Give the gift of life

We interrupt the Nature portion of this blog for an important Public Service Announcement:

Give blood - Give the gift of life

I gave blood on Friday, and so did Dave (for the very first time!). I would like to encourage others to consider doing the same, if you are able.

It's a great way to give of yourself. It doesn't cost a dime, only takes a little time, and it gives you a good feeling knowing that you are helping others. And you get free refreshments afterward, like cookies and juice!

Blood is needed every minute of every day. One pint of blood can help save the lives of up to 3 people. More than 38,000 blood donations are needed each day. (See 50 Quick Facts about blood donation for more interesting and helpful information.)

I was inspired to donate blood by my Dad, who is a long-time blood donor. If you're feeling inspired, visit givelife.org to locate a blood drive in your area, or contact your local chapter of the Red Cross. Thank you.

TGIF - squirrel edition

TGIF - 'Tocks Goodness it's Friday! Here are some cute little squirrel 'tocks for you this Friday.

Who can resist this little face?

Party, indeed. Have a good weekend everyone!

SQUIRREL UPDATE!!!!! Last night, a few hours after I finished composing this post, I looked outside on the deck, and found our first flying squirrels of the year! Wow!

You can see my post about flying squirrels from last year here, but here's a sneek peek:

OMG, aren't they the cutest?!

What's Mama Phoebe up to?

Sorry I haven't posted any Phoebe updates lately. Not much going on right now. She's still incubating, so most of the time she just sits on the nest.

However, we did catch some interesting footage of her yesterday. It's not ALL about sitting on the nest.

For example, I notice that she's always very alert while on the nest and is almost always looking around. What is she looking at, I wonder to myself. I got a good idea yesterday. Watch as she tracks a bug.



And here, a would=be meal flies right past her...



In this one, follow her as she leaves the nest and hovers in toward the window on the trail of a bug.



This one shows an incredibly extended bout of hovering. I was really amazed when I saw this. She looks like an overgrown hummingbird!



Last but not least I'll share with you how she sometimes brings her meal with her and finishes it at the nest.



I hope you enjoyed these little peeks into a day in the life of our incubating mama Phoebe. It will still be a while before any eggs hatch. The Cornell site says incubation time is about 16 days, but it's only been 7 days by my calculations. I'll keep you all posted with any mini-updates over in the sidebar.

Floral Friday: Narcissus and Helleborus

This is my first pair of daffodils to bloom this spring...

Here is the Helleborus that I bought just last weekend. The "Ivory Prince" cultivar seems popular around here. It was all they had at the local place where I like to get flowers, and I saw at Lowe's, too.

I added some effects to this one in Picasa. I kept adding "film grain" until it got this textured look. I also de-saturated it a little.


This post of my spring flowers in bloom is dedicated to Meg, Frank and Michelle. Happy spring!

Hocking Hills, destination: Rock House

A few weekends ago Dave and I took a day trip up to the Hocking Hills to visit Rock House, which is, I think, the only "natural feature" within the Hocking Hills that I've never been to. (There are lots of cool natural features to visit in the Hocking Hills: Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, Conkle's Hollow, Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House.)

It's quite an amazing place, to say the least. The color and structure of the rocks blew my mind.

I don't like this picture much because it's blurry and overexposed, but I see Jabba the Hut's face in the rock on the right. Does anyone else see it?

Taken within the rock house. Notice the graffiti (click photo to enlarge). It always disheartens me to see such defacement and disrespect of natural features.

Also from within the rock house. I bet that place is awesome in the summer - we could feel a lovely breeze running in one end and out the other. Nature's own air conditioning!

For any city dwellers, bear with me, but I was excited to see Rock Pigeons there. Not only because I hardly ever see pigeons, but also because I think they're beautiful birds with all their color variations. It was a bonus to see them in their natural habitat! We also heard Phoebes singing among the trees and rocks.

I enjoy the rhythmic cooing of the pigeons, and it was interesting to hear it amplified by the natural curves of the rocks. Before we left, I heard little baby pigeons begging to be fed, but I did not search for the nest.

It wasn't until I zoomed in on some of the pigeon pics that I noticed at least one of the birds was banded. I think others may have been too. It's too bad the pictures aren't more clear and that I can't make out what might be written on the band.

And now we bid you farewell from the Hocking Hills. I'll post more pictures in April after the Shoot the Hills photo competition, if not sooner.

He sings for her

In addition to the increase in woodpeckers that I mentioned in my last post, we have also had an increase in Purple Finches. We do seem to get an influx of these beauties as winter is wrapping up, as they make their way north to their breeding grounds in Canada and the northeast United States.

This past weekend, however, they set a record at my feeders, with 5 stopping in for breakfast on Sunday morning (4 males, 1 female). It was quite wonderful because all of the males were heartily singing.

It might be hard to tell in these photos, but this male is singing his heart out. See how his little throat is all puffed out while he sings?

He sings for her.

Female and male, perched together.

Safe travels, my little friends!