hummingwolf | Entries tagged with birdwatching

So, it's been a while since I've updated. I took antibiotics for a total of 14 days, then spent some time recovering from antibiotic side effects, then spent time dealing with migraine, and now have a mind that seems to be trying to fall apart. Not sure how to describe that last bit other than that I'm sometimes finding it exhausting to hold on to some coherent narrative related to reality. Actually, that's a really bad description, but I'm drawing a blank on coming up with anything better. I do believe I need to get to a neurologist soon, but I think that's going to have to wait till after cold-and-flu season has receded a bit. In the meantime, I'm tired and wondering why I get fever-dreams when I no longer have a fever.

Anyway, last Sunday I saw a Snowy Owl! It was high in a tree a little way down the street so I didn't get to see its face clearly from our dining room window, but given the size, shape, and color of the bird, it was either a Snowy Owl or evidence that the neighbors have been dabbling in genetic engineering. And while it's true that our neighbors are an interesting bunch, they're more likely to be Mad Artists than Mad Scientists. (Now I'm imagining what would happen if one of the artists got together with a mad geneticist. Wouldn't that be fun?!)

There was a week between then and now. The week involved some walking, some reading, some watching of DVDs (including Dead Poets Society and the Much Ado About Nothing featuring Joss Whedon directing a bunch of his friends). There was also, as usual, a farmer's market, and this time I was energetic enough to enjoy it--lots of chatting with vendors, regular customers, and summertime vendors who like being wintertime customers.

Today I took a trip to a little local grocery and chatted for a bit with one of the guys working there who timed his break so that he could keep talking with me. If I'd been more awake this probably would have been more fun, though he had enough energy for both of us (if only there were a way to share!).

Something about the conversation this evening prompted me to look up a friend from back in college. My old friend was born about the same time as the guy I'd been talking to today, was always fun to debate with, always willing to lend a sympathetic ear, was possibly the sanest person I knew at the university, and was incredibly bad at keeping in touch with people online. Since I haven't been especially good at writing e-mails the last few years, I have been completely unaware of what was going on in his life other than that he had a wife, more than one child, and a business of his own. Found his Twitter account, which he hadn't updated since last year. Did a Google search for his name and location and quickly saw links to his obituary. Before I even clicked on the link, I knew how he'd died--his heart defect finally got the best of him. Knowing what I knew about his health, it really didn't come as a big surprise... but he'll never even make it to 50, and I won't get the chance to debate him one more time.

Seen today:

In a broken limb of the tree outside my window, there is a hollow space that, when I looked this morning, had a confusing arrangement of squirrel parts and fluff sticking out of it. Since squirrel bodies are not meant to be segmented the way this seemed to be, I wondered if perhaps some predator had taken a squirrel apart and left it there in the tree, but I saw no blood. Then things began to move and I realized that two squirrels were partially hidden in there sheltering from the breeze, both alive and apparently well. Yay cute fluffy things!

As I left the house, I noticed that one of the dead tree branches lying in melting snow looked like it had slimy slugs slithering around it. Looking closer, I realized that it was just fungus--wet, slimy fungus.

Coming home late in the afternoon, I looked out a west window and saw a fairly large bird perched on a branch of a dead tree. Though I am not always observant enough of the things that could help me identify a species, this was pretty clearly a northern harrier; but thanks to the angle of the light, I am somewhat less sure of its sex (If I had to bet, I'd bet it was a male). Its low flight over to a neighbor's yard was amazing to watch. As far as I know, it has not yet disturbed the squirrels.

Current Mood: tired

Now wearing: Black shirt, blue jeans, white socks, boring underwear, and glasses I would really like to get replaced.

Today's television: Smallville finale: It was enjoyable, but certain characters should be deader than they probably are.

Supernatural finale: Oh, Dean! And [spoiler]! And ohh, [spoiler]!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Yeah, that ep made me rather squeeful.

Today's walk: I've been keeping approximate track of how many miles I've walked in the new shoes, but I already forget how many of those miles were today. It's roughly 18 miles since last Friday, though. The right shoe started making an odd squeaky sound today. Is air leaking out of my Nike air shoes already?

On today's walk, I saw a man and a woman chasing a ferret. Well, am not sure if the woman was chasing the ferret or following along behind so she could laugh at the man.

Also on today's walk, I checked out the bird's nest I first saw on Mother's Day--the nest that was built about five-and-a-half feet above a sidewalk, right where most adult humans can bump into the branch it's built in without even trying. A couple days ago I managed to count at least three baby birds alive in the nest begging for food, so perhaps the location wasn't as bad for survival as I'd thought. Today as I stood and looked at the little birdlets with their fresh little feathers growing in, zoom! goes something past my head. Look up, and there's angry Mama Robin glaring at me. "It's okay, I won't hurt them! I promise!" Zoom! goes Mama Robin again, just barely not touching my hair. I back up a bit, try to reason with her... ZOOM! at my head. At this point I decided to leave the family alone, assured that Mama Robin really is very protective of her cute little babies.

Music of the week: Been listening to two albums by Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies (Tenterhooks and The Parish Notices) as well as all of Kalinnikov's symphonies (all both of them). Didn't set out to listen only to music you've never heard before; it just kinda worked out that way.

Today's reading: Lots of stuff on LJ. Very little out of the library books that are due soon. Maybe I'll make up for that tomorrow.

Today's napping: Rather a lot. Tried to deal with my tiredness through use of...

Today's beverage: Entirely too much black tea.

Candy of the day: Crispy, crunchety Butterfinger. I was more in the mood for peanut-butteriness than I was for chocolate, which was weird.

Fruit of the day: Fresh strawberries! Mmmm, lovely, lovely strawberries.

Useful stuff done today: I think I balanced my checkbook or something. This really wasn't a day for getting much accomplished, though it started out promisingly. I feel like I must have cleaned something, but I can't remember what. It wasn't anything here in my bedroom, that's for sure.

Linguistics for the day: lolcat linguistics.

Headline of the month: A May 3 story from the Associated Press which

mariness linked to yesterday. The page she linked is no longer online, however this still is. In the words of Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, "So you just can't improve on that. Anyway, my compliments to the AP headline writer, who had a good day that day."

Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: my yawning

As I was walking, I saw a branch hanging low over the sidewalk and was considering whether I should try to duck underneath it or walk around, when I realized that there was a nest half-hidden in the leaves. Going closer, I saw that the baby birds were in the helpless, featherless, fuzzy phase when they are, frankly, rather ugly, so of course I heard myself saying "Awww!" before I'd even realized I'd opened my mouth.

If you are a mother who has never made a home for your children a mere five-and-a-half feet above a suburban sidewalk, you're doing better than some mothers.

Since my own mother died more than half my lifetime ago, I tend to forget about this holiday until it's right here. What I do today doesn't have any effect on her. But I thank all the good mothers out there, all of you who try your best to raise children in the best way you know how. Your hard work makes the world a better place for all of us.

Edit: Old post about my mother.

For well over an hour, a hawk has been in the tree outside my window, enthusiastically making a meal out of a squirrel. Is it a Cooper's Hawk? A Sharp-Shinned Hawk? Something else entirely? All this time of watching it and I still don't know what to tell you. At birdwatching, I'm still quite pathetic. Obviously what ever this bird is, it's something which might be found in the DC area pulling squirrels' guts apart.

A little while ago, another squirrel stood on a nearby tree limb angrily chattering at the bird. The bird took time out of its meal to give it a look saying, "You have got to be kidding me." Of course that was pretty much the same expression the bird always has.

It's a beautiful bird if you can get over its dining habits.

Current Mood: hungry

So, this has been one of those weeks when I'm too dizzy to go out and do much and too brainfogged to sit in and read for more than a few minutes at a time. There's nothing exciting about "I felt too exhausted to do anything today," which is why you haven't heard about my Easter celebration (though at least I did eat the ritual chocolate bunny ears).

Been listening to two CDs by Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies on repeat, though I'm not sure why I'm craving their music now when they're not at all the electronica I thought I was in the mood for. But I can hardly resist singing along with "Sons of the Century"

Was I meant to follow you blind?
Did you want me to follow your line?
'Cause a line hanging loose twists into a noose
It's only a matter of time

Speaking of twisty lines, I've been playing around with animations in POV-Ray again, this time having the program do fun things with trigonometry. I'm like a kitten playing with a ball of digitized yarn!

( Wanna see? (Image about 250KB) )

Not bad for someone who got a C in trig class--twenty years ago. Sweet merciful heavens, I took trigonometry twenty years ago? Pardon me while I hyperventilate for a moment.

...

Okay, I'm back. Speaking of someone being back, the robin who returned to her nest a few days ago has been sitting there nearly all the time ever since. I guess she decided to lay her eggs there after all. The leaves on the tree have opened out all the way, hopefully hiding the nest from other passing crows. There's not much chance that neighborhood squirrels will remain in ignorance, but they tend to go for easier food than eggs defended by angry birds. Though I haven't been able to see the eggs from my room, I'm happy that some pretty blue eggs (probably) came into the world in the week after Easter.

If I had any other thoughts in my head tonight, Jez Lowe's "The Limping Drinker's Polka" drove them all away.

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Location: in my own nest
Current Music: Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies, "Go Away Joe"

Looking out my window, I see a blue jay lit by morning sunlight hopping around in a hollowed part of a tree limb, picking and pecking at old leaves and other debris collected there. Nearby on the same tree, a squirrel runs around as if it has some purpose, though I suspect it has nothing of the sort. And I now have a working computer here where I can see this all! And I can sit here typing while downloading POV-Ray again so I can play with graphics for the first time in two months! Whee!

Okay, getting offline now for a few hours. Enjoy the day!