Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 24 September 2023

HAPPY NEW WEEK!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

We are experiencing peak bird migration right now here in the Midwest. Last night, 6,632,500 migrating birds were confirmed over the state of Indiana. 4,761,000 birds crossed over the entire state. We've all been warned to turn our lights out so that we don't disturb the birds. 

It's too dark here on my patch and the trees are too dense and tall to see them, but I hear them at times, especially if there's geese. The mosquitoes and biting gnats will eat me alive if I go outdoors at night. (LOL)

Hugs to all.

dashboard.birdcast.info/.../US-IN

  • KATE – Thank you.

    OG & LINDA – Our climate is unlike yours. Our rainy season is in winter; summers are hot and dry. I found your humid summers unbearable!

  • HAPPY FULL HARVEST MOON!

    The moon turns full Friday morning, 29 September, in the UK/US. Also, it's a supermoon, the last one of the year.

    Hugs to all.
  • Diane: Thank you. It was pretty fab last night....
  • I'm out at a meeting this evening. Every chance I'll see the moon as I come home. It was pretty good on Wednesday night.
  • Good Morning. Sunny here today. We've been gazing at the moon every night lately as it's got bigger and brighter. It's still magical even though we've had it confirmed that it's just a lump of rock!

    My OH is much better and is pottering around doing "jobs" . I've had a very dry throat but am imagining, hard, that I'm defeating the germs! Yesterday our Youngest rang to say that all five of them have had Matthews bad cold - it might even be covid. So we're not going to visit them this weekend, either. Sigh.

    AQ - I've noticed that it's much more pleasant abroad in high temps than here - when I'm in the UK, I just crawl off to the coldest spot, with a fan.

  • Still lost for words and extremely tearful about yesterday's news from Sycamore Gap - I didn't hear about it until early evening.  I have photos of half the family there at various times - including recent Hadrian's Wall walk by granddaughters and their Dad.

    Man from door company came this morning - sorry, I can't describe the faults (quite techie) but he says it can all be rectified.  Haven't talked money yet!

    Really don't feel like writing now - maybe later.

  • I too, was upset beyond words about the Sycamore tree. It's just awful to think that anyone could do such a thing.
    I'm pleased that they're going to do something about your disappointing door, OG.

    It's bright here, & we've got some small niggling things done around the house. Also done some forward planning, right up to December!! It's around the corner, folks!! Now, where did I put those leftover Christmas cards from last year........
  • Entire front page of Daily Mail given over to this terrible act of vandalism with headline "MORONIC" above a large picture of the tree ... was this senseless act by the youngster an attempt to win his 'five minutes of fame?' Also saw a post on FB by a guy who coppices this type of tree saying it is far from dead and will regrow, maybe achieving 30 feet in 5 years! Nevertheless, it is a terrible loss!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • WendyBartter said:
    Entire front page of Daily Mail given over to this terrible act of vandalism with headline "MORONIC" above a large picture of the tree ... was this senseless act by the youngster an attempt to win his 'five minutes of fame?'

    Yeah, well, even the Mail can make out that they care about environmental issues for about five minutes ......... then they'll go back to denouncing conservationists as tree-huggers and woke lefties.  It's only the fact that a particularly special tree has been deliberately vandalised by (apparently) someone young that has got them going.

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • Morning all; Very disturbing about the tree at Hadrian's Wall. You have to wonder at the mentality of someone who'd do that - and what would be the best punishment. Five years hard work on the land? Hand him over to serious tree-huggers? Time in the stocks so people can throw eggs and rotten tomatoes at him? Wonder what his parents think. I hope whoever said it could regrow is right. A bit like the tree in Lahaina that suffered so much damage in the fire, but which they think can regenerate, although that wasn't deliberate.

    Big news here this morning is that California Senator Dianne Feinstein has died. Lots and lots of talk over the last year or so about her no longer being competent to maintain her position but refusing to step down. Much as I admired her, have to say it was painful watching her falter at various meetings. Ditto Republican leader Mitch McConnell who has 'blanked out' twice during speeches. No wonder younger voters are fretful (as are we all at this particular time). OH and I were fantasizing last night during the usual depressing news program about where we could live without having to hear anything about anything. The Azores? :-)

    OG Surely your door should be fixed gratis?

    Lindybird: Depends where you go. Hot temperatures are more tolerable when there's little humidity; ditto cold temperatures.. I've been in Washington DC in the summer: 99F and 99% humidity. Ugly! A neighbor grew up in Louisiana and said there was no point in drying off after a shower..... Sorry about yet another delayed visit to family, but sounds like a good reason to postpone.

    Stay well all.