Bird. Watching.

These recent avian visitors to my rooftop garden (pictured above) have been one reason I believe this animal type is behind the term "bird watching." The bird varieties included within the images here (along with many other bird types) are featured my books.

My intrigue with wild birds continues to bring me joy. Tuesday's Truths WK 232

Yikes! It's been a week since I returned to my Tuesday's Truths series (with no post in between)! Not the best of practices for returning to this blog but all I can say is Neurofibromatosis health issues continue to interfere. GRRRRR!

But fortunately, in spite these obstacles, my intrigue with wild birds continues to bring me joy.

The other day a female cardinal who visited my rooftop garden caused me to spend quite a bit of time just watching her apparent interest with something on a pole (or near to it) that's in the northeast corner.

I took photographs of her antics and two of those images are featured atop this entry.

This scenario of the cardinal mesmerized by whatever was on the pole or near to it, along with me being enthralled by the whole scene caused me to think of the quote within the text based image seen directly below.

Image Credit

In any event, and as many of you know, my fascination with female Northern cardinals has been going on for a long time and this type of creature is featured in my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak, where the stories are told from the perspective of this bird type. 

Not so fast, Youngquist

In my last post here on Blogger that was much overdue, (the delay was unavoidable due to my having very serious medical complications), which were mostly as a result of my having Neurofibromatosis (NF), part of what I state in this post is, "Depending on the outcome of that appointment, I'm not sure how frequently I'll post but I will begin sharing content re my amazing space and the birds I observe from my window, a nice thing to be able to do when recuperating from foot surgery and a mastectomy."

The appointment I referred to was one with my surgeon who reconstructed my foot this past August. A photo montage atop this post feature my progress. The outcome of that particular doctor's visit indicated this: 

Although I will still have to use a soft-shoe cast, I can now switch out of it and a wear a special sneaker part-time, and if I use a cane I am able to walk outdoors, albeit minimally. I will return to the surgeon in November for X-rays and hopefully bandaging can be removed and restrictions on mobility will be lifted.

A Recent Visit By Cardinals

Last Monday, shortly after Juan V left from working with me in my garden, I had a visitor who happened to be a male Northern cardinal. He is featured in the image atop this entry which is very aimilar to the ones included in this past Tuesday's (5-4-2021) blog post.

As I stated in thse entry, "This incident was most welcome after having made my place more beautiful with yesterday's plantings. In any event the handsome creature is featured in the sequence of images atop this entry which serve as a play-by play to his discovering peanuts I had placed in a small petri-dish-style bird feeder, that hangs in close proximity to my lush pair of kiwi vines."

In any event this male cardinal's visit was followed by a visit from an array of other avian creatures including a very young female cardinal.

April Downpours Did Not Deter Visiting Birds (YAY)!

Today's April showers were more like downpours and lasted from early morning throughout the night. Fortunately they not deter a number of birds from visiting my garden, including a Northern mockingbird, the avian creature featured in the photos atop this entry.

Northern Cardinals Love One Another

How special to come upon this lovely avian couple (the Northern cardinals featured in the images atop this entry) during a short walk in Central Park.

For years now, I have spent a lot of time there, but for a little over one year that has not been the case due to consequences of the coronavirus.

It's Saint Francis's Feast Day

 Today is the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of animals and environment and many web-sources concur, he could "be viewed as the original Earth Day advocate. Francis' devotion to God was expressed through his love for all of God's creation."

Are humans bird watching or are birds watching us? THAT IS THE QUESTION!

HOUSE SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN WIOB

Upon (most recently) my seeing the House sparrow (perching on a portion of a railing that surrounds my rooftop garden) which is depicted in the image directly above, I can easily interpret the term "bird watching," to mean whom is watching whom?

Are we humans bird watching as we observe our avian community or are they the ones who watch us? In volume one of my book series, Words In Our Beak...

MY BOOK SERIES

... the story's narrator (who happens to be a female cardinal) explains that when a bird watches a person, the activity is called, "people-ing."

NATIONAL READ A BOOK DAY 2020

IMAGE CREDIT

According to a number of sources, September 6th is Read a Book Day, a web-page has this to say re the holiday:

"Break out your reading glasses and favorite mug of hot coffee, because it’s National Read a Book Day! Some people just can’t stop reading, but most of us tend to put reading on the back burner with other 'maybe later' activities like hitting the gym or cleaning the oven. Life can definitely get in the way of our reading time, but National Read a Book Day is the perfect opportunity to make some time in your life to read. Whether you’re a sci-fi fanatic, a non-fiction buff, or a not-so-often reader, there is a book out there just for you. This holiday literately reminds us that entertainment isn’t limited to what you can watch on a screen or hear through your speakers. Books can bring whole new worlds to life, not to mention shed light on world events and share perspectives on the human experience in a way that other mediums just can’t. In a world of increasing technology and screen-based communication, National Read a Book Day encourages us to switch off and turn the pages for a while."

Please let me add to what the aforementioned web-page says re today's holiday by saying, if you buy one to celebrate the event .....well, I suppose you should get something you’ve had your eye on for a certain amount of time...that's another story...

But, if you buy two or more books to honor the occasion. might I recommend one of them be a celebration of nature via stories (set in an extraordinary rooftop garden in New York City) that are told from the perspective of a female cardinal as is the case with my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

Attn! Peanuts may not be good for squirrels!?! Let them eat corn? (Wednesday's Wisdom)

THIS SQUIRREL IS FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

THIS SQUIRREL IS FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

THIS SQUIRREL IS FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

As those of you who follow this blog probably know, a alone squirrel, has been visiting my rooftop garden since July 8th 2020. He/she can be seen in the photo-ops atop this entry where he/she is spending his/her time at one of my bird feeders that I have to accommodate the needs of various birds who visit my place.

Some Characteristics of Young Robins

ROBINS HAVE A STORY IN VOLUME THREE

ROBINS HAVE A STORY IN VOLUME THREE

This past Friday here on Blogger, I published an entry re a fact about young Northern cardinals, as one (much to my delight) has been visiting my rooftop garden.

However, that adorable creature is not the only young bird who is spending time in my place. A number of young American robins have also spent a lot of time here and one of them is featured in the picture atop this entry.

Young Robins initially have speckled plumage and no red breast, but as their post-juvenile molt progresses, the orange-red feathering of the breast starts to appear, as well as their pale belly.

Friday's Fun Fact (Re Young Cardinals)

THIS BIRD TYPE IS FEATURED IN WIOB

THIS BIRD TYPE IS FEATURED IN WIOB

THIS BIRD TYPE IS FEATURED IN WIOB

THIS BIRD TYPE IS FEATURED IN WIOB

THIS BIRD TYPE IS FEATURED IN WIOB

THIS BIRD TYPE IS FEATURED IN WIOB

It's been a few years since I've seen a young cardinal (the bird type featured in the sequence of photographs atop this entry) visiting my garden and seeing this creature embracing life by being curious about my place was very humbling.

Popcorn Can Be Offered to Squirrels & Birds (Thursday's Testimony)

THIS SQUIRREL IS FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

THIS SQUIRREL IS FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

THIS SQUIRREL IS FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

I recently read, "squirrels eat popcorn and they enjoy it too. Popcorn contains vitamins and minerals such as copper, manganese, vitamin B1 vitamin B3, zinc and others. Popcorn is also a good source of fibre. Leave a bowl of popcorn out in squirrel populated areas and allow squirrels to freely come and eat as they please."

Upon my reading this information I did an experiment to see if the squirrel who has been visiting my garden since July 8th (I know he/she is the same one because of the broken skin on his/her forehead) would nibble on popcorn if I shared mine with him/her; and as you can see from the photographs atop this entry of a squirrel enjoying this taste treat, I apparently did not come across fake news in terms of squirrels liking popcorn.

Monday Musings: August 24th

MY GRANDPARENTS ARE FEATURED IN MANY POSTS

Today is my birthday and if truth be told for the most part, I have always disliked the fact that it falls on August 24th. This is because in college days (which were not good for me) orientations and class registration were taking place. Moreover, I've had an aversion to to the date, August 24th, as it is often the day either the RNC or DNC begins (or began).

BUT when unpleasant thoughts occur surrounding the date of August 24th, I think of one reason (and IT'S A GOOD ONE), to have been born on this day: I am my maternal grandparents first grandchild and I was born on their anniversary.

They can be seen in the picture (atop this entry) celebrating my birthday in bygone (way bygone) years as my dearly departed maternal aunt watches me open a gift.

Many people now know of my grandparents through posts on this blog and because the narrator of my book series, Words In Our Beak, (pictured below) is a female cardinal named Cam.

MY BOOK SERIES

The name Cam is in honor of my maternal grandparents, a fact I've mentioned  in my cyber-venues over the years, where I've explained the "C" in Cam's name is for my grandmother, Clara. The "a" in Cam's name is for my maternal grandfather, Albert. And the "m" in Cam's name is for their surname, Melahn.

Look what I found!

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

I have a question for you, dear reader: Did you ever look for something in your closet only to discover items that you liked/loved but forgot you had?

I had a recent experience that reminded me of this scenario but it was not looking through my closet and finding items that I liked/loved but forgot I had, rather it was looking for a particular photo I had taken and stored on an external drive.

In the process of looking for a certain image, I came across the picture of a male Northern cardinal visiting my garden and a copy of it can be seen atop this entry.

Another Suspect...

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

In yesterday's (8-12-2020) post here on Blogger, I spoke about what creature might have been responsible for bringing down the string lights which provide a canopy over my rooftop garden.

During this morning's thunderstorm, I saw someone (and I'm not naming names but he is pictured in the images directly above and below) who can now be added to the list of suspects.

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES 

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES 

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

For your inquiring mind's satisfaction, this particular bird type (a male Northern cardinal) is featured in all three volumes of my book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

All of the stories are set in my garden and told from the perspective of Cam, a FEMALE Northern  cardinal.

Monday's Memo: Birds (including cardinals) can molt their whole head off!

PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRANDA

So honored that James Miranda (from Illinois) reached out to me (via email) with a copy of the photo (that is atop this entry asking for ID help. On first glance I thought it was a male Northern cardinal in extreme molt mode but not being one to answer a teenager (or anyone for that matter) without being sure, I reached out to bird rehabber extraordinaire Amanda Remsberg​ via Facebook Messenger:

ME: Amanda, I received this email saying, "Hi Aunt Patricia! I saw this bird in our backyard and I am wondering if you can tell me what type it is? It is a red bird but it has a black head."   Do you have any ideas, Amanda? Could it be a cardinal molting?

AMANDA: Yep!  Some cardinals and blue jays do this in late summer, they molt their whole heads off.  It’s postulated that it could happen because of feather mites.

ME: Thank you for clarifying? How are you doing re COVID  [coronavirus] + the hurricane?

Amanda: We are fine!  It passed a couple hundred miles south of us, unfortunately in southern Texas they are suffering worse with Covid because of less resources.  They are rushing Red Cross, etc down there to help.  It’s a mess. But we are fine.

ME: I heard about the devastation in southern Texas. SO THANKFUL to hear you are fine.

And there you have it dear reader my quest to answer James’s question and the confirmation I was correct in determining the creature to be a male Northern cardinal, a bird type featured in all three volumes of my book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

FRIDAY'S FACT: "Face Masks May Be The Key Determinant Of The Covid-19"

"Face Masks May Be The Key Determinant Of The Covid-19 Curve, Study Suggests..."

Now that many parts of the various parts of my country are in different stages of re-opening, the wearing of face-masks will be mandatory in many circumstances.

As you may know my face-masks are available via Fine Art America (FAA) and I have (as of now) four styles which can  be seen within photos included within this post.

Monday's Musings Father's Day 2020

Yesterday was Father's Day and the photographs atop this entry are ones from various moments of childhood and they feature me with my dad on various occasions.

He moved out of our house the year the latter picture (where I have a cast on a broken wrist) was taken; so Father's Day can be such a bittersweet holiday for me.

Sometimes bitter because he left when I was so young and I subsequently spent most of my life trying to garner his attention and approval to very little avail.

Moreover, he passed away in 1995 and that adds to my sadness on Father's Day.

But Father's Day can also be sweet because no matter what, a father is still a father, and mine had a quick wit, which is a trait I have when I don't take myself so seriously.