Scattered

My mind has been so scattered lately. The root of it all (I suspect) is something that starts with an M and ends with a PAUSE. I've been forgetting about my favorite memes, so I hope it's not too late to enter them. I read a book called Still Alice recently, recommended by Lisa at Two Bears Farm. It's a fictional account of a 52-year-old with early onset Alzheimer's. While I loved the book, every little instance of forgetfulness makes me paranoid that I have the disease.

What was I saying? SEE?! Oh yeah, the memes. Here are some bird shots taken in my yard and at a nearby park.

Red-bellied woodpecker

Downy woodpecker baby being fed

My first sighting of the Eastern kingbird. Not the best shot, but at least I have a new bird to add to my list.

Loggerhead shrike aka butcher bird

Eurasian collared dove
These birds inhabiting North America are the result of a pet store robbery in the
Bahamas in the 1970s where several escaped. The store owner then released
the rest of the flock—another 50 or so. More interesting facts here.

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As usual, I will be laying low for the weekend. My new computer policy, in addition to quitting Facebook, is to only blog during the week. While I don't post every day, I do still visit my favorite blogs each week day morning (and sometimes evenings). Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Edited to add two more memes I forgot about:

She Who Carries Camera: Garden Party!

Skywatch Friday
Eagle's nest in February

What was I thinking?!

When the sign says you must be in good physical condition to hike at Clark Creek, it actually translates "Must have completed AT LEAST 3 months of boot camp, sanctioned by the U.S. Army".

What a freaking horrible birthday! I won't bore you with the details of Double D's scary driving getting us there AND him passing by several gas stations because they were .02 cents too high even though we were on Double E. Ha! I just realized Double D was on Double E. Anyway, twenty minutes into the hike, after going up one particularly steep incline, I knew deep in my gut that I had made a terrible mistake planning this hike. Possibly a fatal error. :/

At one point I sank down on the gravel path and cried. Double D kept trying to encourage me that I could do it. I envisioned needing an ambulance, but with no cell service so deep in the woods, I feared death was imminent. Good thing I had obeyed the warning on the web site about bringing bottled water, though one bottle each wasn't really enough.

When I returned home I only had 40 shots on my memory card. We heard birds everywhere, but because the trees are so tall and there were so many of them, the birds could not be seen. This is what I managed to get with my camera when my hands and legs weren't shaking. Don't worry about trying to compliment these photos as I know they are not my best. I hesitated putting my name on them and posting them at all.

As I came up a hill I saw these trees. I thought "How pretty!"
It all feel apart after that.

There are six waterfalls on the established trails. We only saw two.
And those two were so pathetic that I had no desire to find the other four. 

One of the few stairwells. More of these would have been helpful to have
something to hold onto. Imagine negotiating 8 extra pounds of camera gear
on the inclines with no railings or steps. BRUTAL.

Ebony jewelwing damselfly

Any idea what type of lizard this is?

Hilary, thank you so much for selecting Battle of the Birds as a Post of the Week! What a huge honor. Thank you, thank you!! Please visit Hilary's blog to see other POTW winners and Hilary's own amazing photography.

On a separate note, I am on a Facebook sabbatical for an undetermined time. It has not enhanced my life in any way. In fact, I either feel depressed after reading all the challenges that people face, or I feel less than adequate as I compare my life to those who seem to be living large. It's not healthy for me, so I hope those who recently befriended me will not take it personally. It's something I've been struggling with for quite some time. I've been on Facebook since 2007, and I've had to remove myself a couple of times for the same reasons.

Walk Like An Egyptian

I have had such a successful birding year already with yet another new species to add to my list: the Egyptian Goose. I was hiking at a newly discovered birding spot in town last week and met a group of ladies on their afternoon walk. They noticed my lens, stopped to talk, then pointed to the geese about 1/4 mile from where we stood. My legs couldn't get me over there fast enough. Luckily, I was able to get within a few feet without spooking them.

I have no idea how they ended up in Baton Rouge, but it was a treat to photograph them. The next day I went back to improve my photos and the geese were nowhere to be found. The clover had been mowed, so maybe they moved on to another feeding area.

**This is a scheduled post. Tomorrow is my birthday, so Double D is taking me hiking at Clark Creek Nature Area in Woodville, MS, about 60 miles from our house. In addition to birding, the area has several nice waterfalls and uncommon trees. Hopefully I will return with some nice photos!**


Further reading about the Egyptian Goose (Abridged excerpts from Wikipedia):
The Egyptian Goose is thought to be closely related to shelducks and their relatives. Native to Africa south of the Sahara and Nile Valley. They were considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians, appearing in much of their art. Because of their popularity as an ornamental bird, escapes are common and small feral populations have become established in Western Europe. Escapees have also bred on occasion in other places, such as Florida and New Zealand. Both sexes are aggressively territorial towards their own species when breeding and frequently pursue intruders in the air, attacking them in aerial "dogfights". They nest in a large variety of situations, especially in holes in mature trees. The female builds the nest from reeds, leaves and grass, and both parents take turns incubating the eggs. Egyptian Geese usually pair for life. Both the male and female care for the offspring until they are old enough to care for themselves.

Battle of the Birds

We have a new arrival at our backyard feeders: the red-bellied woodpecker. And he is quite smitten with the peanut feeder. For the last few days he has successfully fought off every starling that has tried to overtake the coveted feeder. He is a one-man army fighting for his cause. Finally, the starlings put their bird brains together and figured if they double-teamed him, they might be able to take the feeder back. It all came to a head recently and it was really fun to watch. What can I say? I'm easily amused. You can see how Woody is having a nice leisurely lunch at first, then the peaceful meal escalates into a frenzy as the starlings assert their dominance.

Mmmm...nice morsel...

It's so peaceful without those foul and uncouth starlings. Maybe they won't show today.

Spoke too soon! Dagnabit!

Starling: I am the angel of death and this is your warning.

Woody: Back off you brute!

Woody: I will cut you, fool!

Starling: Muah hahaha. We'll see about that. I have friends in high places.

Oh, crap.

Uh oh, I'm surrounded.

I'm outta here!

Woody either realized he was outnumbered or got tired of defending his territory. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that $12.99 bag of peanuts. Well worth the price of admission!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday. :)

Behind The Levee

Some time ago I googled "birding Baton Rouge" and found a place about 20 minutes from my house behind the levee. The write-up said this was private property, a working sand and silt pit, but that the owners were fine with birders as long as permission was obtained. So I emailed the Baton Rouge Audubon Society for the contact information of the property owner and finally called him on Sunday. Turns out he is my 3rd or 4th cousin on my mother's side! He was very nice (of course!) and said to explore to my heart's content. So I did!

One of my first shots was a yellow-billed cuckoo! According to allaboutbirds.org, this is a very secretive bird.
Most people only hear them, so I was elated to get this one and only image.
They eat large insects and some berries and seeds.
They work a caterpillar back and forth between the bill, possibly to remove hairs, before swallowing.
They develop very quickly—17 days from egg laying until fledging.
Both parents build the nest, incubate the eggs, and brood equally during the day. The male takes the night shift.
These birds like open woodlands with clearings, and dense, scrubby vegetation near water.
Listed as endangered in California where development is disrupting the areas in which it likes to live.

A pair of eastern bluebirds

Crimson clover

Red-winged blackbird, female

Great egret

Top of levee

Behind the levee

Peek-a-boo view