Today's dinosaurs and me

[kenlarsson]

When I was in 5th grade we had a school year long class project studying birds. We kept bird watching logs, made cutout displays of different types of local birds, went on a field trip to an old farm that the Audubon society had bought and turned into a bird sanctuary. I’ve never been what you could call a birder, but I’ve tended to notice and pay attention to birds as I move around in my daily life.

Lately I’ve been keeping track of the larger birds I come across on my bike rides, the smaller ones I can’t ID while riding a bike. So, a few weeks ago I put up a birdfeeder outside our living room window. Now I’ve got sparrows, wrens, chickadees, tufted titmice (or tufted titmouses?) and others keeping me entertained. Kind of like watching fish in an aquarium………

I knew that there were nature hikes and lectures close by in Withlacoochee State Forest. I went online to search for information and came across a link to the Hernando County Audubon society. So, while this has been going on I’ve also been thinking about getting involved in some volunteer work. Turns out they’re involved in a lot of local conservation projects as well as bird watching. I’m mailing in applications and a donation today for Claire and I to join and get involved.

[Marshall]

Good work, bird brain.

(I mean that in the nicest way possible).

[epaul]

I met Charlene through Audubon. She was hired as the education director at an area Audubon sanctuary (a bachelor farmer donated his farm to Audubon to be managed for wildlife and environmental education). I was the editor of the Pine to Prairie Audubon Society's newsletter, "The Snowy Owl", and I interviewed Charlene for the newsletter. The rest is history.

[Cornflake]

"tufted titmice (or tufted titmouses?)"

Actually, it's titted tuftmice.

[Cosmic Wonder]

Corvids are cool.

Mike

[Village Idiot]

Birds are great, Ken. The ones you mentioned are the ones that migrated from up here to visit you for the winter. Have fun watching them and please tell them I say hello.

[millring]

Birds are as close as I come to believing in magic.

[theevan]

Jan 4, 2024 16:07:06 GMT -5 Cosmic Wonder said:

Corvids are cool.

Mike

Yeah, but you need a vaccine to watch em.

[dradtke]

Melva has a package of frozen dinosaurs thawing for dinner tomorrow.

[Cornflake]

"Melva has a package of frozen dinosaurs thawing for dinner tomorrow."

You can only safely freeze dinosaurs for about 2 million years.

[Village Idiot]

I would agree that 2 million years is the limit. I'm eating my way to the bottom of my freezer these days, and at this point I can agree with 2 million years being the threshold of freezing things safely.

[millring]

It's been a year for them out in the country. For most of the year if you see big birds circling the hoosier sky, it's almost always gonna be turkey vultures, but in the wintertime hawks rule the air. And I have seen more varieties than I can identify the past few winters.

A couple of years ago I witnessed my first rough legged hawk. Apparently they are arctic birds who will winter as far south as Indiana. Their distinctive markings set them apart (appearing to be striped). But they are also wider-winged, yet slightly more slender than the ubiquitous red tail. And this winter I saw several.

And something I witnessed a red tail do, I also saw one of the rough legged hawks do. I saw them kiting. Standing perfectly still in the wind. Not like they were circling on a thermal. No, it was simply staying stock-still in the wind for what was probably 15-30 seconds at a time. I stopped my Jeep one day just to watch one doing it in the distance.

I've seen Northern Harriers and falcons. I also saw a small flock of Snow Geese. I mentioned a time back that I saw a piebald red tail hawk. I watched a kestral try and fail and try and fail and try and finally succeed to lift off with a mouse in its claws. And last week I drove up on a turkey vulture enjoying some roadkill in the road up ahead ... only to realize when I got about thirty yards away (and it took off) that it was a bald eagle, not a turkey vulture.

Birds are one of my greatest enjoyments as a rural carrier. But the sightings are fleeting and sometimes frustrating -- especially the frustration of missing a potentially great photo. Seconds before, there were three crows in varied poses. As I closed in on the shot, one flew off. By the time I got where I really wanted to be, they all skedaddled.



It was a great vision. I just didn't get to capture it.

[Cornflake]

The best way to make birds fly off quickly is to get out your camera.

[billhammond]

We run a weekly bird column done by two local free-lancers; each does one every other week, and one supplies the photos we use. He's pretty successful at capturing fine images. This week's focus was on flickers, which I think are so gorgeous.

[theevan]

Normally we have our local resident geese and mix of permanent ducks on our little pond. We'll regularly get some Canadians that'll make a pit stop and often have a few cormorants as well as great white and blue herons.

This morning I look out and there's at least 25 cormorants in tight formation, swimming and diving. I counted 14 great white herons (and a blue), some perched, some wading, some swooping over the water. They put on quite a show.

Came back from church and all is back to normal. Rats.

[billhammond]

Jan 7, 2024 16:09:14 GMT -5 theevan said:

Came back from church and all is back to normal. Rats.

The rats ate all the birds?

[drlj]

Jan 7, 2024 17:12:36 GMT -5 billhammond said:

Jan 7, 2024 16:09:14 GMT -5 theevan said:

Came back from church and all is back to normal. Rats.

The rats ate all the birds?

Rats will eat you if they get a chance. A chickadee is just a snack.