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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Red Tail Road

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As I worked on early morning bill paying and Farm Side writing yesterday, our boy came downstairs and said, "Wanna go to NY with me?"

I had to think for a minute, because I was dressed for the barn, and really had work I should be doing, but how could I say no to an offer like that?

So I dumped my coffee in a red Solo cup, grabbed the binoculars and camera because...birds you know....

not


And off we went. 

Trips like these are not adventures in Times Square or visiting the Statue of Liberty or shopping for over-priced stuff. He just needed to pay his union dues in Queens.

But still....hours on the road with one of my favorite people....and birds you know....

Of course the Interstate is not an idea birding locale and the city has its limitations, but man, oh, man, did we see Red-tailed Hawks. I wish I had started counting at the beginning of the trip, but we saw dozens of them, often two and three at a time.

I think this is because the mowed areas at the edge of the road, bordered on the other side by brush and trees, offer a wonderful hunting ground.

my


At any rate, where some people might play punch buggy, we sang out, "There's one."

"There's another one."

We even saw one swirling up the draft on the side of a gigantic apartment building (which gave me shudders at the horror of living in such a place) and several swooping around right in town.

It was, in an odd way, kind of fun. And now I can say I visited the Big Apple in barn clothes.....not everyone can....


world

10 comments:

tryon1@frontiernet.net said...

You probably would have fit in with all the homeless people there. I have seen your barn clothes. Glad you had a nice time with your son. give him my love.
Love, Your Mom.

Cathy said...

" . .the horror of living in such a place."

Just think. Some people desire it . . . freely choose it!

12Paws said...

You must grab serendipity when it shows up! 59 days 'til spring.

Terry and Linda said...

No not everyone can! YAY FOR YOU!

I couldn't stand to live in the crowds either!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/?s=The+Adventures+of+Fuzzy+and+Boomer&submit=Search
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

ellie k said...

We have a number of Red Tail Hawks around. Our house, they catch those white cow birds and eat them in our yard, the white feathers tell the story, also they like the little gray doves that gather around our house. The cow birds probably have another name but they sit on the cows and pick insects off them while the cows eat.

NumberWise said...

Ah...the unexpected pleasures of Life After Milking Cows. It sounds like a fun day, even if it did include Thruway and City driving.

I'm surprised that there are enough little animals running around out there in the cold to feed all those hawks.

What are you reading? On your Nook? I'm currently re-reading Little Women! It's perfect just-before-bed reading.

Earl said...

I noticed no picture of you in barn clothes. Great that you had a get away with son, will never happen often enough. Haven't they a PO Box for the union dues yet? Or are they still hooked up with organized crime bosses? Just kidding, the hawks are often seen because of their size at that speed-by. But you know more about that than I.

Uta said...

I liked your previous post much better. I could not live in NY, not enough green space. Glad you had son time.

threecollie said...

Mom!!! I left my shopping cart at home. lol. Love you

Cathy, I can't imagine it, truly I can't. I am getting better at going to the city and not feeling terrible afterwards, but it is surely not my thing

12paws, SPRING!!!! YES!

Linda, I like people, but in small doses. lol

Ellie, could they be Cattle Egrets? Now and then we get one up here, but not often. Fun to see them though. I know they are pretty common down there.

NW, it had its good points. As to reading, mostly a lot of junk because it is free on Bookbub. I did buy the new WEB Griffin and was utterly disappointed. Could barely read it! His son is writing them now I guess and they aren't much more but office politics at the military level. Bah. I am going to get out all my Kenneth Roberts and read them through again. Driving through the Dacks got us talking about Arnold and what a soldier he was and how screwed over by Congress and all. Dead tree books though, as I already have them.

Earl, he needed to do some other business there too, but they are not trusting enough to accept checks and other simple forms of money transfer...and it is a pain in the neck to get money orders to send them. I suspect you are right about spotting the hawks, and they tend to have bright buff breasts that really stand out.

Uta, I hate the city and can't imagine how people survive there. I just went to keep him company...and always hoping for a new bird...

Cathy said...

P.S. We're in the Disney World Orlando area for a few days. I have to fight 'panic'. The mass of humanity. If you had to get outta here in a hurry. Forget it.
(But there is some nice birding - even amongst all this un-naturalenss.)