Luck of the Draw

A very tame Green Heron peeking at me between some blades of grass,
which certainly did not enhance the photos.

We think mebbe we saw an immature Saw-Whet Owl last night. We were out on a little drive and spotted it atop a telephone pole out near Flat Creek. 

I thought it was a Kestrel at first, but  it didn't look quite right.

As we approached it flew right in front of the car and I exclaimed, "What the heck IS that thing?"

The boss replied that it was an owl (old eagle eyes himself) and as it passed  I saw that it was kind of rusty below and dark brown above, just like the juvies on this page. It was a pretty good distance from any appropriate habitat though.

I didn't count it, but I hope we see it again if we go back that way. The only one I have ever seen before I discovered dead on the road when I was out riding Magnum many moons ago. 

It would be a nice bird to see. We are finding a number of really nice birds that are probably just what I think they are, but I like to be quite confident before I count an unusual bird, and by this time of year we have seen most of the easy ones.

Surprise find of the day up on the old Beechnut sign in Canajoharie.
We visit often trying in vain to see those two Black Vultures that hang out there
A Peregrine Falcon

Next up Tornado Warnings

I was doing a survey for a power company panel to which I belong. It's an interesting endeavor and I'm glad I joined.

Suddenly the cell phone beside me screamed with a tornado warning.

We take those seriously around here, having had at least two of them start on our upper fields, or the next door neighbor's fields, and go on to wreak havoc east of us. 

Everybody put on shoes. Liz made sure we could easily get to the cellar door. The boss moved the car to the east side of the house, away from the big trees, and brought Finn indoors. We put camp chairs in the kitchen handy if we had to take shelter.

Then we waited and watched. It was kinda scary. First the little flock of chickadees that calls the place home went wild, gathering in a circle you could throw a bushel basket over, and screaming DEE DEE DEE in unison.

A Northern Cardinal began a series of alarm chirps that went on and on. 

Crows spun overhead. A Chimney Swift swirled so high against the clouds we could barely see him. 

Said clouds piled higher and higher until they reached the from the zenith to the horizon. Truly the highest thunderheads I have ever seen.

The doe and fawn raced off the hill and dived into the woods by the road.

We watched some more.

Small circles of rotation started under the main clouds and then dissipated after a bit. 

Then it seemed to cut north of the river where it made a lot of messes. Trees down and a lot of water all over. 

That was not the worst of it though. We just got news that the old Empire Hotel in Sharon Springs collapsed. If we are Facebook friends you can see photos of the wreckage on my page. This is how it looked before it fell...a real loss to the community, which has been working hard to revitalize its downtown for years.

The past few weeks have been among the stormiest I can remember....I am ready for some more stable, and hopefully less humid, weather any time now. It's just raining now, but the river was high and rolling brown before the storm. I would hate to see it now.

Holy Lightning Batman

How I looked when it hit

Woke up too early thinking something was wrong with my eyes. They were closed but bright white lights were flashing.

Opened them and oh my word, continuous cloud-to-cloud lightning was brightening the sky so much that I threw stark shadows on the stairs when I was going down.

An hour later, I was bent over, latching up the bottom of the outside kennel, when BOOM-BANG-FLASH, lightning struck behind me.

It's a wonder I didn't jump right over that six-foot kennel fence and join Finn in his doghouse, where he had promptly adjourned. 

Dunno what it hit, but it was way too close. Maybe the neighbor's spruces down at the bottom of the driveway. Thought it was the house at first, but thank the Lord it wasn't.

I don't think I can recall another week as stormy as this one has been. Closed roads and downed trees are a daily occurrence. Not much hay is being made anywhere, unless as baleage or chopped and ensiled.

The corn doesn't seem to mind though. Where it was planted with good fortune there are some mighty fine ears forming.

Hang in there folks....this has to stop some time.

When your horse is in the shop and you have to get to the sawmill

Angels

There is this pond we visit up in the western part of the county. It has never let me down a single time for interesting birds, although I haven't seen a new species in county since June.

Today was no exception. When we arrived there was something white in one of the big dead trees out in the pond. Great Egret! Wow, the third one we have seen in the past week locally.

Then another came flapping across the sky to join it.

A third powered up out of the swamp a moment later and when I looked up there were FOUR circling over the giant pine trees. In the bright sunshine against the blue, blue sky, they looked like angels, floated down from Heaven to check things out.

They headed off to the south followed by an immature Bald Eagle, three Common Ravens quothing like mad, and a Red-tailed Hawk.

Next the Common Gallinule we've been seeing since June showed up. There were birds singing in the trees whose songs I do not know.....

All in all it was pretty darned cool. Here's my eBird checklist from there.

Sun Bird

Acrobatic
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The Other New York

Tis the season of hot, nasty humid days, followed by nights of heavy fog and mornings of misty scarves shrouding the river. It is a love hate thing with me. It isn't winter and that is a blessing, but I just don't do well in hot, soggy weather.

Every year when winter lingers into what should be spring I wonder how the heck could I ever be ready for fall to roll around. And then the dew point rises and the air gets soupy, and I remember.....I miss oxygen....

Orange

Happy Birthday, Jade

Asking the Experts

What are these plants?

Thanks in advance. I have a pretty good idea on a couple, but none on others. Thanks again.

Making up for Lost Time

Angry bird
Really ticked off immature male Common
Yellowthroat

What with everyone... three separate jobs for folks to get to, plus us and our peregrinations...using one car, not much birding was done this week.

Thus this morning with Jade's truck back on line and Liz home for the morning the boss and I went out and made up lost time.

No new birds, but a lot of fun.

Hit the Schoharie Crossing boat launch first at about 7 AM. That is the only time of day that it is quiet this time of year, being a very popular park and all. 26 species there today, nothing exciting, but always fun. Lots and lots of babies around...Northern Cardinals, Red-winged Blackbirds, Yellow Warblers, and Grey Catbirds all being chased around by hungry kids.

Within less than an hour the boat trailers and picnickers were pouring into the parking lot  though, so we headed off to Yankee Hill Lock.

Not much doing there...21 common summer species. Watched a diving duck across the river from the little dock there for a long time and tried really hard for a usable photo. No luck. It was under water more than on top and way too far away. Alan has been insisting that his scope is now my scope. Guess I will have to find a tripod for it and start using it.

High point was a Merlin that dove right past us and landed in a tree over the parking lot. I was just aiming the camera when a car pulled in right under it and it was gone.

Next up was Lost Valley State Forest. I had never been there until this year when I saw reports from other eBirders and we gave it a go. What a great place!

There is a long, crushed stone one-lane road between mixed forest and a few nice openings to get to a good place to park and walk. It is remote! No constant watching for traffic and being ready to dive out of the road ahead of death. No people at all actually.

Saw 26 species with no real thrillers, but it was so much fun to look for them in utter peace except for hungry insects, that it was the best part of the day. The bird club found over 40 species there in June, but they are better by far than I at seeing and IDing.

There seems to still be a lot of nesting going on among the House Wrens and Common Yellowthroats and they sure let me know what they thought about my intrusion into their space.

I hope we can go back there when warbler migration really gets going and I can find an inexpensive tripod for that scope. I think we will really have fun.

Or should I say I will really have fun while the boss takes a nap and listens to talk radio?

You be the judge.

But Wait, there's More

After we dropped Jade back at home, we headed out for a little birding trip that we had just been starting when he asked for a ride.

We hit the Crossing where we saw a lovely pageant of kayaks near the aqueduct. Too busy for birding though so we ventured out into the country.

That is when things got weird again.

First we passed a shaggy little homestead, all grown up to brush and weeds, with a driveway straggling through it.

In said drive was a tiny little boy, blond and cute as a button, wearing a plaid flannel shirt, which was in itself kind of strange, as I am pretty sure he was Amish. He wouldn't have come up to my elbow and was around four at the very most.

Between him and the road was a beautifully groomed, long haired, black-and-white goat, a buck I think, wearing a bright red collar. The thing was literally the size of a small pony.

The boy was chasing it down the drive with a big, long buggy whip, hollering his head off.

The goat was standing all slab sided like they do, and up on tiptoe, with his head tilting to the side, debating whether to mind the whip or plant the boy. 

We missed the final scene but I'll be the kid won.

But wait, still more. 

As the sun dipped entirely behind the mountains and darkness fell, we saw something rolling down a steep hill towards us.

What the heck was that thing? Kinda bulky, really flying, like a low-slung motorcycle only wider.....no lights or any of those other silly fripperies.

Weird.

The photo does not do justice to how dark it was; the camera is pretty good at finding ambient light.

They sure were having a lot of fun though, as were the kids in the wagon behind them. 

It was a night for crazy, no two ways about it...but a nice drive just the same....

Dueling Banjos

It was one of those nights when everything was wonderfully weird.

Jade needed us to pick him up in the next county as he was dropping off his truck for some repairs. We did so, but decided to return on a back road we sometimes bird, as there was a messy tangle of construction out on the main highway.

We were tooling along, watching the fields in hopes of a return of last year's Cattle Egret, when we spotted a gigantic Rottweiler at the bottom of a big hill...right in the road.

The roadside was lined with tall trees and thick brush, and there was no sign of a civilized dwelling, although there was something of a shanty nearby, half hidden in the overgrowth. As we drove down the hill I heard evenly spaced eager, but soft, woofs from the woods beside the road...maybe one every fifty feet or so. How strange....

I figured somebody maybe had dogs tethered in there or something.

As we hit the bottom the giant Rottie lunged at the door of the car. Airborne! Leaping like a stag! I snatched my arm, which had been resting on the windowsill, back inside and shuddered at the sight.

Because talk about fierce! He was matted and filthy and looked just like you might imagine a great big, black Cujo would. Drooling and flinging spit all over. Great big yellow teeth. Truly a wild and terrible beast.

But wait, there's more.

Out of the woods all along the road, where I had heard those little woofs, came FOUR MORE great big Rottweilers to chase the car. I swear if they had wanted to they could have grabbed the bumper and dragged us into the woods for supper.

As we drove away they gathered at the bottom of the hill behind us for a good sniff and wag, delighted at having routed yet another car full of innocents. 

Can you imagine dogs that figured out how to hide, nicely spaced out in the woods, to await the meager traffic on this rural farm road like that? Mind boggling. I swear I heard Dueling Banjos as we drove off into the sunset.

Asleep at the Keyboard

Broad-winged Hawk

That is the edge of a deep, deep waterfall

Upstream

Sorry about the infrequency of posts these days. Busy time of year.