A post without birds

Migrants are flying in all over the state, but I haven't had the opportunity to go see any.
My time has been spent doing all those boring yet necessary things that keep me from birding: Parenting, programs and sleeping. Well, programs aren't boring, but it does tend to cut into my prime birding time.

Some pics from the past few days:


She insisted on wearing this daring ensemble to the grocery store. A high-end dress from an uppity boutique, with red rubber boots. Well, could I argue with that?


The accidental redbud in the yard is in full bloom. This is "accidental" because it looks like the previous owners of our house found this growing along the property line and bracketed it with boards. We almost chopped it down years ago, but we stopped when we saw tiny buds. A dogwood is right next to it, also bracketed by boards. Two of only a few native plants that existed when we bought the place.

When I showed Isabelle how close the chipping sparrows allow us to get, she devised a plan:

...she disguised herself as a tree. (Holding dismembered honeysuckle branches)

While I was tearing out honeysuckle in a native-loving fit, she brought over a few new friends:

Baby centipedes. Great. Now put them back before Mommy has a seizure.


My wisteria, having sat there for 4 years, is almost ready to bloom. Last year, I got to enjoy a few blooms (strangely, in July) for about 12 hours before the flippin' Japanese beetles ate them.
(And Nellie sneaked into the photo, too)


The first tree I looked up in books and actually identified myself:

A hawthorn. I found it 2 years ago while tearing out the honeysuckle in a native-loving fit. It was covered by a huge patch of honeysuckle, and I might have torn it out too, but I got stuck by one of the thorns. The flowers are reminiscent of apple blossoms, and in the fall, are replaced by
golf-ball-sized fruits. I'm not going to hazard a guess as to what kind of hawthorn it is...there are a bazillion different species.

During a walk with Lorelei today at Kelley's Nature Preserve, we were treated to a carpet of wildflowers. (For a very nice, informative post on Ohio's native and non-native wildflowers living at the Cincinnati Nature Center, go see KatDoc here)


Wild blue phlox...a huge flower compared to the Creeping Phlox I planted in the flowerbed a few years ago.


It was nearly 80 degrees today. Sitting by the Little Miami was a pleasurable experience that even Lorelei couldn't find fault with.

The backyard interlopers:

Slugs. Lots and LOTS of slugs. I'm not well-versed in slug ID's, but Ohio has both native and exotic types.
They seem to be enjoying the dandelions, so I can't complain. And I mean, they are on EVERY. Single. Dandelion.


Ever look a slug in the eye? There's intelligence there...I swear it.


This one is shy...."Blushing Slug". Sounds like a bad rock band.


Just to make this picture more enjoyable, imagine this slug singing "Weekend in New England".

And for my Boston-philes out there:

Girl power, Junior update

A good day.
I have come back to reality, doing my first program in almost 2 weeks, a great crowd of kids at an inner city Catholic school. It makes it so much more enjoyable and pleasant experience for me to talk with kids who have at least a small amount of respect for me and for the birds. And they learn so much more when they just sit and listen. Some schools I go to are like zoos, with no real stability in the kid's behavior.
Today, it was a group of 4th and 5th graders, very pleased to have me there. Nice.
A highlight, not just for the day, but for my education "career" in general:
A girl came up to me as I was packing up to leave, and she politely asked me if she could say something.
Girl: "You know, when I heard that someone was bringing raptors, I thought it was going to be a man talking to us. You know how girls are afraid of things like bugs and big scary animals? And boys aren't afraid of that stuff? I just thought it would be a man holding the birds."
Me: "Did I look scared?"
Girl: "No! You were COOL."
Me: "So, I guess girls and women can do anything they want to do, huh?"
Girl: (pause)..."Yeah. They CAN."
I think that may be the most perfect conversation I have ever had.

Finally was able to get a better look in the chickadee box, and there are four ready-to-fledge youngin's in there.
See the beak?
TRES egg" height="240" width="180">
I couldn't wait. I had to pull down the TRES gourd and count.
Four cold, perfect eggs. She will probably lay one or two more and then start to incubate.
I love how small they are. That egg is about the same diameter as my wedding ring.

Most folks in Cincinnati think Pete Rose needs to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
(The "4256" pertains to the record he broke in hits, previously held by Ty Cobb)

I found a mammoth slug out by the mews at RAPTOR today. It was as big as my thumb.
I understand that most slugs encountered in North America have been introduced and they can make your garden look like Swiss cheese. But I think they are beautiful.


They breathe through this hole in their mantle. I guess he was exhaling. Or belching.
I got this from Wikipedia:
"Some species use slime cords to lower themselves on to the ground, or suspend from them during copulation."
Ewwww...so they can make their own rappelling lines and sex swings?????

Sad news at RAPTOR...I was early getting the birds today, so I walked around, checking out the rehab birds to see if anyone new came in while I was gone.
The juvenile Cooper's hawk was laying on the ground in his mew, and had been dead for at least a few hours. He will be examined by our bird care director, to see if it can be ascertained what exactly happened. From what I hear from our more seasoned volunteers, Coop's are challenging to rehab. I wish we had one for education, but apparently they are for the most part too squirrelly to "man down". Coop's, sharp-shinned hawks...all too spazzy. Too bad. They would be fun.
Junior update: Junior will be "adopted" by a educational center in Illinois soon. One of their volunteers will drive down to pick him up. Cindy, if you are reading, I want to be there to say goodbye, okay? He and I did have that one magical night together, you know.



After my program today:
"I have fulfilled my duty as education prop. Please get the Hell out of my mew."