Things that are AWESOME...

[SwampD]

13 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Why?

I was wondering that, too.

[Buffalo Wings]

[Neo]

3 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Why?

Lotsa reasons ... the birds notwithstanding!

9 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

There once was a poster Zamboni

Who scarfed down a giant stromboli

Wish I had a fancy cam.

 

What a vantage point.

[Stoner]

I was hoping we'd crowd source a Zamboni limerick.

My mind went to:

There once was a poster Zamboni

Who scarfed down a giant stomboli

Washed down with a beer

To make his throat clear

Make way for a foot-long cannoli

Eleven is welcome to fix the last line.

[Stoner]

6 minutes ago, Neo said:

Lotsa reasons ... the birds notwithstanding!

What a vantage point.

I am hoping it's not like being in the box above Lincoln's. The squadron chased off two crows from a tree a couple of houses down. I'm thinking there's a nest there, too. My best guess is the crows are going for the babies. To eat, I assume. But I've heard that eagles will invade osprey nests just to wipe out the competition. Birds are pretty nasty.

[Neo]

There once was a poster Zamboni ..

.Posh, and really quite tony.

In and out with a zinger,

Not one to linger ..

Real deal and never a phony.

 

6 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I am hoping it's not like being in the box above Lincoln's. The squadron chased off two crows from a tree a couple of houses down. I'm thinking there's a nest there, too. My best guess is the crows are going for the babies. To eat, I assume. But I've heard that eagles will invade osprey nests just to wipe out the competition. Birds are pretty nasty.

The circle of life ... perspective.

Outstanding “box above the Lincolns” and “squadron”.

Edited May 13, 2019 by Neo

[Stoner]

3 minutes ago, Neo said:

There once was a poster Zamboni ..

.Posh, and really quite tony.

In and out with a zinger,

Not one to linger ..

Real deal and never a phony.

 

The circle of life ... perspective.

Outstanding “box above the Lincolns” and “squadron”.

You probably know this: it's a murder of crows. Fantastic. Just read (not verified): it's a plague of grackles. They are not beloved birds apparently.

[Zamboni]

7 minutes ago, Neo said:

There once was a poster Zamboni ..

.Posh, and really quite tony.

In and out with a zinger,

Not one to linger ..

Real deal and never a phony.

 

The circle of life ... perspective.

Outstanding “box above the Lincolns” and “squadron”.

I’m flattered I’m the subject of such creativity.

I’m quite surprised at the level of ability.

What have I done to deserve the pedestal?

I hope you aren’t suffering from something medical.

Sabrespace posters are a funny bunch.

Most I would gladly join for lunch.

 

 

[shrader]

On 5/11/2019 at 6:52 PM, PASabreFan said:

There's a nest with four baby common grackles in it outside my bedroom window, high up in an arborvitae shrub (tree?). It's so fascinating to watch the goings-on. At first I thought the mother was bringing and taking with her a white ball or stone or even egg when she visited the nest to feed the babies. Then I realized she was only taking it. It's a fecal sac. The babies poop it out almost immediately after being fed and mom carries the crap away to keep the nest clean and also reduce the chance various predators will smell it and invade the nest. Happy Mother's Day!

There are always a couple of grackles hanging out on security shifts, but if there's any sign of trouble — which apparently includes barely cracking a curtain — a whole squadron appears within seconds of the trouble calls. They swoop around, trading positions in surrounding trees, and one even will sit on the gutter above the nest and peer down. It really does take a village to raise these birds.

There are four of them, and they're getting big fast and starting to spread their wings. The nest isn't all that big and is actually exposed to the elements to some extent. It's a miracle really if they make it. The whole shrub was swaying the other day in fairly strong winds.

I don't know what kind of birds we have around our house*, but they take a very similar approach.  They buzz me every time I park and get out of my car.  There will be a group of them circling and one dives down about a foot above my head.  They've even attacked my neighbor's dog.  They don't seem to have as much blood lust this year so far, but instead they're crap machines.  I'd much rather deal with the blood lust.

 

*Seriously, even googling "birds of NC" or "birds of wake county" hasn't helped one bit. Google has helped me to rule out the grackle though, so at least it still has some use.

[#freejame]

10 minutes ago, shrader said:

I don't know what kind of birds we have around our house*, but they take a very similar approach.  They buzz me every time I park and get out of my car.  There will be a group of them circling and one dives down about a foot above my head.  They've even attacked my neighbor's dog.  They don't seem to have as much blood lust this year so far, but instead they're crap machines.  I'd much rather deal with the blood lust.

 

*Seriously, even googling "birds of NC" or "birds of wake county" hasn't helped one bit. Google has helped me to rule out the grackle though, so at least it still has some use.

I’ve found some helpful “birds of NC” websites in the past. I’ll see if I can find them for you later 

[shrader]

7 minutes ago, #freejame said:

I’ve found some helpful “birds of NC” websites in the past. I’ll see if I can find them for you later 

I wish they were as easy to identify as the million cardinals I always see flying around.  My mother-in-law tells my wife that if you see a cardinal, it's a dead family member visiting you.  Clearly she's never spent much time down here.  We'd officially count as haunted if that idea was true.

My personal favorite bird moment down here was a few years ago during election season.  This house by the exit to our neighborhood had a yard sign for a random local race.  One day, a giant hawk was perched on top of that sign.  I took a picture and wanted to dig up the candidate's info and send it to him/her.  You could not make a better election time "America" image than that.

[LTS]

4 hours ago, shrader said:

I don't know what kind of birds we have around our house*, but they take a very similar approach.  They buzz me every time I park and get out of my car.  There will be a group of them circling and one dives down about a foot above my head.  They've even attacked my neighbor's dog.  They don't seem to have as much blood lust this year so far, but instead they're crap machines.  I'd much rather deal with the blood lust.

 

*Seriously, even googling "birds of NC" or "birds of wake county" hasn't helped one bit. Google has helped me to rule out the grackle though, so at least it still has some use.

Most likely Blue Jays.. they are highly aggressive around a nesting area.  They'll buzz anything and everything.  Growing up we had a nest in the pine tree in the neighbors yard and we had to run to get into the car before they hit us.  

[ubkev]

30 minutes ago, LTS said:

Most likely Blue Jays.. they are highly aggressive around a nesting area.  They'll buzz anything and everything.  Growing up we had a nest in the pine tree in the neighbors yard and we had to run to get into the car before they hit us.  

Sounds like tennis racket weather.

[shrader]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

Most likely Blue Jays.. they are highly aggressive around a nesting area.  They'll buzz anything and everything.  Growing up we had a nest in the pine tree in the neighbors yard and we had to run to get into the car before they hit us.  

A relative maybe.  There isn't a spec of blue anywhere on these birds and google is telling me that female blue jays are still blue.  Mine are gray/black and white.  I see them sitting on my gutters a lot, so I'll try to take a picture sometime to help me figure this out.

[5th line wingnutt]

7 hours ago, shrader said:

I don't know what kind of birds we have around our house*, but they take a very similar approach.  They buzz me every time I park and get out of my car.  There will be a group of them circling and one dives down about a foot above my head.  They've even attacked my neighbor's dog.  They don't seem to have as much blood lust this year so far, but instead they're crap machines.  I'd much rather deal with the blood lust.

 

*Seriously, even googling "birds of NC" or "birds of wake county" hasn't helped one bit. Google has helped me to rule out the grackle though, so at least it still has some use.

Mocking bird?; Cornell ornithology website is good.

[Stoner]

@shrader put on a helmet and take a pic.

[Weave]

4 hours ago, shrader said:

A relative maybe.  There isn't a spec of blue anywhere on these birds and google is telling me that female blue jays are still blue.  Mine are gray/black and white.  I see them sitting on my gutters a lot, so I'll try to take a picture sometime to help me figure this out.

 

2 hours ago, 5th line wingnutt said:

Mocking bird?; Cornell ornithology website is good.

Mocking bird sounds right.  And they can be pretty territorial too.

[North Buffalo]

Yes mocking bird sounds right... there was a hedge on 15th street in DC that had a nesting pair that would dive at people walking down the sidewalk.  People would watch the show as unsuspecting passer bys would get attacked.  Even made the Washington Post with a photograph of one in a full dive of an unsuspecting pedestrian. Will never forget that photo.

[North Buffalo]

https://images.app.goo.gl/n1M6tGCnY5nWqo4V9

like this one

[Ogre]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

 

Mocking bird sounds right.  And they can be pretty territorial too.

Years ago I paddled my kayak a little too close to a nesting osprey on Little Tupper Lake. We had quite a duel. I think I got close enough with my paddle on the fourth dive bomb to call a truce. Memorable day.

[Eleven]

4 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

@shrader put on a helmet and take a pic.

F that, get a net and make a stew.

[shrader]

I think we may have a winner.

[LTS]

3 hours ago, shrader said:

I think we may have a winner.

The coloring sounds accurate and mockingbirds are pretty nasty too.  

[Stoner]

14 hours ago, Eleven said:

F that, get a net and make a stew.

You'd like snipe-hunting. You'd have to travel into Dirt to do it though. The city snipes are oversized and tough.

[Zamboni]