Saw One for the first Time In My Life

altimore Oriole a female. Shining in the sun. The best part was I beckoned it into my proximity by imitating its call. Yay.

Hmmm........magpies are unlucky?

1. What is fragile should break early while it is still small. Nothing should ever become too big to fail.

2. No socialisation of losses and privatisation of gains.

3. People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus.

4. Do not let someone making an “incentive” bonus manage a nuclear plant – or your financial risks.

5. Counter-balance complexity with simplicity.

6. Do not give children sticks of dynamite, even if they come with a warning.

7. Only Ponzi schemes should depend on confidence. Governments should never need to “restore confidence”.

8. Do not give an addict more drugs if he has withdrawal pains.

9. Citizens should not depend on financial assets or fallible “expert” advice for their retirement.

10. Make an omelette with the broken eggs.

Buzzard sur croix

Like it wasn't spooky enough, when I was taking this picture, a young girl stopped her car and asked what i was doing. Like they were watching me and they sent her.

I said, "there's a buzzard on the cross - I'm taking a picture...." I figured it was better than waking up tied to a pillar in the church basement.

Joke O' The Day!

Thanks to Mrs Lex10 for the serendipitous portmanteau!

Puffy R.I.P.

Puffy the layer of teeney tiny unfertilized eggs has passed away.
Chee-Chee misses her and so do we.

Ambient Image Corrupted Birds

This is a series of 21 images meant to be viewed with browser on full screen and left up, to cycle - 1 image every 2 seconds. Images are taken from tiny (1") illustrations from The Observers Book of British Birds. (see earlier post on Liverworts and Mosses) The resultant image corruption via enlargement and compressions is soothing blobby yet easily recognizable color and intent in scientific illustration. There are no controls- you cannot pause, go back or index.

So put on your Mozart, Boards of Canada, Eno, Autechre, or whatever and let it cycle.....

.....or go and see and listen to the birds in your yard and let that cycle.


Clicpic

Berries

We grow Raspberries, Black Raspberries and Blueberries.






As a result, we are attracting Dumetella carolinensis - The Catbird.

I hear them mewing as I write this.





These birds:
hang around people, like a family pet
can recognize cowbird eggs and throw them out of the nest. (lousy stinkin' cowbirds!!)
can sing in two voices.
mate for life
mew like cats
and love berries.

They are continually monitoring the soundness of the net that protects the blueberries - given their freedom to do so, they would strip these bushes bare, while the raspberries, by virtue of their population size, are safe.




and sometimes after breaching said net become trapped:



Then it's on to the grill with them! With a ....blueberry sauce! Kidding. They have found a way to make holes in the net so we must remain vigilant. I'll possibly keep you posted - or not - that's just the way I am........