Today's deer watch started at 0:dark:30-there was just enough light to make out these 2 resting in my yard...

   
(fill light added)

Then later this morning this cutie stopped by...



And for the past half hour I've been watching a 3 legged deer work its way up the hill.  I didn't get a good picture because I didn't want to get too close to the window and spook it.  I didn't want to see it struggle to try and run.  Then a branch snapped in the wind and it ran up the hill just fine.  Other than missing part of a back leg, it looks perfectly healthy.  Amazing.

I know the picture is awful, but the only one I could get...



I think it's a Carolina wren.  It was on my feeding ledge and I've seen it before but I never really tried to figure out what kind of wren.  Today, with the GBBC, I finally thought to look in the book.  The only one with a really chestnut brown color, not many wing markings at rest & white eye stripe is the Carolina.

Opinions, please!

I know you can't really see the back here, but it is really reddish chestnut brown.

I know the picture is awful, but the only one I could get...



I think it's a Carolina wren.  It was on my feeding ledge and I've seen it before but I never really tried to figure out what kind of wren.  Today, with the GBBC, I finally thought to look in the book.  The only one with a really chestnut brown color, not many wing markings at rest & white eye stripe is the Carolina.

Opinions, please!

This just in...



Nest Update

02/19/11:
Chick Alert!

We have our first chick of 2011!

Our mother eagle is keeping the chick and eggs covered well since we have very high winds today, but it's clear the first chick has hatched. Thanks to those sending in their shots!

Today's update...



Nest Update

02/19/11:
The father eagle has brought a fish, which is a very good sign that something is happening with the first of our 3 eggs. We should see our first chick appear before the end of the weekend. We're expecting high winds, so the mother eagle might keep the eggs closely covered.
   

I like this one...

"There's an old adage: 'Environmentalism is the last bastion of Communism'. "

I've been called many things in my life, but Communist is not one of them!

DECs reputation-I find most discussions about the DEC here in NY divide between those who see them as an interfering juggernaut depriving people of their rights and those who see them as guardians of the defenseless wildlife and environment in their care.  Very few see any gray area.  There's actually a battle brewing here in Ulster County between the DEC & the NY City Dept. of Environmental Protection.  DEP runs the NYC reservoirs here.  They've been releasing muddy water into the local streams.  DEC is finally (it's been going on since October) stepping in to stop them & fine them for polluting the streams.  Should be interesting to see how it plays out.

Anyway, to the point of the article-it's actually pretty simple.  Daniele can't sue for loss of anything because he hasn't lost anything.  He hasn't applied for a permit to do anything with the land, so saying DEC is taking away his rights is factually untrue because he hasn't asked to exercise any rights to anything. 

What he has is a letter from the DEC saying they most likely wouldn't issue a permit.  Now, if he had applied and was denied he'd probably be blowing his top that they should have told him he wouldn't likely get a permit before he spent all the money on applying.  Just one of those people-it's always someone elses fault that he can't get what he wants.

Did Archer first arrive in Rochester the previous season (Feb. of 09?). Isn't that when all the drama began?  And when poor Mariah was injured in April? 

Yes, but it was also late, relatively speaking.  Mariah had been seen in February with "whiney tiny guy" and Tybropa-Cree.  Archer didn't show up until after Tybropa-Cree was killed by a car.  I don't have time to dig right now, but it was in March if I recall correctly.

Someone knows where is Quest now?

We are about due for another map update, Penelope.  From the toolbar above, look at blogs-tracking Quest-other maps.  The last update had her at Prince Edward Point, Ontario 02/06/2011.

Today was  the expected hatch day but as you can see, all eggs in tact.

But Mom & Dad were up & down a lot yesterday-I suspect someone is peeping inside the shell.

I participate every year too-it's fun and very educational! 

Almost forgot...this is how much rain came down in just a few minutes...

While in Rochester this summer, I took a drive up to the lake.  By the time I got there it was pouring buckets, so I really didn't get to explore the area.  I did get some pictures from a little gazebo on the boardwalk.  MAK, your pictures gave me some landmarks...am I right that this is the Charlotte pier?

Camel gets tickled

 

Hmmm..."twitcher"  Did we know this word before?  From Wikipedia:

I had discovered it in a T-shirt search once upon a time...

   
            

found at http://www.magnificentfrigatebird.com/

I love how they're just sitting there looking around, then suddenly they start flapping and they're off!

I'm glad they had a successful nest this time.