Happy new week folks! Don't foget to check the last few posts of the previous week. Heron posted a photo of a female reed bunting, AQ saw a "ginormous flock of corellas" (must Google that!), OG has found a nice B&B for her trip, Alan posted a nifty shot of the changing of the guard at the eagle nest, folks are wondering how Diane is doing with the storm the big storm back East, and much, much more! :-) We had almost 2 inches of rain in Santa Barbara today, which is brilliant. Still sorting files and likely to be doing so for a day or three to come. Take care all.
Hi all, not been in talking for ages, but I do read and keep up to date with you all often. Glad you're all well and have got through all nature has and is throwing at us this winter/Summer( in Aus. A hot one , pheew.)
Tiger, thats just absolutely stunning.
All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
Susan
Hi Soosin: nice to hear from you, and glad you've been keeping up with all our chatterings. Hope all is well with you.
Tiger: agree, that's one W O W of a picture: thanks for reminding me of the link. They are great photos on that site.
Dull here but not damp, just a very cold wind when you go outside. Bought myself small bunch of daffodils yesterday & they have nearly all opened now: Oh, the smell!! it's a reminder of that wonderful smell of Spring.
Hazel b said: Today's APOD really is a wow wow wow. See http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100213.html
Today's APOD really is a wow wow wow. See http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100213.html
That really is something isn't it Tiger! Fantastic shot!
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data
Hi all! I had such a treat yesterday.I had left couple of my jumpers in balcony to give them an airing early in the day. I decided to take them in and went to balcony at 10.30pm, suddenly I saw something from the corner of my eye and saw an owl sitting in a tree on the other side of the yard, I froze (almost literally because it was -12C and I was in my pjs) stared the bird for a minute or two, then it took off, glided in my eye level passing me by only about 10 meters away! Totally gracefully and in total silence. I have previously seen an owl "in live" more than 10 years ago. So exiting and wonderful!!! Tried to figure out it`s name, and it was either an Ural Owl (stix uralensis) or a very big (wing span at least 1 m)Tawny Owl.
my photos in flickr
auntie: What an exciting experience for you! Just shows, you never know when you're going to be honoured with something wonderful like that! - Hope you didn't get too cold!
(I just love owls)
Good Morning/Day from sunny, but very chilly Chicago. Air is very, very dry, only 12% indoor humidity.
Auntie: What a wonderful owl sighting you had! I hope you see the bird again soon.
O.G: Funny thing, we're not Olympics or really any other sports fans either. I tuned in to the ceremony for lack of anything else good on the telly and was pleasantly surprised to see all the Indians in their brilliantly colored costumes; it was much like being at a Pow wow.
Soosin & Wattle: So nice to see you both again! Please come back when you have time.
Annette, Diane & Gary: Did you folks know today and tomorrow are the Backyard Bird Count days? There is more info here if you need it: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
Hello to everyone else and hope you're all well. I'm off for the day in preparation for hostessing Craft Day for 3 lady friends. We'll see how much of our projects get worked on amongst all the talking and carrying on! Time is 9:37 a.m. and I'm outta here. =O)
Morning all: Poor eagles in all that snow. And there's an item on CNN.com about the Florida manatees and how the cold is reckoned to have killed about 280 so far - 5 percent of the population. http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/12/manatee.cold.weather/index.html?hpt=T2
Tiger: That shot is fabulous - I'm wondering, does anyone know if the object with no trail in the bottom left-hand quadrant of that photo is a planet from our own solar system? On National Public Radio yesterday, as I was driving around, I heard a segment about A Pale Blue Dot a photo of the earth taken from about 4 billion miles away by the Voyager spacecraft as it continued its journey into deep space. If you Google Pale Blue Dot and opt for the "images" search, you'll see many versions of it. The following link takes you to Carl Sagan's reflections on that image (which he nagged NASA into taking) that the Planetary Society posted after 9/11. Regardless of when it was posted, it's a timeless observation on just how small we are. http://users.isr.ist.utl.pt/~pal/sagandot.html
Auntie: How thrilling to see the owl that close. Don't you love it when that happens? I was in a nature preserve years ago - just standing looking - and a fox passed silently by within feet of me. You get transfixed when that happens. And two days ago, a white egret flew across the highway just feet in front of our car, apparently indifferent to our approach.
Alan: Hope Lady P doesn't do too much damage on her shopping spree and that Hamish behaves.
Caerann/OG: I missed the opening Olympics opening ceremonies, but if I see a segment on the news, I'll listen for OG yelling "Bah humbug" and imagine Caerann's big smile! :-)) I do love to see Indian performances. I went to a really big pow-wow at Lake Tahoe some years back and was fascinating by the drums and dancing. It's mesmerizing. I have a couple of Native American CDs - one a traditional flautist, the other is Robert Mirabel, a young performer who often blends rock with Native music and puts on a great show. And no, I didn't know it was Backyard Bird Count day - I'll check it out - but I always worry about counting the same bird twice, or three times.
We are "acknowledging" - we don't really celebrate it - Valentine's Day today. Being basically boring, we try to avoid the crowds and bad food you so often get on special days at restaurants. Anyway, we're going to look at a couch at the consignment store, and then out to brunch at a place called Stella Mare's, which is down by by the bird preserve near the beach.
Hallo to everyone else - good to see Wattle and Soosin - have a good Saturday! Do read all the posts even if I don't respond to all. Love to hear what everyone's up to.
Have a good Craft Day, Caerann. I just saw an edited version of the Opening Ceremony, a very icy scene. Wonder what we in UK will do when its our turn in 2012 (lots of crinoline ladies ?? - Robin Hood lookalikes ?? - Henry the 8th & his 6 wives ??!!)
Seriously though, very sad to hear about the young man who died, it just shows what dangerous sports some of them are.
Glad to hear from you Wattle, hope you all get some relief from the heat soon. Good idea to read books- what a lovely excuse to 'lose' yourself in them.
Diane: Did enjoy all of your "blather" about the Peregrines in Indianapolis. Saw a bit about it on the TV once, its so nice to know that there are people out there prepared to ditch in & help (even if the birds themselves don't seem to appreciate it!).
Off now to go cook something. Promised to try a recipe for 'steamed ginger pudding' given to me by our dear Aged Auntie - perhaps its not too fattening if I eat it quick! Have a good day, All.
Just missed you, Annette while I was writing the above. Have an enjoyable brunch, & I hope you find a couch you like. (sometimes the more you look at, the less you like any of them....!)