Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 23 July 2023

HARELADY: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RETIREMENT! I hope you will enjoy life now that you have more time to pursue your interests and seek joy! You can be very proud of your long career. Wishing you all the best!

ANNETTE: I enjoyed your story about the young, inexperienced hawk trying to learn to hunt. The young ones really aren't impressive, are they? A couple of years ago, one of R.T. Hawk's offspring was trying to figure out how to fly. He saw me and panicked. He dived right at me, and I had to practically throw myself flat on the ground to avoid being hit. R.T. looked apologetic. LOL

Diane: Thank you for reminding me to congratulate Harelady on her retirement! (Now she'll find out how busy she'll be!) :-) Hope you're doing okay there in Indiana..

ANNETTE: The heat dome has reached us. Temperature by Friday will be 100F or 38C. And the "feels like" temperature will be 109F or 43C with high humidity.

I hope your family in Arizona are okay.

Unknown said:

A couple of years ago, one of R.T. Hawk's offspring was trying to figure out how to fly. He saw me and panicked. He dived right at me, and I had to practically throw myself flat on the ground to avoid being hit. R.T. looked apologetic. LOL

Oh, WOW.  I love hearing about your friendly hawk family.  Have they successfully bred this year?

CLARE: The short answer is that I don't know whether R.T. Hawk and his mate successfully raised young this year. In a normal year, at the end of winter in very early spring, R.T. and his mate move to their nesting site on an old, defunct railroad trestle back in the flood plain of my creek. Then, after the young fledge, they return to the woods next to my house for the summer. But this has been far from a normal year.

The state of Indiana decided to undergo a massive construction project in the small town across the creek from my house. They demolished the old bridge, and they are building a much bigger bridge, as well as widening the road through the town. The project is to accommodate the increasing truck/lorry traffic through the town resulting from the building of vast distribution centers in cities to the south of me. Companies chose this region for the centers because they can exploit cheap rural labor. So, I've been listening to pile-driving and other loud construction all summer. R.T. and his mate were very distressed by it all, and they stayed in the flood plain near the nesting site this year, although R.T. did sit in a tree near the site and watch the initial demolition. He looked at me forlornly, as if he was imploring me to stop the noise. I was bereft.

In addition, the pub that is adjacent to my land was purchased by a new owner, who underwent a full noisy renovation of the old building. Now, he's bringing in local rock bands to loudly play on an outdoor stage on weekends until 11:00. And it's a biker bar, so loud motorcycles are in and out constantly. So, the wildlife and I have been agitated and distressed all summer, and a lot of the animals have moved back further into the woods.

I am now rethinking my decision to stay here, but I don't have the money to move house. I feel sorry for the animals.

Diane: Arghh. A biker bar with rock bands down the driveway? (Are the bands any good?) I feel sorry for you and the animals, although they can probably move more easily than you. And that heat and humidity on top of it. We also seem to be going through a spate of bridge work; I think brought on by Biden's infrastructure bill. They're strengthening bridges over creeks and freeways. AZ family is fine; weather mostly normal in Prescott Valley but I was saying to granddaughter that the ghastly temps in Phoenix will have more people moving to higher/cooler elevations over the next year. Wish I could magic you away to a more sympathetic environment.....

Diane - I am so sorry to hear your wonderful-sounding 'patch' is being polluted by building, motor bikes and rock bands. Not surprised the critters are finding alternative accommodation. Such a difficult situation for you. I always look forward to your 'Nature Notes' and your lovely descriptions. It's heart-breaking to hear things are changing so radically for you.

It's really cold here today - and it's supposed to be the height of summer ... haha! Not a twinkle of sunshine today, but plenty more rain. The forecast for the next ten days doesn't look much better ... today it hasn't really bothered me, as I had so much computer stuff to do. But I really want to get out tomorrow ...

It's the coolest July I can remember in recent years ..... I'll confess I don't do heat well so the current temperature is comfortable for me, though not so cold I can't wear shorts!