You guys ever heard that expression, "that's it, I'm going to the garden to eat worms!" Usually said when you're being silly but pouty, OR when it's a day like this one. You'd like to just throw you're hands in the air and say, "what the heck?" Personally, I've always wished that getting up on the wrong side of the bed was actually real. THEN, you could crawl back into bed and get out the other side. Good as new. This is one of those days. Reminded me way too much of 9/11...waking up that morning to the news. This morning, I awakened to the Vegas news, with prickles on my spine. I was looking back and forth between this picture, and my tv. It's a picture of me and a friend, World Trade Center in the background.
I was reading an article about crows on Mental Floss. I found this little fun fact about crows really cool. In Japan, carrion crows (Corvus corone) use cars like oversized kitchen appliances. The birds have learned to take walnuts—a favorite treat—over to road intersections, where they put the hard-shelled snacks down onto the pavement. The crow then waits for a passing vehicle to smash the nut, after which it will swoop down and eat the delicious interior. It's a risky trick, but the crows aren't usually run over because (unlike some people) they've figured out what traffic lights mean. Carrion crows wait until the light turns red before flying down to place the un-cracked nut on the road. The second the light goes green, the crow takes off to watch the nut get run over from afar; it will even wait for the next red to scoop up the nut's insides. This behavior isn't limited to just one corvid species: American crows have been observed doing the same thing in California.
Impressive. Love Corvus. Particularly ravens. Speaking of crows & intelligence, you may also like this article on 'why brain size doesn't correlate with intelligence', & 'why woodpeckers don’t get concussions'.
That was timely, Nathan. We were wondering about the woodpeckers just last week. They are abundant where my son lives. One of them was pecking away on the log house. We called him a bird brain!
My nephew freaked me out by showing me a YouTube video of Barnacle Goslings hatching...and then jumping off a 400ft cliff to get to their parents. They don't all survive, and if that's not bad enough, if they survive the fall they aren't given any time by the rest of the flock to catch up. They just have to hurry up and catch-up. The Gashlycrumb Tinies
Oh, sorry. I think that's supposed to be gaggle of geese, right? I love hummingbirds. Specifically, Ruby-throated hummingbirds(Archilochus colubris)because those are the only kind where I live. I even make my own nectar to put in their feeder. Wish it weren't October. They'll be migrating anytime now. There are such beautiful and awe-inspiring things in nature if we only take the time to look.
Today I realised that I'm now the all-concerned, all-seeing adult. He who stands in anticipation, his stomach in knots, waiting to apply first aid at a moment's notice. Rather than the kid riding his skateboard mindlessly on wet & slippery pavement, who silently wonders why adult onlookers look so concerned. A tell-tail sign of progress, I tell myself.
I was so glad to see Pupper's update! I feel for him on being tired. I'm ok, Mel. By body just decided it hates breathing. I'm now on more steroids than Methuselah has age. New neighbors smoke, so that seems to be triggering the problem. Argh!!