Monsters, squirrels, silly me

Bits and pieces; some links, a busy squirrel, photo fixing, and more.

First, the links; interesting things I've seen these past couple of weeks:

Getting in the mood for Hallowe'en, Tim Eisele posted the story of a suicidal caterpillar, then followed up with an even more gruesome tale of a spider who ended up being prey rather than predator. Warning! Not for "sensitive souls". (We critter fans should have no problem with them.)

More "Ewwww" posts: Sea lice eat a dead pig, and "Is this fish evil?" An enquiry into the reasons for our shudders. From Deep Sea News.

Big and beautiful. Ted MacRae calls this a "Monster in the night", but he ends up taking it home as a pet for his daughter. If you skipped the last four links, this one is safe.

This I found fascinating; some land-based hermit crabs do more than just move into discarded shells that they find. Instead, they remodel them first, scraping them out for more room, and less weight, which gives them more speed without sacrificing the protection they need. From the BBC.

Great news! I and the Bird is back! And with a wonderful new format! Do you have posts to contribute? Go check out the new guidelines.

One more. This was really helpful, and has inspired me to take another look at some of my older photos. Ted MacRae takes an old, "crappy" (his word) photo of a beautiful beetle, applies his improved editing skills, and comes out with a decent photo. And don't miss Alex Wild's little fixes (in the comments) that turn it into a dazzling, shiny jewel.

I've picked out a few of my really old ones, and followed Ted's lead. One was the cat photo I posted a couple of days ago. Here's another: a terrible photo of a flatworm, very small, taken with one of my first cheap cameras; slightly unfocused, sprinkled with sand, and against a jumbled background. A few tweaks, and here's what I came up with.

Going places.

Not perfect, but passable. Looks like digging through those old files might be profitable.

Current events: here's a crappy photo which no amount of Photoshopping will fix. It's been a dreary, grey day, pouring rain and windy*. I was at my desk when rapid movement outside attracted my attention. Something was violently shaking a branch of the maple tree. Had to be a squirrel. I took a photo, without flash, through the window. Of course, the shutter was slow, and this is what the camera saw. (Still better than what I saw.)

A squirrel, all right. But what's he after?

He stopped suddenly, ran back up the branch and sat with his back to me. A minute later, he scrambled back down to the tip, and yanked at a winged seed, still not ready to fall and clinging tightly to its branch tip. The whole tree danced with their struggle, squirrel against seed. The squirrel won after a long tussle.

Remaining seeds, resting while the squirrel sits up-branch, eating the latest victim.

And, in the "Silly me" category:

In London Drugs this afternoon, I noticed some specialty reading glasses from Foster Grant, designed for working at a computer screen. They have an amber tint, that is supposed to

• Reduce eye strain and improve contrast
• Reduce blue light
• Reduce glare
• Reduce eye fatigue

Worth a try. And only $30. I bought a pair.

And they do help. The burning I've been feeling lately is gone, and my eyes aren't watering, even after a few hours on the computer.

So here I was editing photos, and the colours just wouldn't come out right. I clicked on areas that were supposed to be white, and they came out orangey. The greens were brown and muddy. I puzzled over those greens for a long while, then gave up and saved a photo as-is. Half-way through the next, I remembered those so-helpful glasses. I took them off, and -- it's miraculous! -- the photos fixed themselves instantly!

Derp!

*And in spite of the stormy weather, the trick or treaters were out tonight, with big jackets over their costumes.

A quick look at the sky

We're very busy today. All we'll have time for is a quick look out the window:

Sky and new leaves.

Three of my favourite carnivals have been posted this week:

• Carnival of the Blue - All things wet and wonderful
• Circus of the Spineless - Wild and wriggly
• And the last, the final, the swan song of I and the Bird, the granddaddy of Nature Carnivals. I'm sad to see it go, but look forward to what the creators come up with next.  Here's #149. And #1, for the record. And, while I'm at it, #76, the first one I hosted. And Clare's Panegyric. Thanks, Mike for all you've done for the birds and the bird bloggers!

A Skywatch post.

Yes, I talk to birds. I and the Bird #138

I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.  ~Henry David Thoreau

"I and the Bird." It's a very personal thing, a face-to-face conversation, one on one. Can you imagine "I and the Wasp"? Or "I and the Worm"? (Well, maybe you can. A few of us are ... odd.) We have Carnivals of this and Circuses of that. But it has to be "I and the Bird", even when we're birding in groups. When you look a bird in the eye, it's you and him. Or her.

I remember, when I was a very small first-grader, how a hummingbird somehow got into our house. Mom chased him from corner to corner, from the kitchen to the living room and back, until finally he cowered, trembling, in a spot where she could toss a dishtowel over him. She held him gently in her hand until he recovered. I remember him there, so tiny, so fluttery, so afraid. After he'd calmed down, we took him outside, wrapped in the cloth until we had checked to be sure the cat wasn't watching. Then Mom released him and he flew away.

That was long, long ago. And this morning I put out sunflower seeds for the chickadees, small bird seed for the juncos (although they like a nibble of sunflower seed, too).  The chickadees scold me when I take too long, or when their birdbath is empty. "Dee, dee, dee!" "Where's our breakfast?"

A lifetime of birding. I haven't made lists. I didn't try to identify species and life stages until relatively recently; I didn't have the right books and internet sources. I don't carry a lot of equipment. I'm not even too handy with binoculars. But I've watched and laughed, shared lunches, listened, talked to them, felt their joy.

Canada goose, eating eelgrass. White Rock beach.

That's me. Every birder meets the birds in their own way. For Gunnar, it's a Zen thing; "The closeness to nature, the contemplation of being one with nature, the ability to put a name to every living thing you see, the envy of flying ability, etc..."  Vickie finds "... unexpected treasured moments with nature" watching Long-billed Curlews at Matador Beach. Joan takes evocative photos of Great Blue Herons on the Move.

Now that it's so easy to call up a zillion good photos on the web, or Google an expert or a specialized web site, or order a book, some of us try to ID the birds, map them, guess their age. Here's Amber, making careful lists as she works out a Sparrow ID.  On the mudflats in Panama, Jan is naming "peeps": Tight together by the tide. "Even with close and careful observations, many sandpipers will be left unidentified," he writes.  Rick finds he hasn't been thorough enough: No Problem? No Problem! "And there must be more subtle birds." Or maybe someone else could do some research and write it up? He wants to know about the Pied American Wigeon.

Adult ring-billed gull. Yellow bill, eyes, feet. White Rock.

More wigeons. Autumn Feathers - Eurasian Wigeon, from Birding is Fun!. Agreed. Especially when Robert is Faked Out!  "I just knew I'd find loads of birds over on the other side of the park where all that bird noise was coming from." Ha!

More fun, from Tai Haku. Camouflage: FAIL! "Hey. I never said they were smart." But, "There's a wildness about these sorts of birds I rather like."

"... magnificent ... truly powerful and awe inducing". That's how Clare, in Nunavut ('way up there, across from Greenland) describes the gyrfalcon, or Kiggavik, as it is called in Inuktitut. Read about it in Brought down.  I love these "k" words; so does Duncan, apparently. His title is Kokako and Kaka on Kapiti. (And that's in the far south, in New Zealand.) He writes, "And while (you're) distracted by the Kaka, the Weka will skulk around the ground and nose into your bag." And there are the Kakariki, Morepork, Takahe, ... The birds are as delightful as the names.

Through the ears of a child; Jochen, one of the new 10,000 Birds bloggers, names birds with his three-year old son, in Call it by its call.

"Waxwingalicious". Charlie tells us, It's a Waxwing invasion!  A smaller flock is called a fest; White-wing Junco FEST!  Migrating birds, singly or in flocks, captivate Drew, who shares some of his digiscoped photos in Return of the Waterfowl.  Melissa, "... craving the sight of the Hudson River," finds a hawk: Return to Riverside: Rats and Red-Tails.

Another invasion. The end of the slough at Reifel parking lot, one October day.

"Birds reveal themselves as confirmed fashionistas," Mike muses, even though Birds never wear clothes.

This is just sad. Alaskan Birds with Beak Deformities. Is this another result of our indifference?

Kyle goes Back to the Birds and finds Woodpeckers: Downy, Red-bellied, and a Yellow-bellied sapsucker on his first time out. "So much for "no time for birding" — I've got the bug again!"

Resting gull, White Rock beach.

These are the blogs included above, in order of appearance.

• A Birding Blog. The Zen of birding.
• Vickie Henderson Art. Long-billed Curlew at Matador Beach
• Anybody Seen My Focus? Great Blue Herons on the Move
• Birders' Lounge. Sparrow ID.
• Aimophila Adventures, Pied American Wigeon and No Problem? No Problem!
• Birding is Fun! Autumn Feathers - Eurasian Wigeon and Faked Out!
• Earth, Wind and Water. Camouflage: FAIL!
• Jan Axel's Blog, Tight together by the tide.
• The House & Other Arctic Musings. Brought down.
• 10,000 Birds. Kokako and Kaka on Kapiti.
• Also from 10,000 Birds, Call it by its call.
• 10,000 Birds. It's a Waxwing invasion!
• Aslan's Own, White-wing Junco FEST!
• The Nemesis Bird, Return of the Waterfowl.
• Out Walking the Dog. Return to Riverside: Rats and Red-Tails.
• Notes from the Field; Birds never wear clothes.
• A DC Birding Blog. Alaskan Birds with Beak Deformities.
• As the Mind Wanders. Back to the Birds.
• The Birder's Report: Wood Ducks are Pairing Up.

*Update: a lost e-mail carried this link: Wood Ducks are Pairing Up. Too good to miss.

The next I and the Bird, #139, will be at From the Faraway, Nearby, November 30th. Send your contributions to 10,000 Birds or to T.R. Ryan.

Rainy day carnivals

The wind is howling in the back yard, tossing branches and stripping the petals off my London Pride. It's been raining off and on, and will probably keep it up for a couple of days; they're promising us thundershowers. It's a good time to stay inside and read some good blogging. Good thing my favourite carnivals are up:

I and the Bird #125 is on Twin Cities Naturalist. Kirk reads the latitude numbers and leads us from 37° South, in Australia, to 50° North, in Germany. (I'm there, at 49° North.)

The Moth and Me #11.  Ted, of Beetles in the Bush, brings us fifteen beautiful moths. Well, thirteen, and two bag moths. None of mine, unfortunately; the moths just aren't showing up around here yet. Except for the tiny Indian Meal moths that I'm feeding to a spider.

House of Herps #6, appropriately on Philly Herping. Snakes, turtles, lizards, mudpuppies, and did I mention snakes? Rattlers!

And the newest of the carnivals; An Inordinate Fondness #4. A road trip, searching for beetles, Jason driving.

Thousands of miles and ...

"Did everyone go to the bathroom? I don’t want to have to stop in fifteen minutes."

... only three bathroom breaks. And no time for lunch. The beetles were fun, though.

Let it rain!

Better than Rio; three carnivals!

I and the Bird # 119 is up, Somewhere in NJ.  Read it twice; once for the essay, the second time round checking the (almost hidden) links.

And the first edition of the beetle carnival, An Inordinate Fondness, has been posted. Yay! A great start, crawling with beetles. I never imagined that a carrion beetle could be so beautiful.

And House of Herps #3 takes us on a ride in a time machine. If you don't mind a bit of an overshoot at first, before Jason figures out the controls. (I didn't have anything for this one; it'll be months before I get to see a snake around here. Does the time machine run forward, too, Jason?)

Bits and pieces

When did it get to be Friday? I've mislaid a few days somewhere. Anyone see them lying around?

What else did I miss?

--Festival of the Trees, for one. It's been up at Treeblog since Monday. "Have you ever fallen in love with a tree?" asks Ash. I have. And there are many more worth loving in this FotT.

--And Duncan has connedpersuaded an old bushman into writing up the latest I and the Bird. In his own way, of course;

"Now, I’m just an old bushman livin’ in a shack out in the scrub, and I s’pose a lot o’ this might sound like some sort o’ strange lingo ter you foreign jokers, but if yer think I’m gonna start talkin’ in a lah de dah voice you’ve got another think comin’."

But apart from thinking that if it's black and has wings, it's a crow, he did a great job! Go see.

--I sent in the brown beetle from the chile jar to BugGuide. It's a Drugstore Beetle or Biscuit Beetle, Stegobium panecium. And a very interesting beetle it is!

It is similar to the Cigarette Beetle, but slightly larger, and its antennae are clubbed rather than serrated. The Cigarette beetle belongs to a different genus, though. Our critter is the only member of its genus, and can be found worldwide, especially in warmer climates. Mine arrived from Mexico.

The beetle. Like a tiny brown bean.

From Wikipedia:

As their name suggests, Drugstore beetles have a tendency to feed on pharmacological products, including prescription drugs. They will also feed on a diverse range of dried foods and spices, as well as hair, leather, books, and museum specimens. They can bore into furniture, and in some cases tin foil or sheets of lead.

BugGuide's list of beetle edibles adds chocolate (no!), flour, breads, cookies ... Non-food (for us) items include wool, horn, and wooden objects. Adults do not eat; the larvae more than make up for it, munching away on anything they find for up to 20 weeks before they pupate. They're tiny, almost transparent grubs that look more like dust than insects. Something to watch out for. I'm glad my crop has been tightly capped in the chile jar.

Larva, greatly enlarged.

After the larva has fattened up (4 to 20 weeks) and pupated (2 weeks), the adults live from 2 weeks to 2 months (Wikipedia) or up to 90 days (Stored Grain Research Labratory), not eating, busy at mating and laying eggs. The female lays about 75 eggs randomly amongst stored foodstuffs over this time span.  And then ... Watch out! They're hungry!

--And because it's Friday, here's a bit of sky:

Through the car window

A Skywatch post.

A tasty stew

I promised you stone soup. Blog-style stone soup.

Years back, my parents travelled the US and Canada in an UltraVan. Periodically, they met with other UltraVan owners at rallying points. (The rallies are still ongoing.) One of the traditions was that on the final evening, each Van owner contributed his/her/their canned goods to the UltraVan Stew. Soup, meat, veg, chili, beans, spices: it all went in one pot. Stone Soup, in other words. Mom said it was always good. (I might not be so positive, but at least it was nutritious.)

So, for today, I'll contribute my stone and a veg,

Rose weevil, last summer.

... and then stir in these goodies from the web:

First: the carnivals, posted, and to come.

The Other 95%: Circus of the Spineless #35: Regeneration, Renewal, Reinvigoration It's back! At long last, we have a host, Kevin Zelnio! And the first installment of the reborn CotS is a winner. Thanks, Kevin.

Festival of the Trees is up at Treeblog. A poetic post, with a bark rubbing, to boot. As well as all the great links.

I and the Bird will be up in a couple of days at Vickie Henderson Art. (You still have a few hours to get a post in to her; today's the final day for submissions.)

I have posts in those three, but not in the next ones. Maybe another time.

Ecstathy: Carnival Of the Elitist Bastards IX: Keepin' yer wits about ye Pirate edition. This one's just plain fun. As well as being dead serious.

Carnival of the Blue #21 « The Oyster’s Garter In verse. Or doggerel. (Sorry, Miriam.) Good ocean-related links. I liked the cuttlefish story and poem.

Great Backyard Bird Count — Great Backyard Bird Count And this is coming up in less than two weeks; February 13 -16. Are you in? I am.

Then there's Blogroll Amnesty Day; the idea is to link to 5 smaller blogs. I don't know about size, so here are 5 that I've found recently, and added to my GoogleReader:

Jehuite This one is in Spanish. The wild vegetation of Mexico. Beautiful photography, some "exotic" plants, some old familiar ones.

The ScienceBlogs Book Club : Bonk, by Mary Roach: Friday Weird Science has found its Patron Saint A two-fer. The Book Club blog, and the link to this book. I have read Stiff, by Mary Roach, and loved it, so this is on my list of must-buys. A warning, though; it is not to the taste of many people. If dead bodies make you squeamish, give it a pass.

The Book of Barely Imagined Beings. Science, with great photos, and interesting posts. Like "Earthworms save planet".

MMmmm…That’s Good Grub* « Drawing The Motmot An artists climbs to the top of the Amazon rainforest to paint, in this post.

Tyto Tony. "Life in a tropical Queensland wetlands". Beautiful bird photography.

And 6: (I can't count.) Wild Light. Photography using only natural light. Astoundingly gorgeous!

And even more goodies for the soup:

A natural history of Runswick Bay: Lugworms. For Wren.

Sunrise, sunset, daylight in a graph. I posted this a year ago, and it keeps turning up in my Sitemeter. I am surprised every time.

And because it was Groundhog's Day yesterday, and I missed it, here's Hugh's story: Momma Vole.

And a last bit of greenery (and reddery):

The weevil again, delicately tiptoeing through a thornfield.

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And it's for sale, too!

Old house, ready for demolition:




What we found in the back yard, next post.

Meanwhile, go on over to Wren's place to join her in celebration of the Joy of Birds. (I & the Bird #83). It includes a link to a couple of definitions of a blog carnival, I&tB included. One of them may be a trifle biased:

"A blog carnival is a rotating ego trip that inexplicably always rejects my comprehensive collection of guano jokes."

Go see!
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Why, why, oh why?

The third anniversary of I and the Bird is coming up fast. And Mike asks us for a post answering the question,

"Why are you still bird blogging?"

He clarifies:

Why do you, in spite of all the other birding-related activities you engage in professionally and/or recreationally, put so much work into your blog?

What carried you through the tough times, the writer’s block, the scarcity of readers, to the point you’ve now reached?

Why, when so many millions have tried yet failed to maintain even a sporadic blog, are you so actively engaged?

And he gives us a deadline: tomorrow. So, here goes:

Why are you still bird blogging?

Because I'm still looking at and for birds, still exclaiming when I see a family of house finches at my bird bath for their evening ablutions (five of them after supper tonight), still talking back to my chickadees; "Dee dee dee, to you, too!" I'm still craning my neck to see eagles far overhead and counting hawks on fenceposts on every drive down the highway to Tsawwassen. I still try to photograph crows.

And shared joy is double the joy. Hence, I blog.

Why do you, in spite of all the other birding-related activities you engage in professionally and/or recreationally, put so much work into your blog?

At first, 'way back, I began a blog as a way to impose some sort of discipline on my day, but soon I discovered something: blogging, whether bird blogging, invertebrate ditto, beach, art, or whatever blogging (all of which I indulge in) is all about community. I write about what delights me, and I find myself in the company of others around the world who love the same things I do.

I found, today, on Huckleberry Days, a series of beautiful spider photos. (I know, not birds. But the principle applies.) I went back several times to look at them and marvel.

A couple of days ago, Hugh, at Rock, Paper, Lizard, wrote about looking for salamanders. (I know.)

"Why go herping? To see what’s there, of course."

I relished that saying all day.

Julie Zickefoose, today, posted photos of the courtship display of a Northern Harrier. (Ok, birds, this time.) I envy her and rejoice with her, both.

So I blog for me, but also for them, and the rest of you. Who knows, but that one of my posts will bring the same pleasure to someone else?

What carried you through the tough times, the writer’s block, the scarcity of readers, to the point you’ve now reached?

I never expected more than a few readers. I am always amazed to see the numbers in SiteMeter. But for me, that wasn't the point. Writer's block? Sometimes it rears its fearsome head. So I post a favourite photo. And sometimes that gets me started. Sometimes it doesn't. There's always tomorrow.

Why, when so many millions have tried yet failed to maintain even a sporadic blog, are you so actively engaged?

Because I'm having fun. Isn't that enough reason?

And because I can't do a post without a decent photo, let me see ... (browsing my files ... ) ah! Here are a few seagulls on the White Rock beach a couple of weeks ago.




I don't remember seeing gulls with the whitish legs around here before. In this particular flock, about half the birds had pink legs, the rest were white. Beaks were black, white, yellow, some with black tips, one with a white tip.

Pink legs, black beak.

I'll never get my seagulls sorted out.
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Party at Uncle Merl's! (I and the Bird # 76)

Hi! And welcome to our "Beginning of the Season – Victoria Day – It's Not Raining Day" Garden Party and Potluck! Glad you could make it! Come on in, join the fun; there are tons of people here already, birders all!

(Yes, I know Victoria Day was last week, but everybody was at the park or watching the parade then; besides, you were busy, weren't you?) So I'll just show you where you can leave your jacket, … in here … and then we can go out back and I'll show you around, introduce a few of the people. ... Ready? Out this side door, then. We just follow this little trail under the trees for a bit.

Oh, look, here's Island, scoping out a Red Breasted Nuthatch nest; Hi, Island! Beautiful bird! But we'll tiptoe on past and leave you to your photography. See you at supper later!

Out of the trees, and here's the garden. A bit on the wild side, but an excellent birding spot. On this side, there's a tiny creek and a bit of a pond. And there's the Ridger from The Greenbelt, photographing May birds; look at those cute goslings!

Up against the house, here on the patio, are the edibles. Buffet over here … bar over there … at the far corner, the BBQs. Lots of comfortable chairs. And Rob, resting after a good hike. Stop by in a bit, and he'll tell you an exciting tale of a trip in Yellowstone Park. Ospreys, Sandhill cranes, a wolf hunt, and … but I'll let him tell it.

And here's Duncan, discussing the intelligence of ravens, and the origins of the saying, Stone the crows!. Hey, Duncan, if you'd been dive-bombed by crows because you were supposedly invading their territory, you might think that was a good idea. But they are smart, I'll give you that.

At the bottom of the garden, standing by the rhododendrons, that's Hugh, of Rock, Paper, Lizard. He's probably listening to the birds. The other day, he was asking, Who's singing at the park? What bird says, "cow-cow-cow-cowp"? I didn't know. Now I do.

Ok, what else? Over there, down that trail, is the staircase to the beach, 'way below us. I saw Cis heading down a while ago; it's a long haul, but she's quite the walker. Ask her, when she gets back, to show you her photos of a pair of Gray Jays.

And now, the house. Did I tell you about the house? No? I hardly know what to say; I was flabbergasted when the lawyer told me about it. I just inherited it from my uncle, Professor (and mad scientist, really) Merlin J. Featherbottomley. It's a moldering ruin, mostly; he's been living here alone for over 50 years. But we've managed to clean and refinish the lower floor, so if (or I should say, when) it rains, we'll have shelter. It's basically empty; we'd have to bring the outside chairs in.

Come on in, through the patio doors; I'll show you.

Well, here's Amila, of Gallicissa! I wondered where he'd got to. Oh, you're setting up your photos along the wall there! Good idea! What colours! What names! And you've labelled the display: Birds in my local patch. Certainly exotic for us, though.

And the rest of you; now I see what you're doing! You're turning the room into a gallery of bird photos. Oh, marvellous!

Let's see, here are Troy and Martha, with tips on ID'ing Short-billed dowitchers. Very useful. And Liza with a bird report from Albion trip, complete with a bird-watching seal. And this is Pam, of Tortoise Trail, with a Yellow-eyed Junco on Mt. Lemmon. Great photos; and such a nice idea, putting them up like that!

We'll be back to look at the rest of the photos in a minute or two, but first, let me show you… down this hall, this is Uncle Merl's old laboratory. We've left his workbenches in place; they were pretty solid still. Oh, hi, Zen! Already hard at work? What are you doing?

Oh, I get it. Testing the effect of a hammer hitting a tree at 13mph. Better a hammer head than a bird head, anyhow. Unless that bird is a woodpecker, eh?

Uncle Merl was studying seagulls here; he was certain that they were extremely intelligent, and he spent a lifetime trying to teach them to nest in "proper" boxes so that he could observe their care of the chicks. Not much luck, I'm afraid. I don't think they were interested.

One of Uncle Merl's photos

That reminds me; Seabrooke had photos of Barn Swallows building their nest; I wonder if she brought them along? What, Zen? Around the corner in the study? Oh, thanks! And here she is; look! Seabrooke's photo series, A mouthful of mud!

And this is Adrian from the Bird Ecology Study Group putting up photos of hard-working Black-naped Monarch parents incubating, feeding and … potty training?

I see, you guys are setting up a bird-nest exhibition! Oh, this is great!

Here's Nina, with a partly-sad, partly-hopeful story in two parts: Not a pretty picture and 1...2...3 Chickadee...dee...dee.

And over here by the window, this is Max. Hi, Max! Still not raining! We might just get used to it. What do you have here under Spring Emergences? A humming-bird nest? And flocking starling nestlings! (You know, I think they're a beautiful bird! Beautiful the way purple loosestrife is beautiful. Or Japanese knotweed.)

Look, Snail brings us an edifice that dwarfs all other bird structures. And, yes, I believe you, Snail, but … but … are you sure? Your Orange-footed renovators really do that? Wow!

Uncle Merl would have liked this one: Burrowing Owls - Will They Survive In North America?. Larry tells of buried nest boxes. For birds that live in burrows, of course.

We seem to be missing one of our guests; let's leave these people to their work, and see if we can find him.

Back to the hallway again; there's the foyer where you came in, the walk-in closet, the side door, the washrooms, the kitchen. That's about it. Oh, the stairs? We haven't refinished up there, yet; it's just a bunch of empty rooms. Come to think of it, though, I saw PetMonologues going upstairs with a flock of birds and a camera; he said something about doing a video for Sex and the Single Bird. "Birds do it", he said.

Oh, and I'd totally forgotten Greg. He's probably still in here, in the sound-proofed room where Uncle Merl analyzed seagull mating calls. Let's see ... Still working, Greg? Good for you, but it's party time! Come on out and get a drink before supper!

Greg's reporting on enigmatic sex ratios in a nearly extinct bird, the Magenta Petrels. I hope they can bring them back from the brink.

Anyhow, I'm looking for N8, of The Drinking Bird; he has a report on a pelagic outing, Slippery when wet. Poor guy, he gets so terribly seasick. And he got drenched, as well. All in a good day's birding, though! Oh, there he is, down on the landing, looking at the water. Come on, we'll get you a drink on the way … what'll you have? … and he can tell you about the Storm-petrels.

The landing, looking out to sea

And I've got to run; I hear another car in the driveway. It's probably Charlie, just in from his South Africa trip. He's bringing photos from the Zaagkiuldrift gravel road, the road to Kgomo-kgomo. I bet I pronounced that wrong.

So I'll leave you to your own devices now. Make yourself at home!

Hey, I almost forgot; this travelling house party and potluck will be over at Great Auk - or Greatest Auk? in two weeks, the 12^th of June. If you have some goodies to bring, give Carrie a shout at labenc AT gmail DOT com by the 10^th.
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I and the Bird # 76 call for submissions

I'm finally taking the plunge!

Rather worried-looking sparrow on my hedge.

I have been a fairly regular contributor to the bi-weekly carnival, I and the Bird for some time. Now, with much trepidation, and 10 badly chewed fingernails, I will be hosting the carnival next week.

Do you love birds and the people who watch them? Do you watch birds and love to blog about it? Welcome to I and the Bird, a carnival for bloggers who love birds.

I and the Bird is a carnival celebrating the interaction of human and avian, an ongoing exploration of the endless fascination with birdlife all around the world. It is also a biweekly showcase of the best bird writing on the web published on alternating Thursdays.

Previous posters have done a superb job. Last week's presenter, Amila, at Gallicisa, even has prizes! (If you haven't already checked it out, go on over now. As soon as you've taken down my email, because I do hope you will be sending me a great bird post.)

Here's the place to send your latest and bestest bird post: e-mail the link to me at susannah AT dccnet DOT com before the 27th of May. And if you have never contributed before, now is the time!

White-crowned sparrow at my door.

*Edited to add:

I see from the first comment, that I didn't make it clear enough; bird photos are great, but this isn't all about the photos. If you have watched birds, thought about birds, read about birds, fed, rescued, missed, housed birds, etc., etc., and blogged about it, "I and the Bird" is the place for you. Photos are optional.
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New preview and old movies

I think this is a gadwall. One of an assortment of waterfowl at Cougar Creek Park today.

Story tomorrow.

For now, wander on over to Earth, Wind and Water, for the latest issue of I and the Bird, where Tai Haku invites us to the movies.

Three Carnivals

Past, present, future;

"I and the Bird, #54" was posted 3 days ago, at The Egret's Nest. If you haven't seen it yet, do it now. A class assignment, on which we all earned an "A".

Yesterday, the Gypsy posted the second July "Good Planets". Wonderful photos, as usual. I had to save Divajood's Alaskan forest to my hard drive. Sheer joy!

And coming up, the 23rd edition of "Circus of the Spineless", at Words and Pictures. The deadline for submissions is tomorrow, the 30th; send yours to roger.butterfield (at) gmail.com .

Happy reading!

Weekly Five, Plus Two

A bunch of science photos for you this week. Good stuff I've found.

Notes from the Technology Underground: a water-bear, or tardigrade. One of my favourite beasties. And, as Bill says, they're "the world's toughest animal." (See my posts on it, on my old blog, here and here.)

Coturnix visited the Lawrence Hall of Science, and posted a long series of photos, mostly one per post for some reason. Check out the whole series. I especially liked the reptiles and the photo of Janet Stemwedel in a box.

A man alone, a grandfather, builds Stonehenge by himself, using only ancient technology. See the video. Absolutely amazing! From Measured Against Reality.

About colours: from Science Daily, Color is in the Eye of the Beholder. And from Cognitive Daily, Do women perceive color differently from men?

And two extras, non-science: I and the Bird # 53 is at 10,000 Birds. It's the second anniversary edition, and loaded with goodies.

And Good Planets is up at The Gypsy's Caravan. It includes a cute photo of a baby merlin being weighed in a rescue centre (and not looking too happy about it.) I followed the link back to Bird TLC; very interesting.

And this: a load of sand or gravel going by New Westminster Quay on a barge. A little fuzzy because I had to run to keep up with it.

Bits and Pieces

Assorted links and oddments.

1. I'm a bit late with this: I and the Bird #50 is up at A Blog Around the Clock. 39 separate entries, including mine. Enough reading there for the week.
2. One week until the next Good Planets, here. Send your photos to me at susannah AT dccnet DOT com hopefully before next Friday afternoon. Again, the topic is wide open, although I did ask a "priming" question; "What makes you smile/laugh?"
3. Laurie asks if anyone can identify this:
4. I did not vote for Harper. Just saying.
5. Circus of the Spineless #21 will be up next Monday at 10,000 Birds. The previous one, #20, has gotten lost somewhere in transit, and now the whole blog seems to be down. I will provide a link whenever it shows up. (And I have posts in both.)
6. I'm going to bed. 'bout time.
   

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!