A very good rain part of Friday and all day Saturday.  Went down to Lake Balboa on Saturday (blissfully uncrowded due to the rain.) and got to see a juvenile prairie falcon eating a dead something (either pigeon or coot).  I had my binoculars for once and was able to get a good enough look to see the bird had a band on it's leg.  Not good enough to ( Read more... )

There were two fledglings that I knew of.  One of them apparently was injured falling out of the nest, and had trouble sitting upright, hopping and perching (as in, it couldn't do any of those things.)  But the parents were still feeding it, and I put in in a basket off the ground at night so the raccoons and neighbor cats couldn't get it ( Read more... )

A pair of mockingbirds made a nest in the tree next to the garage.  Right now there's 2 fledged young hopping around the side yard.  The parents are constantly going CHACK!! and screeching. They do this all day.  If the young don't manage to get into the back yard they're safe from our guys, but the neighbor's cats are a different story.  The ( Read more... )

Whatever you do, don't start your book with the character waking up and going through their daily morning routine.  It is as boring as sin (unless something unusual happens during this period).  I'm sticking with this book because I really liked the previous book I read by the same author, but lordy--is this one slowly-paced and overly descriptive ( Read more... )

(x-posted from my FA journal)

So another Federal Duck Stamp Contest has come and gone.  Usually I like to go through the entries and pick the likely winner, or at least a group that the winner will be picked from.  Alas, with other stuff going on I totally forgot about it.  But I still found the site and did an after-the fact pick. Site with all ( Read more... )

You know you've put some decent stuff up on EBay when you keep getting people sending you messages to end the auctions early.  As good as that bodes, it's still very annoying.  What part of "it's against EBay policies" don't they understand ( Read more... )

Family visit came and went over the weekend.  It'll be good to get back in my own bed tonight ( Read more... )

I went down to Lake Balboa yesterday to visit with Calicougar and walk around the lake.  Since it was the weekend there were 50 billion people there, but it was nice to visit and get out of the house.  The lake now has several mute swans living in it, plus the ubiquitous millions of coots, American wigeons, the lone Ross' goose, and a mix of ( Read more... )

Went down to Lake Balboa for a walk today.  Lots of people out despite it being the middle of a weekday-- retired people, housewives or nannies with strollers, joggers and the shiftless or unemployed.  Saw a pair of ring-necked ducks there-- the first I've seen at that place.  4 mute swans.  About a billion coots, and a ton of American Wigeons, ( Read more... )

Pouring rain this morning-- desperately needed.  We haven't had rain here in weeks.  Of course I was woken up at 6:15 AM by Gandalf wanting to go outside, seemingly oblivious to the rain.  When I finally let him out around 7 he immediately ran to the glass table and huddled under it for about an hour.  Whatever makes him happy, I guess ( Read more... )