Community Chat

[possummink]

Hi Birding Friends, This is the 3rd attempt to get a post written and actually posted. I started yesterday and ended up going to the Mall to take advantage of the no tax weekend here in FL. Naturally the mall was packed and it took longer to check out at some stores than it did to find what I wanted for the grandkids. Then we went to the late Mass and that kicked me into the late evening timeframe and my DD called.

She called again tonight and said she'd sent me a "sound only'' email. She heard a strange bird and wanted me to see if I could identify it. It was in the little wooded area behind her condo and wow, all the crickets and katydids, love that sound. I did hear the bird and was pretty sure it was an owl, which I told her before hanging up and doing a search. I listened to Long-eared owls, Short eared owls, Barn owls, Boreal owls, and Barred owls to name a few I knew what Screech, Great Horned and Barred owls sounded like, or so I thought with the Barred Owl. It's distinctive common call is unmistakable, but listening to the recording on the Cornell Ornithology site, I heard Barred owl calls that I'd never heard before and the bird in her back woods, was a female Barred owl and the call was a plaintive sound called a "solicitation" call. I told her in a text that it was a big owl, capable of taking a cat, so she better keep her cat, BangBang in at night. He likes to go out at night, but not with this big owl being nearby. Cindy saw the owl fly from one tree to another and said it was really a big bird. So mystery bird call solved.

I went to Fresh Market this late afternoon to pick up some things to send to her and my GDs + brother. They love flash-fried okra which we had never heard of or seen till we went to Fresh Market while they were here. I love that store and the different variety of things that Publix doesn't carry and the bakery department has the best breads, cookies, etc. On the way there, I saw about 50 white ibises in a field, and there were immature ones there too, They are brown and stand out among the "herd" of all while ones. They look like "little white cows" the way they have their bills stuck in the grass. Also saw Sandhill cranes, 4 of them near the road. Such magnificent birds.

Today a hawk, probably a Coopers, or possibly a Sharpshin, got one of the doves near the feeder in the oak tree. I know they have to eat, but doves??' I wish they'ed eat salad. I know I say that a lot, but salad is so civil compared to doves and other birds. Nature does have it's sad and dark side.

Sweetpeace, Thanks for the squirrel graphic. I wish I could video and post a clip of a couple of the squirrels trying to catch the peanuts I try to throw into the fork of the tree. Today, one of them got a peanut and then with the peanut in it's mouth, tried to catch several other peanuts I tossed up at the fork. I hit the squirrel a couple of times and it finally grabbed another peanut and went further up the tree to eat it's "catch". One of them has been around for a couple of years at least. It's got some awful disfiguring scars from possibly being hit by a car, or bitten by some animal. I remember seeing it when the wounds were 'new and 'fresh'. I didn't think the poor thing would survive, but it did and it comes to get it's share of peanuts too.

Winifred, I am glad you had a cool down and got some rain. After I read your post, I saw on the Weather Channel that thunderstorms had hit part of CA and caused a mudslide. I hope you all get some gentler rains and a lot of it, just not all at once. Hope the cool temps stay around for you too.

Waving to all my Birding Friends, Have a lovely Tuesday. Tomorrow, Tuesday, would have been our 53rd Wedding Anniversary, so I will have my usual Chivas and water toast to Charlie.

[Puddles]

Hello Birding Friends! I'm so forgetful these days and forgot to help you welcome August. Thank you Bird mama for the new thread.

possummink, we fly to the States on October 8th and although I have so much to do to prepare for a 3-4 month stay, it can't come soon enough for me. I will miss our walks along the beach, but it can't take the place of being "home." Ian has only one cousin left and he does live in England, but he & his wife use to come visit us in the States and I'm sure they will again when we move back. Oh, you better believe I will bring Dottie the teapot back with me when we move back permanently. She has become apart of our family. I love all your photos of polka dot tea pots. I'm going to look for one to bring home to keep Dottie company.

Waving to sweetpeace, Winfired, mousie and all those who post on the Bird's Nest.

[Bird mama]

Attempt #2

Bird of the Day - Cape Weaver

baby weaver

[Bird mama]

[mousiegirl]

On 8/5/2014 Puddles said:

Hello Birding Friends! I'm so forgetful these days and forgot to help you welcome August. Thank you Bird mama for the new thread.

possummink, we fly to the States on October 8th and although I have so much to do to prepare for a 3-4 month stay, it can't come soon enough for me. I will miss our walks along the beach, but it can't take the place of being "home." Ian has only one cousin left and he does live in England, but he & his wife use to come visit us in the States and I'm sure they will again when we move back. Oh, you better believe I will bring Dottie the teapot back with me when we move back permanently. She has become apart of our family. I love all your photos of polka dot tea pots. I'm going to look for one to bring home to keep Dottie company.

Waving to sweetpeace, Winfired, mousie and all those who post on the Bird's Nest.

Puddles - what a marvelous bird! You are so lucky to have such birds. By the way, I have a cousin named Ian. My Mother's side came from England, and settled quite a bit of Clinton, Ontario, Canada.

[Winifred]

You just never know - found the fan and I got it in the window just fine. However, haven't needed it yet. LOL. The weather turned quite cool, a storm, rain, you name it - and the nights have been heavenly. Yesterday, however, the heat started back up and I did some sweating but the humidity is very very low - thank goodness. I suspect today the fan will be used. I was getting so frustrated on finding the fan but I did. Got it at Target, where I could have gone in the first place but had wanted an expert to tell me about it at Home Depot - they had NO fans. But I took the fan to Customer Service and told them I wanted to talk to someone who knew something about it and to make sure it would fit. They had no expert but the very gracious young woman in customer service opened the box, took it out, we checked the side extensions which make it fit and she measured, etc so I came home feeling sure it would work - and it did.

Today is a busy day. Davey will be enrolled at the school Tessa goes to - he had tried it once before but did not do the work and this is his last chance. He is smart - just did not do the work and he ditched it so they booted him. This school is called Options and is great for kids who have problems of various kinds. So, it is indeed an option and up to the student to make it work - their choice. Well I think he understands as the regular school does not work well for him either. He is behind in his schooling and he is a big boy and had problems. Now if we can get some weight off him but his parents should deal with that but they really haven't. So Davey has entrance tests and later in the day Tessa has to talk with someone about a program she is suppose to be in, her Mother was not aware of it, where she will actually get a few dollars along the way which go directly to Tessa providing she gets her work done and gets good grades - not sure what that means. But in the end providing she graduates, she will receive a check for $500 - had never heard of this program and only kids at risk can get in it. Hope it works for her. She is doing well so far but has a tendency to do only the minimum amount of work and that will not be sufficient. Time will tell.

Puddles am sure getting things ready to come back stateside for a spell takes some doing. Will you fly back or sail?

Love all the bird pictures - as usual. Sweetpeace, Puddles, Possum, Bird mama, Mousie - hope all have a great day. Meuw, hope things are going well for you and Luvsbulldogs you too. If I missed anyone, chalk it up to old age or something. Several of our regular posters have been missing in action for a spell - hope things are well and we see you back here.

[Bird mama]

Hello all

Possummink - my 11th wedding anniversary was July 19th. I wished my DH a happy anniversary, even though he's in heaven. I still consider myself married - my husband is just out of town so to speak. Before any of you get scared for me, I am not mentally ill, just sentimental . Today is my DH's 70th birthday (or would be) and I wished him a happy birthday when I woke up this morning.

Puddles - am I correct to assume you were born in the US? Welcome home

Sweetpeace - how is work treating you? Keeping the birds fed and watered is almost a part time job - I know my backyard birds keep me hopping.

Mousiegirl - you have got to be getting close to the finish line on the home renovations front. Has DD left for college already?

Winifred - are both kids staying with you while they are in school? Is getting them going to be difficult (location wise). I'm glad that you found a fan this late in the season. Well, it's late in the season for those things in Michigan. Maybe not so much so in CA.

Meuw4 and luvsbulldogs - I hope summer is treating you well. If I've overlooked anyone, forgive me.

[Bird mama]

Bird of the Day - Blue Winged Teal

[Bird mama]

Site if making me crazy:

[mousiegirl]

Hi everyone! The weather has been cooler the last few days, but no rain even though a promise of 20% chance. The sun is now waking up, and the weather will still be in the eighties, am really becoming tired of it, but as long as the humidity is low, okay.

Possumm - what a wonderful surprise for your GS.

Bird mama - yes, finally, nearing the end, at least of the kitchen project. Last week, my contractors returned to install the appliances. It was a horrible week as every day I was slapped in the face with bad news. First, the warming drawer didn't fit in the wall oven unit. I think I mentioned that the designer I hired to put down on paper the design I dictated, is a nightmare! She has caused one debacle after another along the way. When I bought the drawer, I sent her the specifications. When my drawer didn't fit, I told her she would have to order another cabinet oven unit, which would have cost her. Due to many unpleasant circumstance that I would suffer with, I agreed to buy a different drawer, if she would pay the difference and restocking fee. When I asked her if she were positive that the new drawer would fit, she unwittingly admitted that it would fit because the oven cabinet unit was designed specifically for the new drawer, so she deliberately ignored my drawer specs, and went ahead with different specs out of the blue!

The next day, I was told the dishwasher didn't fit, so part of the new floor underneath had to be ripped out, and a few boards in front, and the top now scrapes against the granite countertop, bad design once again. The floor company is going to prepare extra boards so that when the dishwasher dies, they will have the boards ready so as not to have to pull out whole slats down the line. What a nightmare!

I did get back into the laundry room last Thursday, which was very important, as I didn't want to go searching for a laundromat. That floor was coated in the wrong poly, so now, the exposed areas will be coated once more using the correct poly so it will match the kitchen.

My floor is being coated with poly this week, the last coat to to be applied on Thursday. It took a while, and my asking the previous floor company what brand of poly they used on the family room floor as it matched the rest of the house, and this company could not do it. Once again, I had to tell the so called professionals how to do their job. This seems to be the way it is nowadays. I plan on working in the kitchen this weekend, but can't use the rangetop yet as the fan isn't working, and won't be until the new electric panel is installed in the storeroom, specifically for the kitchen, another big expense I wasn't counting on. He was supposed to be here today at 8:00, but no sign of him. If I didn't have to wait around for the floor guy, I would be out of here. I am getting stir crazy, as there really isn't anything I can do until I can get into the kitchen.

My contractor left on vacation after moving the machines back into the laundry room, so the deck will not be constructed for another two weeks, but at least there is plywood down so we can access the yard.

DD's last work day was Friday, so she is home preparing for college, and hanging with her friends, as she calls it. She leaves on Aug. 21, and classes begin on the 25th.

Since she doesn't have a driver's license yet, we had to go to the DMV to apply for an ID. First, we had to bring a friend of hers and go before a Notary Public as two witnesses had to verify who she is, unbelievable that a birth certificate and school ID aren't enough. Now, it will take three-four weeks for it to arrive, which is two weeks too long, so don't know what the college will say if it hasn't arrived before she gets there, but I expect another hassle. I will have to ship some large boxes of things to arrive when she does, as she can't take everything to the airport.

I have been going through h--l trying to find a kitchen chandelier. There is just nothing in any stores, so went on line. I had to return the first one as it wasn't anything like the picture in color, now am returning the second. I just bought another yesterday, so hopefully, it will work. I never had this trouble years ago when looking for one.

Here's hoping everyone enjoys the week.