Kauai Albatross Nesting with live Cam . . .

So I think on A wintry Sunday morning in Northeast USA it is a lovely time to see and hear the goodness of Tropical Hawaii,  These Albatross are nesting on Kauai and are wonderful to watch and just to see the greenry and hear all the lovely birdsong.  It is such a treat!!    Below are 2 links for the Live feed Cam that shows you the nesting area and a link to a blog that talks about the integration of the birds with the humans.   These are huge seabirds that spend all their days at sea, they fly thousands of miles for food.  They only come on land to nest.  There are different types of Albatrosses.  Most nest in HUGE beach colonies.  ( goggle Albatross nesting colonies for a looksy)  It is uncommon for this to be such a small colony but it is fun  all the same.

Enjoy the day!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMZseZWIIos



http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/41/Laysan_Albatross/


 Blog about the Albatross:
http://www.albatrosskauai.com/

Advice from a Cardinal . . .

Stand out in a crowd.

Go out on a limb.

Be a bright spot in others lives.

Speak up.

Be home before dark.

Add color to your life.

Its ok to be a little Flashy.

Ilan Shamin  

( I could not clearly read the correct person to give credit to)

Birds in the season . . .

Note Owl in the box peeking out

Nesting Birds at Chestnut Hill . . .

House Wren's

Blue birds and one is on a branch right above the house.

Blue Birds

Baby Blue Birds maybe 5 days old

Rosy Breasted Nuthatch's

 

 

Rosy Breasted Nuthatch - they are thinner than this picture depicts.

So it seems that our yard is a haven for birds and nesting birds which could not make us happier. My  college daughter is keenly interested in Birds and hopes one day to do research in Ornithology.  She said it is fine to check on nesting birds.  You first knock on the box so if there is an adult in side it fly's out, then you open up the box briefly. They actually learned all about this in one of her wildlife management classes. That is why I can show you a picture of baby Blue birds.  Our Hammock is between 2 big Norway spruce which is near the Nuthatch house and it is fascinating to watch the parents come and go feeding the babies.  The Nuthatch babies are older then the blue birds.  The box is not such that I can show them to you though. Watching these little birds carry on teh cycle of life is really a special treat and grounds you to what in the end is important in life. Shelter, food, family, Love.

Wordless Wednesday . . .

Northern Saw Whet Owl

Owls we have seen . . . . this winter and spring . . .

Saw-Whet Owls about 8 inches - quite small

Short eared Owl

Short Ear Owl Flying

Snowy Owl on Fence

Long Ear owl- blends in very well

Another Snowy Owl

It has been a great year to see Snowy Owls in this area and much of the North East.  We have also been lucky to see a few others. Although we have a nice camera lens - we still cannot get all that close to the Snowy's.  I find it amazing how well the long ear Owl blends in with the tree.  The Saw Whet is the cutest.  My daughter is involved in banding the Saw Whets as they move through with migration.  it has been a fun Owl year!!

Vulcan Blizzard . . . . .

like 6 AM

maybe 8:30 AM

9-10 AM

Edna likes to eat Snow

10 pm and still snowing

5 pm another foot yet to come . . .

 

 

 

Long snowy cold day.  all schools closed, most businesses, some counties closed roads, Plows in our town stopped plowing 2 different times due to poor visibility.  We have gotten steady snow all night and it is looking like we may hit 20 inches by morning  - think we are at about 16 right now. Birds were very active today as they usually are in stormy weather. School is also closed in our district tomorrow.  Short week . . . :)  I am sure tomorrow everything will be beautiful in a blanket of white.

Blog Hibernation

Whoops - guess a little non-intentional Blog hibernation happened . . .

So a few catch up pictures of life on the Hill . . .

Out the kitchen window to the west are the Sunsets - and it is light later . . . so loving that!

Oren and Edna ready to come in - cold weather makes for lots of short visits in and out of the house.

Long Eared Owl - he blends in ever so well. Loving the ears!!

Sharp Shinned Hawk in my garden working on dinner

Hope - what we all hang onto in the Northeast this time of year!  & a mug of hot tea!!!

It is this time of year that leads to Hibernation. The Northeast has  had this cold, snowy winter that started early has been steady and seems right now to be never ending. Yes, we know it well, have grown up with it and accept it. We just don't need to always like it so much. Ready to see sprouts, mud - well not really but it is a means to an end. Ready for longer days and more sunlight, ready for the sunlight on my face, ready for less layers, ready for light colors, ready for spring!!!

Whats Happening on the Hill ?

                Well life is as full as ever. We have 2 kids that are in the college application process, one as a freshman and one as a Jr. transfer student. That means we as parents are busy with FASFA forms . . . So essay proof reading, support, application fees . . . mid-terms, starting a new semester, buying books . . .all are part of everyday life right now.

                  The weather here on the hill can best be described as blustery and bone chilling. We have had so very many days that start below zero with wind chills in the -25 region than I can remember. Living on a hill the snow is driven across the yard and drifts in to the driveway. Some years we put up a snow fence but it does not really help all that much. The wood stove is warm and cozy but the almost 200 year old house is very drafty. This time of year it is good to be the knitter and quilter in the house. Everyone needs or wants something.

Seasonal decorating keeps us inspired, this has now changed to red and valentines :> :>

Our feathered friends are gracing our feeders and we try to be diligent about keeping them in food and water. This is a white breasted Nuthatch.  They love to cache seeds that they take from the feeders.

This is a rosy breasted Nuthatch, smaller but still a lovely bird.

This is our old wood stove, it is an Irish wood cook stove and it came with the house.  The large door on the right is the oven. The firebox for wood is the small door on the upper left.   We cook on the top - great for stews and soups and we cook in it. Wood heat is such a comforting heat.  We do thankfully have alternative heat - baseboard hot water especially with this winter, but the first year we were here - this was all that we had.  There was many a night coming home from work to sit in my coat, sipping hot cocoa and watching my cold breath.

We have been having a lot of fun listening to  and following the Syracuse Orange Basketball Team.  They are 24-0 right now and every game is a close one.  Because of our rural area we only get one TV station and it does not have SU basket ball or the Olympics- boo hoo but we are trying to make do with using the computer.

 So that is a little picture of everyday life here on the Hill.

White Snowy Owls . . .

       So this year- 2013 is said to be an Irruption year for Snowy white Owls.  Their is an article here from a Boston paper.   about the significant increase in sightings.  also you can go here to E-bird to see here to find them near you. Click on the live link near the map then just keep zooming into the area that you live.  They are huge and majestic to see.  They like to hang out on Lakeshores, coast and airports or large open areas that might resemble Tundra.  Some feel they move south for food and other sources indicate that they are really not sure why they migrate in great numbers.  This owl and another were seen by my daughter along Lake Ontario.  Snowy Owls are the largest owl in North America.  A December Treat for sure.

Measurements

Both Sexes

Length

20.5–28 in
52–71 cm

Wingspan

49.6–57.1 in
126–145 cm

Weight

56.4–104.1 oz
1600–2950 g

December Daily or almost . . . .

White Breasted Nuthatch 12/3/13

                                    Here at Chestnut Hill we feed the birds on a regular basis.  This affords us the spectacular  up close viewing of some birds. We have both Rosy Breasted and the larger White Breasted Nuthatches  seen here. They are a fun bird to watch and only that climbs up a tree backward.  they have a wonderful bill for getting into and under tree bark.  Nearby there is a park where they will feed out of your hand - which is just way to cool for all ages.  The colder and more stormy it is , then the more birds we see. 

Woodland Friends

 Garter Snake

Black Capped Chickadee

Eastern Gray Squirrel  (Sciurus carolinensis)

 We came across these 3 fine friends while out for a walk over the weekend.  they were all enjoying the warmth of the Fall sunshine.  We also saw  White tail Deer, many  migrating warblers , Pilated wood pecker, Red bellied wood pecker, geese,and other feathered friends. We come to this trail often enough that we can really see the seasonal changes and know where to find certain wildlife and birds.  The chickadees were waiting for us to feed them seed from our hands and the squirrel had a big itch that was funny to watch him scratch.  It is always a good day when time is spent in teh woods.

Birds of Cape Cod 2013

Gray Catbird

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Baltimore Oriole

Least Tern

Piping Plover

Willet

Chickadee's - some are babies

 GrayCatbird