Altivo

It's amazing how much you can get done when you're avoiding doing something else. I have two things that really need doing: final edits on a short manuscript to meet requests by an editor, and some adjustements and repairs to my wolf fursuit. So... while dutifully feeling guilty about not doing those (or the laundry) I spent the day cooking, readign, cleaning barns, playing with Tess, looking at spring birds and flowers, and anything else I could use to avoid really working.

In my own defense, there is still time to get these things done. And I did get other things done. Dinner was made to meet a specific request by Gary. All the clocks were reset for daylight time. A late birthday present was finished and packaged up for mailing tomorrow. I got something working over the network that I'd been wanting to get going. A first class breakfast was served too, and much time spent outdoors to celebrate the very pleasant weather: 63F, sunny, very light breeze.

We saw a huge number of sandhill cranes pass overhead. There were two large flocks, probably 150 or more birds between them. And the two groups kept circling each other so they progressed past our little farm very gradually. All the time they were making the strange gurgling calls that sandhills make. It was pretty amazing. Later I saw two more flying so high that they kept going in and out of the clouds, but I could still hear them.

I think the juncos departed this week. Now we have red winged blackbirds, grackles, cardinals, house finches, chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches, and myriad woodpeckers. Oh, and mourning doves, suddenly. There were always two or three through the winter but now they come by the dozen.

Thus endeth the 2012 "Great Backyard Bird Count" weekend. It was clear and sunny throughout, but we only saw one unusual thing. This morning when I went into the arena to turn Tess and the sheep out, there was a Cooper's hawk in there. It must have been perched in there when I shut the doors last night. The usual dozen or so house sparrows were all silent or absent as the hawk cruised around the rafters waiting for me to open the big doors to let it go. Of course, the sparrows did reappear in about an hour, so I guess the scare wasn't big enough to completely uproot them. Darn.

Not a real productive weekend, other than in terms of food made and enjoyed. I guess that counts for something, but I really should be getting more done. Well, I did fill out the forms and prepay my horses' vet bills for the year. Costs have come down, too. There was a $34 reduction for each horse, though the services included remain the same. I'm guessing our vet got a better deal on the cost of vaccinations.

The sun was nice, though it has clouded over now. It could have been a little warmer though. Above freezing each day, but not by too much, and dropped back below freezing every night.

So now, short week. At least there's that.

One is PRR and the other is ATSF. Both are metal cabooses when you look at them closely, because you can see the rivets holding the flat panels together. The PRR was owner of DT&I from 1929 until it was dissolved to form Conrail, and the lines did have interchange so I may leave that one alone, at least for now. I still need to find a wooden caboose with a center cupola and four windows on the lower level for use with the steam train. The other metal caboose I intend to repaint in the bright yellow and red scheme the DT&I used in later years. I think the interior walls used to be aqua, too, but it looks like it will be too much bother to get inside there and paint those. Photos this weekend, maybe. They're cute little guys.

Tomorrow is the great Christmas bird count. First time in several years that we've had no snow on the ground for it, and I'm sure that will affect what we see (or don't see.) It's going to be cold, but not nearly as cold as the last couple of years. I just hope the wind stays down.

Tra la! I mentioned white trillium last week I think, and here's a photo of one of the clumps I propagated last year. All have survived to bloom again this spring.

I've always loved the trillium, which is a common woodland blossom back home in Michigan. I don't recall seeing redbud so often there, but the small tree/large shrub is widespread in Illinois and Indiana though it grows best rather farther south than our location here. Photo taken this evening of the first blossoms on the redbud I planted as a twig about eleven years ago.

In other farm news, apple trees are already passing their peak. I hope there were enough insects to pollinate them. We had asparagus from the garden for dinner, and it was infinitely better than the factory farmed grocery store kind. Sweet, tender, mild-flavored. Quite delicious. Rhubarb will be ready for a first cutting this weekend, I think. The blueberries are in blossom, and I should try to get a photo of those flowers. They are unusual, bell-shaped pink things.

Saw a pair of tree swallows (intense blue on back and top of wings, white underneath) in the orchard and watched one of them fly into a bluebird house. She didn't come out for several minutes. I suspect eggs or babies in there.

Summer is almost here. The scent of (just opened) honeysuckle and lilac fills the air every time I step outdoors.

Woodpeckers, that is. Or at least one of them. Now it is not unusual for North American woodpecker species to have red markings on their heads. In fact, we have four species we regularly see here with such markings on the male at least. From what my father said years ago, though, the fifth species (Red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus) used to be much more common than it seems to be now. The general theory is that human activities have reduced the bird's preferred habitat by removing dead trees and draining wet areas. This may well be part of what has happened.

We generally see an actual red-headed woodpecker about once a year here. Typically they seem to pass by us in the spring, inspecting our trees for nesting cavities but finding nothing that suits their fancy. Today we saw one bird three times, or perhaps three different birds one time each.

First I pointed it out to Gary as we sat down for dinner. A red-head was sitting on a feeder in the yard, picking over the seeds. Or maybe there were ants among the seeds, which seems more likely. Half an hour later, we saw the same or a similar bird at a different feeder. And an hour after the first sighting, I was outside and conveniently had binoculars with me when I saw a flash of red among the oaks near the arena. Sure enough, a red-headed woodpecker was up there inspecting the tree trunks.

For those of you who live in areas where this bird is not seen, here's a photo. (Click image for more information.) They now have a status of "near threatened" so my perception of scarcity is not imaginary. The colors in the photo don't do justice to the real thing. In good light, the red is bright crimson, and the black and white are intense with sharply delineated borders. A large white patch on the lower back under the wings gives a distinctive marker when the bird flies.

It's a Wednesday, after all.

Forecast still calls for rain on bird counting day this Saturday. They've backed down on the "thunderstorms likely" part and changed it to "thunderstorms possible."

Saw two yellow-rumped warblers out by the horse barn this morning. Gary says the barn swallows are back too, but I haven't seen one yet. And I'm pretty sure a wild turkey crossed the road some distance ahead of me this morning on my way to work. I've seen them before on that stretch of road, but it was far enough away that I couldn't be absolutely sure.

But Thursday usually is, because I get a chunk of it to myself, even at work.

Remember last spring when I went to see the marsh marigolds in bloom and Timmie gave me a big hunk of showy white trillium root?

I divided that root into five pieces, and planted them in several spots around our place here. They all did still bloom last year (the buds were already showing when I got it) but I was concerned that they might not all survive the winter. They did. Checking yesterday and today, I found all five pieces coming up again, and all of them have flower buds. Hooray! Photos when the flowers open.

Hearing unfamiliar birds around, even though it's been cloudy and raining much of the day. I suspect the warblers are starting to pass through. We will be going to count birds, especially the migrants passing through, a week from Saturday. Wish us sunny weather, please. Last year was gloomy, cold, and rainy.

I have committed a small splurge. I do have a nice tax refund coming, but it will all be eaten by the property taxes. I'm not getting a raise (no one is) but this month had three paydays in it instead of two. Consequently, I have purchased three modest but utterly unnecessary things: a Carcassonne game because I'm curious about it (both the table board game version and the computer version,) a plush okapi (Webkins) because it looks so cute, and a lion puppet from Folkmanis. I may buy some clothes too, but good quality is so expensive... and cheap Walmart stuff doesn't last.

The latest issue of Audubon magazine arrived today and has articles on both Florida black bears and urban coyotes. Some great photos, including a coyote riding a shuttle train in Portland, and people trying to coax a coyote out from under a taxi in Chicago.

Bedtime. One more work day this week, and no major plans for the weekend I think. Yay!

On W-day? Yes, because Friday is a holiday and tomorrow I work only four hours. I'd forgotten this until late last night so it's a pleasant surprise.

Weather continues obnoxiously unseasonable, though at least we aren't having floods or tornados so far. Gray and overcast most of today, cold as a well-digger's ankle, but no rain.

Gary got back from his funeral mission in time to take Red to dog class, where this week they started on "free style dancing" which is something new to us. The dog learns cues for moves like spin left, spin right, go between your legs, and so on. I guess this is done competitively now but watching confused dogs and owners try to learn it must be pretty amusing.

No black woodpeckers today, but there were lots of mourning doves. And I think I may have heard a kinglet, though I didn't see it. They are very tiny birds, almost as small as hummingbirds, so not really easy to spot. They don't come to feeders either, which doesn't help.

We were sitting at the dining room table talking at about 4:30 pm today when Gary asked me "Is there such a thing as a black woodpecker?" I told him I didn't think there were any such species in our area. He said "Well there's one on the seed block right now."

I looked and of course, there was one. About the size of a large downy woodpecker, similar proportions, but much too black. It stayed there long enough for me to get a careful look and know I'd never seen one like it. It flew away and I went to get Sibley. When I got back, it was back also. It left and returned an additional time, and by then I had the binoculars in hand. The seed block is hanging just a foot from the window, so I got to look at it from six feet away, with binoculars. I conclude that it was an American Three-toed woodpecker. I was even able to count the toes (most of our woodpeckers have four toes, two back and two front) and it definitely had only one backward-pointing toe on each foot. Sibley has a green dot for the species in northern Illinois, meaning that it has been reported but isn't a regular resident or migrant. The year-round range starts up around Lake Superior and extends north.

I thought it was so interesting that I made a full count for the next 30 minutes. The only other unusual observation was four brown-headed cowbirds. We usually don't see them until May, after the snow and the juncos are gone. There were juncos (and snow) here yesterday, and the forecast calls for snow again tonight, though I'm not holding my breath on it.

I dutifully filled out my form on ebird.org, mostly to get the cowbirds and the woodpecker into my life list there. I was surprised when the website handed my report back to me with the woodpecker highlighted in red and a "Please confirm sighting" checkbox. I checked the box and resubmitted. The list went through without further comment.

After we'd finished dinner, the phone rang and Gary said someone wanted to talk to "the birdwatcher." (My name and address is on ebird.org, the number is listed.) It turned out to be the Illinois monitor for the site, who was very excited. He grilled me about the sighting and checked what records he had. According to what he told me, that species hasn't been seen in Illinois since the 19th century. However, there are occasional reports in southern Wisconsin, which is less than 20 miles from here, so I'm not quite so astonished myself.

I had to promise to send him as detailed a written description as I could (I did that) and keep a camera by that window for a few days in case it comes back. I will do that as well, but don't really expect to see it again. These things rarely show up when you're expecting them.

Oh, and I had to tell him he could come by here tomorrow afternoon to look for it. I doubt he'll see it either. ;p Had I known it would create such a fuss, I probably wouldn't have reported the sighting. I'm not interested in "15 seconds of fame" nor in having my house overrun with eager birders looking to see something exotic.

Took my friend Susan to the meeting for a presentation on Shorebirds. Not something I expected to be seeing in Illinois. But it turns out that a lot of species migrate through here in spring and fall, and one hotspot for viewing them is Montrose Harbor, right near where we used to live in Chicago.

The speaker had lots of slides of sandpipers, plovers, and even the big shorebirds like avocets, stilts, and phalaropes. Many were shot at Montrose Harbor. Baby sandpipers and plovers are really cute. They are precocious so they don't just sit in a nest and get fed but are out running up and down the beach even before they get their first feathers. Think fluffy baby chicks only with long awkward legs and some black markings like neck rings or eye stripes. Several of the sandpiper species are endangered. They are small birds, the size of finches and sparrows, and they apparently don't get out of the way of people walking on the sand and can be stepped on. Since they are ground feeders and ground nesters (though they don't nest here) they are also prey to rats and domestic predators.

Gary's desktop computer was crashed this morning. Apparently another Windows misfire. He's had several of these over the years. Not an actual hard disk failure, but a software malfunction that trashes a cache or directory somehow, making the hard drive unusable. It won't boot, just goes into an endless cycle of scandisks. Of course he had a homework assignment nearly complete but not yet turned in and had to reduplicate all the work. Fortunately the needed software is also on the laptop I got him for Christmas, so he managed to do that and get the assignment done in time. He can continue with his laptop for a few days but it disrupts our house LAN as his desktop was the router, firewall and connection manager. I'm back on dialup for the present.

About 20 years of using Linux for me and I've never had one of those software wrecks with it. I have had one on Windows XP at work though, which is when I switched my work PC over to Linux. Gary has had at least three of these where something in Windows trashes the hard disk, necessitating a complete restore. The hardware itself is fine, but the software just went crazy and overwrote chunks of the drive.