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...

Meanwhile, back in June...

 I asked him to turn around, apparently he didn't understand. Silly Bluebirds...

 These are from last June at Carlisle Reservation in Lorain county, Ohio. Nice folks out there. THey display my photographs and I didn't even have to bribe them. I think I ended the bloggity around this time, so never got around to posting these. Loopy sometimes gets a bad attitude and needs a break.

Now I will pretend it's June and ignore the snow outside and the Doodles calling for me to shovel the driveway because she seems to be buried. Doodles aren't very tall and sometimes get buried in snow, but seeing as I now believe it's June, there is no snow and I will continue to stay indoors. Doodles? Where are you?!

 This is a House Wren. It is not from behind. Butt, the item in his beak IS from behind, sort of...

Do you know what it is?

 

 Blue Jay booty.

He doesn't know I'm here!

Shhh.

 This is the Willow Flycatcher from the last post, just before he flew away to get some good marsh bugs.

 

Just a few more months til the Song Sparrows that are still in our garden start to sing!

Don't forget about our environment! You need to write letters to let these people know and understand that we believe in

 PLANET BEFORE PROFIT!

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

A Willow Flycatcher doing what birds do when they see me...still...

I have a lot of catching up to do. Hundreds of photos to view and edit since I stopped the bloggity last June. So, expect lots of confusing photos that are out of season! Who wants to see snow and ice right now anyway?

When Birding is Bad...(update!)

 I found this Long-eared Owl back in February of 2006 by accident. It sometimes pays to not pay attention!

I also left quickly after taking three shots.

 There's been a lot of talk lately about sightings of rare birds here in Ohio. Long-eared Owls are a rare winter visitor and when spotted, folks get excited and gather in large groups to their roosting areas. These are very quiet birds and don't do well when there's too much activity in their roosting areas.

They were more common a number of years ago, but possibly due to the amount of birders getting too close, staying too long and taking too many flash photographs, their numbers have dwindled. It's great to see something rare and I have no issue with careful viewing. But...when the bird isn't a life bird and you just need it for a month, year or area list, think more of the birds safety and future and not yourself. Just my opinion...

Speaking of ranting...

 

Like shooting ducks in a barrel...

There's also lots of talk lately semi-automatic weapons and large volume ammunition clips. I know a good number of hunters and none of them use these for hunting. They also don't mind if there is stricter regulations. All of this NRA orating about someones second amendment rights is a waste of time. The amendment was written to protect this country from Britain and to keep a militia at the ready.


Folks with automatic and semi-automatic weapons really have no point in this argument. And if they purchased their weapons legally they should be happy to comply with whatever new laws are enacted. Isn't that part of being an American?

One comment stated that violent crimes have declined over the past decade. Partially true...go to the FBI site and go through their stats. I noted that murder and violent crimes are actually now on the rise. Read this article in the Mother Jones news for more interesting facts concerning the alarming rise in mass shootings. Is the pleasure of owning an assault weapon more important than saving the lives of innocent people?

Ooohh...night vision and everything. This is just as sane as a semi-automatic rifle for hunting.

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