Update on SUPER Bird

This past Wednesday, April 6th 2016, I posted information about Super, the name of the Northern Flicker featured in the pictures above.

I have since received word re Super’s prognosis via email and have posted a copy of it below:

Northern Flicker: A SUPER Bird

Dear reader, please allow me the honor of introducing you to a very special bird; a bird whose type is classified as a Northern Flicker. He/she is a bird I was introduced to yesterday, and can be seen in the first photo accompanying this Blogger entry. In the image you can see the Northern Flicker cowering behind some trash bags. The bags were in the alleyway of a building down the street from where I live (on the Upper Westside of New York City).

The photograph was taken by the superintendent (or super as we say in NYC) of that building. Evidently he happened to discover the bird while he was performing routine chores for the building where he works.

The Octave of Easter in 2016

Today is the Octave of Easter and this marks the end of the Easter Tide for 2016. However, it is not the end of the Easter season, which continues until Pentecost Sunday, which will occur on May 15, 2016.

Holy Cow!

FEATURED IN THE B&W GALLERY ON MY WEBSITE

It has been said that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. I'm not sure if God — upon hearing my plans — laughs, but I am certain that my muse does!

For there are many times that I have an idea of what I want to write about, and then something happens that changes my intention.

This past Friday, April1st, was one of those days! I was about to sit down and write about a crabapple tree I bought in hopes of attracting Cam's (my dearly departed cardinal) children to my garden.

I edited my images, I had my text in mind, when suddenly I heard on the news that a cow/bull had escaped from a slaughter house in Queens (a borough of NYC).

A Visit From Sparrows

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

Nearly one week ago, I took these images of house sparrows alighting upon my kiwi vines, vines that were just starting to bloom after their winter nap. Seeing the sparrows enjoying the kiwi vines in my rooftop garden caused me to think of one of my favorite Henry David Thoreau quotes: “I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.”

One of my kiwi vines acted as a narrator for my first garden-themed movie: The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen Minutes of Fame...almost.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG — April Fool!

It’s truly #AprilFools in NYC. Gorgeous blooms today in #CentralPark BUT snow showers predicted in the forecast! Moreover, a high wind advisory is in place for this coming Sunday which could knock off those beautiful blooms!