Report from the Bolt Hole, May 21, 2012

Okay, so Terry and I went shopping today and got all the things we needed to stock the trailer and the Bolt Hole for an extended stay. That included the cable to repair the garage door. On our way back, we also stopped and got some chicken wings for lunch.

After lunch I went out to install the new cable and that got done lickety split. Then I tried starting the ATV again.

Under the heading: "It's always something." The ATV would not start. The battery is fully charged, the fuel is clean (no water) and it coughed once or twice before there was a "PING" and that was it. After that there was a rapid "click, click, click, click..." whenever I pushed the start button. I've heard that sound before and knew there was a problem with the starter relay and that it needed to be replaced. Sooooo....I tore the innards apart to get the starter out. Then went on line to find a Yamaha dealer who might have the part. The closest dealer (Utica) is closed on Monday. The second closest--still 40 miles away--was open and I made the call.

After we figured out what year my Pro Hauler was sold (1989), and based on my description of the problem and the part, he was able to determine what part number he needed to be looking for in his system. Of course, he didn't have the part in stock. I would have been surprised if he did as the Pro Hauler was only marketed for one year. He could, however, order the part (apparently Yamaha still makes that particular part which is a relief and a far cry from the support you can get from Microsoft for outdated software and such) and will hold on to it when it comes in. He'll email me when he gets it and I can get it when I come back from Portland or, time permitting, as we swing back from Cape Cod in two weeks.

While I can't get the ATV running immediately, it is comforting to know that the part I need is available and I should be able to get it going when I return and need to use it.

******

After ordering my part, I needed to take a walk into the woods to dispose of the chicken bones from our lunch. I walked down the side of the barn with the bag in hand and got stopped short when I rounded the end of the barn by the growl of a Momma gray fox who didn't like me showing up so unplanned. She hustled her little kits under the back end of the garage post haste and continued to growl at me as she too backed into her little den. I made sure to give them a wide berth as I headed out into the woods but snuck back in on my return. Mom was no where to be seen but the kits had started to come out again to play a bit. I saw three of them, each about a foot long and still full of pepper and baby fat. One tried to wrestle its sib to the ground but lost its head lock attempt and ended up under instead of over its sibling. Not wanting to disturb then further--and since it was starting to rain--I quietly headed to the cabin. Of course, I didn't have a camera in hand at the time.

At the Bolt Hole

Terry and I made it up to the Bolt Hole after an uneventful drive. We towed the ATV up on the baby trailer so it would be available for use when we get back from our longish five week journey(s).

Today was a beautiful day with temperatures into the low 80s through Syracuse and Utica. It only reached the mid 70s in the shade at the Bolt Hole but the sun was strong and hot. Only a few late day clouds have shown up but there's no rain in the forecast until next week if you overlook the scattered T-storms they say might (20-40%) hit the area Monday night/Tuesday.

We got right to work unloading the ATV, parking the little trailer and then towing the travel trailer out and hooking up the electricity and water so as to flush the antifreeze from the pipes. Then we (read "Terry") got to work cleaning up all the mouse poop in the cabinets. Meanwhile, I spent my time running down into the basement to reset the circuit breaker when it tripped...which it did--often. I guess the hot water heater and vacuum, plus the house's refrigerator were just a bit too much for the circuit. I also got the air compressor out and tried to get the tires up to the 50 psi they say on the sides. (Actually couldn't get past 48 psi, but that will do.)

The black flies were out in earnest and attacked in mobs. I got several bites on my forearms but just as many drowned in my sweat. Surprisingly, the bites have not raised welts as they usually do, nor do they itch. Have I become immune due to previous exposure? Sure hope so! The little buggers are still royal pains in the ass, but having no after affects from their is a blessing!

Tomorrow, we will be doing a more thorough check of the trailer and go shopping for supplies. Food, of course, tops the list already but right below that is paper goods (used for mouse nests beneath the cabinets) and plastic wrap and aluminum foil (piddled all over by mice with over active bladders).

Oh yeah. I also have to get some cable to fix the garage door. When I parked the ATV inside and pulled the door down, the cable jumped off the pulley. That's when I noticed that the four or five strand cable had just two still intact. I also have to go purchase a small Yankee screwdriver with multiple bits. I left the one I own back at the Aerie in the only tool box that is NOT at the Bolt Hole. (That's something that happens on a regular basis, BTW, and the reason I own two or three of just about everything--except Yankee screwdrivers--yet.)

Talking Baseball...Are these the NY Mets?

If you had told me at the beginning of the season that the Mets would be 21-17 in the middle of May, I would have said you were crazy. Yet, after today's 9-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, that's is their record-- 21 wins and 17 loses. Still doesn't get them higher than third in the NL East--toughest division in baseball right now. (Washington and Atlanta are currently ahead of the Mets. Miami and Philly are right behind. Even the 5th place Phils are at .500!)

The Mets should be better than 21-17, though. The Mets' bullpen, to put it mildly, really sucks. They have blown more saves and frustrated more fans than you could imaging. Probably have caused a few TVs to get broken, too.

Why, just in the last five games, they have managed to seize defeat from the jaws of victory twice. Sunday in Miami the Mets led 4-2 going to the bottom of the 9th. First they yielded the tying runs, then loaded the bases only to see a rarity: a walk-off grand slam home run, ruin the day. Last night they lead 3-2 going into the top of the 8th at home against the Reds the bullpen needed to get six outs. The Mets lost 6-3 as the Reds scored 4 runs in the 8th.

The Mets are using that cardiac kid Frank Francisco as their closer. While he has 9 saves, he can probably be credited with giving Terry Collins as many heart attacks. Francisco coming into a one or two run game int he ninth inning is like tossing gasoline on an open fire and hooping it doesn't go BOOM! Even today, leading 9-4 he could NOT get three consecutive outs in the ninth. He got the first two men up on a blooper and a ground out, but then walked the third. All he has to do is throw strikes in that situation. Let the man put the ball in play. But, no, he has to give him a free pass. Luckily, the next batter proved over eager and grounded out to second on the first pitch.

So why are the Mets doing as well as they are? Second baseman Daniel Murphy is hitting .331; Mike Baxter, part time outfielder and pinch hitter extraordinaire, is hitting .364; Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who came up from Buffalo to play left field when Jason Bay broke a rib, is hitting .291; and David Wright, who struggled all of last season, is leading the major leagues with a .411 batting average. (In today's game Wright was 2-for-2 with three walks, three runs scored--including the tying run in the seventh--and the go ahead RBI in the eight. Oh, and he stole third, too.)

Will they continue to hit this well? I'd be surprised if the continue to have the third best BA in the National League (second in the NL East), but I'd be willing to see their hitting go down if their bullpen would start doing its freakin' job and hold/save the games when the team is ahead in the 8th and 9th innings. Until that happens, the late innings will be finger-nail biting time.

Bits and Pieces from the Aerie

Terry's little yellow Aveo got it's timing belt replaced yesterday. The manual (that book almost nobody reads) says it's supposed to be replaced every 60K miles or, should it break, the engine will seize up. It had 80K on the odometer so we got lucky. Our regular mechanic at Mansfield Exxon had one in his lot that was awaiting an engine transplant so when it went in to have an oil change he warned us about the problem. As Terry was paying the bill at the Chevy dealer, she got into a conversation with the clerk who also has an Aveo--with 90K on her odometer. She now is scheduling a belt replacement.

******

On the way back from the Chevy dealer's we stopped and picked up some herbs, tomato, and pepper plants for the garden. This morning I spent four hours putting those plants in the ground as well as seeds for cucumbers, zucchini squash and string beans. Then I gave everything a good watering. One of the tomato plants looks a bit stressed and wilted but, hopefully, it will pull through. We start our five weeks of travel on Saturday and I should know whether or not that plant has hydrated by then.
[UPDATE: So, of course, weather.com has posted a frost advisory for tomorrow between 3 and 8 AM.] 

******

The rain that we had Monday through Tuesday morning amounted to 1.32 inches. What ever dry spell we went though during the winter certainly ended the end of April. Between the foot of snow and the rain since then, we've gotten almost 4" of liquid precip in about three weeks--and it looks threatening out there as I type.

******

Listened to an Indigo Bunting singing his head off at the top of the Poplar trees this morning. One of the many birds singing early this morning. Not that I needed the birds to wake me up. Shadow did that at 5 AM after I rolled over in bed and made some slight noise--probably a groan due to my aching knees. She took this to mean I was going to get up and feed her--NOW! And she wouldn't take now for an answer.

******

With my morning with a dose of arthritis strength acetaminophen and a couple of cups of coffee. With all the flavored coffees out there you'd think someone would produce a coffee that contains extra strength pain killers. Not that two tablets are a problem to swallow or anything, but such a pain relieving coffee would be like having an IV drip all morning/day long. And that couldn't hurt!

Back at the Aerie

This is post #4000 since I started putting my thoughts/interest/comments here on the Interwebs....
[Interesting. This now says this post is #4001 but moments ago it said the previous post was #3999.]

******

Back at the Aerie after driving south this morning.

After walking around the Bolt Hole I found there was little need to any mowing. Mark had gotten the entire yard and not just the area visible from the road. I was also pleasantly surprised to find Mark at his cabin on Sunday. (He drove in while I was off at Lowes getting plumbing supplies and I didn't notice because it was already getting dark when I returned.)

So instead of walking about with the lawn mower for a couple of hours, we did some talking and then turned our attention to starting the brush hog. It hadn't been run all last year so it was no surprise that it didn't turn over immediately. We drained the gas, took the air filter off, sprayed a little starter fluid in the gaping maw thus exposed and, while it did kick to life very briefly, it didn't stay caught. It was even more frustrating when it wouldn't stay running after half an hour.So we let it sit.

We then took a look at the travel trailer. We attached the battery (so there would be lights inside) and put the propane tanks in place. There will be some cleaning up to do inside as there were some mice inside. I would have checked the tire pressure, but the damn gauge was not in the truck so that will have to wait until Terry and I go up on Sunday.

Mark went back to his place to escape from the black flies and I went inside to get some lunch and follow the Mets' game. (That didn't work out so well when the Marlins got 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th--including a walk-off grand slam.)

Game over, I went back out to give the brush hog another try. It started and ran. And I let it run for 15 minutes before trying to do any...well...hogging. I did a couple of hundred yards before taking the beast back to the garage.

The rest of the evening was spent sweeping and vacuuming.

This morning's wake-up call came at 5 AM when the birds started singing. Now that I've learned more and more bird calls, it gets tougher to ignore them. You start composing a list of species as you try to go back to sleep. And it gets worse when you hear one you're not sure of.

Anyway...With such an early start, I was able to be on the road by 8 AM. The ride was uneventful and it was only the last 30 miles that I started to get a little spritzing rain. I got back to the Aerie around noon. I fed the kittehs and got my stuff out of the truck. Moments later, Terry pulled up having returned from New Jersey. She ran into a lot more rain along I-80 west of Bloomsburg and northward on Route 15.

******

Rain will continue through the evening before slowing down tomorrow before noon. Terry's little Aveo has to go into the shop to get the timing belt replaced. The manual says it needs to be done at 60K miles and if it breaks, the engine will seize up. The Aveo has 80K on the odometer. Who reads the manual beyond how many miles for between oil changes or how to reset the clock?

It will take about four hours for the mechanic to change the belt out. And it will cost about $100 an hour.

While that's being done, we'll get some breakfast and go look at some plants for the vegetable garden. I'll need to get plants and/or seeds into the ground in the next day or two. Once they're in the ground, we'll have to home that Gaia will take care of the watering while we are gone.

Saturday morning in the park.

Here's the results of our bird walk at Hills Creek SP Saturday morning. With the leaves of the trees growing larger and larger, more and more of the birds are first IDed by their singing. That will end soon for some of them as they pair up, build a nest and become a bit more secretive.

Hills Creek SP, Tioga, US-PA
May 12, 2012 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Beautiful morning: Clear, cool (45-60 degrees), sunny, with little breeze.
42 Double-crested Cormorants flew over in a perfect V formation.
39 species

Canada Goose X
Mallard X
Hooded Merganser X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron X
Osprey X
Spotted Sandpiper X
Chimney Swift X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Pileated Woodpecker X
Eastern Phoebe X
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Carolina Wren X
Eastern Bluebird X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
European Starling X
Ovenbird X
Common Yellowthroat X
Magnolia Warbler X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Black-throated Green Warbler X
Eastern Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Swamp Sparrow X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
American Goldfinch X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

One mystery solved...

Besides which switch is used for the hot water heater, that is. (Yeah. I forgot. Between rewiring the circuit board last August, not being up here long enough to use the hot water system since September when I drained it, and not updating the paper sheet on the inside of the circuit box's door.... Luckily I had a written copy sitting on the kitchen table.)

I got the toilet to work properly...for now. First an explanation: A flush toilet works by holding a quantity of water (1.5 gallons in the new version, closer to 3 gallons in the old) in a tank. Flushing the toilet requires opening a valve that lets that water rush into the bowl building up pressure to push water over a system of humps inside the base. (Think a combination of water slide and roller coaster.) When the water gets above and over a critical hump, it creates a siphon that pulls the balance of the water (and other stuff) in the bowl into the drain pipe. It all depends upon that valve.

My tank has a flap valve that gets pulled up by a chain attached to the end of an arm attached to the exterior handle that you push to start the whole thing rolling. The simple flap is soft but stiff rubber it's own weight and the weight of the water in the tank holds it firmly closed until the chain pulls it upward. Somehow, while getting all the water out of the tank last year, the chain was adjusted and became too taut. It would not allow the flap to fall that extra 1/10th of an inch necessary to form a seal. I couldn't see that last night until I shinned a flashlight in there. (The inner workings of a toilet are dark and secretive. And the water in the tank was damn cold!)

Solution, let the chain out one link--about 1/4 inch--and everything is hunky-dorey. For now.

All right! (Almost.)

Well, the plumbing repair seems to have worked. I just turned the pump back on and there were no leaks in the pipe!

But now the toilet doesn't work.

The water flows into the holding tank just as it should...but the tank never fills up! I've no idea where the water is going but it's not going down into the bowl. (It did just once fill and flush properly, but quoth the Raven....) There are several spidery cracks in the porcelain god throne but there are NO extreior leaks. It sounds like the water is going right down the drain. How it's getting there is the puzzle. The damn thing may have hemorrhaged internally despite the use of antifreeze.  Considering the number of winters in the unheated cabin the current throne has endured, it's not terribly surpirsing.

Now I'm waiting for the hot water heater to...well...heat the water that currently fills the tank.

It's always something...

There's always some little thing that tries to ruin a perfectly good day.

******

We had a good morning birding at Hills Creek State Park today. First we had two new couples and a long lost couple show up thanks to an article that ran in a local free magazine called Mountain Home. It contained information about our walks and several of Gary's excellent bird photographs. Then we had perfect conditions for an enjoyable walk as the temperatures ranged from the upper 40s to the low 60s under clear, blue skies. And there wasn't much of a breeze either.  Finally, the birds cooperated and we spotted some 38 species including a few I don't believe we've seen before..they were certainly new to this year's walks. I'll be posting the complete list probably tomorrow.

******

After our bird walk, we had our end of the year picnic for the Tiadaghton Audubon Society. Even that was well attended with the core group of a dozen or so showing up. Even our east-west snow birds made their return from California in time to join in. We had a good time talking birds, travel, gizmos and what-not.

******

Around 1:30 PM our picnic broke up and Terry headed to New Jersey for Mother's Day and I headed north to the Bolt Hole to see what needed to be done in and around the cabin and to start getting the trailer in shape for our trip to Cape Cod.

My trip went well with no traffic delays or snarls and I even got to listen to the last two innings of the Mets game against the Marlins. (Mets won 9-3.) I arrived at the Bolt Hole around 5:30 PM. I got a few things out of the truck, turned on the phone and refrigerator and went down into the basement to turn the water on and that's when things got wonky.

Oh, the pump turned on just fine, but for the first time since I bought the place, one of the PVC pipe sprung a leak and water started to spray all along the 3-foot section of pipe. Needless to say, I was not pleased.

I started to rummage around and found the pipe cutter, a length of pipe, properly sized joints, primer and glue for repairs. Unfortunately, the glue had congealed over the winter and was worthless. Soooo...off to the nearest Lowes to get more. (The local hardware store closes around 5 PM on Saturdays and doesn't open on Sunday so the 60+ mile round trip was necessary.) I needed to pick up some gasoline for the lawn mower anyway.

Back at the Bolt Hole it took me about half an hour to cut out the old, split section of pipe, cut a new length, prime and glue the joints to the replacement and then clean, prime and glue the new piece to the old ends. Now I wait while it cures before turning the water on again. Hope the patch works!

******

Tomorrow, if the plumbing repair worked, I can get on to the other things I need to do. I'll crank up the lawn mower and get those sections of the yard that Mark has not been maintaining. He's gotten the bulk of the yard done in an effort to make the place lok lived in so that leaves the pieces out of sight from the road.

Then I'll check the tire pressure on the trailer (I brought the air compressor with me--just in case--but left the tool box witht he spare gauges back at the Aerie. Sure home there's one in the truck!) and see what's going on inside. I brought the fully charged battery up to put that in place and will get the propane tanks out of the garage and put them in their cradle.

Past, Present, and Future

It's been a couple of very quiet days at the Aerie. Well, for me anyway. Terry's been running hither and yon doing all kinds of stitching stuff.

After a rainy Tuesday we had a decent Wednesday and I got the grass cut once more. Thursday we had a nice morning but then waves of isolated showers swept in to keep everything nice and damp. And the wind picked up, too. Out of the north-northwest so things got really raw. When the rain stopped, the wind didn't so we had a very cool night with temps dropping to the upper 30s here on the side of the hill. It probably got colder down in the valley.

We're going on the road in about a week. Yesterday we made arrangements to have a young lady come in to care for the cats while we are out gallivanting around--first to Cape Cod and then to Portland, Oregon over a five week period. The first leg of our trip will be with travel trailer in tow and will be a reunion of sorts with the folks from our Alaska Adventure. After returning the trailer to the Bolt Hole, we'll head west to visit with our son and daughter-in-law. They've a porch that needs reconstruction. Terry also has a desire to see her niece and her husband down San Francisco way so we may end up looping down the coast before heading east on I-80.

In the interim, we've got a Saturday Bird Walk to attend to and then a picnic lunch. Then I get to go up to the Bolt Hole tomorrow afternoon to check out the trailer and--probably--cut the grass.

Covering some new ground looking for birds.

This morning six of us went west on Route 6 to the small village of Rexford just east of Gaines where one of our Tiadaghton Audubon Society members lives on the banks of Pine Creek. She led us on a merry little car tour southeast over the mountain and through the woods all the way to the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge at Colton Point State Park. Our quest to find birds had us stopping on the road numerous times. Sometimes we were in front of private lands and cabins while at other times, we were in wither parts of Tioga State Forest or Colton Point State Park.

Our goal was to locate the allegedly abundant Blue-headed Vireo and we finally succeeded. (Its call was heard many more times than we were able to actually see the little bird.) Along the way we also saw 37 other species according to my list. A couple of the warblers (the Black-and-white and Blackburnian) put on a nice little snow for us but several species were more easily heard than seen as the leaves of the trees are mostly out now and provide excellent hiding spots for the small birds.

Rexford to Colton Pt, Tioga, US-PA
May 9, 2012 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
Comments: From the Rexford Bridge over Pine Creek we took Painter Run Road to Painter-Leetonia Rd then on to Deadman Hollow Road to Colton Point.
The weather was cool (55 degrees) and overcast. No breeze at all.
38 species

Common Merganser X
Wild Turkey X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey X
Mourning Dove X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Northern Flicker X
Least Flycatcher X
Eastern Phoebe X
Blue-headed Vireo X
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Common Raven X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Tufted Titmouse X
Hermit Thrush X
Wood Thrush X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Ovenbird X
Black-and-white Warbler X
Common Yellowthroat X
Blackburnian Warbler X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Black-throated Blue Warbler X
Black-throated Green Warbler X
Eastern Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Field Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Northern Cardinal X
Rose-breasted Grosbeak X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Baltimore Oriole X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Mowing the Grass...again.

Sheesh! Last Saturday I came back from our bird walk and realized that the lawn--which I had mowed on the previous Monday--looked like hell. Some of the grass had started to send up seed heads and all the dandelions that ducked beneath the blade on Monday were standing tall, proud and, in most cases, in seed. So I cut the lawn again. It looked like I succeeded in cutting off some 90% of the flowers and all the seed heads. (Some of the flowers still hugged the ground.)

Then we had some cool nights, a little rain and some sunny days and when I got back from taking another bird walk this morning (more on that in the next post), I looked at the lawn and saw that it was in pretty much the same shape as it was Saturday before I cut it: lots of dandelion flowers and seed heads. So I got out the lawn mower and cut it again before the predicted showers arrive this evening. This time I dropped the blade about half an inch before starting. Once more the lawn looks respectable with about 95% of the dandelions clipped off.

This time I spotted four snakes while working on the lawn. Two garter snakes were spooked from the stone wall that forms one of the raised garden beds and two red-bellied snakes--one of them the largest red-bellied I have ever seen was over a foot long--were on the edge of the driveway. Like the return of certain species of birds, the appearance of snakes on the stone walls and in the grass is a sure sign that summer has nearly arrived.

This is the third time I've had to cut the grass in a week and a half. I'll probably have to cut it again Sunday or Monday. I really do not mind cutting the grass. It's good exercise and a pretty mindless activity. I've already got a huge pile of grass clippings that should be worked into a compost heap by mixing in some soil. But that can wait fro another day. 

Time to Look at...

21 Congressional Members resembling Muppets

Go. Look. Laugh.

Birding at Hills Creek State ParkMay 5, 2012

We had a nice morning for a walk about at Hills Creek State Park. It was overcast and a little humid but the temperature stayed between 55 and 60 degrees.

There were a ton of warblers in the trees which means I'll be putting some hot compresses on my neck this afternoon! Most of the little buggers were Yellow-rumped Warblers but there were a few Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, and Magnolia Warblers, too. Hermit and Wood Thrushes were present along with the Ovenbirds although none of them were real easy to spot! The Red-eyed Vireo, usually very difficult to find in the tree tops, cooperated by picking an ash tree that hadn't yet leafed out as it's singing perch of choice.

We didn't see many water fowl except for the Canada Geese, but there were two ospreys and an adult Bald Eagle.

In any event, here's the list of species I compiled this morning:

Hills Creek SP, Tioga, US-PA
May 5, 2012 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: Overcast with a slight breeze out of the north. Temperatures between 55 and 60 degrees.
38 species

Canada Goose X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey X
Bald Eagle X
Spotted Sandpiper X
Mourning Dove X
Eastern Phoebe X
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Tufted Titmouse X
Carolina Wren X
Ruby-crowned Kinglet X
Hermit Thrush X
Wood Thrush X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
European Starling X
Ovenbird X
Common Yellowthroat X
Cape May Warbler X
Magnolia Warbler X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Black-throated Green Warbler X
Eastern Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Swamp Sparrow X
White-throated Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Carolina Wren

Another bird to add to the Aerie's list for 2012.

The Carolina Wren, is a resident. I spotted a pair of them looking over the box they've used for three years as a nest site. They are NOT good neighbors, however.

For one, they are loud! For small birds, their vocalizations are surprisingly up there on the decibel scale. And, since they sing all day from dawn til dusk, that can be annoying. (Good thing the cats wake us up early anyway.)

The other problem with Carolina Wrens is that they do not like having other birds nest in the boxes they consider too close. They build their nest in one box and then fill the other(s) with sticks to make it look occupied.

Like I said--bad neighbors. So we have a small, brown, feisty, loud, obnoxious bird who's a bad neighbor. Remind you of anyone?

Carolina Wren 

How about now? Carolina Wren

Okay. This one has to give it away. Chin up and off to the viewer's right. Look familiar?

Carolina Wren in a..ahem..Presidential pose

Baltimore Oriole

Yet another bird to add to the list: The Baltimore Oriole

I see these come through the yard once or twice a summer. I haven't found any nesting areas on the property, perhaps because we don't have any ponds or streams. The neighbors do, however. What we have are several apple trees and a handful of crab apples and choke cherries. All of which are currently in flower. And the orioles seem to like the nectar.

Today, three of them appeared in the apple tree across the driveway at noon as I started grilling a steak for my lunch. One stayed around long enough for me to grab the camera and snap a few pictures off the deck.

Baltimore Oriole 

Baltimore Oriole 

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole 

Baltimore Oriole

 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

I mentioned the other day that we have had Rose-breasted Grosbeaks coming into the feeders I've seen three males at one time and they have nested around the house in years past so it was only a matter of time before the females showed themselves. Today I managed to get a couple of pictures of both when they came to the tray feeder on the deck. The photos could be clearer--if I just went out and cleaned the windows--but these are pretty good for showing the very different plumage between male and female.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak 

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak 

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak 

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak 

Although she's not nearly as flashy as her male counterpart, I like the lines on the head that camouflage her in her weedy nest. (The Red-winged Blackbird female is similarly camouflaged.) And the subtly yellow on her striped breast--about the only other part of her that would be seen while she sits on a nest--is also very nice.

Dandelions and Butterflies

I mentioned the other day that while I was mowing the lawn all the dandelions seemed to have ducked beneath the blade. That left nearly as many yellow dots on the lawn after I cut them as before. I'm not about to go out and get some weed-and-feed type lawn fertilizer or even spray weed killer upon the lawn indiscriminately. To do so would result in 1) virtually no greenery at all and 2) grass growing too quickly for my liking (i.e. more mowing). Maybe I should get a cow or a couple of goats or sheep. We've had some thunderstorms the last few nights and the result is a well watered lawn--and crop of dandelions. Bright sunlight and warm temperatures have caused those dandelions to stick their heads up and go to seed.

Dandelion seed head 

Dandelion flower and seed head 

Besides, the dandelions attract numerous insects. Anything from honey bees and bumble bees, to butterflies will come in to sip their sweet nectar.

A Red Admiral

We've had dozens of the Red Admirals flitting about the yard and seen countless others on the dirt roads here about. (They also love the minerals from the clay.) Several other species of butterflies of about the same size but much more orange with black dots--possibly fritallary species, have also visited the dandelions. 

 

More Birds

Two more birds to add to the list of Aerie visitors.

I was standing on the deck this evening when I got buzzed by a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the first of the year. The two feeders I put up are hanging there. After buzzing me, the little bird moved to the more distant of the two feeders and took a few sips before taking off for the trees.

As I followed its flight, an Eastern Phoebe came from around the corner of the house. It was almost as thought the Phoebe thought the Hummer might be a large bug. It pulled up when it got near the hummer and headed off in a different direction, landing on a nearby branch. It pumped its tail a couple of times and then took off into the woods hunting bugs in flight.

A Lazy Man's Birding Report

A couple of new birds to add to this year's Aerie list:

The Ovenbird and it's "Teacher, teacher, teacher" call was heard today for the first time. And the Black -and-white Warbler's squeaky wheel; "wee-see-wee-see-wee-see" was heard during lunch. I (very) briefly heard what I thought might have been a Wood Thrush early this morning, but it sang only once and didn't repeat its song for me to be sure. Yesterday I did hear a Black-throated Green Warbler as it sang "zoo-zee, zoo-zoo-zee" repeatedly from the woods. Never did get a look at him though.

The Ovenbird is one of those you can hear and never see as it stays very close to the forest floor seldom singing from more than three feet above the ground. And it's olive-drab back and streaked breast blend into the shadows and shades of the understory very well. That and they seem to be ventriloquists. Even when you're 100% sure you've got their location, they may be 10 feet away from where the sound is coming from. We've had a couple of these nesting in the area over the last few years. They're ground nesters and there's enough stone ledges and tree trunks to provide protective roofing for them.

The Black-and-white Warbler is easy to spot among the tree tops--if you don't mind getting warbler-neck. It's distinctive appearance make it difficult to misidentify even when the bird you're looking at is busy searching for bugs and not singing. When it's singing, you can't miss it at all.

We continue to have a pair or more of Eastern Towhees in the woods around our clearing. They too have a very distinctive call that sounds like a command: "Drink your tea! Drink your tea!" They've nested here before and will probably do so again. Like the Ovenbird, the Towhee is a ground nester and you nearly have to stumble upon the nest to find it. I must have come pretty close this afternoon while looking for the Ovenbird as a pair of Towhees suddenly appeared no more than 10 feet away from me and seemed a tad concerned about my presence.

A couple of male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been coming to the feeder fairly regularly. They haven't been singing until today, however. Perhaps they're hoping to convince a female that this would be as good a place as any to raise a family.

Add those to the American Robin, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskin, Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Red-winged Blackbird, Chipping Sparrow, and White-throated Sparrow and I've a pretty decent list for sitting on the deck this morning. [I forgot to add Turkey Vulture to the list.]

A friend from over near Hills Creek State Park reported having a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in her yard for the first time yesterday, so I've mixed up some sugar solution (1 cup sugar to 4 cups water) and put two feeders out.  Her husband, Gary, also said he saw some Pine Warblers at the park so it seems things are heating up on the birding migration as well the thermometer.


Last evening I heard several Woodcock "peent"ing out their love call and performing their aerial ballet.

Parakeet or Stool Pigeon?

Stray parakeet tells Japanese police where he lives

A pet parakeet was returned to its owner Wednesday after the lost bird told police its home address near Tokyo.

Credit goes to the bird and the owner.

The bird's owner, a 64-year-old woman, once lost another parakeet after it flew away and was determined to prevent a repeat, the spokesman told AFP.

"So the owner decided to teach the address to this parakeet after she bought it at a pet shop two years ago," he said.

THE IRISH PRIEST

From an email sent by my pal Bruce up in Massachusetts:

THE IRISH PRIEST

An Irish priest was transferred to Texas ..

Father O'Malley rose from his bed one morning. It was a fine spring day in his new Texas mission parish. He walked to the window of his bedroom to get a deep breath of the beautiful day outside.

He then noticed there was a jackass lying dead in the middle of his front lawn. He promptly called the local police station......

The conversation went like this:

"Good morning. This is Sergeant Jones. How might I help you?"

"And the best of the day te yerself.. This is Father O'Malley at St. Ann 's Catholic Church. There's a jackass lying dead in me front lawn."

Sergeant Jones, considering himself to be quite a wit, replied with a smirk, "Well now Father, it was always my impression that you people took care of the last rites!"

There was dead silence on the line for a moment...........................................

Father O'Malley then replied: "Aye, 'tis certainly true; but we are also obliged to notify the next of kin."

New Look

I kinda like this new look.

I got several messages that Blogger was going to discontinue servicing the old template/style that I had been using come the end of May and that I might get locked out of my blog as a result. After the third or fourth notice, I finally decided to see what they had to offer.

There were quite a few new templates available to choose from but this one just seemed to fit somehow. (And since I'm pretty much just floating along here free of charge, well, you know the saying, "Beggars can't be choosers!" (Unless you're a liberal. Then you get to b*tch and moan about the quantity and quality of charity you receive.))

Once I made the switch, I discovered that the means and methods of adding stuff to the sidebar had changed and some of the little things I had over there had vanished. Things like the moon phases, weather, some of the categories of links, and my site meter way down there on the bottom. It took me a bit of a while to figure things out and I still can't relocate the moon phase thingy that I had, but I've got a new look with which I'm more than pleased.

Just a few more little tweeks and pokes to be made.

Birding at Hills Creek State Park, April 28, 2012

Our walk this morning seemed uneventful yet, when I tallied the total number of species seen, I found we had 32 sighted. There wasn't anything that was highly unusual or surprising but we did see several Common Loons and Double-crested Cormorants out on the lake along with two or three Osprey overhead.

A few of the Canada Geese were out and about with little families of goslings despite the cold and snow of last week. (The park area got about 6 inches of snow Sunday night into Monday.) Unfortunately, the Eastern Bluebirds appear to have had a set back. Not only have the adults disappeared for the time being, but the one box that had eggs--and which had hatched those eggs--contained the dead remains of the clutch.

We saw only one species of warblers--the Yellow-rumped Warblers also know as "Butter Butts," so we're still waiting on the influx of migrants.

Here's the report I posted to eBird:

Hills Creek SP, Tioga, US-PA
Apr 28, 2012 7:45 AM - 9:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Clear, calm, cool (30-45 degrees)
32 species

Canada Goose X
Wood Duck X
Mallard X
Common Loon X
Pied-billed Grebe X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron X
Osprey X
Bald Eagle X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Northern Flicker X
Eastern Phoebe X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
White-breasted Nuthatch X
American Robin X
European Starling X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Eastern Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
White-throated Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Pine Siskin X
American Goldfinch X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Aerie Report, April 27, 2012

Super warm and sunny on Wednesday and Thursday has turned in to mostly sunny but pretty darn chilly. Nearly all the snow has melted with just the piles where we shoveled it off the deck remaining. I emptied the rain gauge this afternoon. It held a huge snow cap on the top after Sunday/Monday's storm. That may have blocked some of the rain that fell on Tuesday and some of that snow may have dripped over the edge, but despite that, there were 2.5 inches of water in the tube.

Tonight we may get temperatures in the upper 20s. The weather service has issued a freeze warning for the area. Figures. My lettuce and beets have just popped out of the soil. Our position on the slope may be enough to protect them as colder air will sink down into the valley leaving us with a slightly warmer temp.

Tomorrow's a birding day at Hills Creek State Park. If the winds today hadn't been out of the north-northwest, I would have expected to see more warblers and migrants. Last week, Gary reported that the migratory water fowl have pretty much moved on. The Grebes and Loons have departed for waters further north.

******

Patience, Grasshopper

see more

Four freekin' months before Joe and I go fishin' in northern Quebec. Soooooo long!

Aerie Bear, pt. 2 on Tuesday

The bear returned later in the evening. When I stepped out on the deck at just after 10 PM it was heading for the steps. With no seed in the telephone pole bird feeder, it was hoping to score some snacks off the deck feeders (which I had already put inside after the earlier encounter). I talked to the bear and the bear acted all shy and bashful---but also insistent. If not allowed on the deck, then it was going to investigate under the deck.

I got the camera and started shooting. From less than 10 feet away.

"Okay. You caught me." 

"You sure I can't come up there and check for myself?" 

"Well, maybe there's some seed under the deck that the squirrels, chipmunks and birds missed." 

The long, pointed snout, ears that seem overly large and on the side of the head, and a size about the same as a large St. Bernard tell me this bear is only about two years old.  In the six years we've been here, we've had much bigger visitors and even a Mommy with three cubs. If this one keeps coming by, I may have to teach it a lesson on human avoidance. 

The Bear Came Back

Our little bear friend returned this evening before sunset. Just as another brief snow flurry hit.

First stop was at the source of yesterday's snacks. 

The flash from the camera caused the bear to leap up into the trees. 

The bear moved off, then froze as if spooked before bolting up the hill.

Voting

Went to cast my primary ballot this morning while I was down the hill. The town rec center/meeting hall/voting hall is just across Route 6. I was the 29th voter at 10 AM (polls opened at 7 AM) and the only one there when I arrived so I was out numbered by poll workers 6 or 7 to 1. It wasn't until after I left that I realized that no one asked to see any ID as the law now requires. That's not a big deal under the circumstances. In a small town like ours most folks know one another and in a group of 6 or 7 poll workers, hell, there's bound to be at least one who knows who the heck you are!

The first time Terry and I went to vote after we moved in, we had our driver's licenses and registration cards in hand when, before we had said anything, one of the woman at the table announced, "These are the Fabers who just moved in on Connelly Mountain Road." She was the township secretary and had seen (but not spoken to) Terry at the Post Office. The post mistress had told her all about us.

Small town America! Ain't it grand?

******

On a totally different front, Tim Hutton beat out Jody Stahancyk in Portland's faux Mayoral Madness contest. Jody's attempt to get Mr. Hutton disqualified on non-residency issues failed. She lost the election due to the rather rabid fans of Mr. Hutton.
Timothy Hutton 57.31% (5,391 votes)
Jody Stahancyk 42.69% (4,015 votes)


Thanks to those of you who took the time to cast your vote(s) for Jody over the course of this most unusual Mayoral Madness event.

Aerie Aftermath

I drove down the hill today to pick up the mail. I wasn't able to get it on Saturday because our post office is only open two hours on Saturdays (9 to 11 AM) and I was at the Earth Day event. And I wasn't able to get it on Monday because I was busy trying to clear the driveway of snow and, when that was finished I just said, "Frelk it!"

Before I left home, however, I had to remove the snow that hadn't yet slid off the top of the Tundra. With the temperature above the freezing mark (barely) the snow was heavier and wetter than when it had fallen but the slight melting on the surface made it slick as a well greased pig. A little push or pull with the brush was all it took to get the avalanche started. Luckily, it's a long handled brush or my boots would have been buried and my feet soaked--again.

The road had been plowed and there was lots of bare dirt/cinders showing. The area just below our place was only one lane wide and you could see how the snow plow had had difficulty moving the easily packed and heavy snow. Huge balls of the stuff had been pushed to the side and it looked like a troop of easily distracted children had given up on building an army of snowmen when the first tier had gotten too large to push any more.

Here and there, branches littered the road where the heavy snow had caused them to snap or where, bent under the snow's weight, they had been broken off by the top of the dump truck used to plow and cinder the road. In other spots, whip slender aspens bent over the road blocking part of the lane and causing me to swerve around the outstretched limbs. I saw only one or two very large limbs/trees downed and their breaks exposed older partially rotted joints that gave way. (From our deck, I can see a few thin trees and/or limbs in the woods that I will have to cut in to smaller pieces.) A small old barn on the corner that had been listing about 15 degrees out of plumb was reduced to a pile of boards by the crushing weight of the snow.

As I neared Route 6, however, the snow depth decreased dramatically. The 10-12 inches at the Aerie became a mere 2-3 inches with lots of bare grass exposed beneath the trees. It was really quite a contrast. Elevation as well as location really do make a difference. The little blob that hung around all day yesterday did not extend that far to the northwest so as to reach the post office but it certainly produced snow here, some 1400 feet higher.

Anyway, there's a good deal of melting going on today as the temperature is in the upper 30s and even hit 40 degrees when the sun peeked through the clouds. The driveway--except where the snow slid off the Tundra and Jeep--is nearly down to earth and stone. Nearly all the clumps of snow on the pine boughs have either melted off or been blown off by the light breezes. It will take a couple of days for the snow on the lawn to melt completely but the grass and, most certainly, the dandelions will survive.

******

I mentioned on Facebook that we had a black bear come visiting last night. The bear looked to be a two year-old  with a pointed snout and, judging by its size when it stood leaning on the telephone pole, weighing between 150 and 175 pounds. It sat under the bird feeder I have hanging from the telephone pole in the yard and carefully removed every sunflower seed it contained. I watched it for a half an hour and didn't have the heart to chase it away as this was possibly the easiest food it could find with a foot of snow underfoot. And it repaid my generosity by not tearing the feeder down or even knocking the snow off its roof. It did investigate the deck but didn't come beyond the top step before heading back the way it had come--right under Terry's window and against the side of the house where the snow was less deep.

April Snow At The Aerie

It's April 23rd at the Aerie and a late snow storm dumped 10-12 inches of heavy, wet, white on the ground. Snow is good. Snow is fine. But once April 15th has passed, snow falls of this magnitude should be over. (Click on any of the photos to enlarge 'em.)

 

Look down the deck at 7 AM today. 

A Pine Siskin seeks sustenance.

A view to the west. 

 The onions are buried, the pool is closed and the redbud is shivering.

 The Jeep Liberty has been jailed.

 The Tundra feels right at home.

 By late afternoon, much of the driveway got turned into slush and mud by the tractor.

 And the view to the west revealed the hills and windmills were still there.

As twilight approaches, the snow is supposed to taper off but it's going the other way. The hills and windmills are once again shrouded and out of sight. The trees are being weighted down once more. The snow is falling as hard as it did all day. Luckily it hasn't begun to stick again to the cleared surfaces but as the temperature falls below the freezing mark, it will.

The high today was just 35 degrees. We are supposed to see the 40s tomorrow and 50 on Wednesday. Some rain showers during the day and snow showers at night are possible on Tuesday but only "partly cloudy" is in the Wednesday forecast. Thursday it will be warmer (high 50s) and rainy. This snow will not last long, but it has already been a nuisance.

April Snow

The snow fell all night and continues as I type. We've got close to a foot of heavy wet stuff on the ground. Many of the trees are coated and bent under the weight. Terry managed to get home from New Jersey around 8 PM when there was just a light dusting starting to stick to the dirt road and driveway. She said there was nothing but rain at the lower elevations.

We did lose power during the night. Sometime around 3:30 AM  Terry woke up and saw the clock was still on but at 5 AM it wasn't. Power came back at 6:30 AM. (It's great to live in a dairy farming area! Cows have to be milked and milk kept cold so power repairs are a priority.) The temperature in the house never got below 60 degrees thanks to the fire I had going last night and the lack of wind outside. Outside temperature is just around 29 degrees, too, which helps.  And the snow on the roof acts as even more insulation.

I'll have to get the tractor out and clear the driveway in a bit but as long as it's still snowing I can wait a while. The snow thrower won't do me much good with the kind of snow we've got. Too heavy and wet for it to be tossed very far and, once moved, it would just pack even more tightly.

The small birds are going nuts outside. The feeders are being mobbed by Pine Siskins, Goldfinches, Purple Finches and Chickadees as well as others.Although the ports are difficult to reach because of the snow they are doing alright. At least they haven't got to compete with the squirrels who are sleeping in this morning.

TV reports that there's only 2-3 inches of snow in Elmira but up to a foot in Ithaca, NY. West of here, over toward Erie, PA and up to Buffalo, NY there's more than a foot. I'll try to get some pictures of the snow before and after I clear the drive.

He Did It Again!

My brother-in-law is an avid and skilled bowler who participates in several leagues.

Yesterday his daughter posted news on Facebook that he had once more rolled a perfect game; a 300 game. I asked how many that made and was told, "He's not sure. It's either 4 or 5."

Either way, that's one heck of an accomplishment and worthy a tip of the hat. Way to go Al!

[I once bowled fairly regularly and in a league but never attained the level of consistency that Al has. My best average was around 185 and my best game was 279--that's all strikes but one. I had a 9 and a spare in the eight frame.]

Aerie Report, April 22, 2012

Friday morning Terry and I herded the kittehs into their travel cases and hustled them down to the veterinary clinic on Route 6 to get their annual check-ups and their rabies shots. As usual, we had closed all the doors heading to any and all extra rooms and the basement so as to limit their escape routes. Even so, it's amazing how slinky and fast they can be when they sense something is afoot. Took us ten minutes to corral the little buggers.

As expected, Chester gained some weight. He is now officially over 20 pounds of pussy cat. His sister is slightly less as she topped the scales at a smidge over 17 pounds. (Next to her BIG brother, she doesn't look that big at all.) Julie, the grand dame of the group at nearly 11 years of age, lost a couple of tenths of a pound and is around 9 pounds. That wasn't much of a surprise as I had noticed lately that, despite finishing up everyone's moist food every day, Julie was more skin-and-bone-ish than the other two. That is, when she cuddles up to you and you start scratching her, you can actually feed her shoulder blades, ribs and spine. With the other two all you get is fur and fat. (Chester would make a good raccoon. He could probably turn 180 degrees inside his skin if he needed to.)

All three are fine otherwise. Chester purred the entire time the vet was checking him out and even while she gave him his shots. He then sat at her feet as Shadow went through the same routine. (She didn't purr and only hissed once when the second needle went in.) Julie tolerated the exam and the shots and willingly went back in her carry case on her own before turning to me and swatting at my hand as I fastened the door.

The trip was eventful in the usual way as none of them love being in the car and are not afraid to vocalize their displeasure. Chester and Shadow add to their protest in ways that would make the Occupy crowd proud; i.e. they foam at the mouth, and piss and poop in their cages. Good thing it's only a six mile trip to the vet's.

******

Shortly after we returned back at the Aerie, Terry took off for New Jersey to attend a baby shower and a stitching class while staying at her Mom's house and I was left alone with the beasts. Lucky for me, the shots they got make them lethargic. Besides Julie's occasional demand for some cuddle time, I've been left alone.

******

Saturday there was an Earth Day event at Mill Cove Environmental Area over in Tioga. I was there as a representative of the Tiadaghton Audubon Society. I had some blue bird houses and Audubon hats for sale as well as free printed information on places to bird and bird checklists. I set up my digiscoping equipment (a small digital camera attached to a spotting scope) and had my usual telephoto camera as well as binoculars and bird books. I also had information about the eel project.

The weather didn't cooperate as much as it could have. After several weeks of virtually no rain, the damn stuff showed up around 10 AM with a fast hitting torrential downpour and reappeared sporadically during the day. Coupled with what seemed like a swift temperature drop, folks were shivering by mid afternoon. (I checked the trucks thermometer and the temp did drop, but only about 10 degrees to 50 degrees. It just felt like more.) Attendance was knocked down by the out of the way location and the weather--mostly the weather--but it wasn't bad for a first time event. (Previous years it was held at Mansfield University and that really limited the kinds of activities that could be held.)

******

Saturday I snuck out to the Mainesburg Methodist Church for dinner. It was the guys turn to do the cooking and they served up some baked fish, ham, sweet potatoes, beets and creamed corn as well as some great deserts. It was well worth the money and, despite having to go alone, I ran into several folks I know from around town and elsewhere.

Later Saturday night the sky opened up in earnest and we got some very heavy rainfall as well a further drop in the temperatures. It stopped raining somewhere around 3 AM but the temperatures haven't done any rising. As a result, I spent some time restocking the firewood in the garage and putting some of it to use in the fireplace. Currently it's foggy as heck out there and I can hear some sleet rattling against the windows. The weather service has a winter storm watch for northern and western PA. This warning will extend through the night and much of tomorrow. "Significant" snow accumulation is possible in the Laurel Highlands which start around the Pine Creek Gorge area and head west from there. (Points in the Allegheny National Forest to just east of Buffalo, NY could see a foot of snow.) If we are lucky, it will stay just to our west and we'll get nothing but rain. But if the darn thing shifts a tiny bit to the east, we could certainly be looking a several inches of snow. And with many trees just starting to spread their leaves, that could prove disastrous. Terry is heading home this evening and should beat the worst of it, but she better be careful on the higher elevations between Williamsport and here on Route 15.

******

That's about it from the Aerie.

Oh, one more thing: Don't forget Portland's Mayoral Madness and vote for Jody!

A Little Jazz for a Saturday Evening.

Feeling like a road trip. Route 66--or what's left of it--would be just fine. In the meantime, this will have to do.

This version is pretty hip, too.

Mayoral Madness

Oh my, Tim Hutton has pulled ahead of Jody in the Mayoral Madness Finals.

 Seems the production crew of Leverage has been spreading street money and calling it "hiring extras!" We know what it is, however, good old fashioned vote buying! Jody doesn't go that route! She's as ethical as can be and a real straight shooter. Her word is her bond.

So don't get taken in by the smooth talking, flim-flam artist, Timothy Hutton! Vote Jody!

And remember: You can vote once a day every day through Monday at 8 PM (PDT) when the polls close.

Well, what are you waiting for? GO! VOTE!

Imagine That!

Exxon will be drilling in the Arctic Ocean after all--with the Russians.

Exxon, Rosneft unveil $500 bln offshore venture

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. oil major ExxonMobil and Russia's Rosneft unveiled an offshore exploration partnership on Wednesday that could invest upward of $500 billion in developing Russia's vast energy reserves in the Arctic and Black Sea.

Imagine that. The worlds largest oil company, unable to drill in the offshore waters of the US of A, finds somewhere where it CAN drill for oil and continue to make a profit. Since when is Russia more inclined to capitalism than the US of A?

Now imagine how many how many Americans would have been employed by such a venture if Exxon had been permitted to drill in the waters off the coast of the US of A.

 Imagine how much income tax those high paying jobs would have produced. Imagine the royalties paid to the treasury from the oil extracted.

Imagine...

(I wonder if Sarah Palin Tina Fey will be able to see any of the oil rigs from the coast of Alaska?)

(h/t to Don Surber)

Yep!

Click to read: 13 Politically Incorrect Gun Rules for Conservatives

Heh?

From Hot Air: Democrats (Not) At Work Says it all:

"For a party that demands that voters put them in charge, they seem utterly unwilling to do the job once they have it. Voters should keep this in mind in November, up and down the ballot."

Mayoral Madness, Portland, OR

It's the Finals in Willamette Week's Mayoral Madness. It's actor Timothy Hutton vs. Jody Stahancyk, a divorce lawyer and my daughter-in-Law's boss. Go here to vote for Jody and go back every day to vote again until it's over.

Saturday's Bird Walk at Hills Creek SP April 14, 2012

There was another bird walk this morning at Hills Creek State Park. An unusually large group was in attendance, too. In addition to the regular members of the Tiadaghton Audubon Society, there was a guy who shows up every year on opening day of the fishing season (his buddies at their camp go fishing while he goes birding), a fellow from Pittsburgh area who was staying at the park's cabins, and a woman from the area who just happened to want to take a walk and learn about the park and birds. In total, we had 12 people. We didn't do badly with the birds, either. Even though a change in our usual path kept us away from the Blue Bird nesting grounds and put us into a rather dense pine/hemlock grove with few birds, and despite the warblers/summer birds still laying up to our south, we still came up with just over 30 species. Here's my list for the day: Hills Creek SP, Tioga, US-PA Apr 14, 2012 7:45 AM - 10:00 AM Protocol: Traveling 2.0 mile(s) Comments: Cool, crisp, clear morning with virtually no wind. 31 species Canada Goose X Wood Duck X Mallard X Ring-necked Duck X Bufflehead X Common Merganser X Common Loon X Pied-billed Grebe X Horned Grebe X Double-crested Cormorant X Great Blue Heron X Bald Eagle X Killdeer X Bonaparte's Gull X Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X Northern Flicker X Eastern Phoebe X Blue Jay X American Crow X Tree Swallow X Black-capped Chickadee X White-breasted Nuthatch X American Robin X European Starling X Yellow-rumped Warbler X Chipping Sparrow X Song Sparrow X Dark-eyed Junco X Northern Cardinal X Red-winged Blackbird X Common Grackle X This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Osprey--The Ultimate Fisher

One of the highlights of last Saturday's bird walk at Hills Creek State Park was watching an osprey make two dives into the lake and coming up (on the second one) with a small perch for it's dinner. The movies included in the clip below show ospreys doing much, much better. There are three distinct scenes. In the first, the bird takes advantage of a target rich environment and comes up with one fish for each talon--or so it seems. The second bird dives completely under the water as it goes after a bottom dwelling fluke or flounder. (Watch the bird shake itself while in flight--just like a dog--to rid itself of excess water.) The third bird captures what looks like a salmon or large trout--and almost finds it's too big to handle. Almost. Use the full screen option to get the best view.

Say What?

In an item in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review dealing with the recent unforced error by Hilary Rosen, Democratic adviser, who made comments as to Ann ROmney having no ability to comment on anything economic since she had "actually never worked a day in her life," we have this gem:

President Obama told an Iowa television station that families are off limits in campaigns.

"I don't have a lot of patience for commentary about the spouses of political candidates," Obama said. "Those of us who are in the public life, we're fair game. Our families are civilians."

As Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit says: "Tell it to the people who covered Sarah Palin, some of whom have been invited to dinner with Obama."

To which I would add:
Of course, Obama would love to have family's off limits in the upcoming campaign. Pointing out just how many junkets and family vacations the First Lady and/or her daughters have indulged in on the taxpayers' dime is not the sort of thing someone trying to portray the "rich" as "evil" is likely to want.

And let us not even begin to delve into the poltiical speeches the First Lady has delivered on the stump or at expesive political fundraisers.

It's Time to Vote Some More.

The polls have opened (again) in Portland's Mayoral Madness of the Willamette Week.

My daughter-in-law's boss, Jody Stahancyk, has made it to the Final Four. She needs your vote(s) to move on to the Final. You can vote once each day through the closing of the polls on Monday at 8 PM (PDT).

So go here to vote Jody!

Aerie Report, April 12, 2012

Yesterday's weather was...interesting. The temperature ranged from 29 to 39 degrees and we had a steady breeze of about 15 mph coming out of the west-northwest that brought wave after wave of snow, sleet, and hail (pea-sized little ice pellets) all of which melted shortly after achieving landfall. Oh, and there was the occasional break in the clouds that permitted a view of blue sky and sunshine--though those were usually very, very brief.

I was glad I spent some time on Tuesday to put the lettuce and beet seeds in the ground. The moisture from what is sometimes called "onion snow" should cause them to germinate sooner rather than later. Especially since the temperatures under ever increasingly sunny skies are supposed to be 58 on Friday, 65 on Saturday and 75 on Sunday.

I felt yesterday's rawness warranted burning up the remaining wood stacked in the garage in an effort to take the chill out of the house and, perhaps, contributing to global warming. Turned a lot of lights on too. The old incandescents, though the curly bulbs do seem to produce some heat at the base.

Not much else going on at the moment. I'd blame the cats since their internal alarm system seems to have gone bonkers. I keep trying to remind them (particularly Shadow) that 5 AM is not an appropriate wake-up time. I'd much prefer 6:30 or 7, but that (not so) little black daughter of Satan just can't seem to grasp that. Her brother, Chester, steps in whenever Shadows voice begins to fail. Julie? She's the first down the stairs and to the feeding area when the door opens, but she lets the two larger, louder and bigger cats do the waking up. Eleven-year old Julie just supervises.

Vote Jody!

Portland, Oregon is doing something different.

Okay, that's not news. They are always doing something different in Portland, Oregon. What is different is that they (and by "they" I mean the Willamette Week) are having a mock mayoral election. Because, you know, their current mayor hasn't been mocked enough. (The current mayor, Sam Adams, may have made a great beer when he was back in Boston, but the waters of the Willamette have messed up his thinking.)

They ran this election as though it were the NCAA basketball championship, brackets and all. They call it "Mayoral Madness". Things have progressed to the Elite Eight contestants.

I bring this up because my daughter-in-law's boss, Jody Stahancyk,is one of those contending for a place in the Final Four.

It's all in good fun and you can help. Go here and Vote Jody into the Final Four!

Birding At Hills Creek State Park

It was a chilly and windy morning out at Hills Creek State Park, but the usual culprits gathered at the park office at 0800 to see what we could see. Many of the species that had dropped into the lake last week have already left for northern waters. Only a few grebes and lots of Buffleheads remained. It was too early for many of the woodland species (only one Yellow-rumped Warbler was spotted) so things ended up pretty evenly divided between water birds and upland species. The highlights included seeing several nesting pairs of Blue Birds (four eggs in one box), a tiny Brown Creeper, and watching an Osprey dive into the lake twice. He was successful on the second attempt and carried off what looked like a small yellow perch.

My bird tally came to 26.

Hills Creek SP, Tioga, US-PA
Apr 7, 2012 8:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Cold and windy (30-35 degrees, 15+ mph out of the north) but sunny, cloudless morning.
26 species

Canada Goose X
Wood Duck X
Mallard X
Bufflehead X
Common Merganser X
Pied-billed Grebe X
Horned Grebe X
Great Blue Heron X
Osprey X
American Coot X
Belted Kingfisher X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Eastern Phoebe X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Brown Creeper X
Eastern Bluebird X
American Robin X
European Starling X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Song Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)