Sunny Wednesday!

[BarbaraRose]

No one is up yet? I slept in and just got up and am hanging out on my sunporch with Lola. Gotta study today for my final exam tonight for school.

Getting busy at work now so that is good. $$$

Hope you all have a great day!

[BarbaraRose]

Remember back when I was moving from MN to Phoenix and I had stayed in a motel in New Mexico and had heard a lot of birds singing outside my room and couldn't figure out what they were? Here is what I wrote on MC that morning...

"There were several birds that landed in the little tree outside my room last night and started "singing". It sounded like 10 different kinds of birds tho! A whole chorus going on! It was very pretty and they started singing again this morning. Sounded like I was in the Amazon! Have never heard those "songs" before so will have to ask at the front desk if they know what kind of birds they are. It was dark out so didn't get a very good look at them but they looked kind of black in color."

Well, thanks to Carol (asirimarco), on her blog, I just realized they were Great Tailed Grackles. They make lots of different sounds and songs. I listened to a youtube video of them and that is what I was hearing. Glad I finally figured it out! Thanks Carol!

[JudyJB]

I love great-tailed grackles! I first became aware of them when I was at a campground in Texas along the coast. I pulled into my spot and there were there to greet me. It was mating season, and I thought they were so funny because the males were doing everything they could think of to get the attention of the lady birds, who are a soft brown and smaller, by the way. They were chirping, whistling, and tweeting like canaries, plus they were dancing around with their wings lifted and bowing their heads. I think they would have done cartwheels, had they been able. And the ladies? Mostly ignored all their antics! Here is a video I found online dancing to attract a very hard-to-get lady: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj1cqIXJz6E

A lot of people in the south hate these birds and consider them pests. You will find them often in parking lots and places where people are congregated. An old friend came to visit me while I was in Las Vegas a couple of years ago, and all she had to do was say, "What ARE those birds in parking lots?" and I knew exactly what she was talking about!

There is a very closely related similar bird in Florida and slightly up the eastern coast called a boat-tailed grackle. They are also tall and lanky, but have different eyes and a more rounded tail. They also make a lot of sounds, but I think the great-tailed versions are funnier and more vocal. Both are very different from our northern grackles that just squawk.

[Bethers]

I, too, enjoy the grackles. And I experienced how they are often not liked at one park I was staying. They were trimming a palm tree which had a grackles nest. They didn't care. But the mama grackle certainly did. One of the men is lucky he didn't lose an eye. Unfortunately, although some of us tried to intervene, they knocked down the nest and killed the babies. They weren't there because of the grackles, but had no qualms killing them. I'll never forget it. I get mad and tears well up just writing this.

[snowball]

when you mentioned the birds thought of the grackles but couldn't for the life of me
think of the name!!! then forgot I like them as well...
so sad about that nest I think it was a awful thing to do
sheila

[Acadianmom]

Barbie, your board turned out really nice.

I have been to a couple of campgrounds in Texas that had grackles. Kind of glad we don't have them because they are noisy. Occasionally I will hear a lot of birds and look out to see a big flock flying around. I don't know who they are or why they do that. They are probably sparrows.

I'm a glutton for punishment, I went to Lafayette again. For some reason I thought it was Thursday. It's a good thing I didn't have the gift card for a ham with me or I might have picked it up today. I would rather have turkey but not turning down a free ham.

Martha

[BarbaraRose]

We had grackles up in MN but they were just noisy, squawking things, no pretty singing or chirping like these other ones.

Happy tonight about getting 100% on my written test for school! Yay! One more class left. We got another written test tho, to take home and do as open book, so will work on that as I have time.

Got windy, cold and rainy tonight. Not much rain tho, just more heavy mist. Supposed to be very nice on Christmas Day so I think I will head to the beach that day, maybe go up to Dana Point or San Clemente.

Have a good night!

[snowball]

Barbie
haven't heard but how are the fires?
also one place to wonder through is the San Diego Temple grounds usually have Christmas lights
sheila

[BarbaraRose]

The fires are out down here but the one up north of LA near Santa Barbara is sadly still out of control.

I drive by the Temple to school and back and the lights there are beautiful! It is a beautiful building too!

[Azusateach]

The fires are out down here but the one up north of LA near Santa Barbara is sadly still out of control.

Here’s some current information on the Thomas Fire — the one that started in Ventura Co. & has spread northward:

http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1922

According to the information, as of about 7:00 this evening, the fire’s about 65% contained. That’s good news. We had gusty winds today, but no big information about that fire. There was a new fire in the Riverside area, but it was quickly contained.

So. California has had unprecedented low humidity for over 2 weeks. Add to that virtually no rain in months, and we’ve had the perfect recipe for these horrendous fires. And we’re not out of the woods by any stretch. It’s going to be a very tense winter if we don’t get some sort of break in this pattern.

[snowball]

I remember one year in Utah the humidity was so low that the trees were spontaneity com-busting into flames..it was bad lost a lot of forests
hope the pattern changes soon
sheila

[BarbaraRose]

Wow! I never heard of that before!