Evening all. Wonderful rainbow over Santa Barbara this afternoon; more like April with heavy showers then sunshine. Don't forget to check last week's chat for Tiger's link to the Roy Dennis site about a French osprey that's already completed its migration, and Patriciat's recommendations for places to eat in Grantown (for when we all go to visit OG's son!). :-)
Good afternoon Annette OH is going to be a really happy bunny if Tottenham win, has supported them since he was 10 years old when his Dad used to take him to the matches.
Have a good weekend.
Margobird
Just seen this post Annnette and I do have a laptop and had never thought about putting earphones on. OH doesn't mind if I do my own thing while he watches though as long as I don't have Lily and Hope on when the the little one is having a hissy fit. Can't believe how much noise little Hope is capable of.
Happy Saturday to all!
'Tis a lovely, sunny day here with temps in the 40s F so we're actually seeing the ground for a change!
Diane: I responded on your page about your Red-tailed Hawk sighting but just came across something I wanted to share with everyone who might be interested. I also belong to the Illinois Birders Forum and a couple of the fellas were out at Nachusa Grasslands which is near Dixon, IL; birthplace of Ronald Reagan. Anyway, they were out raptor watching and took some stellar hawk photos including a variety of Red-tails to which I'm linking here:
http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=33372.0
I hope the link works and if not, please let me know. Hope you all enjoy the photos! =O)
OG Thanks for asking - sciatica is quite good, with regular ibuprofen and not too much sitting around - how do you sit around with 4 Border Collies!? Fly and Indy did an obedience competition today. Fly was equal 6th in her class - very good considering she hasn't trained or competed for a very long time. Indy was 'out of her tree'. This was her very first time and she was overwhelmed by the whole experience. The pupils of her eyes dilate when she is in what the doggy psychologists describe as 'a state of high arousal' - the eyes were almost totally black today! HOWEVER, WHEN SHE CALMED DOWN SHE DID SOME NICE WORK SO WE'LL KEEP TRYING. Sorry - didn't meand to do caps.
Caerann: Thanks for the link to the hawk pics. Some great shots there.
Patriciat: Hamish sends his congratulations to Fly and Indy.
Margobird: Tottenham got a replay. Not a great game as it needed a goal. However Tottenham have the advantage now at home.
Extreme close up at Norfolk eagles:
Busy day – sowed Sweet Pea seeds and various Herbs in propagator – promise of things to come. Hoping to go on a ”Wild Goose Chase” at WWT Caerlaverock tomorrow – special events on including a talk on the Barnacle Geese. For those who are counting – this will include lunch in the café there!
Alan – as usual, thanks for many raptor updates, links and pix. Garden Park looks a good place for a varied outing. Amazing close-up of Norfolk Eagle this evening!
Caerann – our son said something similar to your comment on the thaw – he has seen the pavements where he lives for the first time, because at interview, when flat-hunting and when he moved in Monday they were always covered in ice and/or snow! Liked the pictures on the IL birders site – the Hawks - and the other birds top of page - especially the Sandhill Cranes with their red heads!
Patriciat – well done with the obedience comp – didn’t know you do that as well as agility. Well done to Fly – and it sounds like Indy has made a promising start.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
There are some great pictures of Lily and Hope on facebook now:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30686042&id=1006816915#!/photo.php?pid=30686042&id=1006816915&fbid=1275524760681
AHhhhh Thanks Alan. Lovely pictures of Mum and daughter.
Brenda - Maybe your daughter was just doing a practice run? In Aussieland we celebrate Mothers Day in May, and Fathers Day in Sept.
Annette, Patriciat & OG - Plenty of pie & pudd when you drop in. If I am going to the trouble of baking, I always do large quantities, not just for 2. That way I have spare meals to pop in the freezer for lazy days.
Today the golden orb is struggling to peer through the grey cotton wool. I was cold (!!!!!) in church this morn. We had some light rain late yesterday eve followed by a short heavy downpour about 5.30 pm. Poor Melbourne has had floods, hailstones the size of tennis balls. I remember a storm we had here one January c1990 with hailstones that measured 3 inches and were horribly jagged. Dau#2 who was caring for a neighbour's garden while they were on holiday, was trapped in their back yard. As soon as the stones eased I rushed over with towels to protect our heads. I stored some of the hailstones in the freezer to show Dau#1 who was away at the time. I kept them until a fridge failure melted them. LOL. The jagged stones damaged many tile roofs - some broken tiles not obvious until the next storm.