HAPPY NEW WEEK!
Last week's Chat Thread is HERE. The code for this week's thread is WC050114.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Talk to you all in the morning. I got everything I needed but my trip to town was exhausting.
Annette: That hawk is beautiful. I would guess it's a sharp-shinned hawk, but you know more about those birds than I do. We mostly have red-tailed hawks around here. I did glimpse the Cooper's hawk briefly today in that same area near the country road. Your photo is extraordinary. You were so close to it! Well done!
I took a look at Annette's hawk on the other thread and I'd say it is a Cooper's (adult - juvs of both species are browner, with streaks rather than barring on the underside) rather than Sharp-shinned, based on the broad white tips to the tail feathers. Shorter outer tail feathers is also supposed to be a pro-Cooper's feature. Stunning bird and great photos in any case :)
My blog: http://mazzaswildside.blogspot.co.uk/
My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124028194@N04/
Evening all: Well, trap is rigged so we can activate it from round the corner if our little fella pops in again tonight. OH and I had busy day in the garden; weather has turned cooler and will be in mid-60sF next week (sorry!).
Diane: As usual, thank you for starting us off! Did you get the heater? I was wondering if there hadn't been a run on them. I also was wondering, judging from his leg, if the possum had got caught in a trap of some kind. And yes, I'm familiar with "playing possum." :-) I heard the hawk calling; it wasn't that loud but sounded close. I can't believe he sat there while I got my camera.
aiki: Thanks for the input on the hawk. We get both around here and I'm not that good at ID'ing them. Did look in the Sibley's Guide, but the juvies looked fairly similar to my undiscriminating eye!.
MaryGK: Wonder how long that squirrel will be able monopolize the feeder.
Clare: Doesn't seem to matter what kind of exercise you take up, you always find "hidden" muscles. I'm dying to hear what the class involves!
Margo: Ugh. I can imagine how tiresome that weather is becoming, especially when also you have to spend it watching the toilet! I agree about putting emergency service people at risk - we have the same thing here when folks refuse to evacuate in fire areas, etc. When they lost those 19 firefighters in Arizona last summer, it ignited (no pun intended) a debate on the advisability of saving people's homes when it puts firefighters in such danger.
Trish2: Hi there; happy New Year to you too.
OG: I find that I have to focus on the "Things I Should Have Done...." stuff first thing in the morning, or I get sidetracked and never get round to them.... Sorting photos is on my list too, with the same criteria. Ooooh, I like the idea of new fossils!!
Heather: I'll be taking our outside lights down tomorrow; hope your OH didn't have to fork out for a new battery. Re MIA posters, I remembered someone in the middle of the night and realized he/she hadn't posted for a while, but now I can't remember who it was. :-(
Mulberry: Thanks for the "trivia" on the Everly Bros (loved their music) and Alicia Rhett. Oooh - that's my kind of cake.
Lindybird: It's no wonder humans and not cats rule the world: Lightning has made several forays in the direction of the trap, not apparently having learned her lesson. Ha! Christmas pud with ice cream? Followed by peanuts? Wonder what your bathroom scales will have to say about that!
NiteOwl: Great to see you! Glad you're resting. I have a hard time responding to every comment, especially when it's so busy, but like you, I read them all. Must agree about "lurkers" - we should find another word.
Rita: Amber must be quite a lively dog - how tall was your tree?
Brenda: Hi to you too!
Off to excavate some leftovers for dinner.
Well, the plot thickens. Now we have two possums! I'd just put dinner on the plates (of course!) when I looked out the window, and here comes a possum, zooming along the wall and making a beeline for the trap. Is this "our" possum? Well, for one thing, it's an hour ahead of schedule. Also, I can't see its back leg, but don't think it's ours, at least not from the way it's moving. OH is already on his way out the patio door to sneak around and spring the trap when I tell him "wait!" It's definitely not ours. It scarfs up the bait and zooms off again. We sit down to eat and about half an hour later, he shows up again, this time on the patio - absolutely not ours as his back left leg is thick with fur - and goes after the cat's food. Hmmm. Apparently the word is out in the possum neighborhood that there are good eats at our house. Seven o'clock comes and goes and still no sign of our possum. Lightning (our cat) is getting fed up with watching possums eat her food (the second night in a row, I mean, what a nerve!) and glared out the window at him tonight. Stay tuned.
We got him!! Poor little thing; his leg is so, so red and raw. OH was in his office; I was watching TV and hopping up every 10 minutes with the flashlight to check out the trap and after about an hour, saw him tippy-toing gingerly along the wall. We had a few tense minutes when he went round the back of the trap trying to get the bait from there, but he finally figured it out. OH was lying in wait for a signal from me to pull the string. We are so pleased. Have put a blanket over the trap and will take him up to the Wildlife Rescue place first thing in the morning. Yay! :-)))
Goodness gracious me! What a lot of chat to catch up! I left early this morn aiming for the Yankalilla Museum which is only open Sun or Wed in school hols. Day started with blue sky & clouds, round trip to Mt Compass & Victor Harbor. Much wind & light drizzly rain in VH. Met a city friend as I left bakery with my loot. Weather quite warm by time I reached Yankalilla where I found lots of useful info at Museum including a transported former church (built of galvanised iron) - among fascinating artifacts inside was a portable font about 1 foot high. Just had to check out Yankalilla bakery & purchase some goodies for tonight's dessert. Then I'm afraid the drought sets in as I finished the last of my Xmas choccies last night. May have to stare at mulberry's cake.
Good morning, all! We're off to Minsmere today and it should be mainly dry so keep your eyes open for a few photos later.
Annette, I'm so pleased you caught your little friend - let's hope he makes a full recovery.
Margo, thinking about you in this awful weather - and we hope your toilet behaves itself.
Aiki, lovely to see you - wherever would we be without your brilliant identification skills? It would be great to see more of you on the osprey threads.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Good morning all. Lots of posts since my last visit - thanks for posting all! Nothing to report from here LOL Well done Annette with that hawk pic and capturing that poor fella. Hope everyone has a nice week and take care. And please stay safe if you are in the area of those extreme weathers!
my photos in flickr
How about "Quiet ones" instead of Lurkers?!!