Happy Birthday

To our personal horse/cow/dog/etc. whisperer. Also oldest kiddo. 

Hope you have a wonderful and .....peaceful....(as if) day. 

Love you Liz. Happy Birthday! 

Some Gave All

 Thank you!

Welcome to Sprinter

 

You've heard of golf ball-sized hail?
This is a golf ball-sized golf ball that
mysteriously appeared in our barnyard recently.
I blame the weather

An unpopular Frankenseason, bastard child of ice and thunder, ugly babe of snow and rainbow.

Nobody likes it and it just won't go away.

I'm grateful that we are neither making hay nor planting corn right now, and those who are have my deepest sympathies. 

March didn't go out like a lamb
Neither did April
And now look at May
I call foul

There was this Thing Last Saturday

Red-eyed Vireo

 *** a Century Run is an attempt to find at least 100 species in 24 hours in a given area. A fellow birder and I gave it a go last Saturday and had quite a time. 

2025 Fulton-Montgomery County Century Run

200 miles, 110 birds. 15 ½ hours.

.55 birds per mile, for George Steele and myself, Marianne Friers, on our Fulton and Montgomery County Century Run this year.

 The day began just after 3 AM, with a duo of American Woodcocks peenting on a Montgomery County back road, with a Common Yellowthroat complaining about all those pesky witchities nearby.

Ruffed Grouse (through the windshield, sadly)

It ended sometime after 6 PM with a fortuitous Ruffed Grouse that showed up mere seconds after George pointed out that the habitat was perfect for them, and I mentioned seeing one in that spot last year.

“What’s that in the road?”

“A Ruffed Grouse, believe it or not.”

Wildy enough it was like that all day. A Grasshopper Sparrow buzzed from the exact bush where one has been found singing for the past three years. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched at the tip of the very same swampland snag where one has awaited us for even longer than that. Ditto a Common Gallinule up in Fulton County. There has been one calling or running back and forth across the road every time we have visited this year. It was joined by a Virginia Rail scurrying past just as we left. 

We got some strange looks on the Gateway Bridge, which was thronged with non-bird folk, when we cried in perfect unison, “Fish Crow!” as one called nearby. The expected Northern Rough-winged Swallows were swiftly flitting there as well.

Cobra Chicken and Chicken Children

George called up a pair of Great-horned Owls and a couple of Barred Owls in the early morning darkness. Even Merlin thought his vocal imitations were actually birds of the night. 

Species highlights included a Worm-eating Warbler  flitting around and singing its buzzy trill from the edge of a woodland road. It was a first in NY for me, and only the second anywhere, and brought us to a total of 14 warbler species.  

Common Merganser

Just as last year we failed to find either a Brown Thrasher or a Hermit Thrush, although other thrush species abounded. The afternoon brought snarling winds and driving rain, but George still managed to spot a pair of Common Loons way out on the seething waters of Caroga Lake. Had a great time as always.

A Wren by any other Name

 

Little Northern House Wren, silent as a leaf's fall

Or raucous as a grand parade, big brass band and all

Let them change your name dude,

Just keep your attitude!

Happy Mother's Day to you Ladies Too

 

Mother's Day

 

Happy Mother's Day in Heaven, Mama. I sure do miss you.

Early Birds

 

Morning dog walking time. Too cool for his kennel run, so, like a balloon on a string, I tag along on his o'dark thirty adventure.

Twenty feet to my left something sprinkles fresh notes across the dawn, thin, airy, and clear, as fragile and bright as the ring of good crystal. For a second I wonder, what singer is this? I have never heard this song before.

Then the singer lets go with a lusty spring song, heard early and often around here, as soon as the snow starts to melt.

A Song Sparrow.

Who knew that they share this delicate and lovely little prelude to their sometimes monotonous regular riff? It was a small treat in a series of far from flavorful days and I will try to relish the memory through all the gloom and rain.

Meanwhile, who released the Yakushima Rain Ducks????

Happy Easter

 

Pony

 

This little pony was hauling a cartload of Amish boys when we spotted it the other day. It was quite a job for the little critter but he seemed unimpressed.

I do love ponies!

My Buddy

 Is getting old, but he isn't slowing down.

Doors

 

Reflections

 

Although Rumor has It

 

That this guy's birthday was yesterday, it is actually today. I want to wish him a very happy one, even though he is far from home and everyone misses him a whole bunch.

Have a great birthday, Alan, we love you a lot!

Collins Lake

Horned Grebe

Was thronged this morning. We had heard about a Horned Grebe that was seen there yesterday and were hoping to spot it.

Male Hooded Merganser

Female Hoodie

I found it within five minutes after pulling into the Quinlan Park parking lot and walking down the hill. I have only ever seen one before today so that was plenty of excitement. However the little semi-urban lake had lots more to offer.

This Bufflehead surfaced right at my feet
but I was too slow with the camera to get more than this.
However, I got a fantastic glimpse of his beautiful plumage
that I will never forget.

There was large raft of migratory ducks that were bustling around the left side of the lake. There were at least sixty Ring-necked Ducks, a batch of American Wigeons, a long line of Common Mergansers, plenty of Hooded Mergansers, a couple of Mallards, a Wood Duck, Canada Geese and lots of singing passerine birds.

Red-winged Blackbird

American Wigeon

Such fun! I found 191 individuals of 25 species. It isn't a bad drive from here...I hope we can take my BBB...Best Birding Buddy (you know who you are)... there someday soon. 

Ring-necked Ducks, easily identified by the rings...on their bills. lol

American Robin

I also met a nice lady birder, who alas, missed the ducks for the most part as some fishing folks sent them off to the other end of the lake. We had a nice visit though and I learned the whereabouts of a couple of other local hotspots for future perusal.

Common Mergansers

Happy Saint Patrick's Day *we celebrated early

 

And I am as hung over as if there were adult beverages involved, although there weren't. I don't see midnight very often, but my pedometer reset on the way home. Left the venue with 10400 some odd steps, got home with 0. However, it was worth every rain-swept, wind-ravaged mile of the round trip ride.

I first experienced the High Kings thanks to Ralph. I was sitting in the dining room on the old computer bitd, avoiding television as I always do. He called me, "You gotta come see this!"

 They were on PBS playing Marie's Wedding.

I was stunned. I spent Lord knows how long standing in front of the dreaded tube enthralled. Before the night was over I bought Marie's Wedding for my playlist on whatever ancient device I was using then, along with a whole bunch of other new favorites (Whiskey in the Jar anyone?).

Their music was soon featured heavily on my personal "Barn List". We took turns blasting the CD player in the barn during the twice daily milking of the cows. The kids had somewhat more rock and country based stuff, but I loved the band from that first night, and whenever they produced an album I added it.

Fast forward a bit. We started going to their concerts whenever they played locally, two or three at The Egg, one in Syracuse, last year at Troy City Music Hall.

Then a couple of months ago the girls cooked up a trip to the Academy of Music in Northampton Massachusetts. Liz would drive. Long night drives are not much fun for us fogeys. Tickets were purchased, in the balcony, but there isn't a bad seat in the house when they are playing.

Yesterday Liz let me know that she had been watching the ticket sales and had found an open seat in the second row so she bought it. She might have taken it herself, but she gave it to me.

What a gift! I don't have words. It was a great show. What an enthusiastic crowd! 

Sometimes when you hear a favorite musician the people mixing the sound don't get it quite right. You can't hear the words, or one band member is muted and you can't hear them right. Last night was perfect. Sitting in front I could feel the music as well as hear it at its finest. I am glad I faithfully pursue my walking goals so I have the stamina to join the fun.

They played old favorites, including Men of Aran, and an as yet unreleased instant hit called 77A. (Yes, go listen, you know you want to...)

I always knew Darren Holden had a magnificent voice, but his rendition of The Town I Loved So Well gave me cold chills last night. If they play near you, grab some tickets (I recommend getting the best you can find) and prepare to be blown away. if you can't go, they are available to stream on most services. I have a ton of their songs on my 3C Walking List on Amazon Music, which helps propel me through my 10000 steps a day routine.

It was the best concert I have ever experienced.

Mad props to Liz for driving in the horrible storm that hit right after we got inside the theater, and heartfelt thanks for that ticket. Thanks to the rest of the family for sitting in the balcony without complaint while I sat all the way up front between prefect strangers...nice fellows, not rude at all, although they did enjoy those adult beverages...

It was a long night and I sure hope the coffee kicks in soon, but I don't regret one second of lost sleep.

***Oh, and there were bagpipes....

...And another talented guy, Zack Telander, opened for them. This song will be going on my list as well....or maybe not. It doesn't appear to be on Amazon.

I woke up this morning with Chasing Rainbows playing on the jukebox in my brain. Just can't stop winning...

Your Correspondent

 

From the frozen North Pole Upstate NY..

It isn't quite down to zero yet, but it sure is cold. (Apologies to friends in other regions who might be reading this, where it is warming up to zero and they are rejoicing...I am a puppy about cold weather...what can I say?)

When I walked the dog I added some extra leashes to his long rope so I didn't have to step out on the crust and ice. The stars were little frozen dots in the sky, all glittery and pretty and about as warm as the devil's heart.

I haven't seen or heard the Carolina Wrens in three days even though I made this stuff just to feed them and they had been eating it. I hope they are just hiding.

We have refrained from birding the last few days. Our county was under a state of emergency...no unnecessary driving...and conditions on the north-south roads were ugly. The wind was strong enough to twist the house and certainly able to pick up all the lake effect snow and stack it between the snowbanks.

I know I will sound like a typical old fart "back in my day, sonny" but this is a winter reminiscent of the 70s when I was new to driving and the streets in Gloversville were all one lane because of the huge snowbanks. Actually, this is milder than that, but it is bad enough.

Anyhow, in a twist of cabin fever yesterday we ventured out for a short bird expedition. Complete waste of time. I got some pretty pictures of snow, which looked good from inside the warm car, and we saw some turkeys. Pretty bleak and barren and not in any way birdy.

But wait! What birdsong breaks in yonder snowy bush? A Northern Cardinal is singing in the hedgerow by the old horse pasture, the first of the year.

And now the House Finches are singing too. The American Goldfinches are just beginning to subtly molt into their brilliant summer finery. A yellow feather here, a yellow feather there.

Is there hope on the horizon?

Maybe.