Friday, May 13, 2022

It's Life

The weather has been extortionary this week however it's the week gas went to $4.10 a gallon.  Nothing by European standards, but to us here it's a hard blow, especially when you drive a gas hog like my van! So I kept my little adventure trips to a minimum. I think I may need to take in a little burro for future transport plans! 

So here's some photos of one out and about and some things I saw....and I will adlib some commentary about my week.  

 


This Red Tailed Hawk has half a tail...the Grackle was in hot pursuit Life is not always peaches n cream

Monday morning at 1:32 AM awoke to an Earth Shaking  sound of a train swiftly approaching faster than the speed of sound and the windows rattling...Earthquake 3.3 on the scale! Yes this area about 15 miles to my west has been the epicenter for many tremors and quakes since December, this one was the largest, followed the next night by a 2.9 after shock.

Imagine being a Cliff Swallow and your home is made out of mud...there is only one way to pick up that mud if you're a bird and that is in your MOUTH! Yuk...and all. 


When gathering mud to reinforce their gourd shaped homes the Cliff Swallow keeps his wings high out of the muck, pretty good idea!  Below  a group of Double Crested Cormorants stand atop the old Dam built in 1920...Just a few miles north of the epicenter of the Quake



This is from the water holding side of the dam...it's 3 ft below full and the lake is 64 feet deep....and covers 13,700 acres. How strong would the Quake need to be to destroy this dam? Its pretty thick at the bottom...but you can see it has cracks!


I have been  sawing up a big limb that fell out of a large dead Pine at my place...it also came down with lots of small twigs, and branches...I had it neatly stacked into a pile of large pieces and the rest I picked up and put into four large bins that took a half day to do...I used the lawn tractor with the trailer behind, put all the bins and the wood into the trailer, moved that to the van and onto the cargo rack that I put on back,  it holds 500 lbs of cargo. Tied it all on,  Spent the entire morning doing that...then unloaded  it at the solid waste center and put it in the Yard Waste bin...got back about 1 pm sat down to relax and I hear a huge crash outside...Look out wondering....
 Another Large limb fell  even bigger than the one I just removed...it will take me 10 yrs at this rate to eventually remove the 100 foot, 3.5ft diameter dead Pine!

This common Grackle has caught a lizard for his lunch...
Lizard is saying "and  you thought you had it hard."


The Squirrels destroyed my new hummingbird feeder, they chewed off all the perches, pulled out the bee stoppers and chewed holes in them...so I have been relocating squirrels to the forest where they can live a truly wild life without human interference.  So far six Seven gone, all males.  If I catch a nursing female she is not relocated...but so far it's all  males.  


This goes to show how critters learn to use what man or woman has put in their neck of the woods to their best advantage...with all this manmade stuff in the way an Osprey still builds a nest and raised young. 

A Grackle finds a bi-valve and eats the small clam inside...


Then the Great Blue Heron chases after the Grackle...



A fish is given a very amazing view of the world as he is flown around right before becoming a meal....I hope he was amazed by the sight...pretty good send off I guess..


 you can tell I am in a sarcastic mood...Sometimes you really have to see the sarcasm in life in order for it to make any sense at all...




PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.

8 comments:

  1. Hello Sondra,
    The gas prices here are higher, last time we bought it at 4.37 a gallon. Great captures of the birds, love the Hawk chased by the Grackle and the Osprey with the fish. The Cliff Swallows are seen at our local dam too, they are so cute. I saw a squirrel hanging on my Hummingbird feeder, I had to move the feeder to a different location. Darn squirrels! Take care, have a great day and a happy weekend!

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    1. Hi Eileen, thank you for the visit and comment...yes I moved my feeder to every location possible. I just put it back up with no bee guards and no perches the hummers have been gone this week I guess due to the cold front we had all week but one was back yesterday. The squirrels ate all the blooms off my 5 rose bushes so that started the Battle...I know I won't win the war as this happens every year. Enjoy the weekend!

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  2. MY an earth quake! They say we get them here but how can you tell when they are blasting away at the Santa Rita Mountains which is home to the mountain lion and other wild life that are nearing 0 populations in our area GRR of course they told us they would not be able to mine this beautiful mountain area. Liars all of them. I hope the tree isn't tall enough that if it falls it won't damage the house. These gas prices are a real killer for many of us.
    I am having trouble with Gila woodpeckers breaking off the yellow flowers also and draining the feeders. I tried putting water around but no they want the sugar water, which they spill everywhere because if their weight. Oh well seems like today is rant day lol
    Hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. Hi Jo, Thats awful about the Mountains, yes the govt and corporations lie to us in order to get at the precious metals they need! I wonder if you got an oriole jelly feeder would the woodpecker go for that....Squirrels will get that and still go for my stuff ...lol they want it all. The tree is not in a place where it could reach the house but I hope it continues to fall one limb at a time!! Enjoy the weekend.

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  3. I use sarcasm in my daily conversation a lot and agree with what you say about it. But I can't seem to write it so it sounds like I want it to -- which would be just like you do it, you know. .... Oh gosh, The frequency of those earthquakes is totally scary --- . Thanks for the great bird pictures especially the one of that fish going for a fantastic last ride --- another thing I can't do is take good flight pictures.

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    1. Hi Sallie, that Osprey was also being chased by a Hawk, he didn't show up in that photo but he was in hot pursuit...I have not been in a good mood with Society for a while....Im tired of the over crowding, development is encroaching on ME now and I used to be out in the boonies, no more! I do believe the inflation is due to run away growth and the constant pressure to have MORE of everything, its depressing.

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  4. Here in the UK our prices for fuel have been rising and still are, in fact prices generally on the rise!

    I always enjoy your posts, and seeing your photographs.
    Sending my good wishes.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Hi Jan, exactly its world wide not just a US problem...Thanks so much for your visit.

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