This morning I could hear a male house wren singing away at the creek. Its just a happy sound not so much a song. That little wren builds several nests for his lady to choose from. She decides which is the best and they move in. I imagine that there is no need for this tiny bird to have to take Phentermine 37.5. I imagine he expends enough energy all on his own to keep his figure trim and appealing.
You know I’d rather talk about birds that the best acne treatment, right? Recently I discovered that my youngest is interested in birds, too. So I have been on the search for a decent bird id book that is easy for a 7 year old to use. I know that one has to exist. I think that once I find one I will buy it and put it away for her birthday or Christmas. I know that she will be thrilled to have her very own bird book.
Have you ever stopped to marvel at the great diversity within the bird world? It is truly amazing. Don’t you think? There is every possible color combination from drab to wild. Some of the colors of tropical birds are just stunning. There is every possible shape. Some birds are shaped more like a pencil, tall and thin, while others are shaped more like cao cigars, short and stubby. And then there are the talents. Some birds are excellent at seeing prey from miles away and some can hear bugs through thick tree trunks. Its pretty neat when you really think about the diversity.
I have noticed this summer a lack of red-tailed hawks. This winter they were plentiful around here. You could see them dotting the landscape much like pimples dot the face of a teen in need of acne lotion. Seriously, they were that plentiful. So it makes me wonder where they have gone this summer. Normally, I would see just as many red-tails during the summer as I do in the winter. Perhaps even more. I can’t imagine the rodent population has decreased so much that it has forced them to move to other hunting grounds. I plan to do a bit of research to understand why they are less plentiful.
I suppose that this is the best time of the year for birds in the northern part of our country. Food is abundant and the climate is warm. Now for us humans the hot, humid weather can feel like we got sucked into a noxycut review and bought something to make us lose weight to fast. I am pretty sure that when the mercury and humidity rise together our backyard birds are feeling the effects, too. Be sure to keep your birdbath full of cool, clean water to help them combat the heat.
On our way to fireworks on Sunday, we got caught on the Ft. Madison bridge while a barge went through. We got out of the car and walked on the bridge while we were waiting. Its a good thing there was plenty to look at because heights and I don’t mix! Just like diet pills for women and I don’t mix. I get all icky feeling. However, there was plenty to look at. Lots of boat traffic to see, the barge coming through and a lot of turkey vultures. Check out how many there were spinning over the bluffs!
I am guessing that they were over a roosting site. It was near dusk so they were probably going to settle in for the night. It was pretty cool to watch that many of them floating around in circles.
For the last 2 years, we have noticed these big purple things hanging in trees during the summer. We have seen them all over our county. Yesterday we finally stopped by one and read what it was for. They are Emerald Ash Borer traps. They use them to determine if an area is infested with Emerald Ash Borers. They are an invasive specie that is not native to North America. They kill ash trees and they are found in my state. So every year the Department of Agriculture places traps to track where the borers are located. The information sheet was packed with information. The borers make “D” shaped holes in the trees that from a distance might resemble age spots. An increase in woodpecker activity might be a sign that borers are present. I was glad to read all the information so that I can be more aware of what to look for.
I experiences such a great moment the other day. It was early in the morning. My 7 year old daughter and I were the only ones up. There was a song sparrow singing outside the window and my daughter went to the window. Pretty soon, she went and got my bird book. She said to me can you help me find which bird this is. The bird flew off, scared by her voice. Pretty soon it was back and I told her it was a song sparrow. I explained there were tiny birds and sometimes very hard to find. She almost immediately found it on her own without the aid of fancy Kichler lighting or binoculars. Then she proceeded to look it up in the bird book. What a fantastic moment! I love when my interests become my children’s interests.
Let’s jump ship for a minute. My son is 16 and got his driver’s license in January. He was also gifted a 1996 Chrysler Concorde about the same time. It is a well used car and needs some work. It is drivable but it doesn’t have a/c and needs new shocks along with a few other things. However, what my son is worried about most are things like a new stereo system, bigger speakers and auto accessories to make it look cool. Admittedly for a 16 year old boy a Concorde is not the coolest car. And admittedly it does need a new stereo. However, I think that his money could be better spent on some of the more mechanical things this car needs. Well, that is if he had any money!
If you are going to watch and identify birds, it is imperative to have a good bird identification book. You can pick them up anyplace that sell books. You want to look for a book that will provide you with all of the information that you need to properly identify birds. The book should contain color pictures of both male and female, habitat, size, identifying features, sounds and songs and species that are similar. I also think that a pocket version is better than a full size book. Be sure to look at several different books before deciding on the perfect one for you.
