The Culprit

Yea, or Nay? 

The Moose Excuse

 Will no longer serve as a great reason to tour around the mountains taking in the scenery. Moose Quest has taken us from Maine to many lovely places in the Adirondack Mountains, as well as down many intriguing country roads looking for moose or chasing down moose reports.

We kept just missing them. When Alan and I went to Maine...my first visit there...it was the week after moose season. The closest we got was an antler poking up out of a ditch from an especially large bit of roadkill.

One was seen right across the river from here...but not by us.

It went on for years until even I was getting sick of staring into every pond and pool along the mountain roads hoping for a glimpse of an extra-large even-toed ungulate.

Then my cousin shared some photos of one on a road we like to travel. (Thanks, Roberta!) I passed the information along to a dear friend who lives up that way. I was chasing warblers in the lane at the boat launch when she texted me that it was sleeping in a pasture just below the road.

We headed that way, droving through verdant hillside pastures thronged with assorted cows of every color, enjoying fabulous views out over the valley with the river winding below.

When we rounded the corner in front of another good friend's farm there it was, still lying in the pasture. I snapped a few photos, sent gloating texts to other Moose Quest participants and felt a little let down.  I might just miss the anticipation of vying to be the first to find a moose in the wild.

But not too much.

**In the interest of full disclosure, Liz found a moose in Vermont not long ago, but she hadn't officially joined Moose Quest at the time, so we didn't let her claim victory.

*** Also, Alan and Amber won Gator Quest when they went to Florida not too long ago, so that trophy is off the table.

****I need a new excuse quest.

The Eyes Have It

 

Four-thirty AM, precise-a-mundo. Beginning the daily quest for ten-thousand steps by taking Mack up to his kennel run for the day, fresh container of water for his calf bucket, which provides his daily libations in one hand, leash in the other. (Leash is about eight feet of quadruple braided paracord....he's a ruff un).

It is raining lightly, the kind of rain that doesn't get you wet, but it feels as if it should. 

I wear my headlamp because it is full dark and downright gloomy. The headlamp lights up every reflector on every vehicle, implement, and tool in the yard, plus the driveway markers and all.

It also lights up two very bright, very white, spots on the lawn about two yards from Alan's four-wheeler, which is also brightly illuminated.

At first I think animal, because it is low to the ground, spaced about right for critter eyes and in a spot where I am pretty sure nothing is parked....but it doesn't move. It doesn't move while I dump yesterday's water out of the calf bucket, rinse and refill it.

It doesn't move when the dog noodles around at the end of his leash outside the run while I do these things. The lights just sit there utterly static, glowing brightly in our direction. I wonder what could possibly be out there a few inches off the ground in the middle of the lawn that has white reflectors that are so close together and so very bright. I vow to go check after I get the snap and the rope and the chain that hold closed the gate that contains my tiny dog each day. (And yes, we need them all!)

As always, I pet him for a minute before I latch them all up.

Then I turn around to investigate the odd lights on the lawn.

They are gone.

I hurry inside and lock the door leaving the poor pup to his fate. After all he is protected by a  chain link fence intended for a much larger dog and he is as fierce as a honey badger on crack on a bad day. He B Fine.

So, in your experienced rural opinions, what was/is out there?

What has eyes that reflect white and face forward, maybe two to four inches apart, six or eight inches off the ground, and would sit dead still. never blinking, for three or four minutes just staring at me? 

Fox? Raccoon? Skunk? Possum? Chupacabra? 

I really want to know.

That is all.

Thank you.

Villains of the Wild Woods

We were at Schoharie Crossing boat launch this morning, when a walnut thumped to the ground inches from my feet.

Dang, what was up with that? I glanced up, only to realize that I was standing under a maple tree.....walnuts usually grow on walnut trees.

Dagnabbit, this little villain was bombing me.

I went on about my birding business. Then when I returned I heard an odd chucking call from the same tree.

Look who was looking down at me.

At least he warned me this time.

Out for the Singing

 

Chestnut-sided Warbler

The sky is a glass of orange juice at the horizon, cold weak tea at the zenith.

There is a singing to the Lord that cannot be ignored.

Hustle the dog back inside with double biscuits for the inconvenience and head back out for the songs.

An Eastern Towhee uncoils a string of notes far more intricate and joyful than the traditional mnemonic "Drink your Tea". It's more like a "drink your cool sweet honey wine at dawn while the sky paints beauty all around" kind of sound.

Warbling Vireo

Two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks chirp round, rich notes at each other, as mellow as Georgia peaches, and sweet as pecan pie.

It's cold out here. The weather guru says 38 degrees, but I think there is ice on the cars. Supposed to hit 70 today but it's gonna take a few hours to get there.

I cannot sleep in. I started getting up stupid early the year Riva Ridge won the Derby. I was not long out of high school and "walking hots" at Saratoga Race Track for the summer.

Green Heron

I had to be there at five, so I had to get up at four to drive to the track. I loved it. There is magic on the backstretch as the sun comes up. Horses galloping or jogging through the mist. Grooms sharing a quick coffee between sets. Grooms buying me coffee because they were nice guys and there were very few girls working there then. I can never forget it. I can also never get over waking up too early.

Milking cows for forty or fifty odd years (some of them very odd) reinforced the tendency. It got into my blood, and in summer I awaken just before four whether I want to or not. 

American Redstart

In some ways it is a pain. There are no cows to milk and no Thoroughbred dragons to guide in circles on the walking ring....just a Jack Russell Terrier making his impatience known, and the cold, dark sky.

I have to be quiet so as not to wake the more normal denizens of our abode. Sometimes a more normal hour would be a pleasant change. At least in winter I can occasionally sleep until five or so.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

However, in May it all pays off. Even when it's cold, I can go outside for the singing. Here is a recording of the just the American Robin portion of today's singing....You may need headphones to hear it well. The speakers on my computer won't play it...

Pretty soon everybody else will get up and the birds will get quiet, but for now it's a pretty special time of day.

Yellow-throated Vireo

Sorry/Not Sorry

 Most years American Crows nest in the hedgerow that separates us from the next place to the east. They maraud a bit here in the yard, but not much more than passing birds do. I figure it's up to the catbirds and robins to hide the nests really well if they want to raise chicks.

However, this year, I had mixed emotions when they built a nest in a spruce just down the driveway from the house right in front of my sitting porch. I know about nature and all but that doesn't mean I want to watch up close as those nest robbing bandits do their deeds. It has been interesting to watch them though, and I was looking forward to seeing the young start adventuring.

I have even more mixed emotions now though. Two night ago there was a Godawful racket out in the yard just past sunset. I couldn't believe my ears. I never hear crows when it is dark at all. Robins will natter on, mockingbirds will sing all night, but crows are generally silent when the sun is gone. 

These were screaming. Sounded like twenty rather than two. Then a huge shape wafted past the window with both crow parents in hot pursuit.

Since that time I have seen no nest visits and the sentinels have left their patient spot in the cottonwood tree where the driveway forks. Previously one or the other spent hours there every day just watching the nest, which is almost invisible, even if you know where to look. I only found it by seeing them go in and out with sticks earlier in the year.

I suspect that whatever that big flying shape was either carried off the chicks or ate the eggs.

An owl maybe? I don't know.

And I don't know whether to be sorry or not sorry.

Today

 

Not our equipment, but I wanted you to see
some of the beautiful ground here in the valley

Catchy title, eh?

Today I put the hummingbird feeders out. Another birder a bit to the east of us had the first one for the county yesterday, so there is a feeder on the arbor outside the kitchen window and one on the sitting porch.

Once again the robin wars are being waged at the latter location. They want to build nests on the pillars and have to get hysterical any time they see anything at all out of the ordinary.

I want to sit in my red chair to count birds and drink coffee. Alas, they usually win, as I don't want their eggs to chill, but still....

On the fourth of April I planted some seeds I saved from those fabulous Amish watermelons last year. They never hatched, so I gave up, and the other day I planted coleus seeds on top of them. (As seed starter trays are absurdly expensive this year, I cut a kitty litter bottle, one of the huge plastic ones, in half lengthwise, leaving it connected at one end to make a sort of lid. Then I drilled a couple of drainage holes in the side which is now the bottom, filled that part with seed starting mix, and taped the top closed with a strip of duct tape. Makes a handy little greenhouse and the price was right).

Anyhow, I peeked to see if the coleus were up, and there were two little watermelon plants.

What took ya so long?  Hope I can keep them growing until turnout time and maybe get a melon or two. Just in case the Amish don't have any this summer.

Male Downy Woodpecker working on his nest

Found a nice bird the other day at Yankee Hill, a Yellow-throated Warbler. First one reported in the county and a lifer for me. Happy dance.

Otherwise, lime green leaves are emerging from box elder branches as the first warm spring rain patters down. The daffodils have been able to give quite a show this year, what with the long, slow, cool spring we've had. Ditto the maple flowers, which are still showing lipstick red across the hills and mountains.

A Solitary Sandpiper at the solitary little quarry mentioned below
(No rails yet)

Yesterday we were on a particularly remote backroad, parked in a little quarry while I hunted warblers and such. It is a wonderful spot, where, although you can hear distant traffic noises, it is quiet enough that when a raven flew over I could hear wind whispering through its wing feathers.

It is a spot of delightful peace and birdiness. It is not a delightful spot to discover that the radio has killed your car battery.

We were horrified. The word boondocks comes to mind. 

However, within minutes the second vehicle we had seen in the entire time we were there came tooling by, a big truck filled with a big gentleman and several (loud) big dogs. He didn't have jumper cables, but he had seen a DEC officer parked back a ways and he thought he might have some, so he went back to find him.

Officer Willson quickly responded with the proper tools for the situation and just as quickly got the car going.

What are the odds of being rescued so quickly in a spot like that? We were on our way within fifteen minutes after we first discovered the car wouldn't start. 

Thanks gentlemen, you made a potential very bad day into a good one.

Meanwhile, bring on the hummingbirds!

The coltsfoot is finally in bloom here.

OllieFonts

 

Or perhaps I should say, elephants

And Peeps

Zoo Two

Red Wolf 

Sichuan Takin

Turkmenian Markhor

Red Panda

Snow Leopard

Satisfied Customer

Rosamond Gifford Zoo

 

Grey Wolves 

African Red River Hog

Bactrian Camels

Satisfied Customer

This Week's Favorite

Cooper's Hawk

Palm Warbler

 Birds....

Eastern Phoebe

Osprey

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Egret

Eastern Meadowlark

Black-capped Chickadee

Bonaparte's Gull

Migration equals fun times

Swanicus Plastica

Solitary Sandpiper