Birding

I am a back yard birder. I am not into serious bird watching, but since I live in the forest I have gotten into the habit of looking and listening, and noting what I see. This morning I was treated to a rare sight. A Pileated Woodpecker. I have heard the call of the bird for some time now, but I have not been able to locate one. Usually when I am in the hunt for a woodpecker I am only able to locate Downy woodpeckers.

This morning I took the dogs out for their morning potty time and I heard the very loud pecking of wood. I looked up, and on a nearly dead tree which stands just outside my fenced yard I was delighted to see the flaming red head of the woodpecker.

I was able to watch as it flew off. It was actually much larger than I expected. From what I have been able to research the Pileated Woodpecker is supposed to be about crow sized. This bird was huge in flight. I could actually hear the swooping of his wings. He was more the size of a large hawk or a small eagle. I was very surprised because it seemed much smaller before taking flight.

Speaking of eagles....this seems to be the time for spotting unusual birds in the area. Our friend has a pair of bald eagles nesting on his property! They are usually found in much higher elevations in the northern Adirondacks. I am hoping that I can get out there and get a photo of the majestic pair.

The past two years we have had much more mild weather than usual. Even at this early date in March, we are expecting temperatures to be in the 70s today. I wonder if this is attracting different species of birds to come here.

Natalee Holloway- ENOUGH

Although I am a political person and always on top of breaking news, I have stayed away from that in this blog. I have tried to keep this a personal writing place, but I have really had enough RE: Natalee Holloway.

First of all...who cares? Many, many people go missing a year. What makes this girl so special? Answer: NOTHING.

Recently her family filed a civil suit against Joran van der Sloot in NY. This really annoys me. NY taxes pay for our courts. Why should we be stuck with this ridiculous suit clogging up our legal system because some dumb, drunk , rich slut did something stupid? She isn't from NY and her stupidity didn't occur in NY. LEAVE IT OUT OF NY.

At this point in time I can only hope that eventually her annoying mother disappears off the airwaves. She has such an air about her. You can tell she thinks her shit doesn't stink. All the world owes her. The only one owing anything at this point is her for wasting everyone's time, energy and money looking for the loose woman she couldn't bother to raise knowing right from wrong.

And of course, an apology to Joran van der Sloot for ruining his life. No matter what happens at this point this kid will always be labeled. I've listened to him speak, and although he speaks well, he doesn't come across as a rocket scientist. The idea that this young boy could dupe the authorities is just too much, and the Twitty Holloways grabbing at straws.