Snow Day with Sparrrows

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN WIOB

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN WIOB

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN WIOB

We had a wet snowfall in NYC yesterday (December 9th 2020) and I was able to enjoy it by observing the reactions of a number of House sparrows visiting my garden during the occurance.

A Recent Visit

HOUSE FINCHES HAVE A BACKSTORY IN VOL 1

HOUSE FINCHES HAVE A BACKSTORY IN VOL 1

HOUSE FINCHES HAVE A BACKSTORY IN VOL 1

I have only been able to take a couple of walks in my nearby parks since March (2020) because the coating on my lenses of my prescription lenses has worn off and replacing them is out of my financial reach at this time.

Unfortunately since the coating is damaged, my glassses steam up constantly when I wear  a face-mask and I can't see where I am going which is very frightening.

I have tried many "home remedies" to prevent the steaming but because the issue has to do with the coating, my battle is endless.

Moreover, due to the fact that I fell last January (which resulted in my  breaking my Greater tuberosity), I am feeling vulnerable when it comes to the prospect of falling, SOOOO... I have had to stay at home more than I would like to, and I miss the parks!

Therefore, my spirits were lifted the other day when I discovered that a lone male House finch was spening some of his time perching on the branches of Ailanthus trees in the courtyard (as evidenced in the imagess atop this posting).

Monday's Memo Book (+ "Week-Ender") Bags Featuring "Words In Our Beak" are Available!

It was suggested to me (by a banker) that I create a book bag for my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak. 

Snow Day

Hope NYC peeps are enjoying this snowfall!

It has come before I’ve had a chance to winterize my garden (which I’ll be doing next Wednesday) and it has come on the date that Winter’s Eve (the tree lighting at Dante Park) is scheduled to take place. I feel sorry for the Chinese dancers who are scheduled to perform there.

Last Thursday's Walk in The Park

SHOP FOR MY MANDARIN DUCK RELATED ITEMS ON FAA

This past Thursday (12-20), I had an early afternoon appointment with my GP re a recent medical complication; but beforehand, in the late morning I took a walk with MLT in Central Park, to show her the now famous (at least in NYC) Mandarin duck who can be seen in the image above, swimming in The Pond near Fifth Avenue.

Monday's Memo: DECK THE WALLS!

We are in the season (or will be soon ) of a number of holidays (including Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanza) where gift giving is involved. Photographs that I have taken of the Mandarin duck who has been spending his time in Central Park as well as my kaleidoscopic images when printed on surfaces for wall art make the perfect gift.

Fine Art America (FAA) has the capacity of producing my pictures on an array of surfaces which are perfect for hanging on one's wall. These surfaces include acrylic, canvas, metal, poster-paper, standard-print paper (which is available framed or unframed) as well as wood.

My Mandarin duck collection consists of sixteen different photographs and there are twelve separate images within my kaleidoscopic collection is made; each one comes in an array of sizes to best suit one's wall space.

Today is the perfect time to pick up a few pieces for those near and dear to you because FAA is offering them at a 25% discount up until midnight (EST) tonight, December 3, 2018.

A few samples can be seen in the collage atop this entry, and for more selections as well as pricing info; please visit my FAA pages. Here's the link: https://bit.ly/2PZzVnO

BIG deal, but SHORT notice...

I've JUST received an email from Fine Art America reminding me that the tote bags they produce are being sold at a 25% discount!

Small Business Saturday 2018

Today is Small Business Saturday, and folks in cyberspace are promoting it with hashtags including #ShopSmall or #SmallBusinessSaturday, as well as with images such as the one featured atop this entry. 

A well known small business's web-page who is using a copy of this particular image has this to re this Saturday's annual "observance:"

Small Business Saturday "always happens the Saturday after Thanksgiving .... Small Business Saturday was started in 2010 as a way to encourage shoppers to patronize businesses that are small and local. This was in counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores.  Started almost surprisingly by American Express, it wasn't until the next year in 2011 that the day became official with governors, mayors, senators and even President Obama voicing support for Small Business Saturday. "

I certainly recall the onset of putting Small Business Saturday on the calendar back in 2010, for I discussed the topic in an entry here on Blogger at that time.

As a published author and creator of photographs that can be reproduced on to greeting cards, various surfaces for wall art; as well as on household items or on to things for personal use, I consider myself to be a small business owner, albeit without a brick and mortar store.

And I certainly appreciate it when any brick and mortar store is willing to carry my books and or "products" that have incorporated my photographs.

Take Advantage of Black Friday Savings (Without Going to a Mall)

It's Black Friday, a day known for specials and savings in the shopping malls, a place that Snoopy seems to think is pretty good, as evidenced in the PEANUTS Comic Strip atop this entry. BUT, here's a savings you can take take advantage without leaving your home, all you need is access to the Internet!

Mandarin duck T Shirts = 50% off! Today only! (Tuesday's Truths WK 103)

For my 103rd segment of Tuesday's Truths, I'm informing you that I received a notification (via email) late last night that Fine Art America (FAA) is offering a promotion that is only good for today, November 20th, 2018.

Here's the deal; Up until midnight EST, FAA is allowing me to offer my images of the now famous Mandarin duck (in Central Park) when rendered on their T shirts for folks to buy at a 50% discount!

The image atop this entry is an example of how the T shirts looks, but for a clearer image, details re fabric used, background color choices, Mandarin image choices, sizes; and pricing, please click here to view all within my collection on FAA.

These T shirts make perfect gifts to satisfy bird lovers — especially ones who have experienced Mandarin mania. They are also a great gift idea for the upcoming holidays of Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanza!

I will be featuring a few details re the Mandarin duck in my upcoming talk on the Monday after Thanksgiving, 11-26-2018 (which is six days from now) at NYSEC (The New York Society for Ethical Culture). Click here for details.

Take Note of Gift Ideas ETC

Take Note, peeps who love seeing and/or hearing about the Mandarin duck who has been visiting NYC: I developed a collection of 10 spiral notebooks (one through three can be seen in the images atop this entry).

Attention! The American coot is NOT a duck! (Friday's Fact)

The other day Wednesday (11-14-2018), the "cat and mouse" Mandarin duck who has been making headlines in NYC, returned to the pond near 59th Street in Central Park.

In the image atop this entry, he can be swimming with a Wood duck as a pair of "birding" Mallards gaze at them.

Birds & their Reflections

VIEWS THIS + MY OTHER MANDARIN DUCK IMAGES ON FAA

The Mandarin duck (seen in the image above) returned to Central Park yesterday! And when I saw him in a manner that SEEMED to indicate he saw his reflection, it got me curious about the matter.

ANNOUNCEMENT: My Mandarin duck images are now available via FAA (Fine Art America)!

AVAILABLE VIA FAA

A well-respected birder in the NYC area suggested I put some of the photographs that I've taken of the Mandarin duck (who has been visited the Boat Basin on the Hudson River and who has been spending time in Central Park) up on Fine Art America (FAA); so that they could be rendered into wall art and greeting cards; as well as be printed on an array of "products," such as notebooks and essentials for the home.

It wasn't Saturday in the Park, and it wasn't the 4th of July; it was Thursday, the 13th of December, and baby, it was COLD outside!

This past Thursday was bitter cold here in NYC, but I still took a brisk walk in nearby Central Park, where the lake was completely frozen, as evidenced in the photograph atop this entry. I also noticed a lone blue jay who was not letting the bitter day stop him/her from having a picnic in the tree tops while doing some people-ing (this is featured in the next set of pictures).

BLUE JAYS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

BLUE JAYS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

BLUE JAYS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

BLUE JAYS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

BLUE JAYS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

Additionally a squirrel paid no attention to the frigid temperatures. He/she seemed to also enjoy doing a bit of peopleing from his/her nose-bleed seat high up in the tree tops.

Wednesday's Wisdom: Go Fly a Kite?

Today, February 8th, 2017, is the second week, of the second month, of the new year. I confess that re this fact, I'm finding myself more than a little bit overwhelmed at the passing of time; and my inability to fulfill my goals as well as to make the accomplishments that I had hoped to achieve at this point in my life. Therefore, last week's comic strip from Peanuts (posted above), truly hit a chord!

The Octave (or The Eighth Day) Of Christmas AND The Start of a NEW YEAR!

It's the first day of a new year! I'm wondering, dear reader, how did you ring in 2017? As for me, I spent mine doing my usual routine of seeing an annual display of fireworks (sponsored by The Midnight Run) in near by Central Park. This event is something I've blogged about since 2010 (at the end of my first full year on Blogger)!

The photographs atop this entry feature some of the images that I took of last night's fireworks display; and as you can see, they certainly lit up the trees and the sky! I can't help wondering what this does to any birds that might've been sleeping in those tree-tops!

In any event, today is also the last day of Chanukah as well as the last day of Kwanzaa. Moreover, it's The Octave of Christmas or the eighth day of Christmas; the day when someone's true love gave to them the following gifts: eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four birds a calling (or a colling or a coaling), as well as the gifts of three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

As I mentioned in a recent posting here on Blogger, John R. Henderson, has studied the meaning behind the lyrics to the twelve days song, and has posted his findings on a web-page which he has titled the 12 Birds of Christmas. Here's what Henderson points out re a bird type associated with the giving of eight maids a milking on this eighth day of Christmas:

"Here be eight Magpies. Magpies are black birds with milky white patches. Magpies are birds full of power and are portents used in fortune-telling. Eight has many different meanings symbolically, but one very important one is a new beginning. Different numbers of magpies can mean different things, "five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never told," but eight magpies remind us to put the old behind us as we start afresh. It seems significant but must be only a coincidence that by some reckoning that New Year's Day is the Eighth Day of Christmas."

At this time, I don't recall ever seeing a magpie, although I certainly have heard a lot of interesting facts re this bird type.  Be that as it may, Mr. Henderson's ideas have truly given me something to keep in mind if I ever happen to see a magpie.

Meanwhile, the gift of eight maids a milking on this eighth day of Christmas, will have to be represented by the ornament featured in the image directly below.

I got it at More & More Antiques, an (an exquisite shop located on Manhattan's UWS), that is now selling my fauna-flora-insect-themed postcards.

Today is known as The 7th Day of Christmas! (It's also the last day of 2016!)

Today may be the last day of 2016, but it's also the seventh day of Christmas! And, if you are familiar  with the song known as The Twelve Days Of Christmas, dear reader, then you probably recall that on the seventh day of Christmas, someone's true love gave to them these gifts: seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four birds a calling (or a colling or a coaling), as well as the gifts of three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

As I mentioned in a recent posting here on Blogger, John R. Henderson, has studied the meaning behind the lyrics to the twelve days song, and has posted his findings on a web-page which he has titled the 12 Birds of Christmas. Here's what Henderson points out re the bird (swan) type associated with the giving of seven swans a swimming on this seventh day of Christmas:

"A message to celebrate the beauty of the unknown. Swans are birds of elegance and mystery. Seven represents mystery and elegance, largely in part to the movement of the seven planets (only seven were known until 1846). Planets moved unlike all the other stars and had their own intricate patterns – nothing was more elegant and mysterious. Oddly, although the swans are swimming they represent Air, which as an element includes the sky and the heavens."

At this time, I only recall seeing swans in a park not too far from where I grew up, however I haven't seen a swan in recent times. Be that as it may, Mr. Henderson's ideas have truly given me something to keep in mind the next time I happen to see a swan a swimming. Meanwhile, swans for the seventh day of Christmas, will have to be represented by the swan-themed ornament featured in the image atop today's entry.

Flash Back Friday: The Sixth Day of Christmas (Three Years Later)

Today is the sixth day of Christmas and it is a "holiday" that I wrote about three years ago in an entry here on Blogger, where I included the image of the figurine featured atop this posting. If you'd like to refer to that post, please click here.

Meanwhile, dear reader, if you are familiar with the lyrics to a song known as The Twelve Days of Christmas, than you know, that on this sixth day of Christmas, someone's true love gave to them, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four birds a calling (or a colling or a coaling), as well as the gifts of three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

As I mentioned in the day before yesterday's Blogger posting, John R. Henderson, has studied the meaning behind the lyrics to the twelve days song, and has posted his findings on a web-page which he has titled the 12 Birds of Christmas. Here's what Henderson points out re the bird (geese) type associated with the giving of six geese a-laying on this sixth day of Christmas:

"The important element is the 'a-laying' part. The Egg represents the creation cycle of birth, death, re-birth. And what about the number Six? Because of the shape of the number, which is a continuous, spiraling curve without angle, it too represents the cycle of life. Geese also represent Water, another of the four life-giving elements."

Mr. Henderson's ideas have truly given me something to keep in mind the next time I happen to see geese. My encounters with this bird type (the Canadian variety) have taken place in Central Park as well as when I've been down by the Hudson Riverside on the westside of  NYC.

The Fifth Day of Christmas

Today's the fifth day of the 2016-2017 Christmas season. It is a day when according to a song (The Twelve Days of Christmas), that someone's true love gave to them five golden rings, four calling birds, as well as three french hens, and a partridge in a pear tree. The Christmas ornament seen in the photograph atop this entry is representative of today's gift that a true love gave to someone near and dear to him/her. And it's the gift I plan to bring it to a married couple that live not too far from me at some time today. I hope they will enjoy this bird-themed ornament as much as I do, but then, I'm someone who deeply appreciates birds, as evidenced by my posts here on Blogger, as well as by my entries on tumblr, Facebook, hometalk and Pinterest.

As I mentioned in yesterday's Blogger posting, John R. Henderson, has studied the meaning behind the lyrics to the twelve days song, and has posted his findings on a web-page which he has titled the 12 Birds of Christmas. Here's what Henderson, who associates pheasants with the fifth day of Christmas points out re this bird type and the giving of five golden rings on this fifth day of Christmas:

"They may not sound bird-like to you, but these are ring-necked pheasants. Not native to Europe, pheasants had been introduced there during Roman times and were quite common throughout Europe before the rise of Christianity. Pheasants were symbols of the element of Fire and sensuous sexuality. The number Five also represents sensuality and magic. Ever wonder why there is so much emphasis, rhythmically, to this verse?"

Mr. Henderson's theory has certainly given me something to keep in mind the next time I happen to see a pheasant. My encounters with this bird type have been minimal, the last time I saw a pheasant was this past spring.