Random Thoughts and Observations...............

[Carol P.]

There is always something to see if you just care to look.

Yesterday the Watchers were on the Broad St. Bridge.  It was warm, the sun was shining.  Beauty was on the base of Mercury and Archer was on the OCSR.  We wondered if it had been Callidora earlier on Mercury.  On our Watches, there is a lot of time to just think and watch the life around you.

It was concert night, so the bridge was busy.  Lots of folks in tie die shirts.  This band played Grateful Dead songs.  Brian mentioned the name of the group.  I already forgot.

While keeping an eye on A&B, we were also watching the antics of the gulls on the river below.  One had a small fish gripped in his mouth, flying around and screaming while being chased.  To me it looked like a really fun game of tag! 

The next thing we noticed was a gull below on the concrete.  He had something that he kept picking up and setting down.  He then picked it up and flew around, being chased a bit before settling down again just below us.

Now we got a closer look through our binoculars at what the gull had.  MAK was the first to say it looked like a crawfish!  and it was still alive! 

We watched as the gull quickly stripped the two claws and then swallowed the crawfish.  That's not something you see everyday! 

The river that runs through the center of Rochester is full of life.  It's a very special place.

[valhalla]

You described some of our more enjoyable moments on-board Valhalla - even the mud yields life!  With the addition of seed feeders, hummingbird feeders, and lots of bright flowers and plants, we have replicated those moments.

The most recent is to watch the female hummingbird go down and back up the tall stalky tiny flowers on one of the blooming red colleus.  Just like eatting an ear of corn.   

[MAK]

More people need to get in touch with nature. It's a beautiful thing! for sharing Janet and Carol.

[Carol P.]

Hey Lou!  Can you repost the link to your silly Watchers album?  You know the one I'm talking about.  I love that one and we could all use a laugh.   

[Donna]

I'd rather be doing what Carol described then what I'm doing today, chasing baby Robin's around the yard. They jump out of the nest, I put them back. The Lawn guys were coming and I had to round up the "Branchlings" before they became well you know. All 3 decided today is the day to hop out on to the ground....Friday the 13. I looked like a nut out there scooping them up while being dive bombed by a screaming couple. I didn't think Robin's were that aggressive....well they ARE. This yard is all open no bushes for hiding. Since they didn't "HEED" my warnings to stay in the nest tree, I put them over the  fence into the neighbors yard. They have lots of ground cover and bushes for "hiding" from me. There are 2 groundhogs that live year round under the shed in this yard, kids named them George and Martha, well George caught a bird a few weeks ago, my hubby saw it happen. George took the bird under the shed. Do they eat meat, birds....oh my. Then my brother-in-law saw a black rat the other day catch a Chipmunk by the neck and drug it under the deck. Is this something new....rats catching chipmunks, groundhogs catching birds? Crazy, if ya ask me.

Oh the Robin's had 4 eggs, a few weeks ago, I saw a Blue Jay steal one and flew off with it, mom and dad Robin in tow. He landed on the fence by the shed and had his meal. Sheesh, where's the fun stuff? I have pics and videos of the baby Robins and some day, I'll post them.

[valhalla]

Chasing baby robins is a good thing - of course, I have a hard hat from Inspection Services!   

[MAK]

Yeah it's not an every day occurence.

PS

[Kris G.]

Annually we have Robins who build a nest under the deck of our pool and this year was no exception with 3 eggs being laid.  The unfortunate thing was that after 21 years, our FantaSea Pool bit the dust with the original liner blowing out and 10,000 gallons of water was all gone-this being discovered in February.  We ordered all new everything as this was the time to do it and had the people lined up to do the reconstructing when weather permitted in the spring.  Then the Robins came-nest building and egg laying.  When the workers came to redo the pool, I told the boss that there was a nest with eggs under the deck and to not let anything happen to the nest or the eggs.  The guy looked at me like I was nuts but relayed the message to all his workers.  The parents flew and squawked several times during the 7 hrs. they were here.  When day was done, even with boards being taken out and new ones put in with lots of hammering, liner and new coping being put in, all new water walls and the water truck coming to refill the pool-the nest was thankfully unscathed and as upset as they were, the parents continued to tend to the nest afterwards.  We had hatches of all 3 eggs who thrived and successfully left the nest.   

[Lou]

Hey Lou!  Can you repost the link to your silly Watchers album?  You know the one I'm talking about.  I love that one and we could all use a laugh.   

Good idea. I like reruns.  I can't remember exactly which one you are referring to. Is it one of these?

This one was from 2005. My early attempts at doing composites

The Grandma Gladys album has some watcher pix from 2007

The End of the 2007 Season party from 2007 had two albums. This one was serious and the other was made for Larry to make him feel better because he couldn't attend.

And there was this one of the Blackberry Brandy Queen this past winter.

Let me know if it was one of these. Thanks

[Kris G.]

Hey Lou!  Can you repost the link to your silly Watchers album?  You know the one I'm talking about.  I love that one and we could all use a laugh.   

Good idea. I like reruns.  I can't remember exactly which one you are referring to. Is it one of these?

This one was from 2005. My early attempts at doing composites

The Grandma Gladys album has some watcher pix from 2007

The End of the 2007 Season party from 2007 had two albums. This one was serious and the other was made for Larry to make him feel better because he couldn't attend.

And there was this one of the Blackberry Brandy Queen this past winter.

Let me know if it was one of these. Thanks

Hey Lou!  Thanks for posting these albums! Really fun to look at!

[Dumpsterkitty]

Hey Lou!  Can you repost the link to your silly Watchers album?  You know the one I'm talking about.  I love that one and we could all use a laugh.  

Good idea. I like reruns.  I can't remember exactly which one you are referring to. Is it one of these?

This one was from 2005. My early attempts at doing composites

And this album was called "pics I may never see"...little did we know....

[Carol P.]

Thanks for posting the links to these albums Lou.  It's so nice to look at pictures from past years.   

[MAK]

Those were great Lou! Thanks alot.

[Donna]

Those were great Lou! Thanks alot.

They were better the 2nd time around. Thanks Lou.

[valhalla]

So, the man in the tinfoil hat was correct, after all!  He must have seen the pictures from 2005 - THOSE Kodak Falcons were huge!