24 June 2015 - A Surprising Symbiosis

I almost feel like the Grinch when he complained about all the "Noise, noise, noise!" from Whoville.   My yard is currently a cacophony of squawking, squabbling and creeling. I am living in Hootville. Yes, it is baby bird season. I currently have baby magpies, scrub jays, robins, starlings and downy woodpeckers. I am expecting the black-headed grosbeak babies to show any day now. 

These babies scream "feed me, feed me" nonstop. If they are not screaming it is because the poor beleaguered parent is stuffing food down their cavernous gullets, or because the baby is too busy pecking the parent in the back to scream. Can you imagine having to find food for three gaping maws?

But they are funny. And loud. I have eight baby magpies and they are clowns. They are so big, but oh, so clumsy. Yet, like all babies, you can observe them change on a daily basis. For example, you can see them learn to maneuver in the air and watch as their landings become more graceful. Although I must admit, it is fun to watch them overshoot the branch and frantically flail around for a new landing. 

Here is the surprise. Last evening as I was walking down the hallway, as usual I checked the back yard for birds. I was stopped in my tracks by two baby magpies making friends with a young buck. You can see his antlers are still wrapped in velvet.

 The deer seemed unconcerned about his riders.

And the magpies mized around in his fur pulling out stuff to eat for about ten minutes. I was glued to the window. 

They seem to be watching something--perhaps the dog on the other side of the fence?

Hope he was eating ticks!

I really wanted the maggie to land on his antlers, but no such luck.  Nevertheless, my windows provide a great deal of entertainment on a daily basis. I love it. 

And one more surprise of the day? It was a personal surprise. I may already be a weird cat lady, but today found me emulating a weird bird lady. 

There was a road kill squirrel in the middle of the road in front of my house. One of the wonderful things about magpies is they clean up road kill in a hurry. Except this time, it was babies working on the carcass. They don't have sense enough to get out of the way of cars. I couldn't believe it when I found myself moving the carcass to the side of the road where the magpies could eat it safely. Sometimes I wonder about me.  



 

16 June 2015 - Robin - Remembering the Fun

Guy Clark wrote a song called "My Favorite Picture of You" that starts out:

My favorite picture of you
Is the one where you're staring
Straight into the lens

It's just a Polaroid shot
Someone took on the spot
No beginning no end

It is one of those haunting songs that stays with you a long time. 

Today is the six month anniversary of my sister's death. I am still having a very hard time moving forward without her. We talked every single day for years, often emailing many times a day as well. She was my friend, my confidant, my guru, my mentor, and in my artistic endeavors she was my best critic and collaborator. But most of all, she was my sister. 

She was an amazing person who believed she could make a difference everyday, even if it was in just person's life. At her funeral the words used over and over to describe her were grace and compassion. And one woman started by saying "I will be the fourth person here today to use the word 'gazelle' to describe Robin.

Robin generally looked very cool, calm and elegant, but she was not afraid to be silly and she treasured a good laugh. She was always up for an adventure and because of that, her life was filled with adventures.

Unlike the person in the song who stared into the camera because she was angry, Robin always looked into the camera with love at whoever was behind the lens and a lot of laughter. 

   Here is a fabulous example--a combination of grace and silliness. First, all dressed up for New Year's Eve, then dressed for a costume party with the theme of glamor.

Needless to say, her glamorous bearded lady was the winner. It never fails to astound me just how real the beard looks. 

Fish-eye view inside an aquarium.

 Perfectly placed in front of a deer.

Then there was the day we rode the Golden Gate Park Carousel six times in a row to try out as many animals as possible.

Robin was able to drive the steam engine at the Nevada Northern Railroad Museum. The weather didn't cooperate--it blew up a blizzard for the occasion, but it did not dim her smile. 

And with her hand on the throttle!

Robin was an artist who created one-of-a-kind books. All were bound by hand as well. Here she is with some of her work that was featured in a gallery in New York. 

Contemplating one of David's completely bodacious deserts.

















At the top of Big Mountain. Great views of the valley, plus some of the trail getting there. 

I particularly like this next picture. So typical of Robin--she's meeting the world with open arms and her head is back while laughing.  Ta-da! It is her great attitude and wonderful way to view life. 

My favorite picture of her?  I don't really have a favorite, but I cherish the many memories that pop up in my head with no notice at all.

 

 

12 June 2015 - Yard birds

Nope, I'm not regressing to 60s rock and roll with the Yardbirds' Heart Full of Soul or For Your Love. I'm talking about birds in my yard. I often go out looking for birds, but I have quite a collection around the house, and all I have to do is look outside. Timing is everything. Something will flit through the yard and be gone in a blink. It pretty much means my eyes are glued to the windows and I scan the trees from every window I pass as I walk through or around the house. 

So what is on my daily tour? These are my current birds, no winter birds or migrants in this batch. In no particular order of preference:

Quite a number of House Finches. Here's a male in full breeding coloration. 

House Finch with yellow color variation

  Lazuli Bunting

Cassin's Finch

 Black-headed Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak female

Evening Grosbeak

 Western Tanager

Song Sparrow

Pine Siskin

Spotted Towhee

Red-breasted Nuthatch (yes, he is walking headfirst down a trunk)

Steller's Jay

Western Scrub Jay

Downy Woodpecker

Eurasian Collared Dove

Mourning Dove

European Starling

Robin

Magpie

Lesser Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

Black-chinned Hummingbird

 Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Mountain Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee

Northern Flickers

Hairy Woodpecker

California Quail

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Cedar Waxwing

Sharp-shinned Hawk

This is such a great time of year. Some babies are fledging and other birds are just starting to build nests. The air is filled with males singing their territory and there are territory fights as well. Always something interesting to see. You just have to look.