Hasty Brook

Come on Minnesota Birders!!!

2009-07-10T11:28:00.002-05:00

Attention all Minnesota Birders!!

Dawn Fine of the blog Dawn's Bloggy Blog and Sharon Stiteler the Birdchick are coordinating a bird outing and social on Saturday, August 15 here in the Twin Cities. Dawn formed a Facebook group called "Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp." It's a network of birders and nature lovers who blog and/or use Twitter and Chirptracker. There's even a website: Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp. You can read about it here and here

Dawn will be traveling through Minnesota and wants to do some birding and meet other bird/nature bloggers, Tweeters and Chirpers. So on August 15th Dawn's BwBTC will meet Birdchick's Birds and Beers!

I'm not sure where the outing will be but as soon as I hear I'll let you all know.

So come on Minnesota birders!!

Let's get together and meet. I've been fortunate to meet quite a few bloggers and to be very honest, it's a blast. Lets meet and put faces to names, share our knowledge, our love of birds, our stories and laughs.

So, take a big black marker and circle the date:

Saturday, August 15th!!!

"Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp" meets "Birds and Beers"

here in the Twin Cities!

Let's get the word out there readers- If you think you'd like to come (or even if you can't make it) please publish a post about this get-together so we can let all of our readers know about this fun day.

News Flash!

2009-07-08T20:29:00.005-05:00

I have big news!

I worked the 4th of July weekend but we were able to take a few days midweek before the holiday weekend to go up to Hasty Brook. I am thrilled beyond words that we signed the contract and construction will begin soon! We've decided to build a big garage (32x32) with a roomy loft above. The loft will be roughly 32x15 and there will be two 12 foot dormers in the center of each side giving us a "plus sign" shaped living space. There will be big windows on three of the loft ends and on the fourth we will have a sliding glass door that will open out to a balcony! The balcony will have a wonderful view of Hasty Brook (that's really the name of the creek). Included in our contract is the installation of a septic system and a drilled well. We plan to put a small bathroom on the garage level. Running water and a flush toilet!! It will be like a palace! Work started on clearing the garage site while we were up there. Art and I had all ready taken down the trees in this area in early spring. It's hard for me to believe that we are finally moving forward with our dream of having a home up there. We think the loft will make a great place to stay when we visit Hasty until we build a home in the future. We'll be doing a lot of the finishing work ourselves but we hope to have a completely closed in building by late summer. We've chosen the vinyl siding, steel roof, windows and trim. We'll do the wiring, insulating and sheet rock/indoor siding ourselves.

The creek water level was way down from our last visit. It's still a really birdy place though.

Chestnut-sided Warblers are singing everywhere.

American Redstarts are nesting near one of the tall spruce behind the camper.

We enjoyed watching these White-breasted Nuthatch babies beg (and beg and beg and beg) for food from their tired looking parents.
"Yank-yank-yank-yank-yank-yank-yank"

I love the song of the Red-breasted Grosbeak. Any opinions out there- is this a first year male? He sure looks tatty.

Red-eyed Vireo's song is a bit repetitious.

On one of our trips in to town to the hardware store I spotted two Purple Martin houses. They were just outside the nursing home. There were several faces in the windows watching the Martins swoop and dive. A friend gave me an old Martin house. I'll need to find out from Katdoc if our place at Hasty is a good spot for Purple Martins.

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I left my feeders up and filled two weeks ago when we were there last. When we arrived this time the poles were bent to the ground and the feeders were smashed and/or gone.

Bears.

I should have known better than to leave them because the same thing happened last summer in June. Art and I went on a long hike along an old logging trail through our woods. We came across an enormous pile of bear scat on the trail. Hmmm...

I know there are plenty of bears up there and I'd be thrilled to see one . I'd just like it to be

from a safe distance. Maybe from the high loft balcony!

Buddy

2009-06-26T15:26:00.002-05:00

We said good-bye to our bunny Buddy this afternoon. We don't know why he stopped eating two weeks ago, but after several vet visits, many doses of medicines and force feedings that he hated, it was time to let him go. Knowing it was the right thing to do doesn't stop my heart from aching.

Friday's Fledgling

2009-06-12T10:40:00.001-05:00

Country Roads in West Virginia

2009-06-10T08:09:00.002-05:00

Cute vs Fierce!

2009-06-07T16:46:00.003-05:00

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are adorable.

Cuteness cubed.

Like little olive colored Easter Peeps-

Couldn't you just pop one in your mouth?

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While I was watching the Kinglets at Hasty Brook I felt I was being watched. I saw a big bird- a raptor out of the corner of my eye. It flew from right to left behind me, swooped down twenty feet to the creek level and disappeared. I didn't get a good look but had a feeling for wide wings. I've seen Northern Goshawks punch through our woods chasing Ruffed Grouse on several occasions but his bird was smaller. I felt that the bird had buzzed me, it came pretty close. Later that afternoon, coming out of the camper I caught a quick look at a hawk flying off from the birch snag nearest the feeders. Same one? The next day I was quite sure I saw the same bird perched in that snag as I walked up the driveway. As I got nearer it dropped down into the trees and flew off across the creek. Later on, sipping a cup of coffee, it flew back into the birch. A Broad-winged Hawk!

It sat in that tree about twenty feet away and about fifteen feet over my head. I watched it for a bit, then slowly brought my camera up. It looked at me a few times and started calling. High pitched but soft, two part kee-eeee. It gave me goosebumps.

The birds at the feeders went silent and still. The hawk didn't seem interested in them. It was looking around the ground-

There- one of the chipmunks. The chipmunk seemed oblivious to the raptor glaring down. The hawk's head swiveled up and down, left and right but its eyes never left the chipmunk. Just as I though it would launch itself toward the ground, my dog let out a woof and trotted over to defend her yard from those wicked little "chippies." Poor old Gidget makes occasional half-hearted attempts to catch chippies and then has to lie down from the hard work.

The hawk flew off and I haven't seen it since. It was only a few minutes but it's a memory that I won't forget.

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Thanks to Susan Gets Native for confirming my id on the Broad-winged Hawk.

Seven Seconds With a Black and White Warbler

2009-06-06T20:14:00.003-05:00

My sit still and wait method paid off.

It was seven seconds from the first shot to the last.

Hasty Critters

2009-06-05T10:23:00.004-05:00

We put out a mineral lick last year and it was a huge hit so we brought a new one up the last time we visited. Red Squirrel found it first and that little tyrant defended it LOUDLY the whole weekend.

This is MINE! ALL MINE!!

I love to bring a chair down to the creek to sit and watch. I have the best success with birding by choosing a spot and sitting quietly for a while.

A mink popped into view. He gave me a look over and because I sat still he soon went about his business of fishing in the creek. I didn't have my big lens with me. He was actually quite close.

Uh-oh! Something's coming!
Our dog Gidget sniffed me out and came wandering through the brush to be with me.

The mink slipped off the log and started swimming toward me. When he realized how close I was he swam under the log to the right in the picture and disappeared.

I sat on the steps for a long time waiting to get this Canada Warbler. I had heard him singing earlier but he just wouldn't come out in the open. Not a great picture, but the best I could get.

My son John snapped this picture of our first ever Oriole at Hasty Brook! I had just set the hummingbird feeder out and in he flew. He took a long drink and was chased off by a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Another bird along the creek was this Common Yellowthroat. He's a sneaky little guy, popping up for a look, then dropping back into the grass. A little pishing brought him up long enough for a quick photo.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were paired up and mating. Look at how well camouflaged they are from the back.

They were constantly checking out the sap wells.

I got a lifer that last weekend- the Olive-sided Flycatcher! It is a decent sized bird that would fly quite high catching insects, then land up at the top of a birch snag to eat what it had caught. We watched for quite a while as it caught bees and dragonflies in the air.

I was pretty sure of the id but sent it off to Hap in New Hope for confirmation.

Thanks Hap!

Chestnut-sided Warblers were everywhere. I love these warblers. They're beautiful and cheerful and have a nice song. They also seem quite curious of us as we move about. I can always count on one of them to sit nicely for a photo.

Bird in a Bottle

2009-05-31T19:08:00.004-05:00

Last weekend at Hasty Brook wasn't all about the fire. It was also one of the birdiest weekends I've ever spent up there. I'll be stretching it out over a few posts because there was such good birding. One of the first birds I heard was the Veery. A friend recently said the Veery sounds like "a bird in a bottle." That's such a perfect description. Have a listen here. Veeries sing up at Hasty all day and well into the evening. I remember the first time I hear a Veery up there a few years ago. I had never heard such a sound in my life and honestly wasn't even sure it was coming from a bird. That first summer I couldn't even get a look at one to identify what I was hearing. That was when I decided to buy a birdJam (hi Jay!). I spent quite a few hours scrolling through the birdsongs trying to find that magical song. Finally, I found it. I identified the Veery by its song! The next spring, armed with my field guide and knowing finally what a Veery looked like, I caught a glimpse of the Veery. For the next few years I looked forward to hearing its lovely song and I saw them a few times but could never catch a photo.

Last Saturday hearing Veeries all around me I pulled out my birdJam to call one in.

In he came! That Veery flew in and I don't think he left my side the whole weekend.

Sitting on the hill watching warblers, there was the Veery.

Down by the creek, watching the water go by, there was the Veery.

Sitting watching the sunset, listening the the Common Loons fly over to the little lake, there was the Veery.

I walked along the creek looking for wildflowers and there the Veery popped up watching me.

Saturday evening after the fire, and after we washed up and had our dinner Art and I found a spot to sit and relax, a spot where we couldn't see the blackened grass and brush and trees.

The air was soft and the light was golden. The Veery flew in and sat in the spruce just a few feet away. And he sang.

I like to think he was singing of spring and new life.

Hasty Brook Fire

2009-05-27T07:14:00.005-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend will stay in my memory forever. Lots happened but I'm hoping to share the lessons we learned about fire safety. Bonfires in the fire ring are a big part of our time up there. They are enjoyable on many levels but mostly they are a time for conversation for us. Art and I had a bonfire Saturday morning, burning some punky wood that he had cut a few summers ago. We had cut some trees last month to prepare the site for our garage and we wanted to burn up the older wood and stack the newly split wood to dry. We let the fire burn all the way down to ashes and decided to drive over to our nearest neighbors to visit for a bit. We did not douse the ashes with water. Mistake number one. While visiting we smelled smoke but really didn't think much of it. The neighbor pointed out the DNR (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources) fire spotter plane flying overhead. Feeling uneasy, we headed back. We were gone for less than an hour. As we drove up our long driveway the smoke was thick and we knew we were in trouble. We have a clearing with woods on three sides. The fire was on all three sides.

Art jumped out of the truck running toward the fire and I drove like a maniac back to the neighbors to ask for help. They followed me back with shovels and rakes. In the photo above you can see that we had piled more dry wood near the fire ring to burn later in the day. Mistake number two.

The area to the north of the fire ring is a thick stand of small aspen mixed with beaked hazelnuts. It's so thick you can't walk sideways between the growth. The fire was heavy in here. Luckily in this are it was primarily grass and leaf litter burning. This was the area that I was working. The neighbor told me to shovel the fire back into the black- meaning move the fire back to where it had all ready burned. At one point I felt panic as I realized that there was fire burning on all sides of me. I walked through the low flames and kept on shoveling. Fortunately I was wearing jeans and sturdy shoes. I was still scratched and bleeding when all was done.

The fire extended down the hill on all three sides beyond what we could originally see. The four of us just kept shoveling. We bring a 50 gallon water jug up there when we go but don't have a well so there is no source of running water. The creek is about 20 feet below our camp site and at least 50 feet away. There was absolutely no time to haul water from there. About 20 minutes into it, it seemed we had gotten most of the grass and brush fire out. Two DNR water trucks arrived with four fire fighters. Without any talk, they went to work to make sure they could contain the fire.

This picture above show the scariest part of the fire. There are two birch clusters here with a spruce tree behind them. When we drove up the birch trees on the left were burning at least 30 feet in the air. The red object in the photo is a big metal bell. The burning bark eventually burned itself out and thankfully the trees were healthy and green and the wood didn't burn. The fire fighters were very concerned about the high flames though as they can send off bits of fire to blow away and cause secondary fires. There were several large spruce trees in the burn area but luckily none caught fire.

The fire came within just a few feet of this downed spruce. This tree went down last fall in a wind storm. The way it fell, the top half is hanging about 15 feet above the ground at the creek level, making it very difficult to cut up. The wood and needles are dry and if it had caught fire it would have gone up like a roman candle.

Another area where we were fortunate that a spruce didn't burn. The ground drops off past where the burn shows and the fire continued down the hill.

Here you can see just how close the fire came to our camper. The fire fighters also spent a good deal of time chopping open a dirt pile containing the stumps and roots that the bulldozer guy pushed out of the way when he built our driveway and clearing a few years ago. The fire had gotten down under ground and peat and wood were burning deep in the pile. The fire fighters also cut down several birch snags that were burning on the inside. One in particular was white and untouched by flames on the outside but had burned on the rotting inside all the way up so that flames were shooting out of the top. They were actually able to push that snag over, bust it up and get the fire extinguished. Smoldering stumps were also a worry. Once all of the flames were out they poured many gallons of water on the smoldering stumps and that smoking dirt pile.

When the danger was over, one of the trucks left for a refill and another call. The smoke spotting plane was radioed and released. Two fire fighters stayed for quite a while checking and double-checking for hot spots. The crew chief, once he could relax a little, spent some time walking the perimeter of the fire, showing us what to look for so we could continue checking for smoke and heat. He said it was clear that the fire had originated in our fire ring and believed that the swirling winds had picked up glowing bits beneath the ashes and blew them to the nearby wood pile. He offered suggestions to prevent such a thing from happening again.

Never leave ashes unattended. Period. Douse the ashes with water.

Don't stack wood within 15 feet of a fire ring.

Don't leave old snags standing near a fire ring. We had just discussed these snags the evening before. They are bird magnets BUT there are lots of them in our woods so these will go.

Clear the ground around a fire ring of all organic material for at least 10 feet. We put ours in 3 years ago and the ground was sand and gravel then. Each year however, grasses and weeds seeded, grew and died. That was enough to burn. We need to pull anything that grows to keep the gravel bare.
~

Make sure to have at least some water handy- enough to put out the fire in the ring.

Have tools available to put out a small fire (shovels and/or rakes)

A few hours later a conservation officer arrived to look over the damage. He only issued us a warning because the fire had started in a fire ring. If the fire had started as a brush pile burn we would have been ticketed (felony) and it would have cost BIG $$. It's pretty likely that we will be charged the cost of the fire fighters' time and consumed resources. Fair enough. I am eternally grateful for their help. Art and I and the neighbors were able to contain most of the fire, but we wouldn't have been able to handle some of it. The fire crew came again Monday morning to feel for warmth. They will check it again today.

They estimated that only a little over a tenth of an acre burned. Small compared to the other fires they fought last weekend, but huge to my heart.

I know how very lucky we are.

But I get physically ill thinking about what could have happened. I will never relax around fire again.

I came away with cuts and scratches and a cough from the smoke. Art was wearing shorts and has a few decent burns and blisters on his legs and hands. Thankfully we were both wearing sturdy shoes but the soles are burned. No one was hurt, the camper didn't burn.

Feel free to scold me. We should have known better. But if one person can learn from our mistakes- I'll feel better.

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Thank you to neighbors Mark and Rene who without hesitation ran to help us.

Thank you to the DNR for spotting the smoke, and for calling in help.

Thank you to the DNR fire fighters for doing your jobs so well, and for the kindness and reassurance you showed us afterwards.

NOT Birding By Boat

2009-05-20T12:48:00.009-05:00

Our scheduled trip for Friday was called Birding By Boat. The group would ride in rafts, gently floating down the New River (I was assured it wouldn't be the white water section), taking in the lovely scenery along the way. We'd been having quite a bit of rain, mostly in the mornings and I wasn't enthused about sitting in a wet raft. I was OK with getting off the bus in the rain for birding but actually sitting on a wet seat? Mmmm...not for me. I had had a major "hit the wall" the evening before. I'm not complaing at all. I had heard and seen so many remarkable birds that day but I was feeling like a super-saturated solution. Dig back in your brains and find that chemistry term. Need help? This from Wikipedia:

The term supersaturation refers to a solution that contains more of the dissolved material than could be dissolved by the solvent under normal circumstances.

Small particles (seeds) can trigger the separation of the dissolved material from the solvent. In solid form these seeds can lead to the formation of crystallites or even large single crystals.

In simpler terms, if I tried to identify or photograph ONE MORE BIRD- My brain would turn to stone. I had run into Jeff Gordon that afternoon and he asked me if I'd had a good day. YEAH! Did you get any lifers? YEAH!

What did you see? Mmmm...can't remember.

Who were your trip leaders? Uhhhh...can't remember.

Where' did you go? Duhhhh...I don't know.

I was fried. Dinner was fun, a chance to chat and laugh and relax. Five minutes into the after-dinner program my eyes slammed shut. I didn't want to disrespect the speaker or embarrass myself so I quietly left the room and headed back out to my car. I passed Geoff Heeter on the way and told him that I really needed some down time and because the weather forecast was for heavy rain the next day, I would not be attending Birding By Boat. He asked me to rethink my decision and at least check the weather in the morning. OK.

Early the next morning, Mary tapped on my door for wake-up and she told me that the Birding By Boat had been cancelled! Heavy rains with possible lighting meant no river travel. Geoff Heeter and Jeff Gordon would instead lead a bus trip they quickly dubbed "Winging It". I had slept well and felt my brain had decompressed so I dressed to go.

On the bus, Jeff asked everyone if there was a particular bird that they wanted to see. Having been mocked by Carolina Wrens during my whole trip to Cape May last October, I mentioned that I'd REALLY like to see one. I know for a fact that a Carolina Wren would not be a lifer for anyone on that bus but me, but Jeff promised to get one for me. Our first stop was a golf course. Hardly off the bus, Jeff called out Northern Rough-winged Swallows. LIFER! Jeff's head perked up as he heard a Carolina Wren singing just up ahead. He played a little birdjam (Hi Jay!) and called that baby right in. HA! GOTCHA! LIFER! Jeff made sure I got a good long look at the Wren. My pictures are lousy, but I don't care. I travelled many, many miles to get that delicious bird.

Thank you Jeff.

Within minutes Geoff and Jeff had an Orchard Oriole in sight. LIFER! That's three lifers in about five minutes. Am I glad I went? Yes, yes, yes.

We started walking across the grass toward a stand of evergreens when suddenly one of the leaders (Jeff or Geoff) called out "Cape May Warbler." I stopped in my tracks with a lump in my throat. Way back when I bought my first field guide Birds of Eastern and Central North America by Roger Torey Peterson I thumbed through the book, looking at all the wonderful birds, making a mental list of the ones that really tugged at me- either for their beauty in form or flight or for the bit of natural history that told of their lives. The Cape May Warbler was on that list. And there it was.

Geoff quickly got it in the spotting scope and I could barely see it through the tears in my eyes. After everyone got a good look, Geoff cranked up the magnification and offered looks again. I was speechless.

Thank you Geoff.

I cannot tell you how many photos I took of this bird. I'm thankful for digital.

This Cape May Warbler made four life birds for me in about fifteen minutes.

Here's the Jeff/Geoff team looking like the professionals that they are. Awesome birders, generous and patient, and lots of fun. Thank you guys!

Later we stopped along the river and I got another lifer:
Warbling Vireo

It was a beautiful spot along the river.

We made a quick stop just to grab pictures of this lovely waterfall. Happily, no lives were lost crossing the wicked, steep, curved hill. We were told that road carried a lot of commuter traffic (at high speeds).

Another stop along the day was this park with clearly marked signs.

"Come on everybody! Let's go this way."

A sweet Yellow Warbler sang for us.

All together it was an EIGHT LIFER day for me!

Warbling Vireo
Purple Martin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Carolina Wren
Cape May Warbler
Orchard Oriole
Yellow-throated Warbler

Our dinner that night was at the Cathedral Cafe. Jane, Kathleen and Mary brought "a few" bottles of wine to have with our dinner.

After a delicious dinner prepared by Dave Pollard and his family, Kathi read a poem she had written called "Birding With Bill." It was sweet and funny and very well crafted. Julie Zickefoose gave the talk later, sharing stories of some of the birds that have affected her life and the lives of her family. I was so touched that Julie included me in a section on Turkey Vultures and was delighted to know that she and I share strong feelings for this spectacular bird. She spoke of totems and their meanings and how important TUVU's have been to her at various times in her life. I am comforted to know that there is someone else out there who understands my depth of connection to this bird that most find less than attractive.
Thank you Julie.

I love this picture. I took it from what I'm guessing was the choir loft. I can see so many of the people that I got to know at the New River Birding and Nature Festival, people who shared their knowledge and mad birding skilz. People who shared their stories and laughter, smiles and hugs. Seriously folks, if you're thinking of attending next year- do it.

Beth brought her cement chicken to serve as the Flock Mascot. It weighed a TON but did a gooood job!

My Take on Cranberry Glades

2009-05-13T09:18:00.006-05:00

Up at 0500 with a tap on my door from Mary (since my alarm clock didn't work), hit the shower (we had 8 women and two showers so planning was a MUST), off to Burnside by 0600 for a hot breakfast and then pile in the vans by 0700 for our day trips. This was my morning routine for the week. Tuesday's trip was to Cranberry Glades, a ninety minute drive on mostly twisting narrow roads. Geoff Heeter drove our bus that day. "Oh shit!" popped out of my mouth more than once when he'd swerve a bit off the road and drop (several inches) down onto the shoulder. GULP!

The drive didn't seem that long though as we spent the time chatting and laughing, getting to know each other better. Most of the Flock was on this trip.
Jane, Kathi (with her back to us), Mary and Tim. Kathi had the coolest birding vest. Mary's getting a start on her "warbler neck."

It wound up being another really hot day but it stayed cool on the boardwalk under the shaded tree canopy. It smelled so good up here. Kind of like home in Minnesota.

I tried to take a panoramic shot to show how we were really in a bowl. At this higher elevation of 4000 feet there was no leaf-out yet. I think for me, the most memorable bird sighting on this trip was this Blackburnian Warbler.

He sang over our heads for quite a long time.

Moving from tree to tree, giving us different backgrounds to photograph.

I saw my first and only Blackburnian last spring at a park near home so this one wasn't a lifer, but it was pure eye candy.

This Black-throated Green wasn't a lifer either, but we got to watch two of them singing on their territories. The dividing line happened to be the road we were standing on so from time to time the two would duke it out right over our heads.

Keith Richardson, Dick Dennis (with another cool birding vest!) Connie Toops, Kathy Dennis (Denapple blogger) and Jane.

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What I learned this day:

I LOVE hanging out with birders.

The Flock rocks!

I hope Geoff doesn't drive any more.

Birding By Butt Day at New River

2009-05-08T20:53:00.003-05:00

I'm still in a twirl trying to process my pictures and memories of my week at the New River Birding and Nature Festival in West Virginia but I'm WAY behind in posting so I decided to just jump right in. (For some reason I'm not able to build links, sorry.)
Look at these beautiful Kathies! That's Kathie from Sycamore Canyon in Tuscon on the left and Kathi the Katdoc on the right. About every third woman at the festival was a Kathie/Kathi/Cathy/Kathleen etc. Coming from Tuscon poor Kathie was always cold.

Susan, Mary and Tim.
Susan is an old friend since we met last October in Cape May. Mary could make me dissolve into a fit of tear-squirting giggles just by looking at me. Tim is hilarious. He flew into Charleston a bit ahead of me but waited for my flight so we could caravan on to Opossum Creek Retreat. When I came around the corner toward the baggage claim area and I saw his smiling face I could have just melted. Out of everyone, I was most nervous about meeting Tim. I needn't have worried- Tim is wonderful.

Birding by Butt included a banding demonstration by Bill Hilton Jr. from Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History near York, South Carolina. I have subscribed to This Week at Hilton Pond longer than any other blog.

Bill has done extensive work banding and researching Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. I took many photos of Bill banding birds that day but found this photo particularly moving. Look at this hummingbird's tiny foot grasping the lead on his mechanical pencil.

After each bird was banded Bill chose someone to release the bird. Look at the priceless expression Kathie's face. Her joy was a delight to share.

BITE that finger!

Jane, Susan and I took a quiet stroll and found a great birding spot on our own. This Scarlet Tanager looked like a Christmas light in the tree-top.

Another shot of the Hooded Warbler which I believe was my first lifer of the trip.

Earlier in the afternoon on a birding walk Geoff Heeter pointed out this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher working on her nest. She would fly in with bits of lichen and gently tamp them down into place with her chin.

I spent time every day on the big covered porch out back at the Meadows. This day someone spotted this Eastern Bluebird baking in the sun on the lawn. Not sure if he was anting (do Bluebirds do that?) or just soaking up the sun. Maybe he knew that rain was going to be coming later in the week.

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Art and I are headed up north to Hasty Brook tomorrow morning. We're hoping to talk to our builder again to firm up our plans for moving forward with building this spring.

New Friends at New River

2009-05-06T08:44:00.004-05:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to get a blog post written about my week in West Virginia. I'm having a hard time gathering and processing my thoughts. The New River Birding and Nature Festival was amazing on so many levels. The birding was fabulous- twenty-eight lifers for me! Our Farmhouse at Opossum Creek Retreat was as comfy as could be and rocked with laughter. The hospitality shown us was warm and kind- like family.

My head is spinning with the stories and memories and as glad as I am to be back home, I'm feeling quite sad and adrift. I met Susan, Laura, Katdoc and Beth last October in Cape May but the rest of this group were new meetings. I've always believed that we reveal enough about ourselves through our blogs to let readers know a bit of our character so I had ideas of what these bloggers would be like. Every last one of them are delightful, sharing and loving. I have never laughed so long and so hard. I was constantly wiping tears from my eyes- mostly from laughter but often from the emotions of the moment.

I spent a week in a most beautiful part of our country that I'd never seen before with guides that cared deeply about the area and about sharing their knowledge and talents. It was obvious that they loved showing us both life birds and common birds. I spent a week with people who loved birds as much as I do. I fit in. I formed new friendships and deepened old ones. I miss the "Flock." I still have several hundred photos to sort through and edit and of course there's work around the house to catch up on. I don't want to hurry through my pictures and memories though. I'm holding them all close.

This is most of the Flock:

Beth from My Life With Birds

Tim from From the Faraway, Nearby

Nina from Nature Remains

Jane from Jalynn's Window on Nature

Barb from My Bird Tales

Kathie from Sycamore Canyon

Me!

Laura from Somewhere in NJ

Bill from Bill of the Birds

Kathi from Katdoc's World

Mary from Mary's View

Jane from Wrenaissance Reflections

Kathy from Life, Birding Photos and Everything

Susan from Susan Gets Native

not pictured:

Kathleen from A Glorious Life

Julie Zickefoose

Jeff Gordon

Jim McCormac

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I hope I didn't miss anyone on the list, but I miss you all.

Quickie in West Virginia

2009-04-27T16:53:00.002-05:00

Hooded Warbler LIFER!!!

Well, we're here! Travel went well and I'll say, the company here is SUPERB!!

My first life warbler was this gorgeous Hooded

Warbler. Isn't he spectacular? The FLOCK has grown with the surprise arrival of Jane from Jaylynn's Window on Nature and

Barb from My Bird Tales

What a treat! You'll never find two sweeter ladies.

Blogging is an amazing way to meet folks.

Amen.

Gotta run- the progam's going to start soon.

Ready, Set, GO!!!

2009-04-25T18:20:00.002-05:00

Well my bags are packed (mostly)

I'm ready to go...

What a mess! I'm not sure I can make the 50 pound weight limit on one bag and I might have to add a duffel. Thanks to the wonderful Northwest Airlines, I'm sure I'll have to pay extra no matter what I do. But you know what? I don't care because tomorrow morning at 0550 (YES that's 5:50 AM!!!) my flight takes off heading to West Virginia and the New River Birding and Nature Festival. I'm expecting to add some lifers to my Bird Blogger Life List:

Jane from Wrenaissance Reflections

Mary from Mary's View

Nina from Nature Remains

Tim from From the Faraway Nearby

Kathie from Sycamore Canyon

Kathie from Life, Birding Photos and Everything

Kathleen from A Glorious Life

Beth from My Life with Birds

Ok, I met Beth Cape May last October but she didn't have a blog then.

Other bloggers going to West Virginia and all ready on my life list are:

Susan from Susan Gets Native

Laura from Somewhere in NJ

Kathi from Katdoc's World

There are a few more bloggers who are trip leaders for the festival who will also add to my Blogger Life List:

Julie from Julie Zickefoose

Bill from Bill of the Birds

Jeff from Jeffrey A Gordon

I'll bet there will be a few new birds too! My life list stands at 201 right now and looking at what we should expect to see there during spring migration I'm pretty sure I'll be adding to that list.

So it's time to close up and weigh my bags. I'd better double check that Puddy the cat's not inside.

Wish me luck!

Testing My Net-Book

2009-04-24T20:43:00.002-05:00

I needed to make sure I could download photos to this little travel lap top.

This is my old dog Gidget stretched out on the bed among the cords and socks and camera batteries. I'm pretty sure most every thing is ready to go but my mind won't stop spinning. It's starting to sink in that the day after tomorrow I'll be meeting many of the bloggers that I've gotten to know over the last few years, people that I all ready consider friends.

This is a really tiny, lightweight laptop. I'm hoping it'll be great for travelling, but wow- these buttons and te screen are really tiny for my old eyes!

What's New Pussycat?

2009-04-20T18:52:00.002-05:00

Here comes another one of my disjointed, rambling posts. I started a two-week stretch of vacation from work today. This week off is to get ready for the New River Birding and Nature Festival in West Virginia. Finally, it's just around the corner and I have about a bazillion things to do. I brought my suitcase up ages ago and started piling things in and around it. The pile is now about four feet high and the suitcase is buried. Tonight I'll start making my list. A list of lists. Clothes for who knows what kind of weather, zip-lock bags full of every kind of little bottle from shampoo to soap, lotion to bug spray. One zip-lock just for a travel pharmacy! (One never knows what one might need) Rain gear including a Gortex jacket and one of those silly crumpled hats with a brim all around. Don't forget the vest with one hundred pockets so I can forget which pocket I put that thing in. My new hiking boots are pretty well broken in (bring a box of band-aids just in case). Will I have enough shirts? I hear there's a laundry there so I suppose I can stop worrying about that.

What about my gear? I've packed and re-packed my camera pack over and over. With every electronic gizmo comes a charger cord. I have cords and AC adaptors coming out of my ears. I'd pay big money for single universal cord for all of my stuff. I'll need to enter my destination into my Garmin. I fly into Charleston and then drive on to Fayetteville (I think) and I have no idea yet how long that drive is. I splurged and bought a teeny tiny new laptop to bring along. The one I have is cracked, taped and weighs a lot. The new one is not quite half the size and weighs less than two pounds. I'll need to load Picassa onto it for picture editing, add some of my favorite bookmarks and I'm good to go.

Tomorrow I need to pick up my new prescription sunglasses and grocery shop to stock up the frig and freezer for next week. I've never been away from my family for a whole week before. They're a very self-reliant group so I don't worry too much about that.

I haven't had time for much birding lately. I did stop by a local pond to get another look at the mutt duck. He wasn't around- but look!

Another mutt duck! Isn't this one pretty? She was a little bigger than the rest of the mallards. I'm assuming she's a she because there was a drake following her around constantly chasing other males away. Maybe he prefers blonds!

This is a leftover picture from the Sunday that Art and I drove to the heron rookery by the Mississippi River. Actually it's the only heron picture that I like from that day. Once I spotted the Turkey Vulture I didn't have eyes for herons any more. Speaking of Turkey Vultures, several of you have mentioned to me a link to an organization called The Turkey Vulture Society. I looked at their website about a year ago. There is some terrific information on their site and about two months ago I decided to join. I followed the directions on their site and made my membership payment on line using Paypal. I immediately received confirmation of my payment from Paypal and waited for my confirmation from the Turkey Vulture Society. Nothing came. I sent several emails and got no replies. Finally I approached Paypal and initiated a claim to get my money back. Eleven days later I got an email from Paypal stating that my money would be refunded. I'm not sure what happened to the Turkey Vulture Society, but I assume they have dissolved their organization. It's a shame. I'm especially disappointed because I really wanted to be a "card carrying member". I haven't checked but I would assume that Paypal has pulled their affiliation with them. It's still a great source of information but don't send money!

I wonder if I'll ever be able to get a good, sharp photo of a bird in flight? Maybe I'll find a willing teacher in West Virginia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I took flowers to the cemetery today. It's been one year since my sister Phyllis died. The year of all the firsts is over and I'm hoping my heart will ache a bit less. Please do something for me friends. Tell someone you care about that you love them. Send a note, or better yet call or visit. Let them hear you say the words and listen to their voice too. We all save pictures but we can't keep voices. I miss Phyllis's voice.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-15T21:11:00.002-05:00

Hissssss!

They're Here!

2009-04-03T10:26:00.002-05:00

Art and I drove over to North Mississippi Regional Park last Sunday to check out the Heron rookery. It was a sunny but chilly day, nice for a brisk walk. We didn't get far before I spotted this guy- my FOY Turkey Vulture!! I nearly tipped down a hill trying to get a few shots as it floated overhead. Who needs herons when there's this beauty in the sky?

Think Mink?

2009-04-02T21:39:00.001-05:00

I'm Having a Giveaway!!

2009-03-31T21:37:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago I received an email from someone at Harper Collins offering me a review copy of a new book by Suzie Gilbert called Flyaway: How a Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found Her Wings. I replied right way asking for a copy. The book came in the mail and I dove right in. I really enjoyed this book. From early on Suzie Gilbert always had an affinity for animals, both wild ones and pets and she especially loved birds. After college her career path eventually led her to a job in an animal clinic where she found herself drawn to injured birds. That interest led to her becoming a volunteer at a rehab facility for raptors. She eventually became a licensed rehabber herself and began rehabbing birds at her country home. The stories of various birds brought to her for care are often hilarious but sometimes heart-breaking. Trying to find a balance between raising two young children and her admitted obsession with birds was very difficult for her. She told stories of carrying a basket of baby birds along with her to her children' games so she could keep up with the non-stop, every 30 minute feeding schedules. Bringing nestlings up to the age of releasability was a huge time commitment.

Several years ago I volunteered at a wildlife rehab center. My duties included syringe-feeding the baby bunnies and cleaning various cages. I became very adept at giving an injured Canada Goose her daily pills (not an easy job) and cleaning her pen. If you think geese on a golf course are messy, think of the mess one could make in a small room! I also got to use my laboratory background by doing white blood cell counts on the animals needing them. I even drew blood from ducks and rabbits. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and actually bought the materials to study to become a licensed rehabber. Life got in the way. My Dad's health became poor and I started back to work part time in a hospital laboratory. Then that rehab center closed and I didn't have the time or ambition to follow through on those plans. Reading Suzie Gilbert's book brought back lots of memories and maybe a few regrets that I had never completed that path that I had started. But her honesty in telling of the conflicts and difficulties of committing to rehabbing showed me that it really wasn't meant to be, at least for that point in my life.

Now let's get to the giveaway! Kyle Hansen from Harper Collins offered to send free copies of the book to ten people who would like one. If you're interested, reply in the comments AND send me an email with your full name and mailing address to

l.schoenborn@comcast.net

Wordless Wednesday- What is it?

2009-03-25T21:46:00.002-05:00

Lynne and Art's Excellent Adventure

2009-03-16T10:17:00.007-05:00

Spring weather finally made it to Minnesota this weekend and Art and I couldn't wait to get up to Hasty Brook. We left early Sunday morning with temps all ready in the thirties and a forecast of mid fifties. We left the interstate at Moose Lake and took the more scenic back roads the rest of the way. It might add a few minutes to the drive but we usually see something good to make it worth while. Sunday was no exception. Driving along the county road, woods on the right and an open field to the left, we spotted a Ruffed Grouse flying low out of the woods. Art slowed assuming it would continue across to the field but it stopped right ahead in our lane. As he swerved to avoid it we saw a Northern Goshawk punch out of the woods and swoop down on the grouse! Maybe it was the nearness of our car that made it pop back up into the air without the grouse. It flew up, made a turn and headed back for another try. By now Art had made a U-turn to get a better look (sound familiar Mary?) The Goshawk lost interest with us so close and flew off to the field. I got my bins on the grouse. It didn't appear injured but was still flattened on the blacktop. A car was approaching in that lane and it slowed and swerved to avoid hitting the bird. Since it didn't seem the grouse was going to move, Art got out of the car to shoo it into the woods. The poor thing really didn't want to move, probably still watching for the Goshawk. Clapping and waving his arms the grouse stayed hunkered down. Art finally had to nudge at it with his foot. The grouse took off like a shot and disappeared into the tall grass at the edge of the woods. I've only seen a Goshawk once before. A few years ago at Hasty Brook we watched in awe as a Goshawk dashed back and forth across our yard chasing a grouse. After the unsuccessful chase the hawk perched for a while nearby so we got wonderful looks at that gorgeous raptor.I don't have a picture of a Northern Goshawk but this month's issue of the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer has a great article about this raptor and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources's efforts to monitor their habitat and nesting sites.

We continued on our way, still shaking our heads over what we had just witnessed. Arriving at Hasty we parked at the end of the driveway, loaded up with our supplies and walked down the still snowy road to our campsite. The feeders were mostly empty but there was still quite a bit of seed on the ground. There was a gang of Black-capped Chickadees that never even paused in their feeding as we walked up. They flew about the empty feeders, scolding and chattering fearlessly as I filled them. We were immediately "greeted" by a pair of red squirrels. These cheeky little squirrels were NOT happy that we were near what they thought was their bounty. Pint-sized attitude.

The next birds to arrive to the full feeders were the Red-breasted Nuthatches. I counted seven of them at one time on and around the feeders. There was lots of "yank-yanking" and chasing about going on. By now I had set up a camp chair to watch and take pictures but I had to move because it seemed I was sitting in their favorite flight path. They would grab an oiler and fly off to eat or cache the seed. After ducking my head a few times at their approach I decided it would be wiser to move. They look just like a pointed dart flying straight at your face!

There were still plenty of Common Redpolls moving about. While out hiking I saw and heard several flocks flying overhead.

They swarmed the thistle feeders as soon as they were filled but there were at times at least 100 of them feeding on the ground. They seemed to especially like the oilers that were being uncovered as the snow melted. I wonder if the shells might have been softened, making them easier to open.

I heard the Redpolls singing more on Sunday and the males were definitely showing more of the beautiful raspberry color on their throats and chests.

I'm really going to miss the Redpolls when they leave for their northern breeding grounds. I'm not sure if it was just from the sun, but their caps seemed a bit iridescent.

It was a terrific day of birding. Here's the trip list:

Common Redpoll

Pine Siskin

Black-capped Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Hairy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Common Raven

American Crow

Blue Jay

Canada Goose

Bald Eagle

Northern Goshawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Northern Harrier

Rough-legged Hawk *

The Rough-legged Hawk floated on the thermals overhead at Hasty for quite a while. This was the first time I'd spotted one on my own- and it's new to my Hasty Brook yard list!

Turtles Part Two

2009-03-12T19:39:00.001-05:00

Did you figure out how to feed them?

I added this little turtle gadget to my iGoogle RSS feed page. You can feed the turtles by clicking within the field. Each click adds a piece of food. You can also grab the turtles and spin them but I feel like I'm tormenting them if I do that. I have actually found myself thinking about getting back to feed them. Kind of sick isn't it? Do I need help?