View From My Window

Night Visitor

First off, I am obliged to say that it was not my idea to grab the camera ... that was birding dad's suggestion after I called him out on the deck tonight to see this Hummingbird hawk moth sampling our flowers.

(click for a closer look)
I have to admit ... the night-time photo is striking!

One for the Life List

It's not often you catch a glimpse of a bird that you have never seen before ... although I would venture that there are those who actually don't keep track, who don't even HAVE a life list ... but I digress ...
Where I was going was ... what are the chances that you are sitting in your kitchen finishing a gourmet weeknight dinner of KFC and there! ... on your DECK ... coming RIGHT UP TO THE WINDOW ... is a bird that you KNOW you have never seen before, and you are not even sure you know what it is!?
Small, crisp, streaked, short tail ... bobbing like a stumpy little Killdeer ... long pink legs and a white eye stripe. Something about the shape kept saying "Ovenbird" to me, and I can't even remember ever seeing an Ovenbird ... at least not since I was maybe 12 on a hike in Linwood.

And no, this is not my photo ... did any of us think to grab the camera? no, I was too busy saying things like "Pink Legs" ... "White Eye Stripe" ... "Bobbing tail" so that I would remember these when he flew away.
All three of us were right up at the window, birding dad had the scope and I went for the Peterson's. Then quickly from the Peterson's to the Smithsonian searching for a discription of that tail bobbing that would confirm it for me.
and the final verdict is I AM NOT SURE!
We saw either a Louisiana Waterthrush, or a Northern Waterthrush. But I think I'm leaning Northern, although he was not as Yellow as Peterson's portrays it...
still want more? ...

]]> the Cornell U website confused me even more with these two photos:

Northern

Louisiana

One website I found says that early ornithologists believed there were THREE Waterthrush species ... and their ranges do crossover ...

Last Day

Last day of "school" for Willa.
As you can probably discern, she is the one who updated my Twitter this morning.
One last Regents exam - Bio - and she's done for the summer.
If nothing else, it takes some of the stress out of our mornings here for a while ... or MY mornings anyway.
Nice to just get up and worry about getting YOURSELF off to work and no one else!

Today's for you....

OK, so I'm not blogging much these days.
Seems like there's always something else to do and plenty of it!
Also ... I suppose I'm making an effort to be a little less self-centered than I usually tend to be...I've got so many demands on my time, work being the biggest demand, family being the biggest priority, that I sometimes forget there are others who need my time and attention.
Today we are going to help a friend pack and move, and I should have been there for her more throughout this whole packing up thing.
This has not been easy for her, it was not her choice - the whole divorce thing came as a shock to her and now the injustice of having to sell the home that she loves.
So today's for you - my closest friend - whatever you need, I'm here.

What time is it in Romania??

Wll at least now I know.

What's in a Name

What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; - and as such, a puppy without a name still smells like a puppy!

Not many families can own a puppy for five days without naming him, but we have never been accused of being decisive - no, not one of us! But now ... after much deliberation we invite you to Meet Sirius
McC*******'s Wish Upon A Star - Sirius (Black)

But if you're a close friend, you can call him "Padfoot".

A done deal and a birthday present

Well, I did ask for help ...
Of course, my comments were not working (but are now "all better" thanks to the installation of Haloscan comments by my wonderful-techy step-daughter), so those of you who may have tried to stop us were unable due to the non-working comments, and now, well, now it is as they say "Water Under the Bridge" (or "puddles on the kitchen floor")
And anyway, it was Birding Dad's birthday and he really wanted that puppy ...
So here he is ...

He's 8 weeks, and I swear he has grown since yesterday .. It seems that for now he will have to be called "He who must not be named", at least until we ~~figure out~~ agree on a name.
Someone is smitten...

and has suggested names such as:

]]> Riggins (for Tim Riggins on Friday Night Lights)
Albus (Dumbledore)

We were thinking:
Mr Bo Jangles
Joshua (Josh)
Trooper

The family was here today for the Birthday Parth and they have suggested:
Finnigen
Rocky

... anyone got any other ideas?
He is full of trouble, not afraid of anything, bound to be at least 100 lbs, and when he's tired, he drops and sleeps so soundly nothing wakes him. There must be a perfect name out there for this guy!

comments

Sorry !
Now that I actually start blogging again, my comments are not working.
So if you tried to stop us from this puppy thing ... even my blog was apparently voting in favor of the puppy!

HELP!

Is there anyone out there who can knock some sense into the three of us before we make the committment to get this really adorable 8-week-old Berner puppy?

As these things do ... this came to our attention yesterday afternoon, and we will need to make the decision today ....
He's one of these
, and here
is the father.
We do want a male puppy, we do want a LARGE dog, and the father is 120 pounds, it is spring ... more time for all of us to be home and take care of a puppy ...

New Visitor

Had to do a little research on this one.
Birding Dad has three times now hear this bird call.
Happens only after dusk or before sunrise, close to the house and repeats every 5 or 10 seconds.
Twice now he has approached the "sound" and once caught a glimpse of the bird which at first he thought looked like a small rabbit on the ground (remember please it was after dusk). When he got close (almost too close) he flushed the bird which flew with a whistling bristle of wings, off to the lower yard and pond area.
This morning he was out there again, and having a little time we did the research ... American Woodcock! A first for our property that we know of.

They are seldom seen, as they are nocturnal, very camoflaged and close to the ground.

Snow Day

House Finches winter 08
Originally uploaded by sunybank.

I have been waiting all year for one of these.
You know ... the "Snow Day" when everyone is off ... everything stops ... and you just have a day at home with the family to chill.
I had feared that the winter would end without even one, but we just managed today to sneak one in.
The snow started about 4 this morning, and came down slow and steady all day. Willa found out at 5:30 that her school was closed ... I just stayed in bed squeezing my eyes shut and praying ... until 6 when I logged on the computer to find out that we were closed at work.
So gone is the guilt about not going in when everyone else (who does not live one hour away and up the mountain) is at work, and gone are the fears over the fight with Birding Dad when I say I am going to work and he says "you are not".
No stress, no worry ... just all of us at home ... cups of coffee and cocoa and watching the birds out the window. If SHE can post about all her special birds seen on her ~~class assignment~~ fun birdwatching trip ... and then about her mystery bird at her feeder,(we had the same "mystery bird" only the male is much easier to identify in the winter) I can show off my birds at the new feeder Birding Dad made us on the deck. It has been so much fun to have the birds closer to the house, and today ... well ... you would think we had the only birdseed in town with all the activity! Click the photo and then go check out the rest of the bird pictures!

Snow Day

And then ... we went for a walk.

Guilty as Charged

Having been accused by some people of neglecting my blog, I will simply say, guilty as charged.
Could be the lack of time, or the evil looks I get from my husband when I finally DO come home from work and park myself in the computer room.
Perhaps I should take the cue from Willa and sit in front of the TV at night with my laptop and click away at the keyboard while creating the ruse of sharing "family time".

("but MOM! this is when my friends are all on!")

I do realize that it has been ages since I updated my reading list.
I just finished "Saving Fish From Drowning" ~ Amy Tan And I will (promise) get a review over to overdue books as soon as I get a chance.
Yesterday I started Black ~ Ted Dekker. Not at all the type of book I am accustomed to reading, but Willa is reading it and I wanted to check it out. So far it is actually quite intriguing!
My main focus right now MUST be the scrapbook I have been comissioned (by my family) to put together for my father to present at his 80th birthday party on March 8th which apparently right around the corner. This would be much simpler if my mother would actually supply me with the photos I need...but who am I to complain?
Off to work, with a promise to catch up later....much later

..and they said it couln't be done

86% it is!!!!

... I think I can ....

That's positive thinking for ....
the goal is 86% and I am currently at 84.9
Two days to go ... a few more 12 hour days and I may actually make it.
If I don't self-destruct before that.