Bits and Pieces

Or, things I meant to post but didn't get a . Now, to see if I can remember everything:

Carnivals, first.

Bev, at Burning Silo, hosted the latest Circus of the Spineless, #19,last Saturday, including my "Muddy Buddies" series. And slugs, snails, moths and more, including a link to a Black Widow spider that makes shivers run down my spine. Memories, memories; I have to post my spider stories one of these days.

And she reminds us that a host is needed for the next Circus: "Our APRIL host is as yet unknown. Perhaps it will be one of you! The Circus is looking for a home for the next edition, so please do consider hosting. If you’d like to volunteer, please email Tony a.s.a.p."

On lovely, dark and deep, a chickadee subs for Scott Catskill to host the 46th edition of I and the Bird, travelling around the world to observe the observers. I never knew a chickadee could fly so far! He came by here, too, but I must have been looking at eagles instead, and missed him. Too bad.

Next edition, the end of April: "send your submissions for I and the Bird #47 to Jochen of Bell Tower Birding at joroeder AT yahoo DOT com by April 17th (the earlier you send it in the easier it is for Jochen)"

Oh, and don't forget the Blogger Bioblitz coming up at the end of April. Bev is collecting useful field guides on her site; check it out.

Tidbits from the blogosphere:

Jon Voisey, at the Angry Astronomer, posts a photo of an angel -- an angel of light, yet! Make of that what you will! -- seen at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, in Pareidolia: Part n + 5.

A cartoon is going the rounds. I can't see it, even for the umpteenth time, without a chuckle of recognition, so I collected it.
Charlie, over at Charlie's Bird Blog, solved a mystery that has been bugging me some; why do some of our local mallards look so unmallardlike? Was that a wigeon with a green head that I saw the other day? Or what?

Turns out that mallards hybridize more easily than any other waterfowl, breeding with up to 40 other species of ducks and geese! Charlie explains, and shows photos of several mixes.

And if you haven't already, check out today's Dharma Bums. That's one courageous robin!

If there was something else, and there probably was, I have forgotten it.

Added later on: Celeste, at Dzonoqua's Whistle, has a nice coral mushroom.

Around home:

The nuthatches are back. And the house finches, just a pair. And some other LBB (Little Brown Bird) that I can't identify, yet.

A squirrel was tugging at a wool rug I have over my supplies cart, obviously collecting fibres for her nest. I put out a bunch of well-worn flannel as a substitute. I want that rug!

Dug great holes in my garden and planted new perennials, moved old ones around. Fertilized and mixed good earth in the clayey parts. Dug out roots. Good, satisfying work. But I hadn't realized how stiff I had gotten over the winter; how my back ached afterwards!