Stuff

Top 10 Incredible Animal Videos: Readers' Choice, Wired, 12-7-08

Lake Superior State University's 2009 List of Banished Words

Top 10 Skeptics of 2008

Top 10 Skeptics Who Kicked Ass in 2008, from Skepchick. Via the Pharyngula blog.

12-27-08 CBC

Saturday, 12-27-08, was my first of three Christmas Bird Counts (I’ll do a couple more next weekend). The weather was good, and the count circle produced what was probably the second highest count in its history. My feet and calves are still sore from tramping around in rubber boots all day. Most of my bird photos from Saturday were blurry, but I still have a few things to share.

Two Socks, 12-27-08

This is Two Socks, who is sweet, soft, happy, and quiet. He lives with O.D., an elderly gentleman who got him from a rescue organization. O.D.’s backyard faces a private lake, and every year, he lets us into his backyard so that we can count the birds on and around the lake. Highlights on the lake included a female Hooded Merganser and a female Red-breasted Merganser. This was our eighth or ninth year counting this area, and it’s the first time we’ve had a Hooded Merganser.

The damp weather has produced some awesome mushrooms.

Some of these white ones were at least four inches tall.
This one has a little collar!

Check out this drippy one – kind of creepy, oooooooh.

How elegant

Some orange ones

What could be cuter than a Ruddy Duck? Nothing!

Soothing Tree Scene

I wonder if this sign works?

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Chester

Chester, 12-25-08

This is Chester, a dog that my husband's parents care for when his person is away. You can tell that he is part hound by his dark saddle and floppy ears. His ears are INCREDIBLY soft, and his paws are huge. He is a sweetheart, and quite handsome, yes?




The Pacific Treefrog is croaking outside of my window -- very nice.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Important Dates in December and January 2008

• December 10th: 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• December 15th: Birthday of the Bill of Rights

• December 21st: The Winter Solstice -- longer, brighter days ahead!

• Christmas Bird Counts
  

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Southwest, Part 2 of 4

On (or near) Bosque del Apache NWR, 11-27-08

Th, 11-27-08

We spent the morning in the lower elevations of the Sandia Mountains looking for an Abert's Squirrel. Sadly, the only one we found was a roadkill.

Next, we searched for the Sungrebe that had been hanging out at at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. We didn’t find it, but there were lots of other beautiful things to see, including birds, the landscape, and the sky.

Here are some photos from Bosque del Apache:

Sandhill Cranes

Northern Pintail and Mallards

The beautiful sky and grasslands

Part 1 of 4 is here.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

A video to lower your blood pressure

Cat rubs his brother's tummy. If you listen carefully, you can hear purring.

Southwest, Part 1 of 4

Black Rosy-Finch, 11-26-08, Sandia Crest

We’re back from a road trip to New Mexico and Arizona. Here is my entry for W, 11-26-08:

Gorgeous sunset east of Flagstaff, AZ on Hwy 40

Sandia Crest is the 10,678-foot high point of the Sandia Mountains, that are located just northeast of Albuquerque, NM. At the feeder on the deck of the Sandia Crest House Gift Shop & Restaurant (it’s at the peak), we saw three species of Rosy-Finches – Brown-capped (a life bird for both of us), Gray-crowned, and Black. It was quite a treat. Rosy-Finches are such charming and beautiful birds. The Rosy-Finches, along with the Steller’s Jays, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and several races of Dark-eyed Juncos were very cooperative and allowed us to observe them from a few feet away. We also saw two Peregrine Falcons harassing a Red-tailed Hawk, and a Raven mobbing a Golden Eagle. Ravens are large, but the Golden Eagle made the Raven look rather small. We met a NM birder a couple of days later, and he said that seeing Peregrines up there is pretty rare.

The following photos are from the Sandia Crest. Many of the birds were banded.

Black Rosy-Finches

Rosy-Finches at the feeder (bottoms up!)

Steller's Jay (banded)

White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

And the view ...

Good night,
Sylvie

P.S. Part 2 of 4 is here.