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2003-02-21 - 1:52 p.m. I was awakened by a torrential rainfall this morning. Went out around 9:30 to run a few errands. I hoped to run between the raindrops but got caught in another torrential rainfall when leaving the grocery store. It was worth it though -- bananas 25 cents a pound, Gala and Fuji apples 50 cents a pound. I've filled a huge basket full and still have overflow. Not to worry. Extra bananas will be chopped up for the freezer in bags of three each, just the right size for banana breads or muffins. Extra apples will become sauce. Just had an exciting half hour in the backyard. The Orange-Crowned Warbler is back and chasing to defend the suet and hummingbird feeders. He chased another warbler -- I didn't get the glass on it in time, so I'm not sure if it was a second Orange-Crowned or maybe a Yellow-Rumped -- and he also found time to chase a hummingbird. Yes, that's right, the long drought is broken, and I have a hummingbird. I'm calling it an adult female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, as there wasn't any tail-pumping. Quite a few people have reported over-wintering Ruby-Throats in the area, so it isn't too strange. To add to the excitement, a pair of Carolina Chickadees are investigating the new nest box. I'm not sure if they want it as a nest or just as a roost to get in out of the rain, but one of them went in and out several times before they returned to the oak tree.
Backyard bird list from about, oh, 1:00 -- 1:45 PM:
later Getting any work done is a lost cause. There is too much bird movement going on outside. I wonder what kind of fall-out may be going on at Grande Isle. Lots of White-Throated Sparrow and Red-Winged Blackbirds blowing through, of course. Carolina Chickadee still going in and out of the birdhouse. Both Brown Thrashers feeding together for the first time in weeks. A pair of House Finches, with a male so resplendently raspberry of hue on head and rump that I checked the books to make sure that he wasn't a Purple Finch. The Orange-Crowned Warbler and the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird seemed to have reached a truce, with the hummingbird using the nectar and the warbler using the suet. I have now added American Goldfinch to the yard list -- a very nice male. It seems like this species should have been on my list before, but perhaps I just didn't make a note of it in past years.
Since around 2 PM I've added these new species to the list for today:
later OMG, BF's novel has been favorably reviewed on slashdot.com. Whoo hoo! Quote from the discussion following the review: "Overall, this book has few new ideas, includes a weird ending, and has more offensive titilation that most entire magazine racks. I felt incredibly guilty for reading it. So, naturally, I liked it. 7/10." FYI: In all of human history, only one man has ever photographed an explosive impact on the moon -- Leon Stuart in 1953. JPL has now validated the photo after they discovered a crater in the spot where he observed the impact.
All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2002-2017 by Elaine Radford
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