Baby Birds and More....

No photos of snakes this time....  I did see one snake yesterday.  Not a Black Rat snake, like the other 4 we caught, but a Black Racer.  He/she bolted as soon as it sensed I was within 6' of it and zipped off into the weeds.  He was slimmer, a bit shorter, and his black skin on his back was a deep ebony.  Now get this....  the Black Racer is the official snake of Ohio.  

I wouldn't have known that but my "snake contact" wrote me back when I asked him about having all these snakes at one time.  I used to be really shy and making friends was very difficult for me.  Somewhere along the road of getting older I guess I've gotten over that.  A few years ago I was getting an eye exam here in Athens and somehow the subject of snakes came up.  Seems my opthamologist is also a herpetologist.  Since then I've sent him photos I've taken of snakes in other countries...  or like yesterday, just asked him some snake questions.  It's great to have his help!

Another person I became friends with recently....  I was in Kroger's and my daughter phoned me.  A woman walking by overheard me mention the house in Mexico.  She wandered around waiting for my call to end, then approached me with questions about living in Mexico.  Turns out that while I'd never met her, I know of her husband, who did a lot of photography work for the hospital where I worked.  You might remember that just before we left Mexico I fell and broke the hood and lens cap on my Leica.  Sometimes when you order on-line you just don't get what you really need.  After leaving Kroger's I emailed my new friend and asked her where to go for camera parts/repairs.  She gave me the address of a place in Columbus....  Bill & I drove up this past week...  got a new hood and lens cap.  Didn't have to pay $40 for a Leica brand, but the tech there fitted my camera with a hood and lens cap...  and even a tether so I can't lose it...  all for under $10.  

While I really appreciate Suzie's help, I'm not sure Bill will.....  after talking with the tech a while I kind of fell in love with a Nikon camera that sure would be nice to have.

That's pretty much the gabby part of this blog...  let's get on with the photos...

When we were in Columbus we had to make a stop at the Barnes and Noble...

I don't usually buy hard-bound books, but I just had to have this one...

The author actually lives about 40 miles from here...  she's a writer/author/artist/musician and does a great blog about her birding experiences.  (She's also a speaker at birding conferences and takes folks on birding tours to places like Africa and Costa Rica). I've never met her, but I've been reading her blog for a long time.  I'm just getting started on this book, but already know I love it.

We have our own baby birds here...  No, the robins didn't make it, but I'm sure the bluebirds are busy with their young...  And look what lit on our deck yesterday...

This recently fledged Eastern Phoebe.

It acted like it was surprised to be there...  and it probably was.  I didn't see any siblings, but I do see adult phoebes...  and more often hear them.

My favorite photo yesterday...

This White-breasted Nuthatch has captured one of those dastardly cicadas and will make a nice dinner of it.  Darned insect is nearly as big as the bird!  I wonder if this is a Mama bird and will cram it down a baby's open mouth?  These birds can't keep up with the cicada population, but I'm sure glad to see them try!

Bill's been busy...

Several years ago we had Lazy Daze send us new blinds for our rig.  Never one to waste anything, Bill kept the wooden box (actually, he still had the old blinds stored in the box).  Well, this summer is "clean up and throw away" time.  He took the blinds out of the box and striped them of their metal parts.  The wooden box is now a storage unit above the door of Bill's workshop.  Those yellow things are small bins that hold screws or small parts.  The jars suspended below the box are empty plastic peanut butter jars...  the lids nailed to the wooden box, the jars filled with various parts.  Even the top of the box serves as a shelf for more yellow bins.  He bought the bins at Anderson's for 99c each (before the 10% discount), but other than that, this didn't cost anything.  (We took a load of stuff to the scrap metal place...  got back $27.80)

Bill is still working on the rental, but he gets tired and wants to switch gears now and then, so he spends time organizing his workshop.  We may be here only a week or so (this summer for 3 months) a year, but he wants to find the things he needs to work with.

And...  while he still has some inside stuff in the rental, he started on the outside...

Painting the House...

That's the bathroom window he's painting around.  I'm always amazed at how Bill uses cast-off things.  That window was once a double-pane sliding door.  When we replaced the door in another house, Bill kept it figuring he'd use it some day.  So when we built this house, he turned it on it's side, built a frame and it became a huge window.  The bathroom has a skylight that opens, so there is fresh air available.

I've finally decided to tackle cleaning the carpet and chairs in our motorhome.  We seldom get a chance to vacate the place for a day or so, and now is a great opportunity to get this chore done.

So...  it's back to work....

That's All For Today!