Oh my, it was a difficult day at the salt mines for me! I had to hike two of the refuge trails to note any fallen trees, and look to see what birds were in the area. :) Sally, another volunteer, drove us to the first trail that was about seven miles away. We did find one downed tree crossing the trail that someone will have to use a chain saw on. There were a few birds around, but nothing out of the ordinary.
While I was back at the rig for lunch, I glanced out the window and saw a bird in the pine tree that was a new life bird for me.
It was a little brown-headed nuthatch. They glean insects from under the bark by walking down the tree from top to bottom.
After lunch, Emma and I headed out on foot to patrol the nature trail that starts in back of the Visitor’s Center. It was an enjoyable walk, and we saw a few woodpeckers and bluebirds.
As the trail wove near the bayou, a swamp sparrow popped up out of the bush to see what we were doing. That’s about as exciting as it got today in birdland.
When we got back to the rig, I noticed that another inside piece of my rooftop antenna had fallen on the floor. A couple of days ago, as I was lowering the antenna during some high winds, the crank handle and a spring fell off into my hand. Now the next part, the circle for adjusting the direction, had fallen off. I mentioned it to Denny, and he had it all back together and installed in under a minute. OK, now I’ve learned another bit of knowledge about a minor repair. :)
Alex, one of the interns here at the refuge, will be finishing his tour of duty on Friday. This evening we had a pizza party for him over in the bunkhouse. Tasty pizzas and good conversation to finish the day.
Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later, Judy
Congrats on the lifer...he's a cutie too!!
ReplyDeleteAnother rough day in the salt mines, eh?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are up and feeling better.
ReplyDeleteglad the tv antenna problem was quick fix!..another great day in the 'saltmines'!
ReplyDeleteSuch a hard life for someone who loves it out there. I can't believe how many birds you can spot.
ReplyDeleteSo happy you are feeling so much better. He may have a brown head but he sure has a pretty blue body.
ReplyDeleteThat's the cutest lttle nuthatch I ever did see!
ReplyDeleteK
It sounds like you are back at it, all right. May your volunteer experience here be a good one!
ReplyDeleteThose windup antenna parts can be pretty flimsy. I usually have a few spare parts kicking around just in case. However, I rarely ever use the antenna anymore now that we bring our dish.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like they do not expect you to handle a chain saw:) Congrats on the new life bird. Do you keep a file of each one you have spotted?
ReplyDeleteOh I am so sorry for the terrible day you had! Bummer. :-) So glad that you were able to get out and enjoy yourself. It is always so nice to get the energy level back up after an illness.
ReplyDeleteWe have Nuthatches here and I just love them. They are one of my favorite birds! We had a large flock - probably 40 or so - of Robins in our backyard yesterday. Starlings are everywhere right now (me no-likey them - they make a mess! :-), and we have an owl that hangs out close by most days. And we live "in town"!
Stay safe...
Kerri in AL :-)
McGuyver has an electric chain saw the he uses to cut up big pieces for firewood...I'm with you on the Starlings.I hate them...They aren't up here yet, but give us a few warm days and they will show up by the dozen...Sounds like you and Emma are having a great time!!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh such a tuff day at work, huh?
ReplyDeleteGlad your antenna was easily repairable!
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Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/