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.

Dang it happened Anyway

Today is almost 4th of July you're reading this long past that because my posts are still a while away from real time but Im closing the gap as more and more it's just too hot to enjoy being out.  

Eastern Towhee Female 

A week ago I wore my mask down to a dentist.  The old office where Dr, Mays ,who passed away already, was my dentist my whole life!  My Mom took me there as a child and I just stuck with him.  He always whistled or hummed show tunes while he worked.  I never had an issue with any work he did...I have gold crowns, fillings, root canal, wisdom teeth extracted, he knew his stuff and he had this little trick when he gave you the shot he would wiggle your lip so you were distracted and it didn't hurt so much..,When he retired I just stopped going to dentist.  I only went in an emergency, and that's is how I came to be there last week but now it's a 31 yr old  kid who is the dentist.  A tooth was chipped....so I asked for it to be repaired..

One of my otter friends eating a catfish he captured. 

He drew out the long needle shoved it into my gum and a bolt of lightening rode down my tongue in a red hot flash---> twice<--- both barrels not only did I winch I screamed with my mouth open it sounded more like an exaggerated whimper.  I could almost smell ozone in the air as the lightening left the tip of my tongue and entered the atmosphere.  

Yellow Trumpet Pitcher plant

I told him what I had felt and he told me he may have "touched" the lingual nerve...I think he did way more than touch it..as  here it  is currently 7 days later At the time of writing, but in real time it's been almost a month and very little has changed) and my tongue has no feeling on the right side and my gum where he gave the shot is inflamed and hurts.  I do not have dental insurance so I have not called back I did read up on Lingual Nerve damage, there is NO intervention short of surgery, NO WAY thank you that would probably mean specialists, and even a worse outcome...There is no miracle for nerve damage as we all know!! The article told me give it 8 wks to heal and if not healed in 6 months it's permanent.  

a  spot where I relaxed with my picnic lunch recently

I cut my finger once while working in my Upholstery shop and the nerve was damaged it never completely healed. I got used to it or it healed SOME but it's never going to he fully feeling again.. Now is my tongue gonna be the same?  It's very distracting and it gives me anxiety which I don't need more of...my food does not have a bright good taste and I think my speech is a little off and my mouth is always dry I wonder if my salivary gland is also disrupted?
Beware!! What more can I saw...

After this curve is a new lake for me to explore! I've never driven up to this road in the Refuge, it's Road 1 and this is Lake L, there is another  Pool K up there but I will check it out later.  

Lake L a new one to explore

I have made a little video of my mouth JIC I need to hire a lawyer if it becomes a really big issue, like all my teeth fall out for heaven's sake.  So I wait and see as long as it gets no worse I will be okay but if it does then what?  The way one of the lower teeth feels right now (the one directly above the injection site) is pretty painful!  I was having NO trouble with that tooth until I went to see him...I chose to try the old office instead of brand new Aspen Dental thinking I would get a young inexperienced Dentist there,  and that's exactly what happened.  Most of the dentists in this town don't accept new patients!  They have been in business for years.

This is a very nice woodland lake, and it does not appear to have much visitation. I had the whole place to myself...except for some Osprey nesting nearby.

  Osprey have nested there and have one chick in the nest..

another look at the otters...they actually are aware that I am there they keep a curious eye on me...and they stay low in the water for the most part. 

Play

I haven't told anyone exactly where these 3 are living.  If anyone comes into the area while Im watching them I immediately put my binoculars up to my eyes the other direction so people will not notice the otters the curiosity of people wins out and they try to see what I'm looking at...then they drive past...Most people don't get out they just drive around on the refuge roads. 

 Meanwhile check out my bird bath visitor...actually this is Mom's bird bath...*sigh* she filled it lovingly for decades.  Now I'm using it in my yard...it's a family heirloom. 

This was so cute to watch...and then she browsed on my flowers...
But oh so delicately...

On the way back from town I saw a couple of Turkey Vultures hanging out in the clear cut area...

The area is growing back very quickly and soon it will go thru yet another cycle of grow and cut I may or may NOT be alive to see these trees mature... Realistically I'm  66 in 16 yrs if I'm still around I will be 82!!! So I don't know how you reacted when I say I may or may not see these trees mature....but in all honesty, there is a really good chance I won't.  The other day I heard Gordon Lightfoot's song If You Could Read My Mind and I sang along knew every single word, it was originally released in 1970....1970! Children that was 50 yrs ago...what a tale my thoughts would tell....

The Vulture's a huge bird I've held one before when I worked at the Bird of Prey Rehab center, they are heavier than you think much heavier than a Bald Eagle. 

see ya!

Nearby was this young Red Tailed Hawk,  has been hanging out over looking the vernal pool at the clear cut...actually I saw two maybe nest mates?  

So today I stayed at home not feeling too well and took pain killers for my tooth and plan to nap on the couch in the cool AC.  I did however mow the grass, clip the hedges, and blow off the cement slab, water the plants, and fill the bird feeders and the bird baths! So I got my chores done...now I rest. 

So I know I've shown you one of these before or maybe some stills on the Blue Crabs, but I feel a little crabby today so I will share theses crabs with you...

The Beautiful Blue Crab

                                                                             PLAY

And this very swift Crab, I actually slowed this down by half so you could actually see him he was moving so fast...Im not sure , Ghost Crab maybe

                                                         PLAY

And in real time last evening I went out and viewed the Comet Neowise, OMG you must go out and find it just look for the big dipper, then look down and to the west slightly and you will see it, wait until the sky is dark enough I saw it
10 PM ET.  And the Moon was pretty nice too...

----------------------------

Today Im wondering how it is that all people are not outraged by the action of the President and AG BARR, and his Secret Goon Squad and what they did in Oregon...it is the Right Wing Extremes that accuse the Democrats of not respecting a States Sovereign right...the State of Oregon did NOT ask for any help and did not need any help they were allowing people to exercise their first Amendment right.  IT Is the GOP that is dismantling our civil and constitutional rights to not be bullied by the Federal Govt while we exercise those rights. 

86 45 11 3 2020

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

WoW Great Week!

This week started with a trip to the airport..

To pick up my sis who is visiting! Im so happy to have her here with me.  I have become quite the hermit and it's good for me to have to speak in entire sentences again! Not to mention she is just a  fantastic person to spend time with. 

Monday took sis to the sewage pond so she could get her lifer Surf Scoter...Score for her!  Since we were in the area we checked on the Eagle Chick at the Beaver Dam area...he has Fledged but remains in the nest..parents were still nearby so this is good news we saw him in flight.   

And later that same day we hit Lee State Park, we had sun there...

This beautiful Red-Bellied Woodpecker has such beautiful color..

More White Breasted Nuthatch sightings...and we really enjoyed finding this guy.  

A very still Hermit Thrush always great to see....and we had our FOY Blue Gray Gnatcatchers also...I was not able to photo them...

This is the kind of thing we do together.  Tuesday we hit the county park, and the Wateree River Access.  This is the area where all that flooding had occurred a couple weeks back. 

sis in the pines

the river is back into it's banks and the birds are enjoying the aftermath...

An Eagle snags a fish outta the lake, 

And this was Osprey day as we saw them everywhere we went...this one was not wasting any time eating his catch. 

If you ever wonder what a superman looks like here it is...I don't know this guy but I like him!  He picked up all this Fisherman Crap and he is challenging everyone on his facebook page to do the same! 

My kind of guy!!

And of course we always do the same thing...we both picked up huge bundles of this death trap for birds. 

Bonaparte Gulls enjoying the rivers feast...not much sun in this photo it looks almost like Black n White.

Wednesday we drove south on the dreaded I-95 to Santee NWR for the day and we took a sunny hike to the impound ponds. The nature trail leads to the ponds of the Bluff unit,  we ended up with a 4.7 mile hike, kinda kicked us cause it was nearly 80 and sunny!

...lots of duck out there too faraway  for any decent photos.   We met another birder, Julie she is the # 3 birder for this location (sis and I are tied at #7)They just reopened for the Season May 1.  She shared her scope with us....and I realized later that was not smart due to CV-19...Gee living in this day and age is a whole new ball game.  

sis and Julie way down the road...

We had Ring Neck, Northern Shoveler , American Wigeon,  Green and Blue Wing Teal, Northern Pintail, American Coot, and more. 

In the brushy edges dozens of Song Sparrow perched and teased us along with many other species...like Field Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, Eastern Meadowlark, and in the canals that followed the path Wood Ducks and one Barred Owl called from the woods.  

Finally got my lifer Sedge Wren thanks to our new friend Juile, who told us this corner was good for them and she used a playback and bam, there it was, happened so suddenly I got an awful photo of him...Until I get a better shot this will have to do we did get good looks but only seconds long. 

FOY---Yellow-throated Warbler...been seeing these everywhere we go.

An immature Bald Eagle was stirring up the ducks...

Blue Wing Teal 

imm B. Eagle

Thursday we stopped by one of my favorite AG fields...had various field birds...and then to Goodale park for a walk around heard the Blue Headed Vireo and after we did our grocery run.

Later I didn't feel well...Pollen is here and I  think too much sun the day before.  We postponed a day trip we had planned for Friday and got a later start so I could re-evaluate how I felt..and then around 11 we went up to Liberty Hill WMA to check on that habitat. 

 Nice and easy stand or sit on the bridge and bird both sides...we had the entire place to ourselves, and found 33 species of bird. 

 Now this is the life!

 Nice to see Great Blue Herons Standing up tall on the nest.  Three nests in all...

Also nesting was a pair of Canadians....

 Red Headed Woodpecker coming out of a nest cavity..

We pulled out our picnic lunch on the bridge and enjoyed a sandwich and watched the wildlife go about their day. 

A Red-tailed Hawk, landed nearby...

And later we took a hike and found Wild Turkey and two FOY Black n White Warbler.  

And with a face only a mother could love the Turkey Vulture! 

The Yellow Rumped Warbler ^ and Another Yellow throated Warbler below. One flew down on the ground and I finally got a look at his back, it's just such an amazing bird, the back is grey with the black and white stripes...its gorgeous.

We have had so many great days of being out and about we birded till we dropped...and tomorrow the day trip of today is rescheduled.  Plan is to be out at 7:30 am when the sun is coming up because I can't see to drive in the dark!!  We had a really great week the weather was awesome, and we made the best of it. One thing is missing tho, that's our other sis...WE miss and Love you!!  Hope to see you soon. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.