Green

"It's not enough to just say 'no' to reforms" @TheJLV on why we need schools to uplift our communities:

Walmart and Gap Still Refuse to Sign Bangladesh Workers? Safety Accord #green

For #towelday in honor of author Douglas Adams, we give you @Cmdr_Hadfield wringing out a towel in space.

This week was just not conducive to birding. It started on Monday when Jake came trotting over to me in the yard with his head covered in blood. Always a delight. Thankfully the source was a tiny ear tear that I was able to bandage up. Not thankfully, such tears take awhile to heal and I had to keep his ear wrapped tightly to the side of his head for several days. Jake is nothing if not tolerant of clothing. The things I have gotten this dog to wear really boggle the mind, so a head wrap of gauze didn't faze him. He rarely even batted at it. Yesterday I finally let him run around without it and it seems to have healed. The other reason we didn't bird this week was the weather. It was January all over again- cold and raining heavily and nonstop. But yesterday evening the sun came out so we went for a short walk to check for rainbows...The Osprey nest I have been watching is located on top of those lights but I didn't see any Osprey around. I was only mildly concerned because there was a big track meet going on and really, what Osprey wants to listen to Gangnam Style blaring from the speakers while teenagers run around in circles below?This morning I walked the dogs to various ponds along Airport Way and found lots of good stuff... Young robinOspreyBushtitWestern Wood-PeweeBunny playing peek-a-booYoung Bewick's WrenBullock's OrioleI checked my Osprey nest again and still no Osprey. I swore I saw a head pop up at one point, but I think it was wishful thinking. Oh well. This morning's walk added three new motorless birds so I'm up to 110 for the year! Good times!

A friend and I went back down to the river today with intentions of trying for better shots of a couple of warblers. We really did not give any thought to it being a holiday weekend and absolutely the folks were flooding in. A rather large group came in with about 10 canoes.Too much activity to stay long. We were headed down to find a path down to the river but went too far and lucked up on an area with several Hooded Warblers. Most shots were in too deep shade but I lucked up on a couple of shots in brighter light. I think I will head out late this afternoon to try for some beaver shots. Hopefully I can get a few.

I had too show you this one. It was far away from me, with a lot of cutting, this is it. I'll be back there.....

Meet #GOOD100 honoree @Kirsten_Lodal, telling the story of poverty in American with @LIFTCommunities

Is Houston a Tar Sands ?Sacrifice Zone?? #green

The Great Wisconsin Birdathon, in only its second year, has seen a great increase of teams registered for some er, friendly competition. And that’s great news! Teams of birders all over the state are vying for the distinction of tallying more species in a 24-hour period than any other team. Much thought and planning goes in to these big days of counting, and the teams can choose any one day in May to do their count. Having spent several days scouting the best birding hotspots in the southern half of the state (and this is not a small state!), Eagle Optics’ Team Bird So Hard is in the field today, May 25, doing their darndest.  They started their sojourn just after midnight last night, and will be ending on the shores of Lake Michigan at midnight tonight.  Every minute counts!  You can follow their Facebook updates here. We applaud our team’s effort. These 5 experienced, bird-loving (and slightly crazed) individuals are giving it everything they’ve got!  Go team! Team Bird So Hard has a goal of identifying 200 species today. They will be challenged by many miles in the car, our temperamental spring weather (overcast and 50’s throughout this part of the state), stiff necks, and no doubt, sub-par road food. But our fantastic 5 team members are out there, ears perked, binoculars poised–all senses on high alert as they strive to bring home the honors. Ultimately, it’s all a labor of love, you know. The Great Wisconsin Birdathon is a fabulous means to an end: raising $50,000 to protect Wisconsin’s precious bird habitats. Our team’s mission is to raise at least $3,000 of that amount, and right now, they still have $720 to go.  Please donate! It’s easy to do, online at this link. If you dontae $25 or more, your name will be entered in a drawing for an Eagle Optics Ranger 8×32 Binocular. We thank you! Nina Cheney Eagle Optics Staff Binoculars: Bring them. See what they bring you.

I am not going to go into a lot of detail for this post.  I know that many of you are celebrating this holiday weekend.  Maybe these photos will help brighten your days.  If you are traveling, be safe, drive carefully, and don’t text.   Please remember the holiday for what it is, to remember to thank the people that help keep our country free.  Click on any of the images to see some nice enlargements. “On the Hunt”Great Blue Heron Northern Bobwhite Curve-billed Thrasher Turkey Vulture Bronzed Cowbird