How precious!   Thanks, Alison.

 

Sad news:

http://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2016/01/syracuses_wintering_pelican_in_the_inner_harbor_dies_of_unknown_causes.html   

A VERY rare sight for Syracuse!

http://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2016/01/syracuse_pelican_update_is_it_gone_a_goner_--_or_just_moving_about.html

I'm sorry I never got to meet Mary.  It sounds like she was a very special lady.

Well, it's cheap if you don't consider the 44 million in back taxes that the new owner now owes.  And the new owner is Angelo from the old "Vinny and Angelo" Irondequoit Dodge commercials.  Maybe we can look forward to more interesting commercials. 

Breaking news from the Democrat & Chronicle:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/01/21/updates-medley-centre-being-auctioned-off-today/79066628/

This Little Girl Has Been Feeding Crows Since She Was 4. Now They Bring Her Gifts To Say Thankyou.
By Evie Zimmerman

Eight-year-old Gabi Mann lives in Seattle. She has a very special group of friends who regularly lavish her with small gifts in return for the kindness she has been showing them since she was four years old.

Only this group of friends isn't made up of her peers, instead it consists of the local crow population!
Gabi was 4 years old when she began to feed the crows in her neighbourhood...

...As the crows finished their food, small trinkets began to appear on their feeding platform - Trinkets just big enough to be carried in a bird's mouth.

Full story and pics at the link...http://www.trendingly.com/gabi-and-the-crows

  Cute story!

Shingles coming loose

Shingles coming loose

Did nestbox destroyer Nor'easter come back to visit? 

The roofing job was a last-minute temporary fix. It was never meant to stand up to the combination of cold, wind, and this:

True enough!

Yes, I think St. Mary's cut several trees down near the Court Street side of their property, which is across the other side of Washington Square Park from Clinton Avenue.  It was unfortunate because, as I recall, they were quite old and beautiful.

Shingles coming loose

Did nestbox destroyer Nor'easter come back to visit? 

Thanks for posting, Kris.  'Tis the season for the roosting crows, I guess. I used to wait for the bus in the evening right across Clinton Avenue from the crows' roost at Washington Square Park.  And yes, I would say 30,000 is an accurate figure.  They're fascinating creatures to watch en masse like that.  They're extremely social with each other, packing each tree in the park.  Every few minutes a few of them would cross from one tree to another and begin chattering with the crows in the next tree.  It's as if each tree was holding a committee meeting of some sort, and the traveling birds were reporting to other committees, or perhaps spying on them. 

The only thing I didn't like was the mess they created on the sidewalks.  I didn't relish my crunchy walk to the bus stop, where I couldn't sit on the bench there and wait, because I'd be sitting in crow poo.

I just saw this on Facebook too, Kris, and was going to share it.  So sad!   

See you then!