An Obnoxious Observation...

This is a Peregrine Falcon.

He knows what he wants and he knows where he's going.

AND he doesn't waste time.

SO, I was driving to work on Presidents Day. I drive about an hour or more depending on how scared folks are that morning. "OH MY GOD! WHAT'S THAT WHITE STUFF FALLING FROM THE SKY?! I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE!" I should mention that we live on the Lake Erie coast and it snows here...every winter...for weeks on end. Wheee. Anyway...I was so surprised when there weren't any accidents reported, no drivers stopped in the middle of the freeway, confused with their never ending turn signals signaling for nothing in particular. I also noticed the traffic was light and moving properly, in the proper direction (which would be forward, in case you were wondering.)

I made it to work almost FIFTEEN minutes early! The money I saved on gas by not sitting still for most of the hour I wasted on a sausage McMuffin...yummy. The Doodles is one of those veggie heads, I'm a proud carnivore. I then realized...it was a government holiday and the governmentals were at home or some other subversive place!

And then it really hit me. This explains the dawdling in Washington! People that work for the government can't help themselves. It must be some sort of genetic defect. They just can't move quickly. Life has become so clear to me now. We all need to drive to our local state representative or senate office and sit out front and honk our horns! Over and over again. It works in rush hour...

This is a chicken.

They only move fast if you're coming up behind them with an ax.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

You can find your Senator here:

 http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

You can find your state Representative here:

 http://www.house.gov/representatives/

The Nature Conservancy:

 http://www.nature.org/

The National Audubon Society:

http://www.audubon.org

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds:

http://www.rspb.org.uk

Unfeathered...

 This is a different sort of "Unfeathered..."

 Heighdy-ho lil' neighbors! I received a new book from my buddy Jessica at Princeton University Press, "The Unfeathered Bird" by Katrina van Grouw.

Have you ever wondered how birds look underneath those fluffy feathers? If you're not like my friend the Sharpie above and don't want to grab a Starling and rip his feathers out with your teeth, you may want to look into this large book.

Katrina is the former curator of the ornithological collections at London's Natural History Museum, a fine artist and a taxidermist. She has spent years preparing these specimens and posing them to create this book. I've always wondered about wing structures on birds(really, I did!) and how they could lift their weight and fly. By looking through these pages, I've discovered so much. You'll see birds with their flesh removed to see their musculature, their bone structures and details of how woodpeckers peck without going bonkers.

The language is simple to understand...which means a lot coming from me, the ultimate simple birder. It begins with a "Generic" information section to outline bird structure and it is followed by more specific information on bird families. (I didn't see The Doodles family though.) And the artwork is amazing! The peacock on the cover is too cool! The 10"X12" coffee table size makes it easy to study and would look great opened on a book stand. There's lots of science involved in these illustrations, but I just like the artfulness of them.
 

 A poor skinless European Robin with a worm.

I like my chicken to be skinless...

 A European Robin with it's skin still intact...and without a worm.

 

 Great Hornbill not looking so great right now...

  

I saw a Budgie at the pet store that wasn't far off from this drawing.

To learn a little more about how this book and the skeletons were created, check out this website from Katrina!

This video shows Katrina creating a print...

Why I won't cut down a cherry tree...

 I never expected to see a Cape May Warbler in our cherry tree!

 I know...a little early for George Washington references...I'm trying to catch up on old photos that I haven't seen since the days I down loaded them. These are from last September and the beginning of fall migration along the shores of Lake Erie.

We've had a lovely blast of lake effect snow over the past few days. I never made it to work Friday because of the lovely white stuff. After an hour and a half of ten miles per hour, about five miles driven and thirty to go, Loopy went home and took a nap. I may not be as stoopid as you think...I think.

Were was I? Oh yeah, cherry trees. We have one. The birds like it. I like it. The Doodles isn't too keen on it. It's very close to the house and rubs when it's windy. I trim it a little when I'm in the mood tho be the handy homeowner kind of guy. But it's gonna stay. Cause the birds told me. And I listen to them.

 And now a Black-throated Blue warblything. 

We saw them in our gardens most of the late summer and through to autumn. 

They may be nesting close by. Cool.

 

 The Northern Cardinals spend lots of time here.

Even in the winter...there's feeders close by!

 

 Harry the Gray Catbird and his family visit a lot.

We talk to each other.

The neighbors think I may be odd.

 Even the Ruby-throated Hummythings like to bask in the sunshine on the cherry branches.

 And then there's Bobb.

He takes advantage of that hole in the fence near the tree.

It's sort of his super highway to food and snacks and a quick getaway from me!

  "If I stay very still...maybe he won't notice me."

 This is a Red-breasted Nuthatch not in the cherry tree.

But he's kinda red like a cherry...close enough...me color blind...and not to bright.

 

 If I didn't scare the bejeebuz out of this Wilson's Warbly, he might have made it to the cherry!

Meanwhile...at the feeders...

"Let's see...which one looks the best?"

"Oh yeah...this is the one! Thanks for feeding us!"

What I am...