Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 19 March 2023

HAPPY NEW WEEK and HAPPY SPRING EQUINOX

No spring here, and nobody's happy on my patch. The temp this morning was 17F; that's minus -8.3C. The "feels like" temp was 4F; that's minus -15.5C. The White Pelicans are still huddled on my two local lakes. They can't move on to Canada because it's even colder north of me.

The red-tailed hawks are very unhappy, because the Black Vultures have returned from migration. Even though R.T. Hawk and his mate chased them off last year, they decided to settle back here again. They must be a threat to the hawks' chicks because R.T. is NOT pleased. He ruffled his feathers and gave me a look like, "Well, do something!"

The red male Cardinal is not happy because the Chickadees are eating what's left of the weed tree seeds. The Cardinals are trying to build a nest above the window outside my enclosed porch, and the male has to stop and chase the Chickadees. 

I am not at all happy because my internet for my computer is down, and all I have is my phone. I'm in a snit with my internet provider. 

Well, it's now snowing, and I'm heading for bed. Everyone have a wonderful week.

  • AQ:  Thanks for some good news re the Regent Honeyeater.!

    Lindybird:  That's a gorgeous beach.

  • Hello! Long time ago poster and long term occasional lurker. I just had to say I am so sorry Diane to hear of you woes, and RTH's problems too. Do keep warm. Spring MUST be around the corner!!

    Birdie's DU Summaries 2018   https://www.imagicat.com/

  • Sheila! So good to see you. Hope you're keeping fine.
  • Annette - glad to see you posting. I have read that there has been a tornado in Los Angeles today!
    Lindy - what a wonderful beach. I had heard that Portugal had some great surfing beaches. In response to your comment re my hearing - I have a moderate hearing loss in both ears. Last year I couldn’t hear the cuckoo and at Christmas I couldn’t hear my sisters TV. I did have an NHS hearing aid for 10 years but I have been to a local private clinic and got retested and fitted with superb aids. They even connect to my phone so that people talk directly into my ears through the aids when they ring me up!! Also, in restaurants, they have a great device which I can use via my phone to block out the background noise!!!!! All this extra sound is taking getting some getting used to. Glad you knee isn’t giving you too much trouble.
    AQ - I really enjoyed reading about the honeyeater. It’s great to get good news re nature for a change.
    Heather - like you, I like the idea of Hot Cross Bun bread and butter pudding!! Mind you, I like bread and butter pudding full stop!!!!!
    Sheila - good to see you.
    I have been birdwatching again today by a tidal riverbank not far from the sea. We went from beautiful sunshine with skylarks singing and wheatears appearing from Africa (6 of them) to very strong winds and a great deal of rain!!!!! We went to the cafe 30 minutes earlier than planned and had a lovely lunch. We agreed that despite the weather, we had had a good morning. My count is 30 species of birds.
  • Hi All:  More good news:  Just got an e-mail from the city saying that Lake Los Carneros is full for the first time in a decade, thanks to all that rain.  Here's a video from the local Audubon Society (a bit on the dark side) about the various birds at the preserve, which is a 10 minute walk from my  house.  It's lovely there.

    Rusty:  My OH has some fancy hearing aids, but he's not so handy with all the options....

  • Annette - I have just watched and really enjoyed the video. What brillant birds you have there and a great place to go and watch them.
    Re my hearing aids - the background noise cancelling button was shown to me yesterday during my appointment. I didn’t know how to work it before!!!!
  • Today’s bus outing. First a top-up shop – bread, eggs. Then to library, returned 4 books (3 read, 1 rubbish). A few weeks ago I requested a library book. It was overdue a week when I finally asked if I could have one of 14 copies at other libraries. Lass said I was not next in queue for this copy anyway and she put in another request & for good measure a Large Print copy. BUT she did not cancel the first.

    Large Print ready to pick up Wed, other two Thurs. (So much for not being next in queue.). Today I collected & borrowed all 3 on "Hold" & inspected them. Large Print from Campbelltown, 448 pages, print size disconcerting. Hardcover from TTG, 328 pages. Paperback from this library, 328 pages, smallest print. So I kept hardcover copy (and borrowed 4 more).

    Dawdled back to bus stop, ahead I saw a bus past through intersection & thought "Ah, J1 is on time." Continued to bus seat, but 5 mins later J1 - late. That means the other was mine but 15 mins late. I resign myself to a long wait. Yeay, J2 came on time!

    Inquisitive me, checked later – one copy “available on shelf”, the other “being transferred between libraries”. The book? “Confessions of a Bookseller” by Shaun Bythell. Dau had given me his “Diary of...“ for a birthday some time ago.

  • ANNETTE – Thank you for the wonderful video. I enjoyed being able to see names of the birds, etc, many of which are unfamiliar. I must re-watch beginning, which I had not made full screen.
  • AQ: I see that Diary of a Bookseller  is/was a tv series, but I can't find anything about its actually having been made/shown.   I like the look of both books, so thanks for the mention because I've just finished the last of the six books I got from the library. .  I've just finished reading What's Gotten Into You: The Story of Your Body's Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner by Dan Levitt.  It's fascinating and the writing is engaging and has a dry humor, but I must confess that I couldn't get my head around some of the scientific bits (of which there were an increasing number as the book progressed).  I've just started reading The Corfu Trilogy (if I remember the title correctly) - I got it at a charity shop; loved the TV Series The Durrells in Corfu.  

    Rusty  Our bird are colorful though nowhere as flashy and exotic as AQ's.  But the Western Bluebird is dramatically blue I must say.  

    Have a good Friday all.

  • ANNETTE - Shaun Bythell has more recently written "Remainders of the Day" and "Seven Kinds of People You Meet in Bookshops". So far only the "Remainders" are in our library system.

    My current reading, the last of last week's selection, is "Lotharingia" by Simon Winder - the history of the lands once ruled by Charlemagne. I thought it likely to be heavy going. But I was delighted to read that he wrote re Luxembourg "which only exists because France and Prussia could not be bothered to fight over it in the 1860s". I am enjoying his humour.