I was surprised when I looked back and found it has been 5 months, pretty much, since I've posted anything here.
My work on Opus is moving along with my sincere hopes it is worthwhile!
All this Corona business has taken on such a concern. I wish I could say there is an end in sight, but I'd be lying if I did. I guess we can only try to stay safe, limit unnecessary exposure and hope a vaccine is forthcoming soon!
Be safe my friends! Stay with us here on Bird Forum and Opus. We do...
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It's been a while since I've posted anything here, but the intervening time has not been fruitless.
I've waded ever deeper into helping edit Opus and I must say, I'm enjoying it.
I'm receiving assistance and guidance from a spectacular group of people who are always eager to help. For that I'm eternally grateful.
Yesterday I was birding as ususal on Irakaya Farm, Qatar, and had stopped by a grey water reservoir.
Suddenly a large bird flew in over me and dived toward the water. An Osprey.
It felt like a miracle to see an osprey in the middle of the desert, but there it was.
I'd never seen an osprey fishing before so this was a lifer experience.
I'm so happy and managed to get some lovely shots, although not any good ones of the fishing.
A local photographer had all the luck about a week ago managing to capture a fledgeling cuckoo which has probably flown south by the time I am making this post.
Meanwhile, the air was alive with swallows, now silent. We have an old saying about a bird brain, maybe this is really a compliment
Well maybe! Lots of birds together are kind of exciting all the same. The last post was heaps of Egrets and continuing on the lot of birds theme; Wild Camels in the middle of Australia and loads of Black Kites are on my blog
https://www.ararelitus.com/birds-1
I see it's been a while since I've been here.
Not from a loss of interest mind you, but rather a combination of other demands on my time. Some of those personal, and some of them here on Bird Forum and Opus related.
Staying busy, benefiting from some great help by a very patient person, and loving it all!
Later...
I don't know how many Great Egrets you have seen at one time in one place but on two recent trips to Thompson's Beach north of Adelaide in South Australia I've seen over 100 on each occasion. The details are on my blog:
https://www.ararelitus.com/birds-1
I'd appreciate any information on large sitings.
My old blog "Top Birds & Everyfing" went extinct a few years ago. I've started a new one recently on the following URL.
All about Black Backed Gulls found in Australia
https://www.ararelitus.com/birds-1
I used to have a robin, as soon as I opened a door or window to let fresh air in, this little chap would be indoors. Invariably, he would perch on the computer monitor and decorate it.
Then one day, the dog saw him and chased him into the bedroom. no longer fun, I had to open a window and encourage him to fly out, for some reason, he has never been back.
Until today, I thought return of the robin, but it was in fact a wren, who likewise ended up in the bedroom and was encouraged to fly out...
A small work of mine from Southern Sindh Pakistan from the monsoon of 2018.
Here's the link;
https://birdinginpakistan.blogspot.com/2020/06/birding-along-riverain-southern-sindh.html
My project has become projects with an "s."
I have offered to work on the Outer Banks and Lake Mattamuskeet article as well. It's going well with high hopes and expectations for both.
As always I offer thanks to those who have, and continue to, offer untold amounts of help and advice. I thank you!
I am enjoying this "journey" that is creating the OPUS entry for the Piedmont Region of North Carolina.
While, yes, there is "always something to do", I find myself enjoying the doing of it.
I have some wonderful guidance in my work on it and for that I'm eternally grateful. I won't call them out here because I don't know, either way, if that's a kind of thing they appreciate. So to be on the safe side, I'll hold off. But should you read this, know you are very much appreciated...
Actually, the cuckoo in question showed some development to his call, with three notes of the scale (Me, ray, do) from time to time.
Haven't heard him for some days now, so I presume he has started the journey south.
Meanwhile, work has started on the bird pool, already the local sparrows are appreciating a source of water in the hot weather
It's Saturday morning (GMT - 4/5 hours), June 27th, 2020 here in the "Ol' North State", aka North Carolina, in the US.
I'm "knee-deep" into putting together a section/page on Opus relating to my particular portion of NC (An abbreviation for North Carolina for those of you not in the US and maybe not familiar with our usage.).
I've read Wikipedia and related sites before and knew they were user edited, but had never attempted it. Well, now I'm getting some experience of what I take to...
Well, to paraphrase an old "Laurel & Hardy" quote.......
Well here's another fine mess I've gotten into!
To elaborate and "try" to explain myself, let me start by saying birding is a fine thing I've gotten into. A "mess"? Not in the usual sense, you might think of when that word is used, but a "mess", as in a lot, of things to learn.
I've stuck my fingers into several different paths over the years. Not far enough for any of them to be called truly a "hobby" per se. Most of them I'm...
Resident cuckoo still in song, flew over me at close range. I wonder for how much longer.
Modern tracking devices have shown that the old nursery rhyme is not always accurate. Last year, one individual came to Beaulieu on cue, but began the journey south two months later, on 16 June crossed the channel, and spent the next three months migrating south.
Any cuckoos in August in GB are usually born this year making a slow start to migrate
My favourite bird.
This year, a new record for me, first sighting 19 March, previous 26 March (worst year the cold start to 2013, when first sighting 1 May).
As the threat of Covid was growing, comfort to see that life continues
One of the few wild birds that share our outbuildings, even a farm messhut, nesting while the kettle boiled below.
What a shame that someone moaned about the poop.
You are always welcome in my shed or garage
A truism, which has sadly become a reality for so many of us. If you're anything like me, you'll have spent the long dark nights of winter thinking of spring adventures- the days when our little friends arrive back from their winter holidays and deafen us with song, the days spent at the coast, on clifftops, in marshes, on hills and moors. And this year, this has been snatched away from us.
The (massive) cloud of wrecked plans, though, appears to be a new appreciation of my local patch...
Well you learn something new everyday. I didn't know that the sparrows and house finches were invasive. I just thought they were common. I came across this article today.
https://feederwatch.org/blog/when-invasive-species-clash-competition-between-the-house-sparrow-and-house-finch/?fbclid=IwAR0tDhmSvJBFdRIHHeWcD18BDVcRL8W3y7DB2I84nMEWjDlekcwyaR4C0g0#.XpJhR8SA4U0.facebook
April 10th 2020
Now...an experiment today on some pretty static objects since the day was very blustery and there were no birds to be had. So a quick tour of the neighborhood across the street was in order. The test involved the following gear: a 80mm Swarovski Scope with a NikonP310 Point and Shoot Camera with 'no eyepiece adapter' vs Canon 7D plus 400mm L lens.
The idea was to compare the camera + lens to a scope + point and shoot. The results are in the images that follow but since I...
If you go to my digiscoping site at:
http://www.atlanticaudubonsociety.com/digiscoping.html
You will find a few shots of a few birds. A chick-a-dee and a bluebird. The following applies to the Bluebird:
The bluebird isn't a spectacular picture by any means....just a bluebird. But this bird was perched 60 yards away. That alone shows me the value of a scope. I was shooting at the equivalent of 1250mm in a camera lens. My Canon Camera and 400mm lens can't come close. But, could the 'crop' of...
I thought this article might interest you bird folks.
https://www.rei.com/blog/news/noah-strycker-is-on-a-mission-to-bring-birding-to-the-masses?fbclid=IwAR21mmDLoVhTx8ynumpQyBysB3SO6eNnig1JtBbi19S5yxhjbz9qc3Eqpx0
Hi everyone!
I've decided to start a small blog about various musings from my garden and the birds et al.
Today I've decided to make my own suet. I found this recipe online. Please let me know what you think of it or if you know of a better recipe let me know as well?
Thanks,
Flicker the Halfling
https://whoneedsacape.com/2013/02/homemade-wild-bird-suet/?fbclid=IwAR0cU8LFip1sdYG43uA4-I8N8yEwzMrrWg9DBsE1QgpmHb_rPoSz3PScJPI
In a Jan. 14, 2020 press release, NASA's Ames Research Center opines on the possibility of building homes made out of mushrooms for habitation on planets.
Real planets, like Mars.
Well, not exactly mushrooms, but the mycelium, or underground, vegetative part of the fungus from which the so called fruit (i.e., mushrooms) emerges.
Green Nature
Lynn Rothschild, the project lead, notes the cost savings of growing your own and building your own habitat, compared to carrying it around in the...