Saturday Gardening and Puttering Thread, November 14, 2020 [KT]

Would you try this at home?

We heard a bang on our front window & found this little one laying on the deck. I recorded the video clip right after crash when I picked up the bird, a hawk of some sort. It looked in bad shape and I wasn't sure it would make it but after about 20 minutes it recovered enough to fly away. Next time I'll have to remember to wear leather gloves.
PointyHairedBoss

Fall Flowers

Thought about visiting the Atacama desert? It has started blooming again. This is not a yearly event, I guess. Instagram slide show here:

One of the driest deserts on the planet has resumed flowering after three years. We are talking about the fascinating arid desert of Atacama, Chile, considered one of the driest in all of Latin America . Usually, the drought and heat, which usually pushes maximum temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius, does not allow this corner of nature to dress in bright colors, but after the last bloom of 2017, the Atacama has began to re-reveal all its splendor.
Speaking of the extraordinary flowering of the arid Atacama Desert, this natural area of Chile also experienced a particularly cold and snowy season in August, when only a month later, the thousand colors of the flowers were proudly displayed as every 3/4 years.

Puttering

From my friend who has taken up quilting:

Been makin' quilted birthday cards like crazy! We have a lot of family birthdays in October/November. I used gold embroidery floss for the candle flames. The wonderful pattern designed by Sarah @saroy was my inspiration. FYI, she works at NASA and designs quilts. She's amazing!

The Edible Garden

Wee Kreek Farm Girl has grown another exotic plant.

My curry tree, which is currently making seeds. When the seeds get black you can plant them, and you have to plant fresh seeds from what I hear. I have managed to propagate a number of new trees and given them to friends as gifts. You can eat the seeds as well, they have a tiny bit of flesh around the seed and that is what you eat. It tastes a lot like what the curry leaf taste like but more intense. This is a "real" curry plant, not like the ornamental one that they sell. You cook with the leaves, you can fry them in oil and use the oil to start your curry dish but my favorite way is to make a curry leaf pesto. It is delicious and very different. Here is a link if you want to know more about it.

Nice blog post. Short curry leaf pesto recipe is near the end.

Thinking about growing one of these plants? They don't take frost. Here are growing directions from someone who brings hers indoors in the winter. She says you can also put yours in the garage, though it may lose its leaves.

Here is a detailed video from Logee's.

Catalogs and Tomatoes

Gardening (and Home and Garden) catalogs should be arriving soon. You might want to consider Seeds for Autism, where people in the Phoenix area who are on the autism spectrum make hand-crafted items for the on-line home and garden catalog as part of a training program. Michele, an instructor there, sent us the link.

Tomatoes are one reason we look forward to catalogs. We have been asking for recommendations from The Horde.

From Clutch Cargo:

I can definitely say whatever I bought that was supposed to be a beefsteak (at 2 different nurseries) is not on the recommended list. Awful. The worst. Tiny golf ball sized solid seed nasty.
In fact, I got a lot of dogs to grow, probably because when I was buying plants was the peak of the lockdown here in CA. So the proper nurseries were shut down, I had to go to the hardware/nurseries at home despot and ace. Only one pepper plant was correct. Totally blew the cucumbers (any recommendations there?).
I used to love a small hybrid determinate golden tomato, the name escapes me. I haven't seen it for years, but I guess it's been over 20 years since I grew it. Also liked the zebra heirloom, or whatever they call it now. Brandywine is still a favorite, but it seems to be favored by the vermin as well.

And later:

I just remembered the name (I think) it was Husky Hybrid. Medium sized slicer, super meaty and sweet/mild.

dartist:

I read about a tomato variety used for sauce in Calabria called costoluto fiorentino and picked up some seeds from growitalian.com that I'll try along with my usual san marzano's. Great seed site btw.

Sal:

Almost forgot- I loved the Black Krim tomatoes I planted this year. Very, very tasty.

KarlHungus:

I liked my Ashleigh tomato, big, meaty slicer, not a heavy producer but they were quality, thin skin and the first crop of the season was seedless too.

Celebrity was our best tomato the last two years. Most disease resistant, anyway.
Brandywine is a nice heirloom. Definitely not an eating tomato, but great for sauces, cause they're hugeous.

Brandywine is supposed to be an eating tomato. There are several strains . . .

Cumberland Astro:

Good reliable tomatoes that I enjoy every year are Celebrity, Cherokee Purple, and Sweet 100. My "recommend against" are anything with "Beef" in the name (sickly and no production) and anything with "Sun" or "Heat" in the name (zero flavor.)

And Pat* had a great report, too.

Black Krim Tomato

Fragrant Plants and Flowers

Remember Wee Kreek Farm Girl's Carrion Cactus? It is also known as a Giant Toad Flower or Zulu Giant.

She has a follow-up note:

It is all done with the show now and just looking like a normal sort of cactus now, but I know that it will give me another surprise next year. It is pretty easy to propagate, I have started two other cactus from it. They are still too small to bloom but I am sure I will get them there.

Orbea gigantea, formerly known as Stapelia gigantea, is from South Africa, and it has relatives. What a variety of flower forms! Actually, I think a lot of people still prefer to call them Stapelias. "Parts of Stapelia gigantea have been reported to be used by the Zulus as a remedy for hysteria." Wee Kreek Farm Girl may want to remember that. You never know . . .

BigG in San Diego has a very different Stapelia that he got from a cactus grower in Palm Desert. Though you can definitely see the resemblance in the plants. This is Stapelia leendertziae. I am impressed that Robert kept track of the name. Common names include 'Black Bells' and 'Maroon Cup Starfish'. There is a photo of one cut in half at the link. It also comes in a crested plant form that is quite attractive. Haven't seen that form shown with a flower, though.

Here's another one. S. (or O.) variegata:

Plants in this genus are not really cacti, as you may have guessed by the flower forms. They are in the Dogbane family, like milkweeds and those venerable house plants, the Hoyas, which often smell quite good at night when they bloom. One species is said to smell like cinnamon. You might see a family resemblance between some of their flowers or flower buds and the Stapelias above.

Gardens of The Horde

Don in Kansas has an early November report:

December arrived last week and wiped out most of the garden outside. The weather has since reverted back to October, and it turned out that the cold and snow barely touched the California poppies. They started blooming back in the middle of May, over five months ago. After their big display in May and June, and unlike the rest of the hardy annuals which faded out in the summer heat, they kept going and have always had a few blossoms open. Not even the snow and ice a week ago stopped them. There's mild fall weather scheduled for the rest of the week, so there should be color for a little while yet.

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at that g mail dot com place

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 01:01 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Nice birdie.

Posted by: runner at November 14, 2020 01:03 PM (zr5Kq)

2 Gloves are recommended
Good afternoon Greenthumbs

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2020 01:04 PM (9sWOw)

3 Very cool itty bitty falcon. Yes, talons are sharp.

Posted by: clutch cargo at November 14, 2020 01:05 PM (8B6Ng)

4 Picked a couple of hot peppers yet this morning, 1 let still in the greenhouse.
Got a yard of wet leaves but it's not worth doing anything until they dry out.

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2020 01:05 PM (9sWOw)

5 I would have kept him. But then, birds need to fly.

Posted by: runner at November 14, 2020 01:08 PM (zr5Kq)

6 FIRST!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - Office of the President Elect at November 14, 2020 01:08 PM (Zz0t1)

7 What I meant about the Brandywine not being an eating tomato is that our variety does the "cat face" thing.
Big, convoluted folds, so it makes it hard to slice well.

Posted by: MarkY at November 14, 2020 01:08 PM (SK3B4)

8 Juvenile Copper's Hawk, looks like. Nice! I love watching them chase and eat our House Sparrows.

Posted by: lizabth at November 14, 2020 01:08 PM (L3Rsz)

9 We had a bush/tree of some sort in our yard when I was a kid. It grew some dark blue berry on it. It seems that the birds would get high eating them as on more than one occasion, they would fly into the sliding glass door and puke all over it.

Posted by: Sponge - Office of the President Elect at November 14, 2020 01:09 PM (Zz0t1)

10 Cooper's, not Coppers.

Posted by: lizabth at November 14, 2020 01:09 PM (L3Rsz)

11 I have my daughter my sewing machine because setting it up in the rv is a pain. I really miss it because I have some great ideas for some quilts I want to make.

Posted by: Megthered at November 14, 2020 01:09 PM (SM/op)

12 Great Horned Owl talons are much sharper. Scary sharp.

Posted by: klaftern at November 14, 2020 01:10 PM (RuIsu)

13 Would I take a hawk into my house?

First, tell me: At sundown, does it transform into Michelle Pfeiffer?

Posted by: RKae at November 14, 2020 01:10 PM (Y3Zy7)

14 I didn't know hawks ate sparrows. Circle of life.

Posted by: Megthered at November 14, 2020 01:11 PM (SM/op)

15 I have had Broad Wing hawks every year for years in or very near my yard, they love tasty little birds.

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2020 01:13 PM (9sWOw)

16 I've never figured out how flowers can be so fragrant at night. I have an orchid (oncidium hybrid) that smells like chocolate, but only at night. It fades in the morning.

I was staggering around the kitchen one morning and got a strong whiff walking by the plant, went back and stuck my nose in it. Ho lee fook! But it has zero smell in the daytime.

I used to have one of those Stapelias, but didn't know the name and thought it had to be some form of cactus or succulent. I think it died in our great frost of 1992. Very cool. I have a feeling my zone is a bit too cool for it.

My rex begonias are going to town, though. I split one in July, and they've gotten about as big as the original. Kinda fun when the 2 sizes to large pot gets outgrown!

One advantage to my line of work is I go to a lot of homes that are vacant or about to be vacant. Some are 70-90+ years old, and have some interesting succulents or begonias you just don't see anywhere. So, I always have a bag in my car. Snip-snip!

Posted by: clutch cargo at November 14, 2020 01:13 PM (8B6Ng)

17 Haws eat everything. Squirrels , mice, small dogs. One time in spring I saw a hawk flying with something in its claws. When it go closer I realized it was a live squirrel.

Posted by: runner at November 14, 2020 01:14 PM (zr5Kq)

18 I was thinking that is a young Cooper's hawk.
We get mostly the red tiled variety here, but I do see the occasional Cooper.
They keep the mice down, rats, snakes, pigeons etc.
But they will also take a small cat or dog, so be wary.

Posted by: navybrat, at large at November 14, 2020 01:15 PM (w7KSn)

19 red tailed hawk, not red "tiled"
auto cucumber sucks.

Posted by: navybrat, at large at November 14, 2020 01:17 PM (w7KSn)

20 That looks like a Merlin, a medium sized Falcon.

Posted by: Panurge at November 14, 2020 01:20 PM (FvUTR)

21 If only, we had Trump for another 4 years all these animals could be saved. Sad.

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:21 PM (YrC7N)

22 A kestrel! They're such beautiful little hawks.

When I was a kid my dad raised two kestrel chicks that had fallen out of a nest. Their favorite food was little strips of fresh liver. When they got bigger Dad could toss the liver into the air and they'd swoop down after it.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 01:23 PM (XxJt1)

23

Would you try this at home?

I need to get one of those to take care of the mice.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at November 14, 2020 01:24 PM (hjWzb)

24 MarkY at November 14, 2020 01:08 PM
Yes, there can be a lot of catfacing with Brandywine. Hard to get one slice for a 'mater sandwich sometimes. Doesn't do well in our hot climate. Stump of the World is a little smaller and tangier, does better in the heat.

Posted by: KT at November 14, 2020 01:24 PM (BVQ+1)

25 We get hawks in the wooded back yard fairly often. I used to worry about WD, but now I really worry about Fun Size Joe.

Posted by: Weasel at November 14, 2020 01:26 PM (MVjcR)

26 Stump of the World is supposed to be related somehow to the "Stump of Jesse", or Christ. Named by the guy who saved Brandywine. They say.

Posted by: KT at November 14, 2020 01:26 PM (BVQ+1)

27 Why, that's Henry the Chicken Hawk, sworn enemy of Foghorn Leghorn.

Posted by: bill in arkansas at November 14, 2020 01:26 PM (I58tH)

28 Whenever I see a lost dog or kitty poster ala "LOST: Flufkins, small brown and white pupper, please call 867- 5319" I get the urge to post a second sign underneath stating: "Found: large pile of furry brown and white bird crap. Please call Farmer Bob to claim" Am I the baddie?

Posted by: Farmer Bob at November 14, 2020 01:27 PM (7o4Oo)

29 Yeah, birds smack into all sorts of man made objects. I've seen birds hit by cars and fly away.

I picked up one once that was in the road dazed and panting. Allowed me to pick it up as it was so disoriented. I held it in my hand and drove home (not far) and as we got into the drive way, it fluttered around and pooped in my hand then flew to the partially rolled down window and perched for a second then looked at me and chirped and flew away.

Strange.

Did the same with a young squirrel once. Laying dazed in the middle of the road. I only stopped cause as I drove by I thought I saw it twitch. Pulled over, eyes were closed but no damage/blood visible. So I got some gloves (learned my lesson) and picked it up. It immediately clutched my hand so I knew it was still alive. Set it at the bottom of a tree and left it. Gone when I drove back by a few minutes later.

I'm no bleeding heart animal lib or such. Life is the journey to death. Every minute of every day for every living thing.

However since much of what wild animals face these days are hazards put there by humans I feel we have an obligation to assist those in need as the occasion arises. Sort of a Karmic Pay-It-Forward type thing.

I've learned over the years that animals are much smarter than we give them credit for and can communicate. We just don't know the language well or don't try to or ignore the possibility.

Certain critters are on my immediate terminate with extreme prejudice list tho. That means I go out of my way to kill them. No mercy. No quarter.

Posted by: jakee308 at November 14, 2020 01:28 PM (hM3Ud)

30 Trump loves all animals great and small. Look it up, read the book.

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:31 PM (YrC7N)

31 I almost killed a small cricket-looking critter this morning. It was masquerading as a brown recluse spider. I had glimpsed it yesterday but it got away before I could whack it. When I counted the legs this morning I was glad I missed.

I moved him to a plant. He'll be fine.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 01:32 PM (XxJt1)

32 One of the more fascinating things to watch is a hawk, or any other raptor, gliding along on the thermals, looking for prey. I've watched them, and then notice our street gang of squirrels seeming to get the message and retiring for the day. Animals are smarter than a lot of humans when it comes to self preservation.

Posted by: bill in arkansas at November 14, 2020 01:33 PM (I58tH)

33 Certain critters are on my immediate terminate with extreme prejudice list tho. That means I go out of my way to kill them. No mercy. No quarter.

Posted by: jakee308 at November 14, 2020 01:28 PM (h3Ud)
---------------------------------------

Rats both inside and outside the house.

Mice inside.

Bugs & creepy crawlies inside the house.

Posted by: Boots at November 14, 2020 01:33 PM (oGBso)

34 Well, I blew that ID bigtime. Not a kestrel. Missing too many markings. You've settled on red-tailed hawk?

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 01:34 PM (XxJt1)

35 The hawk is a Sharpshin Hawk.

They're colored like a Coopers Hawk but much smaller.

The juvenile Cooper's has a different coloration; mostly brown.

They're accipiters not falcons.

Posted by: Ed Kehm at November 14, 2020 01:35 PM (HkomU)

36 After all, when we die we all go to heaven so no worries.

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:35 PM (YrC7N)

37 Greetings:

There's brown-tailed hawk that shows up in my neighborhood from time to time. The crows go into BLM mode and try to run him (?) off but that doesn't always work.

Last time I saw him (?), he was on top of a peaked roof enjoying his brunch while the murder of crows tried to do their thing. No luck for the latter, though, he stared them off in between bites.

Posted by: 11B40 at November 14, 2020 01:36 PM (evgyj)

38 Beautiful hawk, Great photo. Thanks for taking care of till it could get off on its own.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 14, 2020 01:38 PM (WkPC9)

39 James Harriet, a great series of books he wrote as a vet.

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:39 PM (YrC7N)

40 35
The hawk is a Sharpshin Hawk.

They're colored like a Coopers Hawk but much smaller.

The juvenile Cooper's has a different coloration; mostly brown.

They're accipiters not falcons.

Posted by: Ed Kehm at November 14, 2020 01:35 PM (HkomU)

Thank you. It looks like kestrels are accipiters also. Classifying birds of prey seems like it might get complicated.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 01:40 PM (XxJt1)

41 "No mercy. No quarter." Nice, did you steal it?

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:40 PM (YrC7N)

42 Ah say, Ah say, boy, that thar is a chicken hawk

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at November 14, 2020 01:42 PM (rJ1YP)

43 lols. i remember

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:43 PM (YrC7N)

44 i was referring to the fog guy.

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:44 PM (YrC7N)

45 Those are really great pictures of the hawk. What's amazing is they were probably taken with an every day phone you carry in your pocket. I was a bit of a photographic nut in high school, in charge of the dark room in graphic arts. Started to gear up a little. Found out later that it's sometimes not the gear, but the operator behind a great picture. Had a Nikon in Vietnam, and some of the best pictures I took were with a Kodak X15.

Posted by: bill in arkansas at November 14, 2020 01:46 PM (I58tH)

46 I would have kept him. But then, birds need to fly.
Posted by: runner
Yeah, reading the CJ Box Joe Pickett series of books. And there is a falconer that is prominent in all the books. I wonder if this little guy/girl is a kestrel?

Posted by: MikeM at November 14, 2020 01:47 PM (3F0Ql)

47 Off Looney Toon sock

How are we doing today, oh green thumbed ones? I am off to the store BBL

McGyver, out (on my motosickle)

Posted by: McGyver at November 14, 2020 01:48 PM (rJ1YP)

48 oh for fucks sake, I have signed copies of CJ Box.

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:49 PM (YrC7N)

49 That's a falcon, yo.

Posted by: Balrog of Morgoth at November 14, 2020 01:51 PM (CLteG)

50 The hawk is a Sharpshin Hawk.
Posted by: Ed Kehm
Ahh...just catching up on comments. I defer to Ed. He sounds like he knows his hawks.

Posted by: MikeM at November 14, 2020 01:51 PM (3F0Ql)

51 3 Very cool itty bitty falcon. Yes, talons are sharp.
Posted by: clutch cargo at November 14, 2020 01:05 PM (8B6Ng)

No shit, Sherlock. You should warned me last week.

Posted by: Zombie Bunny Wabbit what's eternally pissed at November 14, 2020 01:52 PM (9IdCK)

52 Looks like an Accipiter to me -Sharp shinned Hawk or Coopers Hawk. Wings on Kestrel are much more pointed.
A man I work with was getting his hair cut last weekend said a small black bird flew into the shop and was quickly followed by Sharp shinned Hawk. The small black bird hid behind the shampoo.
The hawk tried to escape and quickly crashed into front window, knocking itself out. Every hair stylist was hysterical including one man. The small bird tried to escape and also crashed into the window. The only calm person was the man from my office.
He took both birds outside and they eventually flew away separately. I later helped him id the hawk but I don't know what the small black bird with red dots!? could have been.

Posted by: Glenn John at November 14, 2020 01:55 PM (Ew85I)

53 The US-native accipiters (smallest to largest): Sharp-shinned hawk Cooper's hawk Northern Goshawk
The US-native falcons: Kestrel Merlin Aplomado falcon Prairie falcon Peregrine falcon Gyrfalcon

Posted by: Sula at November 14, 2020 01:55 PM (nnm4d)

54 Poor lil hawk

But yeah those talons will rip you up. I'm glad its okay, at least enough to fly.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 14, 2020 01:56 PM (KZzsI)

55 Hawks and other birds of prey are meat eaters. I wonder in the woke generation of tofu and fake meat approve of such a bird. They hate humans who eat poor little animals.

Posted by: Colin at November 14, 2020 01:56 PM (uCPJA)

56 CJ Box is pretty good. His book series.

Posted by: nic at November 14, 2020 01:57 PM (YrC7N)

57 >25
We get hawks in the wooded back yard fairly often. I used to worry about WD, but now I really worry about Fun Size Joe.

Posted by: Weasel at November 14, 2020 01:26 PM (MVjcR)

Is Fun Size Joe what you call your lower unit?

Posted by: Muad'dib at November 14, 2020 01:57 PM (sjdRT)

58 40 creeper
Kestrels are small falcons. Sharp shinned Hawk is one of the true hawks- Accipiters.

Posted by: Glenn John at November 14, 2020 01:58 PM (Ew85I)

59 Is Fun Size Joe what you call your lower unit?

"no, he calls that his 'manservant'"
--Blackadder

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 14, 2020 01:59 PM (KZzsI)

60 My little herb garden is done for the year, and the marigolds I planted to help keep pests away are finished. I got a bunch of stuff dried and stored away at least.

The drier we got takes about 3 times as long as they claim to dry out herbs, not sure why.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 14, 2020 02:01 PM (KZzsI)

61 And I'm not a gardener, but this thread always has the greatest pictures. Not only do the people garden but they take great photos too. Thanks for your time and effort in putting things together, KT.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 14, 2020 02:02 PM (WkPC9)

62 I'm going with Coopers, especially banging into stuff. They routinely tear through dense forests for their prey and are constantly breaking bones. IIRC the study I read said that most all the adult birds studied showed fractures healed and fractured again because of how they hunt.

Beautiful little fellow. I'm jealous.

Posted by: Moron Robbie's - Keep praying, keep fighting, keep your head up, and keep your flag flying at November 14, 2020 02:02 PM (em09h)

63 On the birder subject, we have had sightings of pileated woodpeckers here in my neighborhood. Very rare in these parts. Black and white with a scarlet head.
Probably the one that got away from nurse...

Posted by: navybrat, at large at November 14, 2020 02:02 PM (w7KSn)

64 It can sometimes be very difficult to distinguish a Cooper's Hawk from a Sharp-shinned Hawk. I'm thinking the hawk is an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, based on a few markings I am and am not seeing. First, a juvenile Sharpie or Cooper's would have yellow eyes and very clear black and white vertical breast striping. Once they get older, the eyes turn red and the breast goes from black vertical stripes to a red barred (horizontal) pattern. Second, those legs are looking pretty..."sharp" (skinny), hence the name. Also, a Cooper's Hawk has a pretty distinct black cap that stops above the eye and meets a grayish nape on the back of the neck. A Sharpie doesn't really have a distinct cap like that. The dark on the top of its head kind of fades at or below the eyes and goes all the way down the back of its neck, with no gray nape. I believe that top photo displays this pattern. Other ways we could tell are by subtle differences in the wing and tail shapes, but it's tough from these photos. Also, behaviors would be a bit different. Cooper's Hawks are a bit bigger and tend to hunt for bigger prey, like dove, quail, and chickens, while a Sharpie is a bit smaller and tends more toward smaller bird-feeder birds. But that's no help, because the person didn't see what it was going after. Cornell's "All About Birds" site has really good photos that allow you to compare species.

Anyway, I might be wrong, but I'm thinking Sharpie. I'm sure I bored everyone to death with all of that, but it's my passion. Thanks for indulging it.

Posted by: North Idaho Birder at November 14, 2020 02:04 PM (f8170)

65 >63
On the birder subject, we have had sightings of pileated woodpeckers
here in my neighborhood. Very rare in these parts. Black and white with a
scarlet head.

Probably the one that got away from nurse...

Posted by: navybrat, at large at November 14, 2020 02:02 PM (w7KSn)

We have tons of those here. They come to our suet feeders on the deck all year long. Size of a small chicken. Sound like an angry monkey when they fly.

Posted by: Muad'dib at November 14, 2020 02:04 PM (sjdRT)

66 Muad'dib come on, you must visit the Gun thread now now and again.

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2020 02:04 PM (9sWOw)

67 Horde,
What are some good seed\gardening cataloges to obtain?
Cheers!

Posted by: Pinochet Air Lines Flt. Attendant at November 14, 2020 02:05 PM (q9+CU)

68 Looks like a Sharpshin. American kestrel is a falcon . Some call em sparrow hawks . They mostly eat mice though.

Posted by: Awkward davies at November 14, 2020 02:06 PM (nnAZk)

69 >66
Muad'dib come on, you must visit the Gun thread now now and again.

Posted by: Skip at November 14, 2020 02:04 PM (9sWOw)

Sometimes there are opportunities in context that you just can't pass up.

Posted by: Muad'dib at November 14, 2020 02:06 PM (sjdRT)

70 Red tailed Hawk is a type of buzzard. Not a true hawk. Americans have mis-named our native vultures as buzzards

Posted by: Glenn John at November 14, 2020 02:06 PM (Ew85I)

71 61 And I'm not a gardener, but this thread always has the greatest pictures. Not only do the people garden but they take great photos too. Thanks for your time and effort in putting things together, KT.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 14, 2020 02:02 PM (WkPC9)

========

It's wonderful, isn't it? The Horde has so many real experts at virtually everything.

Posted by: Zombie Bunny Wabbit what's eternally pissed at November 14, 2020 02:06 PM (9IdCK)

72 Be really careful with those boids.

A buddy of mine was working with Red Tails or something at a Raptor rehabilitation center once. Alone. He had one on his wrist or whatever and that thing just started clamping down. Hard. And wouldn't let go. The way he tells it, it wasn't a pleasant experience. Those claws are sharp.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:06 PM (njAfo)

73 A variant on my name Christopher is "Kester" which I like a lot, but too many associate that with Keister, sadly so I can't really use it. But I used that for the idea behind my company name Kestrel Arts. I have a fondness for kestrels as a result

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 14, 2020 02:08 PM (KZzsI)

74 I have visited the Raptor Center in AK, I think maybe it was in Sitka.
What a place. They had a collection of injured critters you wouldn't believe. All kinds of problems they get into, electrocution, stuck in a fence, hit by aircraft, you name it.
And yes, the handlers all wore huge, thick leather gloves with long arm coverings.

Posted by: navybrat, at large at November 14, 2020 02:09 PM (w7KSn)

75 Old time falconers used rhino hide for a glove. Obvious reasons.

Posted by: Awkward davies at November 14, 2020 02:09 PM (nnAZk)

76 Red eyes are a diagnostic for Coopers hawk if I remember.

He was probably trying to ace a sparrow and smashed into your window that way.

Years ago, the Audobon Society had a "shoot to kill" bounty on those, or something like that. Seems the blue haired birdwatchers were less than enthusiastic about Hawks taking out their beloved Vireos and Indigo buntings. Hm.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:09 PM (njAfo)

77 70 Red tailed Hawk is a type of buzzard. Not a true hawk. Americans have mis-named our native vultures as buzzards
Posted by: Glenn John at November 14, 2020 02:06 PM (Ew85I)

I never knew that. The Horse is a fount of knowledge.

Posted by: Michael the Texan at November 14, 2020 02:10 PM (9IdCK)

78 A variant on my name Christopher is "Kester" which I like a lot, but too many associate that with Keister, sadly so I can't really use it. But I used that for the idea behind my company name Kestrel Arts. I have a fondness for kestrels as a result
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 14, 2020 02:08 PM (KZzsI)
------
Now we need to reread the chapter in "The Sword in the Stone" where Merlyn transforms Wart into a goshawk and he spends the night talking to the other raptors in the mews.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, USS Sea Chump at November 14, 2020 02:10 PM (cbWe1)

79 I love y'all

Be kind.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:11 PM (U2p+3)

80 Buzzards are often mistaken for Hawks.

Red Tailed hawks are ... hawks.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:12 PM (njAfo)

81
Anyway, I might be wrong, but I'm thinking Sharpie. I'm sure I bored everyone to death with all of that, but it's my passion. Thanks for indulging it.
Posted by: North Idaho Birder at November 14, 2020 02:04 PM (f8170)

-

(tips hat to the expert)

May I recomend The Goshawk by T.H. White if you never have? True fun and frivolous non-fiction/adventure of a 1940s or so man who is interested in birds using medieval texts and techniques to attempt to train his first, which happens to be the most bull-headed he could choose.

White is my favorite author so I'm biased, but I really do think it's an interesting book. You'll either think he's great for doing it or a fool for the same reason.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - anyone ever figure out who owns Dominion? at November 14, 2020 02:13 PM (CM8Oa)

82 Red tailed Hawk is a type of buzzard.

--

You're thinking of wolves I think. Red wolves aren't real wolves.

They're not buteos, either.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - anyone ever figure out who owns Dominion? at November 14, 2020 02:14 PM (CM8Oa)

83 Pinochet Air Lines Flt. Attendant at November 14, 2020 02:05 PM

Beginner or advanced catalogs? Region?

Posted by: KT at November 14, 2020 02:14 PM (BVQ+1)

84 We have a pair of bald eagles that nest in a big doug fir tree in the woods behind me.

We see loads of red tailed hawks as well.

You can always tell when a raptor is flying about. The crows go batshit crazy.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:15 PM (U2p+3)

85 There's a great raptor center near Charlotte, NC as well.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - anyone ever figure out who owns Dominion? at November 14, 2020 02:15 PM (CM8Oa)

86 I love birds of prey. Arctic falcon is the coolest bird to ever wear feathers.

Posted by: Awkward davies at November 14, 2020 02:15 PM (nnAZk)

87 Buzzards are good diagnostic for "Has Spring Arrived?"

They need thermals to glide. Robins are dumb as a post, at least as determining when Spring is here.

Pileated are cool, that's what Woody the Woodpecker is modeled after, and they sort of sound like him. Very distinctive.

The holes they bore in dead trees are roughly square or rectangular, not round. Another way to tell if they are in the area.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:16 PM (njAfo)

88 You can always tell when a raptor is flying about. The crows go batshit crazy.

-

I've gotten to where I enjoy crows just as much as hawks.

Clever, fascinating birds there. The bored teenagers of nature.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - anyone ever figure out who owns Dominion? at November 14, 2020 02:16 PM (CM8Oa)

89 May I recomend The Goshawk by T.H. White

Posted by: Moron Robbi
----
About the only thing I like as much as birds is history, so this sounds right up my alley. I will add it to my book list, thanks for the tip!

Posted by: North Idaho Birder at November 14, 2020 02:17 PM (f8170)

90 Sharp shinned and Coopers are similar, and size wise it looks like a Sharpie.

But I thought red eyes was diagnostic?

Unless lots of bong hits or something.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:18 PM (njAfo)

91 but I'm thinking Sharpie. I'm sure I bored everyone to death with all of that, but it's my passion.
Posted by: North Idaho Birder
Nope, very appreciative of the input. The falconer in the CJ Box series, Nate Romanowsky, ex special forces, cool guy, he wears a welders glove to protect himself. He appreciates kestrels, but they are beginner birds for a falconer. He prefers some of the larger, including goshawk, peregrine, etc.

Posted by: MikeM at November 14, 2020 02:21 PM (3F0Ql)

92 Everyone must see this painting of the Lincoln Project's gang of NeverTrump fuckheads, dressed like a cowboy posse in front of the Lincoln Memorial:

https://tinyurl.com/NeverTrump-Gangstah-Pussies

I may never stop laughing. Ever.

Posted by: Sharkman at November 14, 2020 02:21 PM (1YlHz)

93 But I thought red eyes was diagnostic?
Posted by: Common Tater
---
Both have red eyes as adults. But I did notice just now that a Sharpie has a yellow ring around its eye and the Cooper's has a black ring around it. In the top photo here you can get a good look at the yellow ring.

Posted by: North Idaho Birder at November 14, 2020 02:24 PM (f8170)

94 Hang in there, nurse. Remember...nothing ever stays the same. This, too, shall change.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 02:25 PM (XxJt1)

95 Thanks creeper.

Blessings to you.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:26 PM (U2p+3)

96 Okay I looked it up -the rest of the world knows what a buzzard is. In USA vultures are mis named as buzzards. Kind of like how the guys in my office call a heron or egret a crane. Just because you call it a crane doesn't mean it is a crane.

Posted by: Glenn John at November 14, 2020 02:26 PM (Ew85I)

97 Yeah, Nevermind that yellow ring stuff. I think that might just be maturity stages. I'll quit now

Posted by: North Idaho Birder at November 14, 2020 02:27 PM (f8170)

98 A lot of hard core hunters are avid and very knowledgeable bird watchers. Don't tell the urban greenies .They might try to communicate with us .

Posted by: Awkward davies at November 14, 2020 02:27 PM (nnAZk)

99 lot of hard core hunters are avid and very knowledgeable bird watchers

-

(fistbump)

Posted by: Undercover Brother is the third monkey at November 14, 2020 02:31 PM (zgDNV)

100 I'd love to hang out in a deer stand.

Quiet all day. Watch the world go by. Ears and eyes open.

Don't know if I could kill Bambi though.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:32 PM (U2p+3)

101 Good hunters will always be a keen observer of the natural world I guess. And it comes with the territory.

Conservation organizations and Forest Service and natural resources were always better served with normal human beings, instead of the credentialed wack jobs that infest so many today. It is known.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:33 PM (njAfo)

102 Don't know if I could kill Bambi though.
Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:32 PM (U2p+3)

What is worse is not thinning the herd and seeing them starve to death.

Posted by: jsg at November 14, 2020 02:33 PM (oqxo1)

103 I long ago got tired of trying to id all the different birds.
What really killed my chances of becoming a better birder was not enough time and all the different phases of the gulls plumage
also sandpipers were a pain also etc...

Posted by: Glenn John at November 14, 2020 02:33 PM (Ew85I)

104 And you're not shooting Bambi. That is more than a little frowned upon in the hunting community.

Posted by: jsg at November 14, 2020 02:34 PM (oqxo1)

105 There was a type of bird in swampy USA territory, now believed to be extinct. It was called the "Oh My God" bird because that was what everyone who saw it exclaimed.

The Ivory Billed Woodpecker.

Posted by: navybrat, at large at November 14, 2020 02:35 PM (w7KSn)

106 Nurse, I'm a softie too. I love venison though. I don't know that I could shoot Bessie or Wilbur or Foghorn Leghorn either. If I was hungry I bet I'd manage.

Disney ruined a lot of kids. For the record, you only have to shoot Bambi's Dad, iirc. So no worries.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:36 PM (njAfo)

107 The Ivory Billed Woodpecker.
Posted by: navybrat, at large at November 14, 2020 02:35 PM (w7KSn)

Rumors a few years ago of a breeding pair spotted by bird watchers a couple of times IIRC.

Posted by: clutch cargo at November 14, 2020 02:37 PM (8B6Ng)

108 My hunting hit a speed bump for a while after I watched a papa cardinal teaching his little one how to use a bird feeder. He took a seed down to the ground and gave it to his child, and the little fellow fluttered his wings in excitement.

It didn't make me swear it off, but it made me appreciate the magnitude of what I did a little bit more, and I was already near-worshipful and somber in my approach.

Posted by: Undercover Brother is the third monkey at November 14, 2020 02:37 PM (zgDNV)

109 I remember the part in one of the Aubrey/Maturin books where they pull into a Swedish port, short on supplies. The locals fix them up, including a barrel of salted buzzards.

Maturin asks "Do you salt eagles as well?"

"No, they would be intolerably dry that way. Eagles, we brine."

Posted by: President-Elect Rodrigo Borgia at November 14, 2020 02:38 PM (VikfB)

110 When my mom was alive, she and my dad lived in a cabin on Vashon island on the water. They had so much fun in the wintertime identifying all the winter waterfoul.

Merganzers and golden eyes. Buffleheads and cinnamon teals. Scotters and puffers.

They had a book and a pair of field glasses at the table by the window at all times.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:38 PM (U2p+3)

111 > Don't tell the urban greenies .

Most communist "environmentalists" who "love nature" have never been more than fifty feet from a paved surface in their lives.

Posted by: President-Elect Rodrigo Borgia at November 14, 2020 02:40 PM (VikfB)

112 Definitely a Yellow Legged Booby Hawk (or Window Diving Hawk)which is a sub-specie of the Sharp Shinned Hawk and cousin(twice removed) to the Coopers Hawk. The tell is every third white band on a tail feather is oversized.

Posted by: JROD at November 14, 2020 02:41 PM (0jZnq)

113 Deer are basically a pest, truth be told, in many cases.

If their population becomes too large in a given area they degrade the resource almost permanently, and then starve, a lingering horrible death.

Yet another divide between rural and urban.

The NextDoor weenies posted pics of deer in our decidedly not wilderness neighborhood. "They are Beautiful!"

Yeah, and they get frustrated and confused and sometimes crash through sliding glass doors. Now you have a frantic, confused and pissed off deer, whose hooves will fbck you up bad and tear your house up looking for a way out other than the way he just came in. You do not want deer in suburban neighborhoods.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:42 PM (njAfo)

114 In our tiny little area of Canada, almost all of the trees have lost their leaves, two or three weeks early this year.

I'll finish mulching later this week and am done for winter. Yeah...

Posted by: Stateless Infidel at November 14, 2020 02:43 PM (v2c9/)

115 110
When my mom was alive, she and my dad lived in a cabin on Vashon island
on the water. They had so much fun in the wintertime identifying all
the winter waterfoul.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:38 PM (U2p+3)

Nurse, do you know if they lived on Vashon at the same time as Betty MacDonald?

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 02:44 PM (XxJt1)

116 Outdoor gardening has been done for a while here in the Upper One.

I'm considering using the light setup I use to start seeds in the spring to grow some indoor lettuce, though. Should work.

Posted by: President-Elect Rodrigo Borgia at November 14, 2020 02:45 PM (VikfB)

117 Nurse, do you know if they lived on Vashon at the same time as Betty MacDonald?
Posted by: creeper

My grandfather went to grade school on the island in the 1920s.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:48 PM (U2p+3)

118 The Ivory Billed Woodpecker.
Posted by: navybrat, at large at November 14, 2020 02:35 PM (w7KSn)

Rumors a few years ago of a breeding pair spotted by bird watchers a couple of times IIRC.
Posted by: clutch cargo

My mother insisted to her dying day that she spotted one (deep woods OH). She contacted a long time friend, an avid birder, to come out and definitively id it. He could only id it tentatively using whatever methods he applied but told her to NOT, under any circumstances, let word get out unless she wanted 1000's of folks crawling all over the farm and woods.

So she didn't. I'm voting for probably not an ivory.

But what the hell do I know.

Posted by: Tonypete at November 14, 2020 02:49 PM (Rvt88)

119 Its a North American Kestrel. They are safe to hold on a bare hand. Mostly like to eat bugs and other small stuff, but they will eat a nice microwaved day old chick. Dont try that with any other raptors.

Posted by: Asscheeks of Saturn at November 14, 2020 02:50 PM (WSOOJ)

120 My grandfather went to grade school on the island in the 1920s.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:48 PM (U2p+3)

Whoa. He was there before Betty stepped foot on the ferry.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 02:51 PM (XxJt1)

121 I think I had a pair of Red Tail hawks with a little guy next door way up in a tree. Buzzed me a few times but leave me alone now. I get Goshawks too and some smaller bird that rips around. I assumed it was a falcon of some kind. I know something is up when I see a squirrel hugging a branch on his belly.

Posted by: dartist at November 14, 2020 02:52 PM (+ya+t)

122 Asscheeks, I thought it was a kestrel, too. But it's missing the face marks.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 02:52 PM (XxJt1)

123 98 A lot of hard core hunters are avid and very knowledgeable bird watchers. Don't tell the urban greenies .They might try to communicate with us .
Posted by: Awkward davies at November 14, 2020 02:27 PM (nnAZk)

yep.

Some birds are out of season or otherwise illegal to shoot. Others have strict limits of 1 or 2 in your daily bag limit. So yes, a bird hunter needs to know what they are shooting at or you could have a big fine or worse.

It's not tough to know the difference between a protected trumpeter swan and a blue-winged teal, but you'd better pass on that goose if you can't tell the difference between a Canada goose and a Dusky Canadian. Or if you don't know the difference between a mallard, a pintail, a canvasback, or a redhead duck, it will cost you a lot of money, possibly your gun and truck, and you won't be buying another waterfowl license for a long time.

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at November 14, 2020 02:53 PM (sy5kK)

124 Conservation organizations and Forest Service and natural resources were always better served with normal human beings, instead of the credentialed wack jobs that infest so many today. It is known.

Posted by: Common Tater at November 14, 2020 02:33 PM (njAfo)

But think of the sweet pensions those whack jobs get even though they are otherwise unemployable!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar - Your Rulers Have Earned, And Deserve, Different Rules! at November 14, 2020 02:53 PM (2C38g)

125 Booby hawk, of course.

Posted by: banned likes teh birdehs at November 14, 2020 02:54 PM (xEcLb)

126 Creeper.

His father bought the property from
The Indians. My grandfather lived there sometimes year round, sometimes in west seattle until he died. Between him , my uncle and my parents we had a family presence on Vashon for well over a hundred years.

Then dad sold out. Never gave the kids a chance to buy him out.

Sad, but Vashon is now super uber progressive and intolerant of anyone who doesn't follow their very strict opinion of "how things should be."

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:55 PM (U2p+3)

127 Yes!!! Retail therapy to the rescue. I bought a new shower curtain, rug and curtain rings from Macy's. They just arrived and I spent a happy half-hour remodeling the bathroom.

Spending money is so much fun. I wish I had more of it.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 02:55 PM (XxJt1)

128 Executive Order on Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Interference in a United States Election

Issued on: September 12, 2018

Section 2(a) is a kill shot

US can seize all assets from Twitter, YouTube, Gates, Soros, MSM, Deep State etc..

TRUMP caught them all.

Posted by: Kenny James at November 14, 2020 02:59 PM (LI3pN)

129 What are the pros and cons of planting rye grass in the winter while your St. Augustine is dormant?
This would be in the Houston area.

Posted by: redridinghood at November 14, 2020 03:00 PM (NpAcC)

130 Looks like that Tuck is a Cuck after all!

Posted by: GigantorX at November 14, 2020 03:01 PM (ptcJF)

131 Then dad sold out. Never gave the kids a chance to buy him out.

Sad, but Vashon is now super uber progressive and intolerant of
anyone who doesn't follow their very strict opinion of "how things
should be."

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 02:55 PM (U2p+3)

I hear the hurt in you post, nurse, and I don't blame you for being crushed at not being given a chance to keep the property in the family.
Your assessment of Vashon is pretty accurate and probably goes back a lot of years. You've been outnumbered for some time. As for MacDonald, she was hysterically funny in her prime but became tiresome as time went by, though she seemed to fit in perfectly on Vashon. She left the island when she got famous and moved to California, IIRC.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 03:01 PM (XxJt1)

132 Creeper! Nothing beats retail therapy!

Posted by: Jewells45TRUMPWON! at November 14, 2020 03:03 PM (nxdel)

133 Posted by: GigantorX at November 14, 2020 03:01 PM (ptcJF)

just another troll.

JAT.

Hey, I just coined a new phrase! Feel free to use it.

GigantorX is a whiney JAT. I even used it in a sentence.

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at November 14, 2020 03:06 PM (sy5kK)

134 The Masters is unique in all of golf because of the famous grounds it sits on. I've never been there, but it is so beautiful watching it on a good TV. The greens, the trees, and everything manicured with incredible detail. I'm not a golfer, but I usually watch at least some of it every spring.

But this year, without any fans, and delayed until November, it just looks like the pros practicing. It's not their fault of course, but what a let down.

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at November 14, 2020 03:10 PM (sy5kK)

135 LCD,

Quite the contrary. I'm m loving watching the Masters right now. It's somewhat comforting.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 14, 2020 03:13 PM (U2p+3)

136 TRUMP caught them all.

Posted by: Kenny James at November 14, 2020 02:59 PM (LI3pN)

Hawaiian Judge (and the Deep State) say "NO!"

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar - Your Rulers Have Earned, And Deserve, Different Rules! at November 14, 2020 03:20 PM (2C38g)

137 mr. creeper played Augusta once. He said it was so hallowed he felt as though he should say a prayer before every stroke.

Posted by: creeper at November 14, 2020 03:22 PM (XxJt1)

138 We have redtails take prey in the yard. They'll eat the whole damn rabbit or squirrel in one setting and stare you down should you walk out into the yard while they're eating. Big buggers, almost 30" tall.

Posted by: BluesFish at November 14, 2020 03:26 PM (WQZ1O)

139 I second the Sharp-Shinned ID. It's an Accipeter for sure, and Idaho filled in the details as to the differences from a Cooper's Hawk. They are woodland hawks but they've figured out that backyard feeders make for easy pickin'. They have small heads and bills, deep wings, and a long tail shaped like a necktie (squared tip on Sharpie, rounded on Cooper's, but often hard to discern, esp in flight.)

The red-tailed hawk is a Buteo. Buteos are chunky compared to Accipiters, have deep wings, and a broad fan-shaped tail, much shorter in comparison to Accipiters. A full-grown red tail has a 4' wingspan, Cooper's around 24-30", Sharpie up to 24".

Next week we'll discuss how to spot and differentiate between buzzards, eagles, and osprey at a distance...

Posted by: Cowboyneal at November 14, 2020 03:37 PM (U2zo0)

140 To the bird watchers/lovers out there, try Birdsavers (https://www.birdsavers.com/photos/). It's a fantastic design that absolutely works. It's paracord attached to a crossbeam (of any kind) at a scientifically designed spacing and hangs down like bars on a jail. You can purchase theirs or make your own. Very easy to do.

I built mine from white paracord and some 1/2" wood trim. Measure the spacing, mark holes, drill holes, and run lengths of paracord. You can pre-paint the trim/plastic support as well so that it complements your house's paint. Then hang on top of outside windows that produce lots of reflections of the sky.

I tried decals, decoys, windmills, pinwheels, flags, potted plants... nothing worked. This design, however, is pretty much flawless. Yes, you'll notice the paracord hanging down but it isn't too obstrusive. To some people's eyes, it's almost a substitute for "modern, moving art". Nevertheless, it does its job. No bird collisions; no sad burials.

Posted by: AnonyBotymousDrivel at November 14, 2020 03:48 PM (HhXSr)

141 redridinghood: "What are the pros and cons of planting rye grass in the winter while your St. Augustine is dormant?..."

Pro:
Green.
Weed inhibitor due to competition.

Con:
Expense of overseeding.
Expense/timing of prepping St. Augustine.
Grows too much so too much maintenance during "dormant" season.
Competes with St. Augustine.
Looks bad in spring as St. Augustine transitions from dormancy.

Alternative (Fescue):
Pro:
Much more refined and less aggressive.
Less maintenance.
Looks nicer.
Has a chance of remaining alive during summer dormancy.

Con:
Still a bit pricey.
Expense of lawn prep.
Competes with St. Augustine, but not aggressively.

I like a winter lawn but find it to be too cumbersome. If I were to overseed, I'd only do it with Bermuda (which is very tolerant of overseeding) and fescue because it is refined and doesn't have such heavy bursts of growth where mowing every three days is required in the Spring.

Posted by: AnonyBotymousDrivel at November 14, 2020 04:01 PM (HhXSr)

142 CJ Box is pretty good. His book series.
Posted by: nic

Yep

Posted by: JT at November 14, 2020 04:10 PM (arJlL)

143 i often imagine annual rye during dormancy. It gives a great showcase look but will make neighbors uneasy jealous. you never get to put away the lawnmower.
i have always enjoyed my dormancy.
my rules of turf...
cut as high as the mower will allow.
water everyday at 0400 and 1000.
walk on sod barefooted to learn how long to water
i apply pre emergent twice a year. north tx its late jan and late oct.
i fertilize with products from local feed / seed store out in country. the homer despot will twice the $.
i like the 50 # bags of 10-10-10 for $13 and everything, including shrubs and especially trees, get a dose twice a year.
i may throw in a 50 # bag of plus iron in mid summer to really turn on the blue green and drive neighbors wild.
i have had burmuda last 10 years, but before that was Augustine.

-- sorry for lack of formatting but the cherrypi loves to kill me

Posted by: larRo at November 14, 2020 04:39 PM (YZPwu)

144 Clearly a Sharp-shinned Hawk. No face markings: not a Merlin or Kestrel. No head cap, with white eye-brow: not a Cooper's. Red iris with yellow sclera: Sharp-shinned. Banded tail *and* banded wings: Sharp-shinned.
Nice pic of an immature here, before eye change and before breast feathering 'softens', showing tail and wing banding.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sharp-shinned_Hawk/media-browser/408207

And as I was writing, my wife heard something hit the dining room window. Nothing found when I searched and I only scared the chickadees, nuthatches and juncos at the feeders.

Posted by: Dyspeptic Curmudgeon at November 14, 2020 04:41 PM (Kc1Sm)

145 I live in the northern part of Dallas County in TX. 15 years ago there were Loggerhead Shrikes in our neighborhood park.
They are gone now, but now Eastern Bluebirds reside there. I miss the shrikes.

Posted by: Glenn John at November 14, 2020 04:51 PM (Ew85I)

146 I have moved to another town recently where there is a small "lake". Cormorants roost in the Bald Cypress and make the oddest belching sounds at night.

Posted by: Glenn John at November 14, 2020 04:55 PM (Ew85I)

147 From memory, looks a lot like a peregrine falcon.

Posted by: ron n. at November 14, 2020 05:13 PM (om5HK)

148 83
Pinochet Air Lines Flt. Attendant at November 14, 2020 02:05 PM

Beginner or advanced catalogs? Region?

Intermediate - I know the right end of the spade and potato fork- Mid-Atlantic area short of the mountains

Posted by: Pinochet Air Lines Flt. Attendant at November 14, 2020 06:03 PM (q9+CU)

149 128
Executive Order on Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Interference in a United States Election

Issued on: September 12, 2018

Section 2(a) is a kill shot

US can seize all assets from Twitter, YouTube, Gates, Soros, MSM, Deep State etc..

TRUMP caught them all.*****
Pro tip - throw salt upon the spoiled grounds they used to occupy, as a reminder to the future that some actions are repugnant and counter to civil society.

Posted by: Pinochet Air Lines Flt. Attendant at November 14, 2020 06:15 PM (q9+CU)

150 Looks like the sharpies that hang out around our bird feeder. A pair of them nest in our neighborhood and come by looking for a quick lunch of LBJ from time to time. I saw one of them hit a dove mid-air a couple years ago, but it was too small to do the job - the dove picked itself off the ground and flew away. There's also a red-tail in the area that has no problem taking the doves, and periodically leaves neat little piles of grey feathers on the lawn.

Posted by: Pat*'s Hubby at November 14, 2020 07:36 PM (2pX/F)

151 Pinochet Air Lines Flt. Attendant at November 14, 2020 06:03 PM
You could start with Johnny's Selected Seeds and/or Pinetree. Crosman Seeds has old standards, some very good, cheap, but they are not very tech savvy.

There are others. We need to talk about catalogs.

Posted by: KT at November 14, 2020 10:26 PM (BVQ+1)

152 Got a Kindle Fire to do Zoom meetings. The Silk web browser rotates BigG's photos. Tried to fix it. Didn't work.

Weird.

Posted by: KT at November 14, 2020 10:28 PM (BVQ+1)

153 From Idaho's Treasure Valley, Boise area: We've had a few skiffs of overnight snow (but nothing that stuck), and some light rain. It's making it hard to get anything done about the leaves everywhere. We did get one batch of maple leaves sucked up and shredded for future compost - but to do more, we need to build a new cage to hold them. I hope we'll still be able to burn the oak leaves at some point.

I had leftover tulip bulbs, after last week's massive planting project. I got 4 large plastic planter pots, put tulip bulbs in all of them. And I still have tulip bulbs left... Maybe we need to think of a new place to put a tulip bed.

Earlier this week, I got a few more apples off our Golden Delicious, which were visible once more leaves fell.

Today I weeded the 2 raised beds I hadn't finished, and got that job done. Now there's just tomato and watermelon plant cleanup to go - and I'm waiting till they freeze hard.

"Pat*'s Hubby" drilled a hole in the front brickwork's masonry, so we could hang a wreath (once we make one, from the pine tree we're taking apart). My job is to hold the ladder.

He also trimmed some of our trees to help shape them.

I harvested 3 of my onions, for cooking, and for testing what happens if I chop and freeze them. There are still 5 in the ground.

Is it too early to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving? It's been a rough year, no mistake, and we'll have to think hard to find the parts we're thankful for. But I hope each of you out there can find something.
*****
Remember: We are not The Deplorables. We are The Unconquerables! We won't be lied to, and we won't live under the lash.
Stay alert, stay prepared, stay safe out there.
Be ready to build over, build under, build around, if events should turn against us.

Posted by: Pat* at November 14, 2020 10:59 PM (2pX/F)

154 I put a strip of yellow electrical tape across the windows in the back of the house and bird strikes reduced dramatically thereafter.

try it

Posted by: firefirefire at November 15, 2020 12:27 AM (qkdvI)

155 Off the top of me head, a Cooper's or possibly Sharp-shinned hawk. As adults, they can be difficult to distinguish from a distance, with fine differences in size, chest coloration, and tail barring.

Glad it was ok, though. Growing up in central CA, that was a regular occurrence with hummingbird hitting picture windows. They'd cling to outside of the house for a while, then just fly off.

Posted by: Comrade Chairman Obama at November 15, 2020 11:40 AM (t8iGn)

156 We had a hawk (toaster sized, not counting wing span) crash through the screen and into our large screened in porch. He had been there a while when I found him, was frantically trying to find his way out, seemed not to have hurt himself much. I opened both screen doors to the outside and tried to show him the way. Eventually he figured it out and soared back into the woods.

Posted by: Clark at November 15, 2020 12:04 PM (O21Bo)

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