean beach in numbers significant at the State level, with the most abundant species being Sanderling, Dunlin, and Ruddy Turnstone. The salt marshes support significant populations of two Audubon-American Bird Conservancy Watch List species - in the Red category - the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow and the Seaside Sparrow, and a large range of other saltmarsh- dependent birds. The Chuck-will's Widows breed in the pine habitats and this is one of the places in Maryland with a breeding population of Common Nighthawks; both species are on the At-Risk List in the state.
In Virginia, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the southern end of Assateague Island, is one of the finest places for bird watching on the east coast. It is one of the richest birding regions in the United States with outstanding year-round birding opportunities, including a healthy bald eagle population.
Summer is a good time to see large numbers of migrating shore birds, warblers, and other birds invade Assateague. A variety of species are visible along the National Seahore at various times during the year. In the fall, waterfowl arrive in massive numbers, as Assateague is a vital link in the life cycle of migrating birds along the Atlantic Flyway. Visitors are fortunate to experience an island that teems with a huge variety of waterfowl and other bird life.
Although an abundance of birds are found at Assateague, bird enthusiasts usually find the best opportunities along the Virginia portion of the island, due to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge's freshwater impoundments combine with marshes all along Assateague's shoreline to host a variety of terns, egrets, sandpipers, swans, geese, ducks, herons, other waterfowl and more. Making one's way by boat or kayak along the island's extensive inland waterways is a thrilling experience for any bird lover. Herons and terns fly out from the edges as you proceed through vast winding narrows where you can also see crabs, eels, fish, oysters and other food sources these birds feed upon.
Other than hiking designated pathways and along beaches, limited amounts of Assateague are accessible by car, so during recent times, many bird watchers have elected to travel by boat. A bird watching voyage offers visitors a chance to see more of the refuge and it's wildlife. Boat excursions, or renting a kayak, will take you to one of America's most unique ecosystems, with an abundance of wildlife, islands, water - and birds - as far as the eye can see...
To see the Assateague birding check list, please visit:
http://www.assateagueisland.com/birdwatching/assateague_bird_list.htm
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Saturday, May 12, 2018
This and That...
While sitting and working at my computer yesterday evening, I saw two bats fly by; and this morning, I saw the first goldfinches of the season. And I just had an immature house finch alight on the balcony railing, and inspect my desk and me through the window. It was very curious, and kept tilting it's head from side to side, while chewing on a pumpkin seed that was larger than it's bill. And there are now 31 foals kicking up their heels on the southern end of Assateague. - Today, if I were in Scotland, I'd say it was a soft day - overcast with a misty drizzle.
I realize that it's the normal course of Mother Nature and our Earth, but I'm appalled by the loss of life in the Rift Valley in Kenya. They had over a year of drought, and now have had two months of torrential rains. The majority of jobs and industries there are agricultural, and owners build reservoirs on top of hills. With the rains, the walls are breaking, sending floods down through the homes built below them. More than 157 people have died in the last month, either drowned or buried in mud.
Then, of course, there's the eruption of Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii, that began on 3 May. More than 15 volcanic vents have opened around the caldera, spewing lava and toxic gases. The latest warning say a large eruption could toss boulders as large as 10 tons in almost any direction, should there be an explosion within the caldera.
After all the crap coming from the White House since the last inauguration, I should not have been surprised or upset by the latest leak of information from a staff meeting held "behind closed doors." I'll be honest and say that I have rarely agreed with Senator John McCain's stance in politics. However, the man was a pilot in the Viet Nam War; his plane was shot down; and he was held prisoner in Hanoi for 5 years. He was a physical wreck when he returned home after his ordeal. But to have a White House staff member say that the Senator's opposition to the appointment of Gina Haspel to lead the CIA, "...doesn't matter; he's dying anyway" is disgusting. Special assistant Terry Sadler now claims that she said that as a joke, just as 45 always claims his disparaging remarks are jokes. Because a Senator is fighting brain cancer is no reason for Cadet Captain BoneSpurs and his chosen few to disparage an American hero.
Thoroughbred trainers are still deciding whether or not they'll have an entry in next Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Justify, the colt who won the Kentucky Derby, has already had a 1 and 1/2 mile gallop over the track there. Justify's regular jockey, Mike Smith, has received a 4 day suspension from the stewards at Santa Anita in California. His mount, under a right-handed whip, drifted to the left and interfered with Kent Desormeaux's mount. Smith's suspension will not affect his ride on Justify in the Preakness.
And I am throwing my complete support behind Jared Polis in his run for Governor of Colorado. Jared is a local from Boulder; he is gay, and he and his partner have adopted three children. I firmly stand behind all that Jared represents as a father and as a legislator, as he is currently serving in the United States House of Representatives, serving the Second Congressional District. He is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist. - And I laughed out loud at one of his tweets this morning: You know you're living in the 21st century when your inbox contains an announcement about a "DNA Sale!" announcement for Mother's Day. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm getting Mom some beautiful flowers...
.
I realize that it's the normal course of Mother Nature and our Earth, but I'm appalled by the loss of life in the Rift Valley in Kenya. They had over a year of drought, and now have had two months of torrential rains. The majority of jobs and industries there are agricultural, and owners build reservoirs on top of hills. With the rains, the walls are breaking, sending floods down through the homes built below them. More than 157 people have died in the last month, either drowned or buried in mud.
Then, of course, there's the eruption of Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii, that began on 3 May. More than 15 volcanic vents have opened around the caldera, spewing lava and toxic gases. The latest warning say a large eruption could toss boulders as large as 10 tons in almost any direction, should there be an explosion within the caldera.
After all the crap coming from the White House since the last inauguration, I should not have been surprised or upset by the latest leak of information from a staff meeting held "behind closed doors." I'll be honest and say that I have rarely agreed with Senator John McCain's stance in politics. However, the man was a pilot in the Viet Nam War; his plane was shot down; and he was held prisoner in Hanoi for 5 years. He was a physical wreck when he returned home after his ordeal. But to have a White House staff member say that the Senator's opposition to the appointment of Gina Haspel to lead the CIA, "...doesn't matter; he's dying anyway" is disgusting. Special assistant Terry Sadler now claims that she said that as a joke, just as 45 always claims his disparaging remarks are jokes. Because a Senator is fighting brain cancer is no reason for Cadet Captain BoneSpurs and his chosen few to disparage an American hero.
Thoroughbred trainers are still deciding whether or not they'll have an entry in next Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Justify, the colt who won the Kentucky Derby, has already had a 1 and 1/2 mile gallop over the track there. Justify's regular jockey, Mike Smith, has received a 4 day suspension from the stewards at Santa Anita in California. His mount, under a right-handed whip, drifted to the left and interfered with Kent Desormeaux's mount. Smith's suspension will not affect his ride on Justify in the Preakness.
And I am throwing my complete support behind Jared Polis in his run for Governor of Colorado. Jared is a local from Boulder; he is gay, and he and his partner have adopted three children. I firmly stand behind all that Jared represents as a father and as a legislator, as he is currently serving in the United States House of Representatives, serving the Second Congressional District. He is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist. - And I laughed out loud at one of his tweets this morning: You know you're living in the 21st century when your inbox contains an announcement about a "DNA Sale!" announcement for Mother's Day. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm getting Mom some beautiful flowers...
.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Miscellany
The past several days have been a television viewing pleasure - Clint Watts has been interviewed multiple times, as has Malcolm Nance and Naveed Jamali. Several appearances by Richard Painter, and some of my favorite Congressmen and Congresswomen have also sweetened the view. I did not watch the State of the Union address last night, but I did watch Joe Kennedy's Democratic rebuttal. And I loved Joe Biden's tweet about Joe's speech. I also laughed myself silly when Sarah Suckabee Sanders said that polls show that "no one" in America is interested in the Russia investigation.... What a hoot!
Anyway, we've had warm weather and wind the past few days, but there is still snow and ice in the parking lot here. It was 62 degrees yesterday, but then 26 last night... Today, clouds are clinging to the tops of the Flatirons, while there are mostly clear skies to the north and east. Besides our filled bird feeders, Bea tossed out raw almonds for the birds and squirrels this morning. The usual ravens and blue jays were here, and then a flock of about 100 starlings appeared, but they left after ten minutes. Tipsi, the white tail-tipped squirrel, has been much in evidence the past few days; and our usual sparrows, finches and chickadees are abundant.
Tonight is the really wild and crazy lunar event - there's a "super" moon, a "blue" moon, a "blood" moon, and a total lunar eclipse. My brother-in-law and his neighbor are planning out the best place to be, at the best time, to take photos of the event... I plan on sleeping. I'll see all sorts of wonderful photos via the internet tomorrow.
I finished reading Emergence, the latest C. J. Cherryh Foreigner series book. - And I want another new one, immediately, as usual. Last night I finished reading the latest Pendergast novel, City of Endless Night, by Preston and Child - and I want another new book in that series, too. I'm starting to re-read all the Pendergast novels, in order, again.
And - just to be silly - Enlighten yourself! Go read a new book!
Anyway, we've had warm weather and wind the past few days, but there is still snow and ice in the parking lot here. It was 62 degrees yesterday, but then 26 last night... Today, clouds are clinging to the tops of the Flatirons, while there are mostly clear skies to the north and east. Besides our filled bird feeders, Bea tossed out raw almonds for the birds and squirrels this morning. The usual ravens and blue jays were here, and then a flock of about 100 starlings appeared, but they left after ten minutes. Tipsi, the white tail-tipped squirrel, has been much in evidence the past few days; and our usual sparrows, finches and chickadees are abundant.
Tonight is the really wild and crazy lunar event - there's a "super" moon, a "blue" moon, a "blood" moon, and a total lunar eclipse. My brother-in-law and his neighbor are planning out the best place to be, at the best time, to take photos of the event... I plan on sleeping. I'll see all sorts of wonderful photos via the internet tomorrow.
I finished reading Emergence, the latest C. J. Cherryh Foreigner series book. - And I want another new one, immediately, as usual. Last night I finished reading the latest Pendergast novel, City of Endless Night, by Preston and Child - and I want another new book in that series, too. I'm starting to re-read all the Pendergast novels, in order, again.
And - just to be silly - Enlighten yourself! Go read a new book!
Monday, January 22, 2018
Snow and Cats
Yesterday began with freezing rain, which turned into snow. About eight inches of it fell over 14 hours - light, dry stuff, so it was easy to sweep off the balcony. But since it had rained first, there was a coating of ice under all the snow, which made clearing off the car and driving quite interesting. I drove slow and steady, and watched as other car fish-tailed all over the place. Had to go out twice yeaterday, taking cae of Pip and Squeak. The second time out, another four inches of snow had fallen, but since I had cleared the car earlier, it was a cinch to brush off.
It was 21 degrees when I went out this morning, but no car cleaning was necessary. Squeak, however, saw a sparrow on the far side of the koi pond as I opened the door, and ran outside. After proceeding about ten feet, she realized that snow was up to her belly, and she ran back inside. Pip sat demurely by the open door during her sister's little run.
Beatrice pulled an extremely soft and bright-colored afghan from her closet yesterday, and made it an offering to the cats. Lovey claimed it immediately. She's curled up on it right now, sleeping in the living room, instead of curled up on my bed. Nedi, too, is asleep in the cat tree in the living room. That's pretty unusual. Normally, they are both here in my bed, when I'm working on the PC in the morning....
A light breeze is picking up, and I'm watching the branches of the fir trees dump their burdens of snow, and spring back into an upright position. Sometimes the dropping snow startles sparrows and finches that have taken refuge near the tree bole, and they come blasting out to see what's happening before going back into cover...
Day three of the government shut-down. I think it will take a few days for both sides to agree to something... We'll see.
It was 21 degrees when I went out this morning, but no car cleaning was necessary. Squeak, however, saw a sparrow on the far side of the koi pond as I opened the door, and ran outside. After proceeding about ten feet, she realized that snow was up to her belly, and she ran back inside. Pip sat demurely by the open door during her sister's little run.
Beatrice pulled an extremely soft and bright-colored afghan from her closet yesterday, and made it an offering to the cats. Lovey claimed it immediately. She's curled up on it right now, sleeping in the living room, instead of curled up on my bed. Nedi, too, is asleep in the cat tree in the living room. That's pretty unusual. Normally, they are both here in my bed, when I'm working on the PC in the morning....
A light breeze is picking up, and I'm watching the branches of the fir trees dump their burdens of snow, and spring back into an upright position. Sometimes the dropping snow startles sparrows and finches that have taken refuge near the tree bole, and they come blasting out to see what's happening before going back into cover...
Day three of the government shut-down. I think it will take a few days for both sides to agree to something... We'll see.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Cold
Sitting here, at my computer desk, looking out the west facing window, I just saw a raven land on top of the telephone pole, arch his neck and vocalize. He "cawed" four times, with four separate plumes of breath steam ejecting from his mouth with each call. - The temperature has climbed up to 7 degrees (F), from the 4 degrees it was when I first went out this morning. Very high thin clouds, with plenty of sunshine out there - but, brrrrrr! The gigantic thermometer on the shed at Pip and Squeak's house read 4 when I was getting fresh kitty litter in for them at 7:30 today.
Had scrambled eggs, potato chunks and bacon for breakfast, after taking care of the black girls; the topped off the bird feeders and put almonds out for the squirrels, jays and ravens. I had picked up a hard cover trilogy of books by Andre Norton a while ago, at the used book store. I started reading the first novel, and I was almost finished when I realized I had last (and first) read the book when I was in 7th grade - that was the 1968-69 school year. (Yikes!)
I'm going to make meatballs in marinara sauce this afternoon. I have all the ingredients and I'll heat up the crockpot and let things simmer until supper time. Looking forward to dinner!
Had scrambled eggs, potato chunks and bacon for breakfast, after taking care of the black girls; the topped off the bird feeders and put almonds out for the squirrels, jays and ravens. I had picked up a hard cover trilogy of books by Andre Norton a while ago, at the used book store. I started reading the first novel, and I was almost finished when I realized I had last (and first) read the book when I was in 7th grade - that was the 1968-69 school year. (Yikes!)
I'm going to make meatballs in marinara sauce this afternoon. I have all the ingredients and I'll heat up the crockpot and let things simmer until supper time. Looking forward to dinner!
Friday, July 21, 2017
This & That, Here and There
I had a wonderful time yesterday, as a large flock of magpies descended upon our two bird feeders and the next door restaurant's trash dumpster. It was very noisy because there were quite a few juvenile fledglings out with parents - and they kept following their folks around,fluttering their wings and begging to be fed. The majority of adults just kept looking at the youngsters, trying to show them how to feed themselves, but a few gave up and fed their babies... After ten solid minutes of importuning, you could almost see shoulders shrug above wings as some parents gave in. Having spent 45 minutes here, there was a sudden whoosh of air as they all left together and headed for another meal station. It was a nice experience.
Pony Penning, the 92nd annual one, held by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, will begin tomorrow with the Round-Up of the southern herds. Sunday the northern herds will be gathered, and, at dawn on Monday, the northern ponies will walk down the beach to the southern holding pens. Monday and Tuesday the ponies will be evaluated by the veterinarians and any needed treatments will be given. Older mares, like Unci, and very pregnant mares, as well as new babies and their moms will be trailered over to the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague. Wednesday morning, at slack tide (early in the morning this year), the ponies will swim from Assateague to Chincoteague. After a short rest, they will parade up Main Street to the Carnival Grounds. Thursday morning the foals will be auctioned off. Friday the remaining ponies will swim back to Assateague. (My mind and heart is already there.)
The President gave a very long and very disjointed interview to The New York Times and it was released Wednesday afternoon. He talked about how intelligent he is; stated that French President Emmanuel Macron likes to hold his hand; stated he would never have appointed Jeff Sessions to the position of Attorney General if he had known that Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation; stated that Special Investigator Robert Mueller had better not investigate his family's tax returns; and said that anyone would have accepted and attended the 9 June 2016 meeting to get dirt on a political opponent, no matter who was offering it. He also stated that he was talking to Vladimir Putin at the G20 dinner for less than 15 minutes, not an hour; and that they were discussing Russian adoptions - something "close to" his "heart" - which means they were discussing sanctions, because the Russian adoption issue is tied up in the Magnitsky Act, which sets Russian sanctions.
We knew that Senator John McCain had gone to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for the removal of a blood clot above his left eye. Wednesday night it was revealed that the blood clot was tied to a cancerous glioblastoma tumor in his brain. His doctors say they think they removed most of it. Glioblastomas attack the central nervous system and grow at an alarming rate, spreading tentacles throughout brain tissue. I wish this war hero well. - And I wonder if this tumor might have been partly to blame for his odd questioning of James Comey on 8 June in front of the Intelligence Committee.
Gee - the US Treasury Department has decided that the Exxon Oil Company, while under the leadership of CEO Rex Tillerson (now the US Secretary of State), ignored US sanctions against Russia in 2014, when it entered into a joint venture with Russia's Rosneft. The Treasury Department slapped the world's largest publicly traded oil producer with a $2 million fine for "reckless disregard" of US sanctions. Yesterday, Exxon Mobil Corporation sued the US government, calling the fine "unlawful" and "capricious." Please note that a $2 million fine is barely a slap on the wrist to Exxon, which declared a profit of $7.84 billion last year....
Russia is planning war games in September in the country of Belarus. US allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine are worried that the games may be a "Trojan Horse" aimed at leaving Russian military equipment behind for later use. Russia has sought to reassure NATO that the military exercises will respect international limits on size, but NATO and US officials remain wary about the war games' scale and scope.
It was also reported last night that the 45th President has been asking his law team questions regarding Presidential Pardons - for his family, his friends, and for himself. Now, if he and his family and friends are absolutely innocent of collusion with Russian regarding the 2016 Presidential election, and if none of them have any ties with Russia, as the person keeps claiming, why is he interested in Presidential Pardons? This idiotic Pricktator is such a buffoon!!!! - And I still find it frightening and sickening that he is the so-called Leader of Our Country.... May the Gods help all of us!!!
Pony Penning, the 92nd annual one, held by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, will begin tomorrow with the Round-Up of the southern herds. Sunday the northern herds will be gathered, and, at dawn on Monday, the northern ponies will walk down the beach to the southern holding pens. Monday and Tuesday the ponies will be evaluated by the veterinarians and any needed treatments will be given. Older mares, like Unci, and very pregnant mares, as well as new babies and their moms will be trailered over to the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague. Wednesday morning, at slack tide (early in the morning this year), the ponies will swim from Assateague to Chincoteague. After a short rest, they will parade up Main Street to the Carnival Grounds. Thursday morning the foals will be auctioned off. Friday the remaining ponies will swim back to Assateague. (My mind and heart is already there.)
The President gave a very long and very disjointed interview to The New York Times and it was released Wednesday afternoon. He talked about how intelligent he is; stated that French President Emmanuel Macron likes to hold his hand; stated he would never have appointed Jeff Sessions to the position of Attorney General if he had known that Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation; stated that Special Investigator Robert Mueller had better not investigate his family's tax returns; and said that anyone would have accepted and attended the 9 June 2016 meeting to get dirt on a political opponent, no matter who was offering it. He also stated that he was talking to Vladimir Putin at the G20 dinner for less than 15 minutes, not an hour; and that they were discussing Russian adoptions - something "close to" his "heart" - which means they were discussing sanctions, because the Russian adoption issue is tied up in the Magnitsky Act, which sets Russian sanctions.
We knew that Senator John McCain had gone to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for the removal of a blood clot above his left eye. Wednesday night it was revealed that the blood clot was tied to a cancerous glioblastoma tumor in his brain. His doctors say they think they removed most of it. Glioblastomas attack the central nervous system and grow at an alarming rate, spreading tentacles throughout brain tissue. I wish this war hero well. - And I wonder if this tumor might have been partly to blame for his odd questioning of James Comey on 8 June in front of the Intelligence Committee.
Gee - the US Treasury Department has decided that the Exxon Oil Company, while under the leadership of CEO Rex Tillerson (now the US Secretary of State), ignored US sanctions against Russia in 2014, when it entered into a joint venture with Russia's Rosneft. The Treasury Department slapped the world's largest publicly traded oil producer with a $2 million fine for "reckless disregard" of US sanctions. Yesterday, Exxon Mobil Corporation sued the US government, calling the fine "unlawful" and "capricious." Please note that a $2 million fine is barely a slap on the wrist to Exxon, which declared a profit of $7.84 billion last year....
Russia is planning war games in September in the country of Belarus. US allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine are worried that the games may be a "Trojan Horse" aimed at leaving Russian military equipment behind for later use. Russia has sought to reassure NATO that the military exercises will respect international limits on size, but NATO and US officials remain wary about the war games' scale and scope.
It was also reported last night that the 45th President has been asking his law team questions regarding Presidential Pardons - for his family, his friends, and for himself. Now, if he and his family and friends are absolutely innocent of collusion with Russian regarding the 2016 Presidential election, and if none of them have any ties with Russia, as the person keeps claiming, why is he interested in Presidential Pardons? This idiotic Pricktator is such a buffoon!!!! - And I still find it frightening and sickening that he is the so-called Leader of Our Country.... May the Gods help all of us!!!
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Assateague Island Scenes
A black-crowned night heron - known on Chincoteague as a "wop"
Believe it or not, Whisper of a Living Legend has already had her baby this year...
getting up from a nap
Cattle egret with a snack
Filly born to Surf Queen and Hoppy on 26 June
(The photo above and the one below were taken by DSC Photography)
Ace's Black Tie Affair - due to the mud, you can't see both hind stockings above his hocks
Assateague sunrise
A royal tern
Assateague full moon rising
(l to r) May's Grand Slam threatens 15 Friends of Freckles, while Dreamer's Gift
tries to get out of the way (which makes her look like she's falling over)
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Monday, June 5, 2017
Bits and Pieces
We have flocks of birds visiting the feeders, and Bertrando, the squirrel, is sprawled flat across the top of the telephone pole, soaking up the sun. The skies are blue, with a few high clouds, but the view of the Flatirons, less than 1.5 miles away, is already hazy. I changed my hair color yesterday - it is now a deep burgundy, with purple highlights. I'll keep it this color through the summer, and then go back to being a grey, almost totally white, haired old lady again.
It looks like a very interesting field building up for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday - Patch, the one-eyed horse; Tapwrit, Lookin At Lee, Epicharis, Irish War Cry, Hollywood Handsome, J Boys Echo, Senior Investment, and, possibly, Gormley. The post position draw will be held Wednesday.
One of my client's said she'd be staying at home this summer - she told me that in mid-May. I dropped her off at the airport the third week of May, and picked her up the last week of May; then she flew out on 1 June, and back yesterday. I'll take her to the airport on Friday, and she says she thinks she'll be back around the 24th of June... Of course, it isn't "really" summer until June 21 - but I always think of summer as June, July, and August... I'll have to see what happens in later months. The client's gentleman friend, who is also a client, left on 31 May and returns 7 June, only to leave again on 9 June, with his lady friend. I know he has to be in California in late June - but don't know when he'll return from the 9 June trip. Gotta say that this job is always interesting, and never the same any day! The first client's daughter, who is currently living with her Mom, will be going to a wedding the last weekend of June - and I have been asked to care for the family house and critters for that weekend - but the Mom said she'd be back then - but that's the weekend the gentleman leaves for California - I'll just have to wait and see what happens....
Beatrice, my roommate, is African-American. Her maternal grandmother was a Louisiana Creole named Annie DeClouette. I'm working on her family tree, since we've received her DNA results from 23andMe. I've been able to trace her DeClouette line back the Governor of Bienvienido, Cuba in the 1700s. Her paternal line I have been able to trace back to a slave named Priest Trickles, who was born in South Carolina in 1820. We're heading down to the African-American History Library in Denver today to do more research...
Foals are popping out all over the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island. Although we have lost two of the babies, 51 have been born so far (as of yesterday evening, anyway). The latest was a chestnut pinto sired by Hoppy, and out of Carol's Little Freedom. Thetis and Wild Thing's bay pinto colt (born May 14) is as bold as brass - and bugles challenges to the tour boats full of tourists. He certainly give pony lovers' their money's worth! I also double-checked with the intrepid photography couple, Steve and Darcy Cole, who told me that my buy-back filly, Surfer Princess, has apparently settled into Tornado Legacy's herd. Her previous best buddy, Badabing, is now content with Ajax.
My heart goes out to the people of England - first the vehicular attack outside of Parliament, then the suicide bombing outside the concert in Manchester two weeks ago, and now the vehicular attack on London Bridge with three men then going on a stabbing rampage. Most of my ancestors were from England, and I love that small strong country dearly. London is one of my favorite cities to visit and explore. As the old World War signs stated, "Keep calm and carry on," is the country's mantra - and it's perfect in these times of escalating terrorism.
And, again, the current President of the United States is a complete and total asshole.
It looks like a very interesting field building up for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday - Patch, the one-eyed horse; Tapwrit, Lookin At Lee, Epicharis, Irish War Cry, Hollywood Handsome, J Boys Echo, Senior Investment, and, possibly, Gormley. The post position draw will be held Wednesday.
One of my client's said she'd be staying at home this summer - she told me that in mid-May. I dropped her off at the airport the third week of May, and picked her up the last week of May; then she flew out on 1 June, and back yesterday. I'll take her to the airport on Friday, and she says she thinks she'll be back around the 24th of June... Of course, it isn't "really" summer until June 21 - but I always think of summer as June, July, and August... I'll have to see what happens in later months. The client's gentleman friend, who is also a client, left on 31 May and returns 7 June, only to leave again on 9 June, with his lady friend. I know he has to be in California in late June - but don't know when he'll return from the 9 June trip. Gotta say that this job is always interesting, and never the same any day! The first client's daughter, who is currently living with her Mom, will be going to a wedding the last weekend of June - and I have been asked to care for the family house and critters for that weekend - but the Mom said she'd be back then - but that's the weekend the gentleman leaves for California - I'll just have to wait and see what happens....
Beatrice, my roommate, is African-American. Her maternal grandmother was a Louisiana Creole named Annie DeClouette. I'm working on her family tree, since we've received her DNA results from 23andMe. I've been able to trace her DeClouette line back the Governor of Bienvienido, Cuba in the 1700s. Her paternal line I have been able to trace back to a slave named Priest Trickles, who was born in South Carolina in 1820. We're heading down to the African-American History Library in Denver today to do more research...
Foals are popping out all over the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island. Although we have lost two of the babies, 51 have been born so far (as of yesterday evening, anyway). The latest was a chestnut pinto sired by Hoppy, and out of Carol's Little Freedom. Thetis and Wild Thing's bay pinto colt (born May 14) is as bold as brass - and bugles challenges to the tour boats full of tourists. He certainly give pony lovers' their money's worth! I also double-checked with the intrepid photography couple, Steve and Darcy Cole, who told me that my buy-back filly, Surfer Princess, has apparently settled into Tornado Legacy's herd. Her previous best buddy, Badabing, is now content with Ajax.
My heart goes out to the people of England - first the vehicular attack outside of Parliament, then the suicide bombing outside the concert in Manchester two weeks ago, and now the vehicular attack on London Bridge with three men then going on a stabbing rampage. Most of my ancestors were from England, and I love that small strong country dearly. London is one of my favorite cities to visit and explore. As the old World War signs stated, "Keep calm and carry on," is the country's mantra - and it's perfect in these times of escalating terrorism.
And, again, the current President of the United States is a complete and total asshole.
Thursday, June 1, 2017
This and That...
The bunnies are multiplying! I know that's what they do, but this morning I stepped out and counted 16 baby rabbits the size of my fist playing and eating on the lawn. They are so very cute...
I played the mean old lady this afternoon - the birds near our feeders sounded quite agitated and were darting around as if something was wrong. I stepped onto the balcony and spied a girl, about 8 to 10 years old, wielding a butterfly net, and trying to catch the sparrows and finches. I said, "Excuse me," and she stopped and looked up. I said, "Stop chasing the birds with your net. Catch butterflies or insects with it, but stop trying to catch birds." She was still staring into my eyes, and after a few seconds, said, "What?" I again said, "Stop chasing the birds with your net. If you catch one, it will die, and you will have killed something wild." She said, "But they keep putting food in the feeders so I can play with the birds...." I asked, "Who are 'they'?" She said, "Whoever feeds the birds." So I told her that I had purchased the feeders; I bought the seeds, nuts and berries; I kept the feeders full, using my personal income; and I did not do it so the girl could terrorize the birds while they were eating and trying to feed their babies. She told me she liked to do it. I told her to buy her own feeders and keep them filled, and then she could chase the birds at her feeders all she wanted. She kept staring at me, and finally walked away very slowly...... So I've kept checking the feeders since then.
Forty-seven new foals on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge at last count.
And the winners of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes will not compete in the Belmont Stakes on 10 June. Other horses who raced in both races will return, along with a few newcomers.
Finally: I have been watching in disbelief as the new Presidency has been bringing wreckage and ruin to our nation. The man occupying the President's office was not elected by a majority of Americans - he lost by more than 3 million votes in the popular election. Then the Electoral College failed to do it's duty and sent this joke on to the Oval Office. After making the United States of America a laughing stock throughout the world with blunder after blunder, after being a boorish bully with NATO, after the Pope called him fat, after the Saudis praised him - after a $110 billion arms deal - and then traveling to Israel and saying that he'd just returned from the Middle East, the orange idiot has declared that the United States is "withdrawing" from the Paris Accord on Climate Change. This person does NOT represent me in any way, shape or form. He, and all of his administration, including his dear family, need to be impeached, tried, and incarcerated. He totally disgusts me.
I played the mean old lady this afternoon - the birds near our feeders sounded quite agitated and were darting around as if something was wrong. I stepped onto the balcony and spied a girl, about 8 to 10 years old, wielding a butterfly net, and trying to catch the sparrows and finches. I said, "Excuse me," and she stopped and looked up. I said, "Stop chasing the birds with your net. Catch butterflies or insects with it, but stop trying to catch birds." She was still staring into my eyes, and after a few seconds, said, "What?" I again said, "Stop chasing the birds with your net. If you catch one, it will die, and you will have killed something wild." She said, "But they keep putting food in the feeders so I can play with the birds...." I asked, "Who are 'they'?" She said, "Whoever feeds the birds." So I told her that I had purchased the feeders; I bought the seeds, nuts and berries; I kept the feeders full, using my personal income; and I did not do it so the girl could terrorize the birds while they were eating and trying to feed their babies. She told me she liked to do it. I told her to buy her own feeders and keep them filled, and then she could chase the birds at her feeders all she wanted. She kept staring at me, and finally walked away very slowly...... So I've kept checking the feeders since then.
Forty-seven new foals on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge at last count.
And the winners of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes will not compete in the Belmont Stakes on 10 June. Other horses who raced in both races will return, along with a few newcomers.
Finally: I have been watching in disbelief as the new Presidency has been bringing wreckage and ruin to our nation. The man occupying the President's office was not elected by a majority of Americans - he lost by more than 3 million votes in the popular election. Then the Electoral College failed to do it's duty and sent this joke on to the Oval Office. After making the United States of America a laughing stock throughout the world with blunder after blunder, after being a boorish bully with NATO, after the Pope called him fat, after the Saudis praised him - after a $110 billion arms deal - and then traveling to Israel and saying that he'd just returned from the Middle East, the orange idiot has declared that the United States is "withdrawing" from the Paris Accord on Climate Change. This person does NOT represent me in any way, shape or form. He, and all of his administration, including his dear family, need to be impeached, tried, and incarcerated. He totally disgusts me.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Bits and Pieces
It's nearly noon on Wednesday and the parking lot is almost dry after we had 8.2 inches of snow fall in the last 24 hours. The sun is shining brightly, and the temperature is up to 45 degrees (F). I had to scrape 2 inches of frozen ice and snow off the windshield this morning to head for the library, bank, and grocery store, but it came off easily. I am so lucky that Donn loans me his vehicle while he's in California, Texas and/or Mexico. It's pretty nice to have a 4-year-old SUV - a VW Touareg - to get my stuff done in - and all I have to do is pay for the fuel I use, and, occasionally, replace the wiper blades... Donn takes care of everything else, and recently he's been gone for stretches of 4 weeks at a time. Unfortunately, I am getting very used to having the convenience of a car at my disposal.
Our raven family hadn't visited the dumpsters next door for three or four weeks, and we were getting worried about them. They returned this morning and had good breakfasts from Chez Thuy... Beatrice and I went to Sam's Club and stocked up on nuts, so Bertrando and his gang of squirrels won't go hungry. And the finches and sparrows are having a ball at the tree feeders, along with the small feeder and water bowl on the balcony.
It's normal Colorado weather, but it seems really strange to have 8 inches of snow on Tuesday, then temperatures in the 60s and 70s Thursday through Saturday. We're both getting tired of Boulder, so we'll probably take a day trip out and about - either over the Divide, down south to Manitou Springs, or out to the eastern plains - we need a change of scene. I'd like to go to Grand Junction, Hanging Lake and Steamboat Springs - but right now we'd have to take I-70 west, and I'd rather not do that, which means waiting until June or so.
Beatrice and I are going to a Town Hall Meeting with Jared Polis, our Representative in the House on Friday evening. We have to get there 30 minutes before it begins to get through security - but at least it's nearby, on the CU Campus. I'm not sure whether either of us will speak, but we are attending. I loved seeing the news headlines this morning that Bannon is off the National Security Council. That bigot had no reason to be on the council in the first place - and I laughed hysterically when a source said that he'd been placed there by 45 to "watch over Mike Flynn's dealings." As if that did any good...
We ate at the Cheesecake Factory on Monday night - was stuffed to the gills, and brought home enough for two more meals... Delicious!
And - if you're in New York, or nearby, please go see a play that will open on Broadway, in the Cort Theatre, on April 18. The play is titled Indecent - and it's an incredible musical ... I give it a High Five in voting ranks!!! Go - see it - you will never regret it!
Our raven family hadn't visited the dumpsters next door for three or four weeks, and we were getting worried about them. They returned this morning and had good breakfasts from Chez Thuy... Beatrice and I went to Sam's Club and stocked up on nuts, so Bertrando and his gang of squirrels won't go hungry. And the finches and sparrows are having a ball at the tree feeders, along with the small feeder and water bowl on the balcony.
It's normal Colorado weather, but it seems really strange to have 8 inches of snow on Tuesday, then temperatures in the 60s and 70s Thursday through Saturday. We're both getting tired of Boulder, so we'll probably take a day trip out and about - either over the Divide, down south to Manitou Springs, or out to the eastern plains - we need a change of scene. I'd like to go to Grand Junction, Hanging Lake and Steamboat Springs - but right now we'd have to take I-70 west, and I'd rather not do that, which means waiting until June or so.
Beatrice and I are going to a Town Hall Meeting with Jared Polis, our Representative in the House on Friday evening. We have to get there 30 minutes before it begins to get through security - but at least it's nearby, on the CU Campus. I'm not sure whether either of us will speak, but we are attending. I loved seeing the news headlines this morning that Bannon is off the National Security Council. That bigot had no reason to be on the council in the first place - and I laughed hysterically when a source said that he'd been placed there by 45 to "watch over Mike Flynn's dealings." As if that did any good...
We ate at the Cheesecake Factory on Monday night - was stuffed to the gills, and brought home enough for two more meals... Delicious!
And - if you're in New York, or nearby, please go see a play that will open on Broadway, in the Cort Theatre, on April 18. The play is titled Indecent - and it's an incredible musical ... I give it a High Five in voting ranks!!! Go - see it - you will never regret it!
Monday, April 3, 2017
More Stuff...
In the Kentucky Derby picture, El Areeb is out of contention, coming back from a breeze with a bone chip in his knee. Always Dreaming won the Florida Derby this past weekend and Girvin won the Louisiana Derby. Next Saturday will see the Grand National Steeplechase run at Aintree - there are currently about 50 active entries, any of which can be scratched by the trainer up to the start of the race. No more than 40 horses are allowed to start in the Grand National.
We've had some rain and a little drought relief this past week. Forecasters are claiming we'll get snow tonight, again. There's a big westerly breeze that is drying, but it looks as if it's bringing clouds up to the mountain tops. We might have rain, or snow... I'll just wait and see as always. The Forecasters were very serious when they said we'd have 5 to 8 inches of snow fall Thursday and Friday, but all we had was a light rain.
Still missing the lady Rose. My next pet appointment is on the 14th - walking Nicodemus and Emmett, and then again on the 17th. Seems very odd not to have walking duties daily... I could accept an offer from a couple in the same neighborhood - they have three Anatolian Shepherds, a Golden Retriever, and a wolf-German Shepherd mix. The Golden is the smallest, at 60 pounds; the youngest Anatolian is 7 months old and weighs 75 pounds so far. The others range in weight from 110 to 135 pounds. - And when I walk two of them together, the sidewalks and pathways clear out - it seems like I'm walking two great white sharks... But the owners gave me incorrect dates a few years ago, and while the dogs did receive care from me, it wasn't the full-time care the owner expected. She gave me a date that was 3 days off from the correct date, and when I noticed the family hadn't returned, I continued to feed, water, and walk all of them - but I wasn't staying in the house. They were not nice about it, even when I produced their original e-mails regarding dates and times.... So I'm not sure I really want to get involved with them again.
We have placed a rather light-weight bird feeder on top of the coffee table on the balcony, and placed a small water bowl for the birds as well. The cats can only go out under supervision, so we won't have any calamities. But they are so cute when there is a flock of finches and sparrows on the balcony, eating and drinking (and occasionally bathing), and the kits are curled up with their noses against the glass and they are making their instinctive chittering sounds... Love my kits, but love the birds, too!
The third Chincoteague pony foal born this year - a little boy I named Lost Tide - didn't survive. He was born on the 27th and died on the 31st of March. He was originally ignored by his first-time Mom, but then they were placed together in a box stall with a small paddock. He seemed to be doing well, they were bonding, and he was nursing. He laid down for a nap Friday afternoon and didn't wake up. A filly was born on the 27th, also, I call her The Swan - Mom is Little Duckie and Dad is Legacy. Then Splash of Freckles had a buckskin pinto filly on April Fools' Day - the fourth foal so far for Legacy... So he's sired three girls and a boy so far this year. Riptide has only had the one colt (so far this year) who didn't survive.
We've had some rain and a little drought relief this past week. Forecasters are claiming we'll get snow tonight, again. There's a big westerly breeze that is drying, but it looks as if it's bringing clouds up to the mountain tops. We might have rain, or snow... I'll just wait and see as always. The Forecasters were very serious when they said we'd have 5 to 8 inches of snow fall Thursday and Friday, but all we had was a light rain.
Still missing the lady Rose. My next pet appointment is on the 14th - walking Nicodemus and Emmett, and then again on the 17th. Seems very odd not to have walking duties daily... I could accept an offer from a couple in the same neighborhood - they have three Anatolian Shepherds, a Golden Retriever, and a wolf-German Shepherd mix. The Golden is the smallest, at 60 pounds; the youngest Anatolian is 7 months old and weighs 75 pounds so far. The others range in weight from 110 to 135 pounds. - And when I walk two of them together, the sidewalks and pathways clear out - it seems like I'm walking two great white sharks... But the owners gave me incorrect dates a few years ago, and while the dogs did receive care from me, it wasn't the full-time care the owner expected. She gave me a date that was 3 days off from the correct date, and when I noticed the family hadn't returned, I continued to feed, water, and walk all of them - but I wasn't staying in the house. They were not nice about it, even when I produced their original e-mails regarding dates and times.... So I'm not sure I really want to get involved with them again.
We have placed a rather light-weight bird feeder on top of the coffee table on the balcony, and placed a small water bowl for the birds as well. The cats can only go out under supervision, so we won't have any calamities. But they are so cute when there is a flock of finches and sparrows on the balcony, eating and drinking (and occasionally bathing), and the kits are curled up with their noses against the glass and they are making their instinctive chittering sounds... Love my kits, but love the birds, too!
The third Chincoteague pony foal born this year - a little boy I named Lost Tide - didn't survive. He was born on the 27th and died on the 31st of March. He was originally ignored by his first-time Mom, but then they were placed together in a box stall with a small paddock. He seemed to be doing well, they were bonding, and he was nursing. He laid down for a nap Friday afternoon and didn't wake up. A filly was born on the 27th, also, I call her The Swan - Mom is Little Duckie and Dad is Legacy. Then Splash of Freckles had a buckskin pinto filly on April Fools' Day - the fourth foal so far for Legacy... So he's sired three girls and a boy so far this year. Riptide has only had the one colt (so far this year) who didn't survive.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
The Chesapeake Bay - Part 2
I remember, as a child, riding the ferry across the Chesapeake Bay on our way to Chincoteague. When I was born, my father was in the US Navy, and we were stationed at Oceana, Virginia; then at Millington, Tennessee, then Corpus Christi, Texas. Dad retired from the Navy on my fifth birthday, and we moved to Gainesville, Florida. Anytime we visited Mom's home town, which was usually once or twice each year, we took the ferry from Norfolk to Cape Charles, Virginia. That happened until 1964, when I was 8 years old; in April of that year, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opened. I was astonished that you could drive both over and under Chesapeake Bay and did not have to take the ferry. I can even tell you that we crossed the Bridge-Tunnel in my Uncle's brand new Jeep Wagoneer - my sister, Mom, and I in the back seat, and Aunt Ruth in the front passenger seat, with Uncle Claude driving. I remember seagulls flying alongside the car, and how scared I was when we entered the first of two tunnels. Now, 52 years later, I enjoy the scents of the salt water and the rhythmic beat of the tires across the joined slabs of the road bed - as well as the sight of the gulls flying beside the car. For me, the Chesapeake Bay has always meant that I was almost home...
The Chesapeake Bay is home to many fauna that either migrate to the area, or live there year round. There are over 300 species of fish and many shellfish and crab species. Some of these creatures include the Atlantic menhaden, the striped bass, the American eel, the eastern oyster, and the blue crab. Birds include ospreys, great blue herons, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons; the last two listed were threatened with extinction by DDT: their numbers plummeted, but have risen in recent years. The piping plover is a threatened species which inhabits the wetlands around the Bay.
Larger fish, like the Atlantic sturgeon, as well as several varieties of sharks, and stingrays visit the Chesapeake. The waters of Chesapeake Bay have long been regarded as one of the most important nursery areas for sharks along the east coast. Megafaunas like bull sharks, tiger sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, basking sharks, and manta rays are also known visitors. Bottlenose dolphins are also found in the Bay. The unconfirmed sightings of humpback whales seem to be proven, as four dead humpbacks have washed up recently along the Eastern Shore. The endangered North Atlantic right whale, as well as fin, minke, and sei whales have also been seen within and near the mouth of the Chesapeake. Loggerhead turtles are also known visitors in the Chesapeake.
The Bay is mostly known for its seafood production - especially blue crabs, clams and oysters. In the middle of the 20th century, the Bay supported 9,000 full-time watermen and their families. Today the Chesapeake is less productive than it used to be . This is due to runoff from urban areas along the western shore of the Bay, runoff from farms on the Eastern Shore and from the Susquehanna River watershed, over-harvesting of marine life, and the invasion of foreign species into the waters.
In the 19th century, the plentiful oyster harvests in the Chesapeake led to the development of the skipjack, the state boat of Maryland, which is the only remaining working boat type in the United States that is still under sail power. Other characteristic bay-area work boats include sail-powered boats such as the log canoe, the pungy, the bugeye, and the motorized Chesapeake Bay deadrise, the state boat of Virginia.
In contrast to harvesting the wild oyster, oyster farming is a growing industry in the Chesapeake Bay that helps maintain the estuary's productivity, as well as a natural effort for filtering the impurities, such as excess nutrients, from the water in an effort to reduce the effects of man-made pollution. The Chesapeake Bay Program is using oysters to reduce the amount of nitrogen compounds entering the Bay's waters. Oysters are hermaphroditic and will change gender at least once during their lifetime; they often begin life as a male, and end life as a female. There are numerous ways to cook and eat them (besides raw on the half-shell), as well as many recipes and sauces to accompany oyster dishes. According to Kendra Bailey Morris, of the National Public Radio in 2007, "The Chesapeake oyster - sometimes called Chesapeake white gold - has a flavor and texture that begs connoisseurs to come back and shuck just a few more."
The Chesapeake is also famous for its rockfish, a regional name for striped bass. Once on the verge of extinction, rockfish have made a significant comeback because of legislative action that placed a moratorium on rockfishing, which allowed the species to re-populate. Rockfish are now allowed to fished again, but only in strictly controlled and limited quantities.
Chincoteague Island, my maternal family home, was long famous for its oysters and clams. For many years, Campbell's Soup Company had an exclusive contract for the oysters and clams caught, or raised, in and around the island. For quite a few years only Chincoteague oysters and clams were used in Campbell's soup..... The island had problems with pollution, and our shellfish production took a huge dive. The waters are now cleaner, and our oysters and clams are being noticed again.
The Chesapeake Bay is home to many fauna that either migrate to the area, or live there year round. There are over 300 species of fish and many shellfish and crab species. Some of these creatures include the Atlantic menhaden, the striped bass, the American eel, the eastern oyster, and the blue crab. Birds include ospreys, great blue herons, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons; the last two listed were threatened with extinction by DDT: their numbers plummeted, but have risen in recent years. The piping plover is a threatened species which inhabits the wetlands around the Bay.
Larger fish, like the Atlantic sturgeon, as well as several varieties of sharks, and stingrays visit the Chesapeake. The waters of Chesapeake Bay have long been regarded as one of the most important nursery areas for sharks along the east coast. Megafaunas like bull sharks, tiger sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, basking sharks, and manta rays are also known visitors. Bottlenose dolphins are also found in the Bay. The unconfirmed sightings of humpback whales seem to be proven, as four dead humpbacks have washed up recently along the Eastern Shore. The endangered North Atlantic right whale, as well as fin, minke, and sei whales have also been seen within and near the mouth of the Chesapeake. Loggerhead turtles are also known visitors in the Chesapeake.
The Bay is mostly known for its seafood production - especially blue crabs, clams and oysters. In the middle of the 20th century, the Bay supported 9,000 full-time watermen and their families. Today the Chesapeake is less productive than it used to be . This is due to runoff from urban areas along the western shore of the Bay, runoff from farms on the Eastern Shore and from the Susquehanna River watershed, over-harvesting of marine life, and the invasion of foreign species into the waters.
In the 19th century, the plentiful oyster harvests in the Chesapeake led to the development of the skipjack, the state boat of Maryland, which is the only remaining working boat type in the United States that is still under sail power. Other characteristic bay-area work boats include sail-powered boats such as the log canoe, the pungy, the bugeye, and the motorized Chesapeake Bay deadrise, the state boat of Virginia.
In contrast to harvesting the wild oyster, oyster farming is a growing industry in the Chesapeake Bay that helps maintain the estuary's productivity, as well as a natural effort for filtering the impurities, such as excess nutrients, from the water in an effort to reduce the effects of man-made pollution. The Chesapeake Bay Program is using oysters to reduce the amount of nitrogen compounds entering the Bay's waters. Oysters are hermaphroditic and will change gender at least once during their lifetime; they often begin life as a male, and end life as a female. There are numerous ways to cook and eat them (besides raw on the half-shell), as well as many recipes and sauces to accompany oyster dishes. According to Kendra Bailey Morris, of the National Public Radio in 2007, "The Chesapeake oyster - sometimes called Chesapeake white gold - has a flavor and texture that begs connoisseurs to come back and shuck just a few more."
The Chesapeake is also famous for its rockfish, a regional name for striped bass. Once on the verge of extinction, rockfish have made a significant comeback because of legislative action that placed a moratorium on rockfishing, which allowed the species to re-populate. Rockfish are now allowed to fished again, but only in strictly controlled and limited quantities.
Chincoteague Island, my maternal family home, was long famous for its oysters and clams. For many years, Campbell's Soup Company had an exclusive contract for the oysters and clams caught, or raised, in and around the island. For quite a few years only Chincoteague oysters and clams were used in Campbell's soup..... The island had problems with pollution, and our shellfish production took a huge dive. The waters are now cleaner, and our oysters and clams are being noticed again.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Local Wildlife
Since I've been out early and late for the past week, I've been surprised at the amount of early morning wildlife I've encountered. It's been in the teens and single digits for temperatures overnight, so I really didn't expect to see a lot of critters out and about before sunrise. The number of birds, squirrels, rabbits and mule deer out and about was mind-boggling.
This morning, I was driving down a residential street - two driving lanes, and parking lanes on both sides - when I met a herd of mule deer does (no buck) who were strolling, shoulder to shoulder, lined up almost evenly, from curb to curb. I had to stop and wait for them to part and walk around the car before I could drive on.
The other morning, just as the first rays of light were spreading in the east, I stepped out of the car, closed the door, and heard the hoot of an owl. Looking around, I saw the pair of great horned owls that are usually in the neighborhood during the winter. Then I heard the "neeep, neeep" of several nut hatches, followed by the calls of chickadees. Then a flock of more than 20 magpies flew over, making comments. At the next house, I encountered several rufous-sided towhees, and a huge flock of sparrows.
The cottontail rabbits are still greatly in evidence. My brother-in-law was amazed to see the local bobcat stalk, attack, kill, and eat a rabbit in his back yard garden. The few times I've seen the foxes this fall and winter, they, too, have been chowing down on the surplus rabbits. The mink is spotted about once a week around the neighborhood, too.
One of our previous neighbors, who moved away, contacted me yesterday and told me that a friend of hers had purchased a home on Tamarack recently, and was very surprised to see the bobcat cross her yard two nights ago. Risa told Tracey about my Wildlife Watch newsletter, and Tracey wanted to be signed up. I contacted her last night, and added her to the e-mail group this morning. I hope she appreciates the area's natural wildlife as much as I do!
This morning, I was driving down a residential street - two driving lanes, and parking lanes on both sides - when I met a herd of mule deer does (no buck) who were strolling, shoulder to shoulder, lined up almost evenly, from curb to curb. I had to stop and wait for them to part and walk around the car before I could drive on.
The other morning, just as the first rays of light were spreading in the east, I stepped out of the car, closed the door, and heard the hoot of an owl. Looking around, I saw the pair of great horned owls that are usually in the neighborhood during the winter. Then I heard the "neeep, neeep" of several nut hatches, followed by the calls of chickadees. Then a flock of more than 20 magpies flew over, making comments. At the next house, I encountered several rufous-sided towhees, and a huge flock of sparrows.
The cottontail rabbits are still greatly in evidence. My brother-in-law was amazed to see the local bobcat stalk, attack, kill, and eat a rabbit in his back yard garden. The few times I've seen the foxes this fall and winter, they, too, have been chowing down on the surplus rabbits. The mink is spotted about once a week around the neighborhood, too.
One of our previous neighbors, who moved away, contacted me yesterday and told me that a friend of hers had purchased a home on Tamarack recently, and was very surprised to see the bobcat cross her yard two nights ago. Risa told Tracey about my Wildlife Watch newsletter, and Tracey wanted to be signed up. I contacted her last night, and added her to the e-mail group this morning. I hope she appreciates the area's natural wildlife as much as I do!
Monday, December 12, 2016
Nature With Rosie
Rosie and I had a "nature day" this past Friday. Just a quick reminder that Rosie is an elderly Irish Setter, who, at 14 + years, has out-lived her brother, her parents, and, as of last week, all four of her puppies. Rosie has problems walking these days - her hind legs have no feeling, thanks to a compressed spinal cord, but once she gets her feet under her, she can keep walking for miles. But - her left hind paw turns over as she walks, and she scrapes her toes raw, so we avoid walking her on asphalt and concrete surfaces these days.
Friday, it had gotten a little warmer after snowing, and the roads and sidewalks were snow-packed, so we walked to my sister's instead of driving. Her toes just slipped on the snow-pack, and didn't abrade, so we footed it. The amount of small wildlife we saw was amazing. Several bunnies were along the Garnet spur, and they all went dashing into burrows under a huge juniper bush. Rosie had to spend a lot of time investigating each and every path. When we turned onto Topaz, several squirrels chittered at us from one of Bernie's cottonwoods. As we approached the next home, we were greeted by an eight-point buck and six does. Rosie whined, but sat quietly and we watched them cross the street in front of us. We passed lots of small birds singing in the trees, and saw tracks of squirrels, a raccoon, and other dogs in the snow.
When we reached my sister's home, we went in by the Creek gate, and I took the leash off Rosie's harness. Her first item of business was following the trail of a single deer that had jumped the gate, and then gone diagonally across the back yard. The only areas clear of snow were right up against the line of firs trees along the irrigation ditch, so I set my chair up there. Rosie began playing "safari" - looking for lions and tigers and bears (oh, my!) under the drooping boughs, She spent about ten minutes doing her reconnaissance mission, and then felt it was safe enough to go wallow in a deep snow drift. After several back-scratching rolls and wiggles, she heaved a deep sigh, and came back beside me. She chose a sunny spot on the grass, and stretched out to absorb the sun's rays.
I sat in the chair and watched the sky, listened to birds, and thought about how nice my life is. (I was also hoping that it would stay this nice...) Looking at the sky, I noticed that the lowers clouds were racing from the west to the east, and I watched a jet's contrail get twisted into a double helix before it was totally blown away and apart. The higher, larger clouds were slowing moving to the northeast, and formed a darker backdrop for the lower, faster clouds.
I then noticed there were very few birds singing in the back yard, so I started scanning the boles of the firs. The fifth one I gazed at had a pair of great horned owls, a male and a larger female, near the top branches. On the other side of the yard, there was the usual gaggle of chickadees, sparrows, juncos, robins, and one rufous-sided towhee. Then a murder of crows flew over, followed by a few magpies... All in all, the normal sightings in the Githens Acres neighborhood.
Rosie and I walked back quietly - she was a little tired, and (I think) starting to get chilly. I kept on thinking about all of the creatures that I had been allowed to view. Got Rosie home, and she immediately curled up in her bed, so I threw her coverlet over her. Then I stepped back out the front door and had a squirrel greet me. Creatures in life are nice.
Friday, it had gotten a little warmer after snowing, and the roads and sidewalks were snow-packed, so we walked to my sister's instead of driving. Her toes just slipped on the snow-pack, and didn't abrade, so we footed it. The amount of small wildlife we saw was amazing. Several bunnies were along the Garnet spur, and they all went dashing into burrows under a huge juniper bush. Rosie had to spend a lot of time investigating each and every path. When we turned onto Topaz, several squirrels chittered at us from one of Bernie's cottonwoods. As we approached the next home, we were greeted by an eight-point buck and six does. Rosie whined, but sat quietly and we watched them cross the street in front of us. We passed lots of small birds singing in the trees, and saw tracks of squirrels, a raccoon, and other dogs in the snow.
When we reached my sister's home, we went in by the Creek gate, and I took the leash off Rosie's harness. Her first item of business was following the trail of a single deer that had jumped the gate, and then gone diagonally across the back yard. The only areas clear of snow were right up against the line of firs trees along the irrigation ditch, so I set my chair up there. Rosie began playing "safari" - looking for lions and tigers and bears (oh, my!) under the drooping boughs, She spent about ten minutes doing her reconnaissance mission, and then felt it was safe enough to go wallow in a deep snow drift. After several back-scratching rolls and wiggles, she heaved a deep sigh, and came back beside me. She chose a sunny spot on the grass, and stretched out to absorb the sun's rays.
I sat in the chair and watched the sky, listened to birds, and thought about how nice my life is. (I was also hoping that it would stay this nice...) Looking at the sky, I noticed that the lowers clouds were racing from the west to the east, and I watched a jet's contrail get twisted into a double helix before it was totally blown away and apart. The higher, larger clouds were slowing moving to the northeast, and formed a darker backdrop for the lower, faster clouds.
I then noticed there were very few birds singing in the back yard, so I started scanning the boles of the firs. The fifth one I gazed at had a pair of great horned owls, a male and a larger female, near the top branches. On the other side of the yard, there was the usual gaggle of chickadees, sparrows, juncos, robins, and one rufous-sided towhee. Then a murder of crows flew over, followed by a few magpies... All in all, the normal sightings in the Githens Acres neighborhood.
Rosie and I walked back quietly - she was a little tired, and (I think) starting to get chilly. I kept on thinking about all of the creatures that I had been allowed to view. Got Rosie home, and she immediately curled up in her bed, so I threw her coverlet over her. Then I stepped back out the front door and had a squirrel greet me. Creatures in life are nice.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
It IS Snowing
I stepped outside yesterday afternoon about 4 o'clock to take out the recycling and to check the mail. I was quite surprised to have two teeny-tiny snowflakes land on my glasses lens. It came down small and fine, almost like powdered sugar, at first - in 3 hours, it was big fluffy flakes falling. This morning, it's fine light flakes again. The newspaper says we had 5.1 inches fall overnight - and, of course, it's still coming down. - Right now, I'm looking at a red-shafted flicker eating mealyworm suet from the feeder in the backyard, at Lynn's house.
Seeing how light, fluffy, and fine the snow looked, I took the broom downstairs to the Touareg - swept 95% of the snow off in just a couple of minutes. A neighbor was trying to clear her car with her hands, so I loaned her the broom to get her going. The car started right up, and, as I had pulled the wipers away from the windows, I had no problems with them being stuck. Then again, it was so cold, there was no ice melt on the windows to worry about... Supposed to get up to 20 degrees (F) today, with a low tonight of -3. I'll be safe at home with my kits, when that occurs.
I had no problems getting from the apartment to Lynn's house, but I had to laugh when I arrived: the garage door was stuck mid-way up and down. Christine hadn't waited to be sure the door closed before exiting the driveway. I had to get out of the car, stoop under the door, and use the re-set button inside to get it to close, and then re-open, so I could drive the Touareg inside.
Lily met me at the laundry door, which was a surprise - but I guess she knew I was here to feed her. Opened the office door and Lyra, Cleo and Tessa popped out, in that order. I put Cleo and Tess out while I fed the cats breakfast, and made the dog's breakfast. "Made the dogs' breakfast" sounds funny, but Tess and Cleo both get assorted supplements added to their food. After the car crash, Tessa's kidney function test was a bit abnormal, and she's never been a big water drinker, so the vet suggested giving her turkey or chicken broth to drink. That's now mixed in her food, as well, and, of, course, Cleo has to have some, too.
Currently, Tessa is asleep in the entryway; Cleo is asleep on the radiant-heat tile floor behind me; Lily is upstairs on the bed; and Lyra is snuggled up in her petal bed in the top of the cat tree, watching the snow fall and the birds visit the three feeders.
My kits are home and have probably awakened Beatrice by now. I gave them a treat for their breakfast and they ate almost all of it. Nedi wanted to go out and play in the snow on the balcony, but I didn't open the door for him. He was giving me a hugely pleading look, but no mews, when I left to come here....
Supposed to stop snowing around noon (according to the weather folks) and then just keep getting colder. We'll see. I have a book to read, and can do genealogy work while I'm here. I promised Christine I'd stay until she returned from her planned trip and a stop back in at work. I won't be bored, with four critters, books, the internet, television, and the outside winter wonderland to keep me engaged!
Seeing how light, fluffy, and fine the snow looked, I took the broom downstairs to the Touareg - swept 95% of the snow off in just a couple of minutes. A neighbor was trying to clear her car with her hands, so I loaned her the broom to get her going. The car started right up, and, as I had pulled the wipers away from the windows, I had no problems with them being stuck. Then again, it was so cold, there was no ice melt on the windows to worry about... Supposed to get up to 20 degrees (F) today, with a low tonight of -3. I'll be safe at home with my kits, when that occurs.
I had no problems getting from the apartment to Lynn's house, but I had to laugh when I arrived: the garage door was stuck mid-way up and down. Christine hadn't waited to be sure the door closed before exiting the driveway. I had to get out of the car, stoop under the door, and use the re-set button inside to get it to close, and then re-open, so I could drive the Touareg inside.
Lily met me at the laundry door, which was a surprise - but I guess she knew I was here to feed her. Opened the office door and Lyra, Cleo and Tessa popped out, in that order. I put Cleo and Tess out while I fed the cats breakfast, and made the dog's breakfast. "Made the dogs' breakfast" sounds funny, but Tess and Cleo both get assorted supplements added to their food. After the car crash, Tessa's kidney function test was a bit abnormal, and she's never been a big water drinker, so the vet suggested giving her turkey or chicken broth to drink. That's now mixed in her food, as well, and, of, course, Cleo has to have some, too.
Currently, Tessa is asleep in the entryway; Cleo is asleep on the radiant-heat tile floor behind me; Lily is upstairs on the bed; and Lyra is snuggled up in her petal bed in the top of the cat tree, watching the snow fall and the birds visit the three feeders.
My kits are home and have probably awakened Beatrice by now. I gave them a treat for their breakfast and they ate almost all of it. Nedi wanted to go out and play in the snow on the balcony, but I didn't open the door for him. He was giving me a hugely pleading look, but no mews, when I left to come here....
Supposed to stop snowing around noon (according to the weather folks) and then just keep getting colder. We'll see. I have a book to read, and can do genealogy work while I'm here. I promised Christine I'd stay until she returned from her planned trip and a stop back in at work. I won't be bored, with four critters, books, the internet, television, and the outside winter wonderland to keep me engaged!
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Cold Colorado and Critters
I know that I have a strange brain, and that my thoughts leap from flash-point to flash-point, seemingly with no coherent reason. This morning, I took Rosie out for her potty break after sleeping the night away, as usual. The temperature was below freezing, and Rosie had to empty her bladder. It's pretty stupid, but I was amazed to watch the steam rise... I guess I'm still keeping my brain trained to remember winter in Florida and northern Virginia. I actually laughed aloud, which was very childish. Anyway, it's just more proof that my mind doesn't work normally.
It's 27 degrees outside at nearly 9 a.m., but the sun is shining brightly. The raven family has been visiting the restaurant dumpster, and are having a good time ripping the plastic bags open and getting large pieces of food out. Beatrice put out nuts for the squirrels last night, and Bertrando has been sunning on top of the telephone pole, while munching away on his breakfast. So far, it doesn't look like any birds have been attracted to the suet and seed feeder, and the Niger seed (thistle) also looks like it hasn't been touched. But the birds and the squirrels seem to be enjoying our offering of nuts, dried berries and hulled sunflower seeds in the large feeder. Perhaps when the forecast arctic blast arrives Monday night, the critters will feel the need for suet - we try to fulfill all the critters' needs.
I pulled the ivy and the honeysuckle inside on Thursday - the ivy seems happy whether it's inside or out, but the honeysuckle leaves had gone quite limp. They are now filled out and standing proudly from the stems again; I guess they're both in for the season now. And thank goodness I placed the honeysuckle pot on a wheeled base! We seem to move it around several times each day, and it weighs about 70 pounds...
We are finishing up our big grocery shopping spree today and tomorrow, and putting up our outside Christmas lights. We'll probably get a tree between the tenth and fourteenth, which means a trip to the basement to get the Christmas decorations out. But, then too, we need to take Nedi's scratching box down, so we'll have room to set up the tree... It all works out in the end!
It's 27 degrees outside at nearly 9 a.m., but the sun is shining brightly. The raven family has been visiting the restaurant dumpster, and are having a good time ripping the plastic bags open and getting large pieces of food out. Beatrice put out nuts for the squirrels last night, and Bertrando has been sunning on top of the telephone pole, while munching away on his breakfast. So far, it doesn't look like any birds have been attracted to the suet and seed feeder, and the Niger seed (thistle) also looks like it hasn't been touched. But the birds and the squirrels seem to be enjoying our offering of nuts, dried berries and hulled sunflower seeds in the large feeder. Perhaps when the forecast arctic blast arrives Monday night, the critters will feel the need for suet - we try to fulfill all the critters' needs.
I pulled the ivy and the honeysuckle inside on Thursday - the ivy seems happy whether it's inside or out, but the honeysuckle leaves had gone quite limp. They are now filled out and standing proudly from the stems again; I guess they're both in for the season now. And thank goodness I placed the honeysuckle pot on a wheeled base! We seem to move it around several times each day, and it weighs about 70 pounds...
We are finishing up our big grocery shopping spree today and tomorrow, and putting up our outside Christmas lights. We'll probably get a tree between the tenth and fourteenth, which means a trip to the basement to get the Christmas decorations out. But, then too, we need to take Nedi's scratching box down, so we'll have room to set up the tree... It all works out in the end!
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Puppy Attention
I'm watching Cleo and Tess play in the back yard while I write this. There are also a lot of birds at the feeders, and a few squirrels who dare to make runs under the dogs noses. The two cats are inside, and I'm surprised the gardener is not yet here. Martin usually arrives between 8:30 and 9 on Saturday mornings. Lily has been begging for love and affection since I arrived yesterday, and Lyra has been, also. Of course, Cleo, the puppy thinks that she should be the center of attention, and then there's Tess... It's hard to keep everyone happy when two sets of adults are away.
The sky is a beautiful clear blue, with no visible clouds. The temperature was 31 degrees (F) when I arose this morning, but has warmed up to 53 so far; the forecast high is 68. It's also eerily quiet outside today, other than the bird song and rustling of leaves. For once, it seems there are no baseball, soccer, or football games being played on the school grounds today - and there are no children screaming as they run around outside, either. Seems like the quiet before the storm, almost.
I want to get immersed in my family tree research, but I can't until Christina returns to take care of her critters again. Actually, I could, but I focus on my research so intently that I don't listen to the dogs, or think about their needs - which one cannot do with a young puppy in the house. I simply can't crate her for hours on end, and my other alternative is to allow her only in a tiled room with her toys and bed. That doesn't work too well, either. So I'm hoping that Christina will return tonight, or early tomorrow. It will depend on how much she misses Cleo, and whether or not she's having a good time with her friends from high school.
If I didn't have to worry about the puppy, I'd be totally involved in research right now, instead of blogging...
The sky is a beautiful clear blue, with no visible clouds. The temperature was 31 degrees (F) when I arose this morning, but has warmed up to 53 so far; the forecast high is 68. It's also eerily quiet outside today, other than the bird song and rustling of leaves. For once, it seems there are no baseball, soccer, or football games being played on the school grounds today - and there are no children screaming as they run around outside, either. Seems like the quiet before the storm, almost.
I want to get immersed in my family tree research, but I can't until Christina returns to take care of her critters again. Actually, I could, but I focus on my research so intently that I don't listen to the dogs, or think about their needs - which one cannot do with a young puppy in the house. I simply can't crate her for hours on end, and my other alternative is to allow her only in a tiled room with her toys and bed. That doesn't work too well, either. So I'm hoping that Christina will return tonight, or early tomorrow. It will depend on how much she misses Cleo, and whether or not she's having a good time with her friends from high school.
If I didn't have to worry about the puppy, I'd be totally involved in research right now, instead of blogging...
Monday, October 3, 2016
Critters and Rosie
I wish I could take a really good photo of the new moon and evening star hanging over Mount Sanitas right now... The sky is shades of blue with the black silhouette of the mountain below it, and a few small puffy grey clouds just above the ridge. It's gorgeous.
Our temperature got up to 78 degrees this afternoon, but a slight breeze that began at 11 this morning turned into a good wind this afternoon. It blew all of our balcony furniture over, and one of the glass pendants on one of the wind chimes was broken while beating against the balcony railing. It was so gusty outside that Nedi went outside, but stayed for less than 60 seconds before heading back in. The weather this morning was fantastic - wore shorts and a T shirt while out walking Rosie - and was extremely comfortable. The cottontail rabbits were chasing each other in weaving patterns from one side of the street to the other, and back again. I saw more than two dozen of the little critters this morning on my way to Rosie's house from the bus stop.
Once Rosie and I arrived in my sister's acre-sized back yard we saw even more rabbits, and frightened a young buck away from the apple tree closest to the patio. There were a few butterflies in the yard, and lots of small birds and squirrels darting about. Abruptly all the small birds fell silent, as a jay started a warning call. The squirrels flattened against the tree trunks. Suddenly there was a great deal of crashing sounds in the top of one of the cottonwoods - I looked up to see a pair of red tailed hawks "playing" in the tree tops and over the back yard. It was such fun to watch! One hawk landed on the smallest, top-most branch of one of the fir trees. The hawk was so large, and the twig so small, that the hawk had to keep adjusting its wings to the bobbing motion of the branch. And, it seemed to me, that as that bird was concentrating on keeping its balance, the second one deliberately flew into it, chest to chest. The bird on the branch fell backwards and had to do a loop-the-loop to get securely upright in the air. It seemed as if I was watching two brother fledglings trying to out-perform the other. After a 30 minute acrobatic air performance, they left the area, as a flock of magpies came in, screeching and clucking. The magpies "talked" in low murmurs most of the time, and the other small birds returned to the area. A few minutes later, the squirrels were all out, chattering to each other... It seemed magical. By that time, Rosie was ready to go have her brunch, so we headed back to her house for her meatballs and chicken breast.
Our temperature got up to 78 degrees this afternoon, but a slight breeze that began at 11 this morning turned into a good wind this afternoon. It blew all of our balcony furniture over, and one of the glass pendants on one of the wind chimes was broken while beating against the balcony railing. It was so gusty outside that Nedi went outside, but stayed for less than 60 seconds before heading back in. The weather this morning was fantastic - wore shorts and a T shirt while out walking Rosie - and was extremely comfortable. The cottontail rabbits were chasing each other in weaving patterns from one side of the street to the other, and back again. I saw more than two dozen of the little critters this morning on my way to Rosie's house from the bus stop.
Once Rosie and I arrived in my sister's acre-sized back yard we saw even more rabbits, and frightened a young buck away from the apple tree closest to the patio. There were a few butterflies in the yard, and lots of small birds and squirrels darting about. Abruptly all the small birds fell silent, as a jay started a warning call. The squirrels flattened against the tree trunks. Suddenly there was a great deal of crashing sounds in the top of one of the cottonwoods - I looked up to see a pair of red tailed hawks "playing" in the tree tops and over the back yard. It was such fun to watch! One hawk landed on the smallest, top-most branch of one of the fir trees. The hawk was so large, and the twig so small, that the hawk had to keep adjusting its wings to the bobbing motion of the branch. And, it seemed to me, that as that bird was concentrating on keeping its balance, the second one deliberately flew into it, chest to chest. The bird on the branch fell backwards and had to do a loop-the-loop to get securely upright in the air. It seemed as if I was watching two brother fledglings trying to out-perform the other. After a 30 minute acrobatic air performance, they left the area, as a flock of magpies came in, screeching and clucking. The magpies "talked" in low murmurs most of the time, and the other small birds returned to the area. A few minutes later, the squirrels were all out, chattering to each other... It seemed magical. By that time, Rosie was ready to go have her brunch, so we headed back to her house for her meatballs and chicken breast.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
My Sister's Backyard
My sister Kathy, and her husband Jim, have a large backyard. It's about an acre in size, has an narrow irrigation ditch running near the far fence line, and they have a garden plot, a raspberry patch, and a wide variety of trees. Several of the trees are cottonwoods, and there are elms, pines, a weeping willow, and a few apple trees. The apple trees are a remnant of the apple orchard that stood where the neighborhood was built, and the irrigation ditch was also a part of the orchard.
I've spent a little over two hours a day for the past three days in that backyard. The first hour with Rosie, the elderly Irish Setter, and the second hour with Emmett and Nicodemus, two Jack Russell terriers. The first hour with Rosie is always quiet and contemplative - her "walk" is really a short stroll two ways to my sister's yard, just for a change of scenery for Rosie. We usually see several neighbors along the way, and also greet other dogs and dog-walkers - Rosie is very social, but no longer has great stamina, due to her age (14). Once we reach my sister's yard, we usually stroll around the perimeter, and then Rosie lies down in the sun and soaks up her vitamin D. Me, I read, or visit with my sister if she's home, or watch the birds and wildlife, or just sit and think.
When I return with Demus and Emmett, it's another story. Emmett spent the first five years of his life in a wire crate in a basement; since he was rescued, he loves being outdoors - even though he was afraid to walk on grass at the beginning. Nicodemus, on the other hand, just wants to play ball - I throw, he returns it; easy. Emmett is constantly sniffing, looking, rolling, chasing, and exploring the entire yard. Demus and I do the ball thing...
For many years, a chickadee pair has used a woodpecker hole in the apple tree as a nest. The tree is next to the TV room and the dining room, and is beside the back deck. Three days ago, I was interested to see a small brown bird disappear into the hole - it was definitely not a chickadee, and my fleeting impression of it was "a wren." Another bird returned and sat on the apple tree branch, among the leaves and sang a bright, rolling song. I've never gotten a good look at the bird(s) since, but I keep hearing their songs , and seeing them in the leafy branches. I finally called my sister last night, and asked what type of bird they had in the old chickadee hole. It is a wren. That made me feel a little better about my identification skills.
Also, yesterday, while the wrens were serenading Rosie and I, I glanced behind Rosie and saw a large cottontail rabbit emerge from the rose bushes. I immediately clipped the leash onto her harness in case I needed to restrain her (which I did) and we spent 30 minutes watching the rabbit move back and forth across the yard, eating dandelions and washing it's face. Once the rabbit had gone back to ground, I released Rosie and she decided she had to trail it's scent. With Nicodemus and Emmett, later, the rabbit never showed. (I wonder why? Hee-hee!)
I've spent a little over two hours a day for the past three days in that backyard. The first hour with Rosie, the elderly Irish Setter, and the second hour with Emmett and Nicodemus, two Jack Russell terriers. The first hour with Rosie is always quiet and contemplative - her "walk" is really a short stroll two ways to my sister's yard, just for a change of scenery for Rosie. We usually see several neighbors along the way, and also greet other dogs and dog-walkers - Rosie is very social, but no longer has great stamina, due to her age (14). Once we reach my sister's yard, we usually stroll around the perimeter, and then Rosie lies down in the sun and soaks up her vitamin D. Me, I read, or visit with my sister if she's home, or watch the birds and wildlife, or just sit and think.
When I return with Demus and Emmett, it's another story. Emmett spent the first five years of his life in a wire crate in a basement; since he was rescued, he loves being outdoors - even though he was afraid to walk on grass at the beginning. Nicodemus, on the other hand, just wants to play ball - I throw, he returns it; easy. Emmett is constantly sniffing, looking, rolling, chasing, and exploring the entire yard. Demus and I do the ball thing...
For many years, a chickadee pair has used a woodpecker hole in the apple tree as a nest. The tree is next to the TV room and the dining room, and is beside the back deck. Three days ago, I was interested to see a small brown bird disappear into the hole - it was definitely not a chickadee, and my fleeting impression of it was "a wren." Another bird returned and sat on the apple tree branch, among the leaves and sang a bright, rolling song. I've never gotten a good look at the bird(s) since, but I keep hearing their songs , and seeing them in the leafy branches. I finally called my sister last night, and asked what type of bird they had in the old chickadee hole. It is a wren. That made me feel a little better about my identification skills.
Also, yesterday, while the wrens were serenading Rosie and I, I glanced behind Rosie and saw a large cottontail rabbit emerge from the rose bushes. I immediately clipped the leash onto her harness in case I needed to restrain her (which I did) and we spent 30 minutes watching the rabbit move back and forth across the yard, eating dandelions and washing it's face. Once the rabbit had gone back to ground, I released Rosie and she decided she had to trail it's scent. With Nicodemus and Emmett, later, the rabbit never showed. (I wonder why? Hee-hee!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)