Saturday Gardening and Puttering Thread, Flying High in 2021 [KT]

Actually, I am personally not flying very high today. A lot of 2020 was for the birds, and our power went out yesterday. My brain capacity is about limited to a single theme. So I thought maybe today we could concentrate mostly on birds. The spectacular shot above was taken by By-Tor. More coming later:

Hawks can be hard to identify, because the juvenile versions don't look all that much like the adult versions. I think here I have a mix of adult and juvenile Red-Tailed and Ferrugenous hawks. There are other clues besides coloration- location, prey, behavior, flight.
The location here is a mile or so square field, in a commercial area, with lots of ground squirrels.
Canon EOS D50, Sigma 100-300EX, Canon 70-200L

Do you know what kind of hawk this is?

MarkY and lizabth also sent in some photos of birds this week. And we have some other content from The Horde as well. Lizabth reminds us not to be lunch if we can help it:

Sometimes you're lunch. Sorta how a few of us might feel after 2020.

When I took this shot, the little dangling feet of the mouse were still moving wildly.
Kestrel, America's littlest falcon.
lizabth

An amazing photo.

More hawks, from By-Tor

Music

Die Fledermaus Overture

Die Fledermaus flies at night, so it usually doesn't have to worry about birds of prey.

I had not realized that the action begins in the apartment of the Einsteins

More birds

Hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas and wishing all a Happy New Year.
About 3" of snow here on the 1st. Not much to do but eat and watch the birds.
So, we have a cardinal with a bad hair day, a red-breasted woodpecker with a cardinal flying in, a downy woodpecker,a tufted titmouse, and then some doves.
Also last week, on Saturday morning it was 8 degrees, with a fierce north wind, and I saw something hunkered down below the dam of our small pond. Could not ID till it raised its head to look at a car coming in. Heron. Bad pic, but it's what I got!
Thanks for what you do!
MarkY

Hope I did that right.

Gardens of and Puttering by The Horde

We had lots of puttering in the comments last week. Including some super puttering by AZ deplorable. WOW. Plus Improved Meyer lemons and tomatoes in the garden. Cherokee Purple gets a special mention.

Kindltot would like some tips on the canning lid shortage.

And Kindltot and MarkY discussed wattle row covers. More than one kind.

And this is lovely:

I wasn't able to get this ready in time for the Day After Christmas thread, but maybe you can find a spot for it in next week's thread. It falls into the category of "Puttering", and is a photo of my just-finished 5-panel counted cross stitch Nativity Scene. Though it's missed Christmas, it *would* be in time for Epiphany (January 6). Thanks!
Dr. Mabuse

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 the nic by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ,
unless you want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 01:41 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 First?

Posted by: azjaeger at January 02, 2021 01:43 PM (3/XaG)

2 Its beginning to look alot less like Christmas here
Lights are down, getting packed away

Posted by: Skip at January 02, 2021 01:45 PM (Cxk7w)

3 I can't ever get a good picture of the Broad Wing hawks here, they seem quite camera shy for me.

Posted by: Skip at January 02, 2021 01:46 PM (Cxk7w)

4 was just catching up on the ONT & one of our trolls got willowed. lolz

Posted by: Pikov Andropov at January 02, 2021 01:48 PM (haUGs)

5 Think I will go grab some chicken wire @ the HD; my sister is wanting to make a compost pile but she doesn't have anything to contain it is so the mass builds up and starts to compost.

Posted by: Pikov Andropov at January 02, 2021 01:49 PM (haUGs)

6 If the top side of the hawk's wings were similarly banded, it's a red-shouldered hawk. Too many small bands on underside of tail for a red-tail. Will fetch the Kaufman's bird book and brb...

Posted by: Cowboyneal at January 02, 2021 01:50 PM (U2zo0)

7 Lots of red-tailed hawks & owls in our neighborhood. We are heavily wooded with lots of tree rats for them to feed on.

Posted by: Pikov Andropov at January 02, 2021 01:51 PM (haUGs)

8 Just scoped our the crocus bed.
Nothing yet but it is early still.
It's always my first favorite thing of the year.

Posted by: Diogenes at January 02, 2021 01:53 PM (axyOa)

9 I have stakes on corners of my compost bed and 2 x 4 inch wire fencing on 3 sides.

Posted by: Skip at January 02, 2021 01:56 PM (Cxk7w)

10
Kestrels are badasses ... and they know it.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at January 02, 2021 01:57 PM (pNxlR)

11
5-panel counted cross stitch Nativity Scene. Though it's missed Christmas, it *would* be in time for Epiphany (January 6). Thanks!
Dr. Mabuse[

Wow! That is spectacular!

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at January 02, 2021 02:02 PM (pNxlR)

12 Love the nativity scene! That's a lot of work!

Posted by: Moonbeam at January 02, 2021 02:03 PM (qe5CM)

13 Immature red-shouldered hawk? Found some pics via duckduckgo, and the mature version is unmistakable, esp from below, as the red "cape" is vivid. The mottled breast markings suggest a younger bird... but if someone can suggest the obvious clue I'm missing, I'm all ears.

Posted by: Cowboyneal at January 02, 2021 02:03 PM (U2zo0)

14 Beautiful work, Dr. Mabuse (and a lovely room too).

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Iron Fist in Velvet Glove in Iron Gauntlet Clutching an Iron Mace at January 02, 2021 02:03 PM (Dc2NZ)

15 Guessing top hawk is Coopers. I get really confused because juveniles of one species look like adults of others, then there's the birds that get different breeding plumage - hats off to the folks that memorize that stuff. I take pictures then spend a lot more time trying to figure out what it is.

Posted by: clutch cargo Now 100% Lubricant Free at January 02, 2021 02:03 PM (L8ADy)

16 That is a great action shot w the kestrel.
It's a jungle out there...

Posted by: navybrat, at large at January 02, 2021 02:04 PM (w7KSn)

17 Thanks for all of the bird pics! The heron looks like a black crowned night heron. We used to see a lot of them when kayaking on Lady Bird Lake in Austin.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at January 02, 2021 02:04 PM (fTtFy)

18 Can ivy overwinter? I have a container with ivy in it, and it appears to still be alive, though the underside of some of the leaves has turned reddish-brown.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Iron Fist in Velvet Glove in Iron Gauntlet Clutching an Iron Mace at January 02, 2021 02:04 PM (Dc2NZ)

19 I'm working with houseplants while waiting for spring.

Posted by: Zeera books make great gifts at January 02, 2021 02:04 PM (zUdXR)

20 Last week, we saw two bald eagles flying. Well, Milady saw two, I only caught one as it sailed past. Unmistakable, amazing creatures. There's a bird sanctuary not far away, so we see all kinds of big birds, herons, eagles, hawks, but nothing as impressive as our national symbol.

Makes me feel all patriotic inside just to see 'em. Every time.

Posted by: mindful webworker
Happy Nine Ladies Dancing Day
at January 02, 2021 02:05 PM (xdNUT)

21 Kestrel, America's littlest falcon.

I could have used that falcon this past spring and fall.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at January 02, 2021 02:06 PM (t8ef1)

22 Cool hawk photos. I've got back into the photo game, buying a used nikon df body.

Now to find suitable used lenses for it. Does seem that expensive hobbies are the achillies heel of the horde.

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at January 02, 2021 02:11 PM (QzJWU)

23 The cross stitch Nativity Scene is so impressive, Dr. Mabuse. What a labor of love!

Zeera, what types of houseplants? I'm into the cane begonias.

Posted by: one of the quiet ones at January 02, 2021 02:12 PM (2k7BX)

24 Love watching the Hummingbirds at the feeder I placed in a tree by a window...

Posted by: James "Buster" Hymannd at January 02, 2021 02:12 PM (DZprG)

25 I really need to send in some of my pics. What's funny (as in sad) is there's tons of raptors around me, and yet I never get pics. Some sit in my backyard and taunt me. They do conga lines and do limbos and drinking contests. My camera comes out and they all vanish.

I much prefer BIF (birds in flight) for the challenge as well as the aesthetics. Something about a bird sitting on a branch staring back just isn't as compelling.

As you can see from the pic of the falcon, some of these guys are really small. I'll have some sitting in my backyard and I don't recognize them because they're not much larger than a blue jay or pigeon. My house borders a large open space district, which has pros and cons.

The pic of that heron shows how the birds can turn into a bigfoot with little to no warning.

Posted by: clutch cargo Now 100% Lubricant Free at January 02, 2021 02:13 PM (L8ADy)

26 And that five panel screen is spectacular and beautiful. Kudos to Dr. Mabuse.

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at January 02, 2021 02:13 PM (QzJWU)

27 I bought a shepherd's hook at Home Depot last week to hang a bird feeder off of. I put it, and a feeder in our back yard which has no trees... it's just mostly a field with a few patches that I've let "go back to nature."

I also have a feeder in the front yard which does have a couple trees, where it hangs from.

What's interesting is that Cardinal's will not use the feeder in the front. Same food.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 02, 2021 02:14 PM (3H9h1)

28 Taking the trash to the curb this morning I noticed a bunch of feathers in the driveway. We have multiple red tail hawks in the neighborhood so I'd guess one of them scored a meal.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 02, 2021 02:16 PM (Rvt88)

29 Now to find suitable used lenses for it. Does seem that expensive hobbies are the achillies heel of the horde.

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
Posted by: Jim at January 02, 2021 02:11 PM (QzJWU)

Both Sigma and Tamron are world class these days. Not 8 years ago they were garbage. Today? They both have series of lenses that can hook up to your USB port and be tuned for your specific camera body - THAT was the Achilles heel of 3rd party lenses before. Highly recommend either brand - I gravitate towards Sigma, only because they were slightly ahead of the curve.

Posted by: clutch cargo Now 100% Lubricant Free at January 02, 2021 02:16 PM (L8ADy)

30 I don't know much about birds, but in my small part of Canada, I see Blue Jays and I think, Cardinals for a few days every year.

Our backyard has a ton of trees and they stop there for some reason. Beautiful birds.

Posted by: Stateless Infidel at January 02, 2021 02:16 PM (v2c9/)

31 Hawks are cool ... I've seen them swoop down on my chickens a few times, but they have not harmed them ... yet. A couple bald eagles were soaring over the pond, but didn't seem interested in chickens.

It would be cool to have bald eagles nesting nearby ... some do, most that are here in winter go north. -- Turkey vultures are more regular, lots of them soaring around ... though now I wonder if some go south for winter.

cheers to the growers ... and bird watchers ... we just got a little ice and snow ... need to put out some food for them.

Posted by: illiniwek at January 02, 2021 02:16 PM (Cus5s)

32 Still trying to grow grass from seed, but the birds love to eat it.

Posted by: navybrat, at large at January 02, 2021 02:17 PM (w7KSn)

33 Ivy should survive as it's a perennial

Posted by: Skip at January 02, 2021 02:18 PM (Cxk7w)

34 Love the cardinal with bad hair. I kind of feel like that today.

Posted by: KT at January 02, 2021 02:21 PM (BVQ+1)

35 Thanks, Clutch. Back when I had the f2a system, my bag of lenses were all fast prime nikkor glass.

This time, I'll get a couple of reasonably fast zooms and a speedlight, and call it a day. Used to be that my whole system fit into one large shoulder bag and two halliburton cases if I had to move it all at once.

I don't want to pack heavy like that anymore. But I want more than a camera phone or point and shoot. A former favorite lens though was the tokina 17mm rectilinear wide angle. Better than the nikkor of it's day.

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at January 02, 2021 02:21 PM (QzJWU)

36 Can't promise that I'll bag any raptor pics to send to the gardening thread. But, at least I'll be equipped to try.

One thing I will buy is an adapter to fit the body to that Vortex Razor spotting scope. Wish I could have captured the image I saw of the Jupiter Saturn convergence. Near perfection it was.

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at January 02, 2021 02:24 PM (QzJWU)

37 I'm always on a different schedule. I DONT ever feel like getting the tree and lights up on T-day weekend and I like to leave them up well into, sometimes clear through January. I need the cheering more in Jan than at the end of Nov, early Dec.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at January 02, 2021 02:25 PM (Aashi)

38 Okay, enough gear talk. Didn't want to hijack the gardening thread, but merely mention that I might be now be able to get pics good enough to contribute.

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at January 02, 2021 02:25 PM (QzJWU)

39 Love the beautiful nativity scene, Dr Mabuse. Did you create the pattern yourself or is it available. My granddaughter is into various sewing projects and might be interested in this. (Dr Mabuse changed to Jaguar. Too crazy)

Posted by: AlmostYuman at January 02, 2021 02:26 PM (vKDBq)

40 Beautiful bird pictures. Thanks to all who have such talent for sharing freely.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at January 02, 2021 02:30 PM (Aashi)

41 Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
Posted by: Jim at January 02, 2021 02:21 PM (QzJWU)

Back when I had my studio I was invested in Nikon everything - we had everything from giant animation tables to table-top product stuff. But, we also had an E-6 processor the size of a van and Kodak was down the street for special films.

When I went digital, I went with Canon, for no other reason than they were ahead during the leap-frogging in the early 2k's. That, and the focal length of lenses I was looking at Canon had the edge. Today, you can go with either platform because the 3rd party lenses are impossible to beat for the consumer. Also, there's SO much 3rd party stuff out there in terms of flash/lighting equipment.

Posted by: clutch cargo Now 100% Lubricant Free at January 02, 2021 02:30 PM (L8ADy)

42 Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
Posted by: Jim at January 02, 2021 02:25 PM (QzJWU)

That's what happens when you put up excellent photos and list the gear associated with it!

Posted by: clutch cargo Now 100% Lubricant Free at January 02, 2021 02:31 PM (L8ADy)

43 When I was a kid, all hawks were either Chicken Hawks or Buzzards.
That was & still is the sum-total of my hawk identification prowess.
Except for owls & iggles.

Posted by: ChuckALuck at January 02, 2021 02:32 PM (VjGsQ)

44 Speaking of Nativity displays, did anyone blow up the Vatican's idea of what a nativity scene should not look like.

Posted by: Colin at January 02, 2021 02:32 PM (IGk0O)

45 Good afternoon, Horde.

We've got bald eagles nesting about two blocks away from me along the Olentangy River.

Posted by: Ladyl at January 02, 2021 02:34 PM (TdMsT)

46 Building, not puttering, although it feels about the same. Constructing a 2X4 stud wall in my "Great Room" so I can hang sheetrock on it. Got about 12 feet left to go, one panel eight feet wide, and one a little shy of four feet.

Just got back from a run to Home Despot for 2X4's. Can't fit too many of them in a Studebaker Lark. Using up old scrap wood, where I can, too.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 02, 2021 02:35 PM (mzC78)

47 I could have used that falcon this past spring and fall.
Posted by: TheQuietMan

They are excellent mousers, that's for sure.

Posted by: lizabth at January 02, 2021 02:36 PM (L3Rsz)

48 43: I usually just say "oh look at the cool raptor" We do get some owls. I love them helping the snakes with the mice and taking out some of the pigeons that foul my hay. For me its enough to think "cool owl", or if its at some distance and probably some kind of hawk, 'cool raptor'.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at January 02, 2021 02:36 PM (Aashi)

49 I do need to get some pics of my amazing orchids in bloom right now. I have a bunch more spiking.

If I don't get off of my duff, it's going to be spring and I'll be planting in the same crummy bed. I invested WAY too much time in lousy tomatoes and lousy cucumbers and lousy peppers, so I've GOT to start from seed this year. I don't want a repeat of golf ball sized beefsteaks from 2 different nurseries. Just tells me they ALL buy from the same place.

One advantage I have in my business is many of the homes I shoot are vacant, and many are old. I keep baggies and a sharp knife in my trunk, so I can get clippings of plants that will most likely be pulled up when they raze the place. I just got a bunch of cool and unusual succulents out of a backyard (tiny leafed jade plants), and have started more than a few begonias that you don't see these days.

Posted by: clutch cargo Now 100% Lubricant Free at January 02, 2021 02:37 PM (L8ADy)

50 There used to be camera's showing live video of hawks nest around the country. I see Cornell University has a good setup for red-tailed hawk viewing.

Posted by: Colin at January 02, 2021 02:37 PM (IGk0O)

51 Let's just say that The Horde can do it better, Colin.

Posted by: KT at January 02, 2021 02:37 PM (BVQ+1)

52 37 I'm always on a different schedule. I DONT ever feel like getting the tree and lights up on T-day weekend and I like to leave them up well into, sometimes clear through January. I need the cheering more in Jan than at the end of Nov, early Dec.
Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at January 02, 2021 02:25 PM

Agreed. I kept my tree up until the last week of January last year. Unfortunately, the tree I bought this year drank virtually no water since I put it up. It's a bit of a drooping mess, but I'll still keep it for another week or two.

Posted by: Moonbeam at January 02, 2021 02:37 PM (qe5CM)

53 we have a lot of magpies

Posted by: DB- just DB at January 02, 2021 02:38 PM (iTXRQ)

54 Did you create the pattern yourself or is it available. My granddaughter is into various sewing projects and might be interested in this.
Posted by: AlmostYuman at January 02, 2021 02:26 PM (vKDBq)

I didn't design it myself - apparently the woman who did took 3 years just to create the design! It's sold by Serendipity - look up serendipitydesigns.com and you can find the charts still for sale, along with the frame kit. They're also available on ebay.

Posted by: Dr. Mabuse at January 02, 2021 02:39 PM (YEKLS)

55 I'll be taking the tree down on Epiphany. I need to pick up something to grow, even if it just some paperwhites. The ice and snow are already getting to me. I haven't even gotten a gardening catalog yet, dern it.

Posted by: lizabth at January 02, 2021 02:40 PM (L3Rsz)

56 MarkY's photo of the woodpecker and cardinal is great, too. You have to be patient to take those kinds of photos when it's so cold outdoors.

Posted by: KT at January 02, 2021 02:40 PM (BVQ+1)

57 I esp like Mark's Tufted Titmouse photo. Such great winter birds, and very musical in the woodlands this time of year.

Posted by: lizabth at January 02, 2021 02:42 PM (L3Rsz)

58 Last spring I saw an incredible sight from my back yard. Was watching a bald eagle soaring over the neighborhood. Higher and higher. I almost quit watching as it was getting hard to see. Then it tucked its wings and went screaming across the sky. Damn ! It was amazing.
I think it was just having fun.

Posted by: Diogenes at January 02, 2021 02:42 PM (axyOa)

59 Regarding the canning lids shortage, there is also the old-fashioned method of sealing jars with wax, if one is in extremis. I think you can still buy blocks of paraffin wax, and though I wouldn't use it to seal something like canned vegetables, a thick layer of wax would be good enough for jams or things with high acid content. I had to resort to wax seals for a few jars this fall, when the canning supplies ran out.

Posted by: Dr. Mabuse at January 02, 2021 02:43 PM (YEKLS)

60 Then it tucked its wings and went screaming across the sky. Damn ! It was amazing.
I think it was just having fun.
Posted by: Diogenes

Oh wow..how great is that?!

Posted by: lizabth at January 02, 2021 02:44 PM (L3Rsz)

61 Can't home depot deliver 2.4s?
Posted by: HouseTroll at January 02, 2021 02:36 PM (/lJxa)

Sure they can. But their delivery charge is a flat $70 here, whether it's one 2X4, or a whole lift of sheetrock.

I will bite the bullet and pay them to deliver my order of sheetrock, when the time comes, this coming week. That way, I only have to handle it once, off the pile, and onto the wall or ceiling hoist. Also considering have a drywall pro come in and hang it, with me as his helper.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 02, 2021 02:45 PM (mzC78)

62 Saw my first Bald Eagle in the wild this fall, and of course I wasn't ready for it - by the time I got my phone out and camera on it was long gone.

I seem to have surprised it, it burst out of a tree right in front of me and took off behind me into some more trees.

What an amazing sight, I've only seen bald eagles in zoos, cooped up in cages, large cages but still cages (rescued birds unable to fly).

Regarding perennials surviving outdoors in pots, I think if it gets cold enough to freeze the dirt in the pot solidly, the roots will also freeze and that can damage them - the ice crystals and all damage the delicate tissues.

Thanks to KT for another wonderful gardening/bird thread!!

Posted by: Doctor President-Elect Boots at January 02, 2021 02:45 PM (oGBso)

63 I need to pick up something to grow, even if it just some paperwhites. The ice and snow are already getting to me. I

I get so impatient to start growing things, I tend to start seeds too early, so the plants are overgrown and leggy by the time they can go outside. Some seeds take a long time to germinate and grow, though - try starting strawberries from seed. You have to start them in February, they take forever to germinate and get big enough to separate, so it's something to do while waiting out the weeks until it's time to start regular plants.

Posted by: Dr. Mabuse at January 02, 2021 02:46 PM (YEKLS)

64 Butterfly bushes can be a real pain in the ass.

Damn things just spring up out of the ground everywhere if you start with 1 or 2.

Posted by: jsg at January 02, 2021 02:46 PM (rcmK4)

65 57 I'll be taking the tree down on Epiphany. I need to pick up something to grow, even if it just some paperwhites. The ice and snow are already getting to me. I haven't even gotten a gardening catalog yet, dern it.
Posted by: lizabth at January 02, 2021 02:40 PM

I am in the process of herding my amaryllis bulbs along. I have about eight or nine going at the moment. I staggered their planting, so I have at least one blooming each week. I have hyacinth and tulip bulbs ready to go in a couple of weeks.

Posted by: Moonbeam at January 02, 2021 02:47 PM (qe5CM)

66 navybrat, at large at January 02, 2021 02:17 PM
I have tried sprinkling a little slow-release granular fertilizer over grass seed. I think it helped. Must taste nasty.

Posted by: KT at January 02, 2021 02:47 PM (BVQ+1)

67 try starting strawberries from seed. You have to start them in February, they take forever to germinate and get big enough to separate, so it's something to do while waiting out the weeks until it's time to start regular plants.
Posted by: Dr. Mabuse

That's a great idea..thanks!

Posted by: lizabth at January 02, 2021 02:47 PM (L3Rsz)

68 64 Saw my first Bald Eagle in the wild this fall, and of course I wasn't ready for it - by the time I got my phone out and camera on it was long gone.

I saw one eating something, probably a rabbit, about 20 feet off of the road yesterday afternoon. It looked pretty damn stout and healthy.

Posted by: jsg at January 02, 2021 02:48 PM (rcmK4)

69 60 Last spring I saw an incredible sight from my back yard. Was watching a bald eagle soaring over the neighborhood. Higher and higher. I almost quit watching as it was getting hard to see. Then it tucked its wings and went screaming across the sky. Damn ! It was amazing.
I think it was just having fun.
Posted by: Diogenes

There's a pair of hawks that do the same thing right off the beach from me. They sail upwind, without moving a feather, then abruptly u turn and go screaming by, with the wind so fast it's amazing. Then they tilt one way and do it again. Seems almost effortless.

Posted by: Nurse ratched at January 02, 2021 02:49 PM (U2p+3)

70 Damm... I spotted a vulture in a tree with his wings spread. No leaves, just bare branches. I turned the truck around to take a picture, but he was done sunning himself to kill the bacteria. I thought it was a fitting picture for how I feel.

Posted by: Paladin at January 02, 2021 02:50 PM (A/m8Z)

71 37 I'm always on a different schedule. I DONT ever feel like getting the tree and lights up on T-day weekend and I like to leave them up well into, sometimes clear through January. I need the cheering more in Jan than at the end of Nov, early Dec.
Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at January 02, 2021 02:25 PM (Aashi)
---

I feel the same way. This is the bleak part of winter and I need the twinkly lights more than ever.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Iron Fist in Velvet Glove in Iron Gauntlet Clutching an Iron Mace at January 02, 2021 02:51 PM (Dc2NZ)

72 I staggered their planting, so I have at least one blooming each week. I have hyacinth and tulip bulbs ready to go in a couple of weeks.
Posted by: Moonbeam

That's a great idea, too. I'll have to go find something along these lines once our icy country road thaws a bit.

Posted by: lizabth at January 02, 2021 02:52 PM (L3Rsz)

73 Red-tail hawk 100%. Dark tips on primaries, dark humerus patch on leading edge of wing, and belly band of vertical streaks. Most morphologically variable hawk with lots of flavors. Red tail is the least diagnostic feature. Go figure ...

Posted by: Tango3niner at January 02, 2021 02:54 PM (oLkgE)

74 A hawk story. I was golfing when I came upon a young hawk have a meal (rabbit). I go around the hawk, giving it plenty of space. A few holes later, that same hawk was on the tee box, just hanging out. I walk up and it takes a step or two TOWARDS me and it just sits there, staring. I use my golf club to try to shoo it away (just kind of waved at it). The hawk followed the driver head around with its eyes and just sat there, staring. I finally just tee'd the ball up and hit. The hawk finally flew off to a near by tree and stared at me. I think it was bored.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at January 02, 2021 02:55 PM (NuwyO)

75 Thanks, KT. I'll give a go.
I was thinking of making a quasi scarecrow with monofilament and old CDs fluttering in the breeze. I heard that scares away birds.
Wifey put the kibosh on that idea.

Posted by: navybrat, at large at January 02, 2021 02:56 PM (w7KSn)

76 Red tail is the least diagnostic feature. Go figure
Posted by: Tango3niner

Agree on the Red-tail ID, and very true. The easiest to identify Red-tailed variant I've seen across is Harlan's.

Posted by: lizabth at January 02, 2021 02:56 PM (L3Rsz)

77 That is a beautiful Nativity, Dr. Mabuse. I can't imagine the hours you put into it.

I put a no-waste feeding pile in a bald patch of the yard. The ice layers followed by snow were making it rough on the squirrels.

There is a falcon that picks off birds in the neighbor's yard. It flew through my yard at eye-level when I was on the deck. Too small to get the squirrels, but it sure makes them nervous.

Other than that, my baby brother came for New Year's Day and took his tamper and my nonfunctional snowthrower. Took one look at my shed and promised to come back, measure, and make me overhead shelves to keep the seasonal tools from cluttering it up.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at January 02, 2021 02:57 PM (/+bwe)

78 I have a hawthorn tree right outside my window and I can't remember a single year in the 30 or so I've been here, when I didn't have cardinals. Don't know if it's the berries or something they like near by but they're here off and on throughout the whole year. Kinda cool.

Posted by: dartist at January 02, 2021 02:57 PM (+ya+t)

79 Gorgeous pictures of hawks/falcons and other pictures of birds.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 02, 2021 02:57 PM (VP4Cd)

80 In my area there is a white red-tail hawk. It's not albino; it's like a B&W version of the colorized one. Very weird.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at January 02, 2021 02:59 PM (/+bwe)

81 >>>Kindltot would like some tips on the canning lid shortage.

Reuse them safely, until they stop sealing.

Posted by: flounder, rebel, vulgarian, deplorable, winner at January 02, 2021 03:01 PM (KnJdm)

82 Yes, thank you for the great shots of the different birds. Neighbor and I are gearing up to make some wood duck boxes for the spring. They can be bought on amazon, and they look pretty simple, but a good project to start to get into wood working. He is an expert, so hopefully I will learn.

Posted by: MikeM at January 02, 2021 03:04 PM (np8OD)

83 navybrat, at large at January 02, 2021 02:56 PM
If it's a small area, you can string black thread at walking height (for a bird) over the grass seed, too.

Posted by: KT at January 02, 2021 03:06 PM (BVQ+1)

84 70 64 Saw my first Bald Eagle in the wild this fall, and of course I wasn't ready for it - by the time I got my phone out and camera on it was long gone.

I saw one eating something, probably a rabbit, about 20 feet off of the road yesterday afternoon. It looked pretty damn stout and healthy.
Posted by: jsg at January 02, 2021 02:48 PM (rcmK4)

We are fortunate that they are regulars here. Saw two in the last week. One on a roadkill deer, one in flight in a snow storm.

My favorite around here was some raptor (falcon, hawk?) divebombing a bevy of quail about 20 yards away and then making off with its prey.

Posted by: flounder, rebel, vulgarian, deplorable, winner at January 02, 2021 03:06 PM (KnJdm)

85 From way up there
I usually just say "oh look at the cool raptor" We do get some owls. I love them helping the snakes with the mice and taking out some of the pigeons that foul my hay. For me its enough to think "cool owl", or if its at some distance and probably some kind of hawk, 'cool raptor'.
Posted by: PaleRider
====
I don't recall raptor just being used for dinosaurs until Jurassic Park came out. For birds, they all were either hawks if big, hanging out, or circling, or falcons if smaller or flying in straight, fast lines.
Was this just me and my area, or common.

Posted by: From that time at January 02, 2021 03:08 PM (aAQRl)

86 I haven't spent much time here, so I don't know if this has been a topic for the gardening thread. Bonsai trees. I got an idea to try caring for some Bonsai trees for a Christmas gift suggestion. Now I have three; one juniper, a Moneytree and a Jade. I've been equipped with tools and wire. The journey has begun.

Posted by: sawhorse at January 02, 2021 03:12 PM (ARGoY)

87 We had a leucistic red tail that lived nearby for years. Finally passed away in August. Beautiful bird. If you search for white hawk Westminster ,interesting story.

Posted by: Tango3niner at January 02, 2021 03:14 PM (oLkgE)

88 I am always interested in early aviation, and of course people watched big birds flying and hey, I can do that. Lots of videos of men flapping their arms and wondering why they can't fly. Especially if they made wings of feathers and jumped of high places.

Posted by: Colin at January 02, 2021 03:15 PM (IGk0O)

89 Succulents. Late to answer, sigh

Posted by: Zeera books make great gifts at January 02, 2021 03:16 PM (zUdXR)

90 "red-breasted woodpecker"

It's a Red Bellied Woodpecker. And the last shot is of a Great Blue Heron.

Love them birds!

Posted by: RobertM at January 02, 2021 03:17 PM (qWhQP)

91 Sawhorse, let us know how the Bonsai turn out!

Posted by: Zeera books make great gifts at January 02, 2021 03:17 PM (zUdXR)

92 >>>Kindltot would like some tips on the canning lid shortage.

Amazon has them.

https://tinyurl.com/y8ne7ykr

Posted by: dartist at January 02, 2021 03:21 PM (+ya+t)

93 My mother made lots of jam and always used wax....Of course Amazon has plenty of sellers selling wax of all kinds..

Posted by: Colin at January 02, 2021 03:23 PM (IGk0O)

94 Greetings:

There's a brown-tailed hawk that shows up occasionally out my way. The crows usually gang up and try to drive him (?) off.

Last time I saw him, he was enjoying a mid-day repast
at the apex of a peaked-roof garret while being half-heartedly buzzed.

Score one for the underdog.

Posted by: 11B40 at January 02, 2021 03:27 PM (evgyj)

95 That little hawk sitting on the wire, holding the mouse -- several years back, one of those perched on my mailbox. He stayed for a while.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin -- current occupation: cat furniture at January 02, 2021 03:33 PM (hfuUh)

96 Bonsai trees. I got an idea to try caring for some Bonsai trees for a Christmas gift suggestion. Now I have three; one juniper, a Moneytree and a Jade. I've been equipped with tools and wire. The journey has begun.
Posted by: sawhorse at January 02, 2021 03:12 PM

Sawhorse, let us know how the Bonsai turn out!
Posted by: Zeera books make great gifts at January 02, 2021 03:17

I've wanted to start a few bonsai for years. I finally got motivated to try these, dawn redwoods, from seed. They've just arrived so they're still in the packet, but excited to see how they turn out.

https://tinyurl.com/yb4297w3

Posted by: one of the quiet ones at January 02, 2021 03:34 PM (2k7BX)

97 That little hawk sitting on the wire, holding the mouse -- several years back, one of those perched on my mailbox. He stayed for a while.
Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin -- current occupation: cat furniture at January 02, 2021 03:33 PM (hfuUh)

A couple of years ago I was coming home from work and there was a hawk in my driveway..how you say in the English...pulling the fur off of a squirrel it must have killed. It wouldn't move. I beeped the horn a couple of times and it looked at me like screw you I'm busy. So I drove right at it and it flew off.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at January 02, 2021 03:42 PM (t8ef1)

98 Got 8 light strings all back on their holders, last year didn't bother but will be better next time.

Posted by: Skip at January 02, 2021 04:16 PM (Cxk7w)

99 I am always interested in early aviation, and of
course people watched big birds flying and hey, I can do that. Lots of
videos of men flapping their arms and wondering why they can't fly.
Especially if they made wings of feathers and jumped of high places.

Posted by: Colin at January 02, 2021 03:15 PM (IGk0O)

One of the great moments in 'Chicken Run' is when the chickens build a plane to escape from the chicken farm, and when the great moment comes to set it in motion down the runway, it flaps its wings!

Posted by: Dr. Mabuse at January 02, 2021 04:19 PM (YEKLS)

100 Dr. Mabuse,
The cross-stitched Nativity scene is absolutely beautiful! Lovely, lovely, lovely work!

Posted by: Alli at January 02, 2021 04:22 PM (hwwXw)

101 Thanks! I actually started it about 20 years ago, did the 4 outer panels then lost my nerve because the center one looked so complex and had so much metallic thread. When the lockdowns started, I needed something to keep me busy, so I pulled this out and decided to finish it. Took about 5 months to do the center panel.

Posted by: Dr. Mabuse at January 02, 2021 04:25 PM (YEKLS)

102 It is a remarkable piece, Dr. Mabuse.

Posted by: KT at January 02, 2021 04:31 PM (BVQ+1)

103 RobertM
Right, as you knew.
The feeder hangs outside our office, so I set up the camera on a tripod with a remote, and just click when something interesting shows.
I need a better long range lens, but hate paying up for the camera body I have..
That heron was at 100 yds, freehand, so it shows, eh?

Posted by: MarkY at January 02, 2021 04:31 PM (w4U5A)

104 May be too late to be of any use, but my wife found canning lids on Uline.com. Just checked. No limits.

https://www.uline.com/BL_8192/Ball-Glass-Canning-Jars

Posted by: MarkY at January 02, 2021 04:42 PM (w4U5A)

105 Kestrel with mouse is so beautifully framed. Like an Audubon print!

Posted by: m at January 02, 2021 04:43 PM (GadyI)

106 In regards to the canning lids, for immediate supply I was able to find some wide lids with rings at Walmart about a month ago and they also had a supply of jars, but no boxes of lids only in regular or wide mouth. I have some on order from Lehman's since August. Contacted them a month ago and they said they are expected in March. I am number 629 out of 1200 + orders.

Posted by: Pam at January 02, 2021 04:48 PM (iYkhY)

107 105 Kestrel with mouse is so beautifully framed. Like an Audubon print!

I think that's actually a vole, not a mouse. Too long and plump and tail too short for a mouse. My cat almost caught a vole in our garage a while ago.

Posted by: Pervy Grin at January 02, 2021 05:01 PM (qSYEB)

108 Great photos. We have all those winged critters here in East Texas. Especially the hawks. Extremely capable hunters and the squirrels here are always on high alert.
Wife has video of our resident peacock opening up a big ole can of whoop ass on a young red tail hawk. Thought he killed it. Very violent. My guess is the young hawk buzzed him one too many times. It played dead and finally shook off the ass whoopin and lit in a tree by the pond. Mother Nature and such.

Posted by: TwentytwoLR at January 02, 2021 06:17 PM (ehX5d)

109 Great bird pics. We had lots of robins and flickers in our yard this afternoon. I thought robins indicated springs arrival. It's too soon here in SW Idaho. Still some snow on the ground. But it wouldn't bother me if spring came early. I dislike winter.

Posted by: S.Lynn at January 02, 2021 08:32 PM (nlzHD)

110 From Idaho's Treasure Valley, Boise area: I'm late due to spending all day at ID State Jr. Olympics qualifying event. 4 of our students participating in smallbore and air rifle. They did well.

Not much to say. "Ice fog" last Sunday left trees rimed. Wet week predicted for next week. Got Territorial Seed Co. catalog, only one so far. Made a pot of tiny crocus indoors, looks like 5-6 have sprouted.

Winter 2020 issue of Self-Reliance magazine has article "winter sow for early and hardy seedlings"; we plan on trying this with Romas. Can type it up for next week if KT thinks anyone's interested.

Are we still number-of-characters-limited?
*****
Insert here: my usual encouragement to keep up morale, resist oppressive government, mock gov't officials & media, improve survival skills, and build trustworthy network of allies.

Posted by: Pat* at January 02, 2021 10:43 PM (2pX/F)

111 Kinda hard to tell, but I think the first hawk is a Ferruginous. The yellow lips tell me that.

Don't think any of the others is a Red Shouldered. Not red enough, and not enough of it wrapped totally around.

The Red Tails I'm used to are not so brown. Much grayer, and the undersides of the wings are whiter. But what do I know?

Posted by: FGMike at January 03, 2021 01:46 AM (wmoG9)

112 110 From Idaho's Treasure Valley

Pat, regarding winter sow, I have tried it with perennials and some herbs. My problem is getting them transplanted fast enough. Also I may have winter sown some at the wrong time. When is the right time to winter sow tomatoes? I would be very interested in reading that article if KT approves.

Posted by: hogmartinsmom at January 03, 2021 07:55 AM (S1cYH)

113 Pat*

Some info on winter sowing would be great!

Posted by: KT at January 03, 2021 10:48 AM (BVQ+1)

114 Dr Mabuse

The nativity scene is beautiful. I remember seeing the kit tears ago and now wish I had bought it. Do you remember the brand. Thank you for sharing it.

Posted by: mvwmd at January 03, 2021 03:38 PM (F+prF)

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