It's March!

Well, here we are already in the third month for the year 2019, proving time does fly rather one is having fun or not! I hope someone remembers to wake Mooch (who can be seen in the Mutts comic strip posted atop this entry). But, maybe Mooch needs to sleep a bit more... after all, his pillow looks pretty comfortable and plus the weather might not be so great just yet.

As you undoubtedly know the beginning of March is associated with an idiom: "If March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb and if it comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb."

Evidently this is because "March straddles winter and spring in the northern hemisphere, it tends to have very harsh, unpleasant weather in the beginning but typically has milder, more palatable weather by the end." 

Here in NYC, March is beginning with moderate snowfall as seen in the picture below of my rooftop garden taken in the morning.

THE STORIES IN MY BOOKS TAKE PLACE IN MY GARDEN

In any event, according to a number of sources (including Holiday Insights AKA HI), the month of March in the United States is known as Irish American Month, Music in Our Schools Month, National Celery Month, National Craft Month National Frozen Food Month, National Irish American Heritage Month (designated by Congress in 1995), National Nutrition Month, National Peanut Month, National Women's History Month, Red Cross Month and Social Workers Month.

Thursday's Tirade Re Interfering with Feathers

MALE CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

The photograph of a Northern cardinal that is atop this entry is one I took when I was in Central Park this past February and the image came to my mind when I read some disturbing news re a study done on male Northern cardinals by a researcher (L. LaReesa Wolfenbarger) associated with Cornell University.

Tuesday's Truths are FROM the birds! (Especially the House Sparrows)

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

Hello, and welcome to week seventy-second segment of my Tuesday's Truths series, where I'll be telling you why house sparrows make such good birders.

During the "bomb cyclone," a winter storm that hit NYC with a vengeance a little over two weeks ago, I did a lot of bird watching from windows in my apartment which look out on to my rooftop garden; and it seemed a Northern cardinal was doing some people-ing at the same time (as evidenced in the photograph atop this entry).

Those of you who have read, Words In Our Beak Volume One,

SEE PRESS RELEASE

might recall, that the term, "people-ing," is one coined by Cam, a female cardinal, (and the story teller of this book), when she explained that it is a term which birds use when they watch people.

In any event, as you can see in the image atop this entry, in addition to people-ing, birds also do birding, and re this activity, house sparrows know just what to wear, did you notice a male one in the image atop this entry? He's perching on some vines to the left of the cardinal and truly blends in with his surroundings, which is what everyone who watches birds needs to do.

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.

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.

Friday in the Octave of Easter & Arbor Day

Today is Friday in The Octave of Easter; and because it is the last Friday in April, it is also Arbor Day. I've always appreciated Patrick McDonnell's (creator of the Mutts comic strip) "take" re this event and have posted a copy of it atop this entry. As you can see, McDonnell's characters Earl and Mooch seem to know how much birds appreciate trees as evidenced in their planting one, which is appreciated by an avian creature.

I have also planted trees in containers that are in my rooftop garden and have not only been blessed by the beauty they bring to my place; as well as by their often unspoken help to our environment; many birds have come to visit because of them...

Red-crested Cardinals vs. Northern Cardinals (Friday's Follow-Up)

Nearly two weeks (December 14, 2019), I published a post here on Blogger featuring some of the bird varieties (Black Swans, Pied Avocets, Scarlet Ibises, as well as a Victoria Crowned Pigeon and green parrots) who can be found at the Central Park Zoo.

I concluded that entry with a promise to feature (within subsequent posts) facts about other bird varieties as well as other animal types who reside there.

Today I will tell you about one of those birds, the Red-crested cardinal who can be seen in the picture atop this entry.

Mother's Day 2020

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

Mother's Day is for the birds, as evidenced by these pigeons in my garden featured in the image directly atop this entry.

Northern Cardinals do like their peanuts! (Tuesday's Truths WK 110)

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN 'WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

From the look on this male Northern cardinal's face, you might surmise that he was reacting to the news (announced in a recent posting here on Blogger) that an avian researcher at Cornell used commercial hair dying products (designed for women) to dye the feathers of his bird type.

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.

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.

Friday's Follow Up: Birds Undergoing Molting (Re Young Cardinals)

A young cardinal is featured in the picture atop this entry, and as you can see, this bird has already learned about one of the bird feeders in my rooftop garden.

N'tl Peanut Day 2019

BLUEJAYS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

BLUEJAYS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

In addition to it being Friday the Thirteenth, its National Peanut Day, a this national holiday that blue jays would probably like to celebrate everyday, as you might surmise from the photos atop this entry.

"A Bird's Eye View"

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

This "bonus" entry (unscheduled, "A Bird's Eye View," is in honor of this day being the first Sunday after 2019's Feast Day of Saint Francis, patron saint of animals (especially birds) and patron saint of those who love animals (especially birds). 

Churches (of all denominations) throughout the world hosted The Blessing of the Animals on his actual feast day but many (including The church of Saint John the Divine in NYC) will be holding that ceremony today.

The male and female Northern cardinals seen in the photographs directly above have a bird's eye view from within the tree tops of Central Park.

This bird type is featured in my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally this avian variety is the inspiration for a collection of greeting cards which can be found within my pages on Fine Art America's web-site.

AVAILABLE ON FINE ART AMERICA

My First Pine Cone!

The photograph atop this entry as well as the ones directly below were taken by JV (Juan V) after he spotted a pinecone on the  Japanese Larch (Larix Kaempferi) which is located in the northeast corner of my rooftop garden.

I've never seen a pine cone when it was in the early stages of life and was so fascinated by Juan's discovery that I did a bit of research to learn more about them, which is my wisdom for Wednesday.

According to an article by Natalie Andrews, "Pine trees, also known as “conifers,” have cones instead of flowers. These cones serve as a pine tree’s source of seed. Conifers also produce separate male and female cones for seed development. In general, the development of a pine cone takes around two years and fertilization happens in the spring. Both male and female cones start like tiny pink-lilac bristles.They turn green as they develop, but their scales stay tucked together until maturity. When fully mature, female cones look like typical pine cones, with hard brown woody scales spread apart. They form at the foot of new shoots below the terminal bud and take about two years to mature and produce seeds. Each female pine cone has about 200 seeds, depending on the pine's species... " (You can read the rest of Andrews article by clicking here).

As for my Japanese Larch, I got it in 2005 or 2006 or was it 2004? Not so sure when I first planted that tree in a container that she eventually outgrew!

The Great American Total Solar Eclipse (coming 8-21-2017) MAY Be Hard on Wildlife

There has been a lot of media coverage regarding the forth coming total eclipse due to occur on August 21st 2017. A web page for Space.com states "On Aug. 21, 2017, America will fall under the path of a total solar eclipse. The so-called Great American Total Solar Eclipse will darken skies all the way from Oregon to South Carolina, along a stretch of land about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. People who descend upon this "path of totality" for the big event are in for an unforgettable experience."

The aforementioned resource reminds its readers that "During totality, when the sun's disk is completely covered by the moon, it is safe to view the eclipse with the naked eye. But skywatchers should NEVER look at a partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection. Looking directly at the sun, even when it is partially covered by the moon, can cause serious eye damage or blindness."

A great deal of information can be found within this resource and if you'd like to reference it, please click here. Meanwhile, for those of you who live in the NYC area, like yours truly, another source which provides interesting facts about our viewing The Great American Total Solar Eclipse can be referred to by clicking here.

I've heard that places selling special eye-glasses for viewing this eclipse are sold out and much of the news coverage has been focused on this fact as well as on ways that one can make a pin-hole device to view it safely.

I'm not that handy at DYI-construction, so I won't be doing that. My concern has been focused on the impact that The Great American Total Solar Eclipse will have on wildlife. There are a number of good resources for learning about this.

One is put out by Audubon.org which states,"The biggest change people might notice during the eclipse is audible, not visible. Birds will likely act like the sun is setting for the night, says Scott McWilliams, a wildlife ecology professor at the University of Rhode Island—and may quiet their voices to match."

They go on to say, "Most songbirds will treat it as nightfall, as long as they’re in the 100 percent in the eclipse pathway,” McWilliams says. 'Diurnal songbirds will become quiet; noctural birds the opposite. Thus, for the most part, silence will follow the darkness.' After the sun peeks out again, the chorus will resume as if it’s a brand-new morning. But because it's August, not spring, don't expect many species to burst into dawn songs. Keep an ear out for Red-Eyed Vireos, Northern Cardinals, and other birds prone to late summer crooning, along with non-avians like common true katydids, frogs, and toads."

Of all the creatures listed in Audubon's web-article, Northern cardinals are the ones whose behavior I will try and notice; for both male and female cardinals usually visit my rooftop garden a few times a day. The following set of photos feature a male cardinal enjoying my whole wreath-style peanut bird feeder.

And the next set of images feature a female cardinal spending her time in one of my trees, which is an Acer palmatum ('Shisitatsu' Sawa).

In any event, another good source of information re wildlife and the forthcoming eclipse comes from an issue of USA Today. They state that "While humans will gaze at the spectacle in awe, some animals will be downright befuddled for a couple hours as the day slowly darkens — even in places that only get a partial eclipse. Early reports of wacky animal behavior during eclipses involve birds. Perhaps the earliest is from a total eclipse in 1544 when “birds ceased singing," while another report from a 1560 eclipse claimed 'birds fell to the ground,' according to Science News."  

Moreover, The New York Times, also has an interesting article (where I got the image atop this entry) on the impact eclipses have on wildlife.

There you have it dear reader, a number of things to consider in your preparation for the forth coming  (8-21-2017) eclipse, which has been dubbed The Great American Total Solar Eclipse.

Pinecones and Cardinals Spend Time With my Japanese Larch (Larix Kaempferi)

 I have a couple of newcomers to my garden: Pinecones!

They are on my Larix Kaempferi! 

A partial view of this evergreen tree can be seen in the image atop this entry.

Close-ups of the pinecones who have made their home in her branches can be seen in the next two images. 

I was so intrigued by the presence of these pinecones that I researched on pinecones and found lots of interesting content.

Cardinals and the celebration of Christmas

In eight days time it will be Christmas day. During this holiday, the likeness of male Northern cardinals are often seen in images on an array of items such as greeting cards, serving dishes, gift wrap, napkins, guest towels, kitchen towels, potholders, — the list seems endless.

Moreover, this bird type's likeness has been rendered into holiday brooches, Christmas tree ornaments and figurines. An example of the latter is featured in the image atop this entry.

I have read many articles and social media posts on the connection between the Northern cardinal and the Christmas holiday, including a blog entry by Karen Harvey Cox that states (re the coloring of a male Northern cardinal), the "bright red to remind us of Christ during the dreary gray days of winter ahead."

In her post, Cox also includes a quotation that proclaims:"Christened the Christmas bird for its spectacular red color, the cardinal has become a symbol of the beauty and warmth of the holiday season. A glimpse of this brilliant bird brings cheer, hope and inspiration on a gray, wintry day. As nature's reminder for us to focus on our faith, the cardinal's scarlet plumage represents the blood of Christ shed for the redemption of mankind."

The description is similar to what many writers state about the male Northern cardinal's association with Christmas, but I find it limiting. This is because thoughts like this only apply to those who live in parts of the world where Christmas occurs during a dreary winter season. In a number of places, Christmas is occurring during summer time, where folks might not be dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card they write.