Babies, babies everywhere

Okay. That picture from the last post was a pug nose.
I was hoping for some hilarity, but either all of you are smarter than I thought, or not as funny as I thought.
:)


One of the pugs at the dog park yesterday had only three legs.. a neighbor's dog got hold of it through a fence and shredded the leg, necessitating an amputation.
Call me weird, but I love dogs and cats who are missing a limb. They aren't missing it, and go on with their life and adapt to their new stride by taking it all in stride.


Lorelei and I spent some time at Lake Isabella, tossing rocks and looking for birds.
I like that particular park for its quiet atmosphere...I take my RAPTOR scheduling book and can sit and make calls without any disruption.

I seriously can't wait until I go to Magee Marsh. There, the warblers come to you.
Last year, I had a black and white warbler try to step onto my camera, after I had been standing still for a few minutes, trying to get a good picture. It's one of the Top Ten birding destinations in the country.
Stoked!

Here's a bad picture of an osprey, hunting up and down the Little Miami:

I could hardly understand what I was looking at, until I saw the wings. Osprey hold their wings in an "M", looking like a red tailed hawk with crooked wings.

And speaking of red tailed hawks, I visited the RT nest on I-275 at the Loveland exit. I couldn't see any babies, but one of the parents was keeping an eye out.

My Mom called today to rub in the fact that she got her first hummingbird of 2007.
Later, I was able to trump that:

This was Isabelle's find. We were sitting at the dinner table, and she said, "Mommy. I just saw a starling or tree swallow go into the gourd and then come back out."
I looked, and saw a dark bird with a notched tail skimming above the yard. When it landed, I caught a glimpse of a beautiful, almost-black purple glimmer.
Hot Damn! A male purple martin!
Things are going to get interesting around here. I have seen just a few tree swallows around the past few days, but no one has "claimed" the gourd yet. I have been eagerly awaiting the TRES staking their claim on this pricey real estate, so that I can stop worrying about the damn house sparrows taking over. TRES are very territorial and will fight off any bird who is dumb enough to try and steal a nesting site. I loved to watch the TRES last year dive bomb the starlings and HOSP.
So...If the martins start setting up housekeeping, I will open up the compartments on the martin house. If the TRES claim it, I will keep the compartments closed. I wish TRES would nest communally. Wouldn't that be fantastic?


Isabelle also made another find today. She was down here in my office, talking to the Dove, and she asked if she could feed the fish.
A few minutes later, I looked over and she had her cute little face pressed against the glass, and she said, "Mommy! I see baby guppies!"
Huh. I didn't even notice that one was pregnant!
So we have RT babies down on the interstate, baby guppies, baby wrens, and also some surprise babies that I will tell you about when they arrive.


And hows this for adorable and sweet:
After discovering the guppies, she said, and I quote:
"Thank you for getting me glasses, Mommy. I can see so much!"
You're welcome. And thank you, Isabelle, for being such a great kid.