Marty February 26th, 2008
This weekend started off on a bit of a down note when I found that I could get to sleep Friday night (I didn’t get to sleep until 4 a.m. Friday night). Finally, begrudginly, I got out of bed and went downstairs to do some work, check out Flickr, work - anything that one can do in the middle of the night. But it was a message I got just after 2 a.m. that really put the weekend into perspective. Continue Reading »
Marty February 19th, 2008
Well, after a scare at the end of last week, things took a turn for the better over the weekend. Grandpop was back to his old self (well, at least he was back to having some strength and liveliness), although he did check himself out of the hospital a day early against doctor’s orders. Continue Reading »
Marty February 18th, 2008
I’ve been really wanting to get out birding for a while - a real trip and not a quick run out to a local spot - and on Sunday finally made it up to Sandy Hook where they had been seeing a number of rarities for the area. Unfortunately, the weather and birds didn’t cooperate very well Continue Reading »
Marty February 7th, 2008
We went to an “Owl Prowl” tonight at Palmyra Cove, complete with a introductory session with the ‘demo owls’ as my mother-in-law called them. They had a beautiful red-morph eastern screech owl, a rather aloof Barred Owl and this beautiful western Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus. Continue Reading »
Marty February 3rd, 2008
It was Super Bowl time again, and once again I had a hard time caring about either team who was playing. As a Cowboys fan, it’s really tough to root for the Giants. But I found myself doing so anyway because I dreaded the thought of hearing all of the ‘Greatest Team Ever’, “Tom Brady is God” and “19-0″ b.s. for the next year. If the Patriots win (and it’s 7-3 with 6:13 left in the 3rd quarter now), it will be an endless repetition of how great they are. Continue Reading »
Marty January 30th, 2008
This little female was struggling for some time to get a peanut out of the bottom of the feeder, only to have it break off and fall to the ground just as she was about to get it. But she persevered and ended up getting a trophy nut for herself. Continue Reading »
Marty January 28th, 2008
Well, it took almost a month, but here they are - my future broken resolutions for the year (√ = a stretch goal) Continue Reading »
Marty January 24th, 2008
Marty January 17th, 2008
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) vs.
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
This poor Cooper’s Hawk really didn’t make the proper entrance to Forsythe NWR. Every time we’ve seen him, it’s only a minute or two before one or more Norther Harriers swoop in to give him the ‘what for’. Continue Reading »
Marty January 12th, 2008
Although I had a better year of birding than finding butterflies (they were surprisingly absent for most of the year in NJ), it was still fun to see some new butterflies. Texas provided most of the ‘excitement’, but overall I got my lifelist up to 82, and saw 69 species in 2007 alone (including 24 new ones). I had a better year with Odonata: 32 species of dragonfly (16 new) and 16 damselflies (10 new). My lists for the year:
√ = New species in 2007.
