Stop whining    You could be in 40 degree Orlando 

 

Fahrenheit or Centigrade?

Fahrenheit/Degrees  Cold for Fla.

Wha-hoa! The Niece will not be pleased!

Stop whining    You could be in 40 degree Orlando 

 

Fahrenheit or Centigrade?

My "R" is... RAT-on-my-peanut-feeder! Eeeeeeee-uuuuuuu and BIG ICK! 

Does this make it a bird? What's the thing from Philosophy class?

Some birds feed on peanut feeders.
A rat is on my peanut feeder.
Therefore, this rat is a bird.

Hey!  We've dropped to Second! 

Trying again, Janet - I did it wrong last time! Thanks for the reminder.

Good piece on crows - plus some archival links - from Bob Marcotte.

http://php.democratandchronicle.com/blog/birds/?p=3904#comments

MAK and others - hope you are bundled up all toasty this morning for your Falcon watch! Brrrrr! Main cam shows a snowed-in nest-box.

Wow!  Anne

When you said you were going right out you were not kidding!!  Keep us posted with how many you get to put out!!  I think it's great!

Lynne in New Hampshire 

Anne! Way to go! What fun!

Joining in the applause for your pix, MAK. Well done! I can just see you out there, whooping it up and stopping traffic with a little Happy Dance!

[MAKfalcon (MAK):]

MAKfalcon (MAK): B has made the short flight over 2 the SE wing of the TS building now

Link:
http://twitter.com/MAKfalcon/statuses/11052000296828928

Hey, MAK!

Hope you are wearing a woolly hat as you search for our falcons! I did not even want to go as far as the gate today - took my alpine walking stick for comfort and support.

I think those "bigger" starlings are actually Northern birds - ie from the Arctic, and they see us as  milder... who knew!?

Slainte!

[O]

I missed most of the Alphabet Game... can I still play? Ok, I will...

O is for Ring Ouzel.(Now there's one!)

Found on rocky slopes, it blends right in with the habitat - thus I only know two people who say they have seen one. I don't think there is any such thing. The RSPB, however, begs to differ. Here's the link... it does not mention Ireland but they do occur in the Wicklow Mountains. I remain to be convinced... in spite of tramping about in the pouring rain and being promised one. They lied.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/ringouzel/index.aspx

BirdWatch Ireland also believes in the Ring Ouzel.

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Thrushes/RingOuzel/tabid/1138/Default.aspx

[Driver stops train to rescue swan in snow]

From the BBC website...

3 December 2010

Driver stops train to rescue swan in snow

The cygnet had a lucky escape after crash-landing on the Fife [Scotland] circle line

A train driver has been hailed for rescuing a swan which had crash landed on snow-covered tracks, before treating it to a first class journey to safety.

ScotRail driver Bob McFarlane, 50, rescued the disorientated cygnet after it landed on the line when his Fife circle train approached Rosyth Station.

Mr McFarlane stopped the train before calling the signaller to ensure no trains would pass the opposite way.

He then jumped onto the tracks and waded through snow to rescue the bird.

The driver blocked off the first class section of his train to house the bird until he arrived in Edinburgh, where it was handed over to the Scottish SPCA.

Mr McFarlane, from Wiston, near Biggar, said: "As I reached the station, passengers on the platform were pointing frantically at a swan lying on the tracks ahead of my train.

"It would have been impossible to stop but thankfully the swan moved out of the way and onto the opposite tracks.

"I spoke to the signaller because I knew swans are a protected species and he was amazed when I told him that if he could ensure no trains would pass the opposite way then I'd try to rescue the bird.

"I climbed down and waded through snow which was up to my knees before picking the swan up and carrying it into the train.

"I know they can give a nasty bite and have been known to break people's arms but I couldn't just leave it there."

Ch Insp Paul Anderson, of the Scottish SPCA, took the swan to the charity's wildlife rescue centre near Dunfermline.

He said: "Bob did remarkably well to rescue the swan, which will probably have become disorientated because of the weather.

"It will have crash landed and wouldn't have realised it was on train tracks because of the snow.

"It was very quiet and dazed but is now able to stand and will be released in the next few days."

Here ya go Miss Bobbie!

Thanks, Donna Girl!

Hope everyone can now see what I am talking about re the suet/fat feeder.

I am going to ask Donna to send pix of our bird feeders - showing a gang of hungry starlings and a view of the suet feeder I was describing. Also in the pix will be the peanut feeders we always use. Do you use these Stateside? Our birds love them! We buy the peanuts in bulk, but you MUST get nuts which are suitable for feeding birds. O'wise, fungus and mould can cause problems.

Will also try to get a pic of the apple feeder. Again, a fave.

And... I am sure everyone knows that we must put out water, even in the coldest conditions.

Pix coming, Donna - thanks for obliging when you can.

The cranes and aircraft are aloft right now, flying through central Alabama, on their way to Florida!
It's 9 AM EST, and the inflight camera is live.

http://www.operationmigration.org/crane-cam.html

Go, Whoopers!

Paul

Ooooooo, I am excited! Next year, it is Montezuma Cranes on my Tick List. (No, Carol P, not those ticks! Very big ICK!!)

They do make solar powered lights and battery!

Yep, but at this point, the expense for enough to sho would be prohibitive, to say nothing of how I'd get  them strung up there...
Still hoping to see it happen though 
Carol
WV

Cherrypicker! Another BIG expense! 

See?! Donna has all the gear sorted. So don't tell ME she is not the Secret Santa. Ha!

There is a mid-sized fir tree in the median on Route 7 west of Leesburg, VA, that gets mysteriously decorated each year as well.  If I had more time and money, I'd love to chain a small generator to it and hang lights.  Maybe in a few years, someone will do solar powered ones :-)
Carol
WV

This reminds me of a wonderful childhood memory... a tiny, lighted Christmas tree in a valley off the road we took to back-and-forth between grandparents' houses. Darkness surrounded us - except this little tree. My sisters and I still talk about it when we pass that way. A magical sight.