Hallo all. Don't fail to check back and see Lindybird's lovely pix of Anglesey.
Rosy: That's a tough one; maybe suggest she not commit to do all the work until the leaves and rubbish are gone and she can see what she's up against..... Good luck.
Wrote my last batch of letters to prospective voters - this time in Kansas. Have been following the headlines, but as usual with this White House, it's impossible to know what's what.a
It's my daughter's 60th today. We tend to celebrate both sides of birthdays, so she's been the recipient of several days of treats, flowers, gifts with more to come (most noticeably the recliner which has yet to arrive). I was really hoping to be there for her birthday but the new windows were scheduled to be installed in the AZ house this coming week so we decided I'd come early for them. But now they've been delayed a week thanks to Covid (we hope that's all!) so I'm now planning to go a week later.
Take care everyone.
If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore. (Michele Ruiz)
Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come.
Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you’ll be criticized anyway. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
Clare: I really enjoyed your bird photos. The pic of the male mallard was especially dynamic! And also the cuckoo.
Dibnlib: I also enjoyed the lovely photos of Glen Affric. Scotland is so glorious. I wish I could travel there.
OG: I'm glad you're feeling better today.
Lindy, Heather, and all: I'm so very sorry that you aren't free to visit and hug all of your families. What a painful time we live in.
Annette: When my mother was alive, she sometimes took on a blissful look right before a thunderstorm. She would tell me to listen to the "raincrow." She had great reverence for this bird, and her discussion of it always took on an air of mystery and veneration. The bird was very furtive, and I never got a look at one of them. Then, one evening long after my Mom passed, my friend in Indianapolis sent me a photo of a bird that she'd photographed while on holiday. She was very proud of it, and she explained that the birds were rarely seen. It was a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo. I did a search for the bird, and I found that the old, traditional name for the species--back when Indiana was frontier--was "raincrow."
My Mom's family was Scottish, and I wondered whether her reverence for the bird harkened back to my Scottish ancestors. Perhaps they missed the cuckoos in their home country, so the cuckoo species here took on a special significance for them. There are two species: the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo and the Black-Billed Cuckoo. I looked at the species map, and the Yellow-Billed are much more common than the Black-Billed in Indiana. Neither species is prevalent in California, so they would be a rare sighting for you. There are just a few tiny pockets of the Yellows in your state. They live mostly east of the Rocky Mountains, although some are found in southern Arizona. I was glad to solve the mystery after all those years.Yellow-Billed Cuckoo HERE and HERE.
Black-Billed Cuckoo HERE and HERE.
Diane: Interesting about the raincrow connection. I wonder what the Native Americans in that area called it....Here's a link to what the UK cuckoos sound like (not similar to the Yellow- or Black-beaked version) . That's the only way I could ID them. . The Audubon had that interesting map showing the
territory lost and gained thanks to global warming.
Take care all
Good morning all from a sunshine and showers Suffolk. I got back from Essex yesterday from my 2nd stint of looking after my Sister in Law's old dog. She was having her 2nd course of Chemo. I arrived there last Friday after she had left for the hospital and she was expecting to be home Tuesday however they said that even though she had been in total isolation they had to do a Covid test before they could start treatment. The following afternoon they told her that the swab had been lost! and they would have to do another one. So her treatment didn't start until Monday once the negative result had come back. So I was there until yesterday. I was very bored as she does not have internet so was using my phone a lot but that creates eye strain. So I was watching a lot of news channels! Anyway that is small fry compared to what my SIL has been going through - lots of sickness and all of her hair has gone again poor thing.
It has taken me ages to catch up with all the posts and my thoughts are with all that are under a new lockdown. I too am not seeing enough of my Children and Grandchildren.
Here in Suffolk we have relatively low Covid numbers but they are definitely on the rise.
Clare - I loved all of your photos especially the Cuckoo.I'm sure you saw the news about the Bearded Vulture that has been flying around Lincolnshire - there are some great photos of it -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-54465297
Have a good weekend all and stay safe.
aquilareen said:I wouldn’t know a sparrowhawk if I saw one
Here you go - check this out.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Lindybird said:I was thrilled to see that the lovely Mary Berry and the talented Maureen Lipman have both been made Dames in the honours list, and I had damp eyes when I saw that Tommy Steele had been knighted, as it made me think of how proud and thrilled our own dear Margo would have been.
I was delighted to see the inclusion of Marcus Rashford - what a difference his actions made to so many children.