One of the previous owners of the house must have really loved this one type of bulb because they are literally planted everywhere around the house. Unfortunately that includes some places where they shouldn’t be, such as in and around my favorite rose bush (which is actually a few rose bushes planted together). While the bulbs do have a pretty flower, they also are so thick they keep the roses from drying out, leaving them susceptible to the black spot fungus which has plagued our roses.
So earlier this summer I dug out as many of the bulbs as I could from underneath these roses. I tried to avoid damaging the roses but it was slow going as many of the bulbs were up tight against their roots. Also because the thorns of these old roses are both large and malevolent. The going got even slower when Sam came over to help. The stalks were still attached to many of the bulbs, as I pulled a few of them up he started playing with them. So we turned it into a game, I’d drag the stalks through the grass and he’d try to catch them and knock the seed pods off. When the stalk was sufficiently flayed, I’d toss it up and he’d somersault through the air after it.
Eventually I dug up as many bulbs as I could and all of Sam’s organic cat toys were gone. I took this picture of him after our fun and games were over.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
English proverb
A bird book in the hand is worth two in the house.
Boolish proverb
I’m a nerd.
When I’m about to make a big purchase, I make an equally big spreadsheet comparing the pluses and minuses of each option. Computers, cameras, lenses, cars, houses, doesn’t matter, there’s always a spreadsheet. Until now. Until the iPhone.
Even without firing up Excel (or lately, Numbers) to map out the alternatives, I knew the iPhone 4 was the one to finally replace my ancient and little-loved Sony. I’ve been playing with it for a few weeks now and I have to say the little thing really tickles my fancy.
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the first three apps I’ve purchased are all related to birds.
When I ordered the phone, I knew there were birding apps for it but I didn’t know which ones. So I did a little happy dance when my wife informed me that the Sibley guide was available for the iPhone. The Sibley guide is my favorite of my four printed field guides because of the breadth and depth of the illustrations, but it’s also the largest and heaviest so not the one I carry into the field.
Sibley has the answer
On our recent trip to Maine, I brought my second favorite guide, Kenn Kaufman’s excellent guide. But it was left behind in the hotel room when we went out to visit a relative, who it turns out had hairy woodpeckers coming to her feeders. There was a male and female and another similar bird, but with an orange patch on top instead of a red cap in back. Was this a juvenile hairy or another species altogether?
We consulted a bird guide at the house but it didn’t provide any clues. Even my book back at the hotel didn’t provide the answer. It wasn’t until I got back home that the Sibley guide showed not only the location of the juvenile’s patch but also the clue about the color.
With the iPhone app we would have known the answer straight away. And to top it off, the guide includes a lot of audio files so I can better learn to bird by ear. I was convinced of the need to improve in this area while taking a guided tour offered by the Audubon Society in Maine, I was stunned at how readily the leader could pick out birds by song.
When I’m at home, I’ll still prefer the printed guide, but I’m terribly excited now that I can carry hundreds of birds in my pocket.
Next up was Angry Birds, a game where you use a slingshot to toss birds at the creatures that stole their eggs. It’s a delightful little game but would be even more fun if you used a black lab to toss hedgehogs at the creatures who stole her food. Just a suggestion.
The next app not only has birds like eagles and falcons and cardinals, but other wildlife like bears and panthers and rams. I still have a big learning curve but I’m looking forward to playing Madden NFL 2011 as I start riding the train again.
Despite the pouring rain, this male red-winged blackbird collected a beakful of bugs to take back to the nest. Both redwings and yellowheads, male and female alike, heavily worked this section of Long Lake to feed the relentless hunger of their young.
I just looked up on this sunny afternoon and noticed all the pets are asleep in my office. Ellie is to the right of my feet and Sam to the left. Emma is dozing in a sunbeam under a window. Scout, bless her heart, is in her favorite spot in the heated bed despite the hot day.
I had been visiting Gilsland Farm for several days in a row letting this groundhog get used to me, so it was rather nonplussed when I slowly approached and lay flat on the rain-soaked ground. It worked an apple from start to finish, suddenly raising it high when it was nearly at the core, yielding one of my favorite pictures of the trip.
If you’re particularly clever, you might have guessed the answer from the pictures. The snood hangs over the top of the beak while the wattle hangs below.
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to dogs who can hedgehog again.”
Luke 2:13-14, more or less
Where were you this morning? Did you see the heavens open? Did you hear the angels rejoice?
I know one dog who did.
Ellie had her final visit to the surgeon today and Dr. Munjar said the x-rays showed a nice boring joint, meaning she had healed nicely and we can start easing her back into her normal routine. Ellie and I celebrated with a few hedeghog throws in the backyard before I had to head in to work.
If you’re in the Portland area and need surgery for your pet, I highly recommend Dr. Munjar and the Veterinary Surgical Center of Portland. Dr. Munjar has a great (doggy) bedside manner and explained everything very clearly and did great work. He provided detailed instructions for her post-op recovery and everything proceeded just like he said. From the moment we met him we felt we had made the right decision. The staff is friendly and knowledgable and took good care of us.
If I ever need surgery I can only hope to be in such good hands!
We recently returned to Portland from a trip to Portland.
My mother-in-law wanted her ashes spread near a favorite lighthouse in Maine so the family gathered in the Portland on the east coast and we spent a week visiting relatives in the area. Since it was a family trip and not a photography outing, I left the big lens and tripod at home in the Portland on the west coast. I did bring my camera and two zooms, I didn’t know what to expect but they pack down pretty small and were easy enough to take along even if I didn’t get a chance to use them.
My wife and I discovered the delightful Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in nearby Falmouth, Maine, on our first full day in the state. It was hot and humid and we didn’t expect to see much, but my spirits rose when we discovered groundhogs near the headquarters! Thereafter I started getting up at 4:30am each morning to visit the refuge for a few hours of photography and still got back in time for breakfast before most of the others had gotten up.
In this close-up of one of the adults about to take a big bite out of an apple, you can see an identification tag in its ear. The groundhogs there are being studied and sport tags in both ears.
Based on my studies, I’d say they really like apples.
Ellie did really well during her recovery, but she did develop a coping mechanism — if I gave her a command she didn’t want to follow, she’d turn her head slightly to the side as if to say, “I’m not being willfully disobedient, it’s just that I can’t hear you, what with my head turned like this and all.” It was such a subtle gesture I didn’t catch on at first, but after a while it became unmistakable. I suppose I should be insulted at my dog’s estimate of my intelligence but it was so cute it just made me laugh. She’d always obey if my tone indicated she needed to, so I let it slide.
Emma is not a lap cat but she is affectionate. When you live in the land of the Snuggle Twins and the 70 lb. lap dog, however, finding that affection isn’t so easy. Emma has solved this dilemma by waiting for me to play with Ellie and then running up tight beside me to be petted with one hand while I play with Ellie with the other.
But one day I noticed her on a ledge near the bathroom after I took a shower and took a few minutes to let her play in my wet hair. Since then she’s became a regular customer and is often there to greet me when I step out of the shower. Eventually I set her on the bed and laid down and patted my chest and to my surprise, she jumped right up and started rubbing her head against mine and chirping her birdie purrs. Our one-on-one snuggles have now become a morning ritual, although they don’t always last for long, one of the others will usually sniff out that snuggling is afoot and jump up with us.
Boolie 