<a href="http://shakymon.com/thruway/archive/MainCamera_HighRes/20091021/MainCamera_HighRes_20091021-1245.jpg?" target=_blank><img src="http://shakymon.com/thruway/archive/MainCamera_Thumbnail/20091021/MainCamera_Thumbnail_20091021-1245.jpg?" >[/url] just clouds and a building...

I can't believe if A & B are still around, they don't come to the nest...it's just not fair. I keep looking, hoping to see one of them but....Nothing. Don't they care about us?  ???

[MAK, hope you have a wonderful day!]

MAK, hope you have a wonderful day!

 

Play Action against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday...be sure to watch the entire clip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2msmYpNXic

I wonder what Al Davis is paying him/her?  

  very good judi   thanks

I always hire 2 small pieces of land during the season to grow some vegetables and flowers. At the beginning of november they have to be totally empty.
That's not a problem, the problem is that there are dozens of ladybirds under the leaves of the plants. I feel soooo sorry for them. They are a bit dizzy and don't fly away.   I cannot remember that I saw so many of them in other years.
I try to take them away as much as possible and bring them to a saver place. Here are 2 pictures of leaves from the yellow raspberries.
  greetings Aafke

Ladybugs and snail???? They are tiny. We have them here also but you have to look under something to find the snails. Very cute pics Aafke. Yesterday I didn't see my normal Ladybugs, I saw the bigger ones that are light brownish in color. Usually in Oct we are loaded with the red/orange ladies.

Congrats on your first close encounter with a hawk Donna!  Certainly sounds like a Coop or Sharpie.   

   Carol

Donna - Paul and Aafka are both right on!  You will see more as soon as you get their "method" down.  The freeze in plain sight routine on the part of the parts and the squirrels is our favorite way of spoting an arriving Hawk.   

I'll be waiting for the BIG freeze. I sat out most of the day with my  ....nothing but neighbors staring at me cuz they think I'm looking in their windows. First they see me running down the road in bare feet chasing nothing, now they see me as a peeping "Donna". If I'm not on for a few days, I'll be in "Lock-up" probably. 

Thanks Paul, Aafke and Janet...

I don't know how it is in Holland, but aphids and Ladybugs go hand-in-hand here in Maryland.  My monster mum had as many Ladybugs as buds last year (no Ladybugs this year). 

No you didn't see them Janet because they are here today.....very warm, sunny and Ladybuggy. Usually in Oct I see lots of them and a strange bird  ???

Hi Donna,

I was out on my porch steps and suddenly I heard a sparrow  scream. Out of no where and swooped right in front of me  (in a flash) was (what looked to me like a red tail) hawk.
[...]

that was sure a exciting moment for you. 


Greetings
Annette

Yes Annette, it was exciting and WELCOME back!!

Check out 2 likely candidates...

Sharp-shinned vs. Cooper's Hawk

I've seen both live...I remember when I saw my first Sharpie thinking how small it was compared to what I imagined it would be...both have striped tails and both have brownish chests...

I'm thinking Sharpie as you can see the stripes on tail flying sideways belly facing me. I looked at the Red tail and didn't see the stripes from underneath. If I could guess and it's a wild guess, I'd say Sharp-Shinned hawk. I'm not 100% sure. Doesn't matter, I saw a my first whatever.  up close! It happened so fast too. Thanks Janet & Ei, this is a tough call on my part.

Oh and BTW, I guess we do have Hawks around here.... . When I look for them....nada, when I don't look, they are right in front of me!

Check out 2 likely candidates...

Sharp-shinned vs. Cooper's Hawk

I've seen both live...I remember when I saw my first Sharpie thinking how small it was compared to what I imagined it would be...both have striped tails and both have brownish chests...

I'm thinking Sharpie as you can see the stripes on tail flying sideways belly facing me. I looked at the Red tail and didn't see the stripes from underneath. If I could guess and it's a wild guess, I'd say Sharp-Shinned hawk. I'm not 100% sure. Doesn't matter, I saw a my first whatever.  up close! It happened so fast too. Thanks Janet & Ei, this is a tough call on my part.

Kaver-sized makes me think Sharpie OR......
   Do you think it was a falcon?

Very exciting Donna 

OH Definitely not a falcon Janet....no mistaking them. Could have been another type of hawk or just a "Donna wants it to be a hawk" thing but it was bigger than your ordinary house birds and since it was sideways and I saw the striped tail, made me think HAWK of some type. Yay for me, I think.  ???

I was out on my porch steps and suddenly I heard a sparrow  scream. Out of no where and swooped right in front of me  (in a flash) was (what looked to me like a red tail) hawk. I can't be sure because it happened so fast but it definitely had a striped tail was about the size of a Falcon, (Kaver size), brown, light in color and nice big wings and flew sideways. Could this have been my first Close Encounter with a hawk? Who knows. It did NOT catch the Sparrow but sure did give it a scare. Me!!!! I chased the dern thing in bare feet down the road, (looking like a crazy lady),    like I was running from something guilty. I must have been near because it took off from a tree up the road and beat wings outta there. Oh well, I'll never really know what but I'll pretend it was a Hawk. 

Cities help migratory birds by turning off building lights

October 19, 2009, 9:45AM

You've experienced a form of it yourself while driving at night: oncoming headlights make it hard to see. It turns out migratory birds flying at night can be disoriented by building lights and sometimes fly into them.

The American Bird Conservancy reports that numerous states and cities are asking businesses and government agencies to dim or turn off building lights during the spring and fall migratory seasons.

Chicago started the first voluntary "Lights Out" project in the United States, spurred by increasing bird mortality caused by the growing number of tall buildings. Now, all tall buildings in the downtown area dim lights for five months each year, saving an estimated 10,000 birds annually, as well as significant amounts of electricity.

"Many people didn't understand why the birds were dying. Once they learned it was due to the lights, they were happy to help," said Linda Day Harrison, a member of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.

In 2006, Detroit Audubon's Project Safe Passage inspired Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to proclaim spring and fall migration periods as Safe Passage Great Lakes Days. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering an ordinance requiring all commercial buildings to turn off lights after 9 p.m., or one hour after the close of regular business. "Lights Out" programs now exist in  Toronto, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Indianapolis, and Boston.

Many bird species migrate at night, orienting to stars and the Earth's magnetic field. Artificial lights can confuse them, particularly on overcast nights when stars are not visible and birds fly low. Birds in large numbers will circle buildings, towers, and other lighted structures until they collide or drop from exhaustion.

[JOYCE]

The Birthday thread is Broken

  JOYCE

Thanks so much for all your reports, pics and     You have yourself a wonderful day!

    

[Oh, so that was Sir and Cirrus. Beautiful pair. They remind me a lot of Mariah and Kaver. yes]

Oh, so that was Sir and Cirrus.  Beautiful pair.  They remind me a lot of Mariah and Kaver.   yes