Today's Bird Visitors

It's been snowing since 11 AM and we've now got about 2 inches on the deck. It's sent the birds into a feeding frenzy.

In addition, there are some newcomers coming in to fill up.

A couple of European Starlings came in to check the ground beneath the feeders and the covered tray on the side.

Then there was a small group of blackbirds at the base of the telephone pole. I could see one was a mature male Red-winged Blackbird but two looked like females--and that's just plain wrong. Female Redwings don't show up until the males have staked out territories, usually sometime around mid-April. Then I checked the Sibley's and there was a picture of the young males looking like the female. It doesn't say when they molt into breeding plumage, but these could be young males hatched last summer who haven't made the change.

One of the birds in that group just didn't look right. I saw no wing bars on the side of the very sold black body. So I picked up the binoculars and saw a yellow iris in the eye. Could it be a Common Grackle? No. The tail was too short and that eye was in a brownish head not an iridescent blue. I was looking at something much, much rarer. It was a Rusty Blackbird!

Oh and we had a Brown-headed Cowbird sitting on the post at the end of the deck. Which, at first glance looks a lot like the Rust Blackbird--except it's smaller in body and tail, and has a plain brown eye.

So we had Red-Winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds and a Rusty Blackbird joining the 50 to 75 Common Redpolls, dozens of Black-capped Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos, a dozen or so Mourning Doves, five or six Blue Jays, and the same number of White-breasted Nuthatches and Tufted Titmice. One or two Red-breasted Nuthatches, American Crows, and a pair of Northern Cardinals rounded out the morning's visitors.

Off in the distance I and hidden by the falling snow I heard a small flock of geese. Probably complaining to their leader who brought them north yesterday.

Aerie Weather for Sunday-Monday, March 6-7, 2011

It's going to be an interesting 24 hours. It was 47 degrees at 7:30 this morning with heavy rain falling. By 9:30 AM it was just 34 degrees and still raining but the wind had shifted 180 degrees. Instead of coming out of the south, it is now blowing--albeit gently--from the north. (A shift such as this usually means that the front has passed over us as it drifted eastward.) The rain is now starting to mix with a little sleet. The weather services all say it will become snow in a short time and that accumulations could be as much as 8 inches before it stops sometime around 4 AM Monday morning. That means that the ground that was bared by the warm air and rain will be covered once more.

Now, I realize that spring doesn't officially start for another two weeks and we're likely to have some snow showers through mid April but, damn it, I've had enough!

It could be worse, however. Forecasts for the area of the Bolt Hole are saying up to 15 inches of snow may fall tonight. I can only hope the place is still standing when I finally get up there the end of the month.

Oh, I nearly forgot. I did spot the first Robin around the Aerie yesterday. It (probably a "He") landed in the trees bordering the yard looking for some bare ground to explore and had to settle for a patch under one of the pines where the snow had already been melted away. I suppose it won't be long, snow or no snow, before the woodcock start showing up.

Also, yesterday afternoon and evening, while the winds were still blowing strongly out of the south, there were several skeins of geese flying north. They were too high for me to determine whether they were Canadas or snows but they were obviously optimists.

A skunk by any other name...

Question of the day: How do you spell your name Colonel? (Speaking to the Libyan leader--at least at the moment he is the leader. Won't be much left if he keeps leading the way he has this last week.)

Gadhafi (according to the AP)
Gaddafi (from Reuters)
Kadhafi (from AFP)
Qaddafi (in the CSMonitor)

Why are there so many spellings of this guys name?
Are people afraid to ask him how to spell it?
Does HE know how to spell it?

Diamond Rio

Ouch!

Just went down to top off the tank on the Tundra. Cost me $3.57.9 per gallon at the Exxon--the cheapest in the area by a penny or more.

Sure am glad we went to Alaska last summer. Even so, we're looking at two shorter trips for weddings this summer: Milwaukee, WI the end of May and Portland, ME in July. Plus, Terry will be driving to Maryland and South Carolina later this month. Then, in September we're headed to a clam bake in Massachusetts--right Bruce?

Gonna be tough convincing myself to go to the Bolt Hole for any short stays. A 500 mile round trip from and at least half the gas to be bought in NY state. Well over a C-note each trip--minimum--and closer to two if I do any runs for errands once I'm there.

Didn't somebody say, "Drill, baby, drill!" and get laughed at?

Obama said he wanted $5 gas. He's got it but he may find it difficult to create any sort of recovery now that that $5 gas is here.

Visitors in the Yard

We woke up this morning at 6 AM (Thanks a lot Chester!) to a herd of visitors in the yard. At least a dozen deer wandered over by the bird feeders before making their way up the hill above the house. Some of them looked big enough to throw a saddle on while others were probably born last spring. In all likelihood, this was a group of does with last year's young. I watched as they browsed on low tree branches and exposed weeds along the powerline right of way and the second driveway.

Later, as I stood on the porch and watched, they reappeared coming back down the hill and into the woods to the west. One came within 20 yards of where I remained motionless but in full view just outside the door.

As I write (11 AM) there are still a few visible down the trail and in the field beyond where the wind looks to have exposed some of the ground. I'd not be able to see them if it weren't for the snow that still lays on the ground.

******

Currently we're enjoying a light but warm breeze coming out of the south that has raised the temperature near the 40 degree mark. Rain is supposed to follow but is staying more to the west of us at the moment. Terry spoke to the postmistress who's brother works on the road crew. He says they were told to be prepared for up to a foot of snow (!) this weekend. The folks at AccuHunch are saying 1.5 inches while Weather.com says nothing but a few flurries after the rain, the radio says a couple of inches are possible, and the TV out of Elmira claimed early this morning 1-2 FEET as a possibility. It's going to be an interesting weekend. Even if there's no snow, the flooding from over and inch of rain and the subsequent melting of the current snow pack will provide for excitement.

******

The Iditarod will be kicking off at 10 AM today in Anchorage. That's about 3 PM here on the east coast. Rev. Paul will be along the trail just north of the city watching the mushers go by. He promises to have photos and reports posted when he gets back so go on and take a look. This is the ceremonial start. The restart will take place at Willow Lake on Sunday at 2 PM Alaska time.

About Comments

Comments are, of course, always welcome.

That said, I've instituted comment moderation because of spam comments that are of questionable origin and that offer links to dubious offers for items I do not wish to promote or be seen as supportive. When such comments are made to posts that are months if not years old, flags are really, really raised. Recently, some comments of this type have appeared on more current posts.

I've also had a tendency to mark as spam comments that come labeled "Anonymous" for fear that they may contain viruses or trackers with which I do not wish to be infected. Even if those comments have a name attached within their content. Exceptions do exist IF I recognize that name, of course.

Lately, I've gotten several "Anonymous" comments that seem innocuous enough and that contain a signature at the end of the content along the lines of: "Sincerely, John Doe." (Although "John Doe" is not the name(s) attached.) For some reason, be it the grammar, tone, the down right generic phrasing, or the odd request contained therein ("May I use some of the material in this post if I provide a link back?" on a post that merely links to something I had seen elsewhere and which had minimal original content), these have set off internal sirens and I have either marked them as spam or deleted them entirely since I've no way of verifying who it is making the comment/request.

Should you read this and be one of those whose comments I've given the bum's rush, tough. Provide me with a reason to publish your comments, register with Blogger so you've got a semi-official ID (you can do so without having a Blog, you know), or don't waste my time.

That is all. I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Colorado Springs, through another's eyes

Have you ever visited Colorado Springs? Or, perhaps, lived there? Done any of the touristy stuff like visit the Garden of the Gods, taken a train up Pike's Peak, or done the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?

If so, you'll enjoy this September, 2000 report from Dr. Mercury over at Maggie's Farm which tells his tale of adventure from a visit to Colorado Springs.

Having been there several times and had experiences that were virtually identical to these, I can vouch for Dr. Mercury's accuracy of conditions. One caveat, however: since 2000 the roads around Colorado Springs have become even more confusing--and crowded.

But, damn! I want to go back.

(On a side note, I see he left out visits to the Air Force Academy and Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum. Perhaps he saved those for a later time.)

New Toy

Got my delivery from A.J.'s Outdoor Equipment around noon today. A quick walk-thru for all the attachments and whatnot and then I signed for the Kubota BX25.







With rain in the forecast for the next couple of days, I've moved it into the garage, displacing Terry's little yellow Aveo. The Aveo could use the washing anyway no that mud season has started to rear its head.

Rainy Day Activity

So it's a rainy day and you've got nothing else to do. Perhaps you've been lucky at your penny ante poker night and you've got lots and lots of pennies laying around. Or maybe you've just got a jar full of pennies from your pocket change--or your kids piggy bank. If so, you can explore the wonderful world of civil engineering. "Huh?" you say? "Yeah!" says I. Here's an inspirational web site that does just that: Pictures of Pennies



Looks like fun as well as educational. There's lots and lots of photos of things from towers to bridges to build out of several dollars worth of pennies or poker chips or other disk shaped objects.

Mardi Gras is approaching...

...and many of our Alaska Crew are gathering in Louisiana to celebrate. The Wandering Woolfolks out of Tennessee are there and have started to make their reports. So far it seems they are having a ball and eatin' well!

Temperatures in the 70s, Cajun food, good friends, and parades.... What's not to like?

Aerie Report, March 3, 2011

Nice day today at the Aerie. Lots of sunshine but the temperatures ranged from a low of 6 degrees this morning to just over the freezing mark at 33 degrees in the afternoon. It's supposed to stay pretty warm the next few days but there's rain on the way for the weekend.

******

Took Terry out to lunch at the relatively new Chengos Cantina & Six-pack Store down in Mansfield. We were curious as to the quality of their Mexican cuisine. We got there around noon and had a very good meal of burritos (pork) and chimichangas (steak) and an side of onion rings. I grabbed a Dos Equis and Terry had an iced tea. The food wasn't what you'd find in the southeast, but it was pretty good. And the portions were just huge! So large, in fact, we needed only a light meal in the evening. And the prices couldn't be beat. The entire meal--including beverages--only cost us $20.

I was really impressed with the selection of beers they had on hand as singles, six-packs and 12-packs. There had to be 30 different brands in all price ranges. We'll go back again not just for the food, but also the beers.

One thing that surprised me was that we were the only ones there for the entire hour from noon until one. Based on quality of food and the price, there should have been more customers.

******

After lunch, we drove down to A.J. Outdoor Equipment to "look" at their Kubota Tractors. I really liked the compact model (BX25). It's a 23-horse, four-wheel drive subcompact that comes standard with a front loader and backhoe. And with 0% financing....

Let's just say, that I'll have a new toy to use both here and at the Bolt Hole. The loader and backhoe aren't industrial strength, but they're sufficient for what I have planned. I got the optional 3-pt hitch (with the thought of getting a blade in the future if the loader can't move snow or grade the driveway sufficiently) as well as a mowing deck.

Around the Bolt Hole, I figure the machine will be useful in cutting the larger and larger lawn area around the cabin, wannabe orchard area and the small field I've been brush hogging. The front loader will be helpful in grading the area around the garage, too. The slope of the lawn currently allows rain and melt water to flow into the front part of the garage flooding it with several inches of water every spring. I can also use it to groom the trails through the woods. There are several places where small springs drain across the trails and where a little ditching--and bridges--would make getting through the woods a great deal easier.

At the Aerie, it will help clear and grade some clearings created during the logging process a few years ago as well as the larger acre-and-a-half field to the southwest.

And at both places I can use it to haul firewood and stone out of the forest.

May need a larger flat bed trailer to haul it. The one I got for the ATV is only a one axle deal and may not be large enough. But that will have to wait until spring.

A.J.'s will be delivering either tomorrow or Monday. Then I'll be waiting for the snow to meld so I can put it to use.

Mmm. Must be part cat.

Euthanized Oklahoma puppy, Wall-E, rises from 'dead,' now looking to be adopted by loving family

The black-and-white pooch was one of five young dogs "put to sleep" Saturday at a shelter in Sulphur, Okla., News 9 in Oklahoma City reported. Each dog was checked and confirmed to be dead, then the 3-month-old and his four siblings were placed in a trash bin.

On Sunday morning, an animal control officer looked into the bin and discovered that the one pup somehow survived.

"He was just as healthy as could be," Scott Prall told News 9.

From the rest of the story, it seems Wall-E will have a chance to be adopted--as soon as he is cleared of the hookworm infestation that put him and his siblings on death row. There are a few hundred folks who have expressed an interest.