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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, May 19, 2013

♪♫ It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring…♫

Yep, that’s been my world for the last couple of days.  I got up to rain at 4:00 yesterday morning to get ready for the Detroit Lakes Bird Festival tour of Tamarac NWR.  Steve, Rachel, and I got to Detroit Lakes just in time to hop on the bus as it was ready to pull out at 5:30.  I felt like a zombie.  Once back on the refuge, we got out to hike around at several places and look for birds in the rain.  I had worn my raincoat with a sweatshirt underneath, but by the time we were half way through the tour I was really feeling cold and clammy.  When the bus stopped very near my rig for folks to get out and walk around, I bailed from the tour.  Call me a chicken if you like, but I had had enough.  Just not the dyed in the wool birder that I used to be.

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By yesterday afternoon, the skies had cleared and Emma and I hopped into the car to explore a few more of the roads on the refuge.  We got a nice view of a trumpeter swan in our travels.  This was after I once again made a wrong turn and drove about 20 miles out of my planned route.  I was armed with maps and all, but after stopping to buy some night crawlers for fishing, I goofed.  Grr.  I hate being directionally challenged!  As we returned home, the rains began once again.

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It rained most of the morning today.  Late this afternoon, the sun came out once again, and I decided to hang a couple of bird feeders out even though the holder pole was bent over from the bear.  I tried to bend it back to upright, and the best I could do was get it to about a 45* angle.  The birds don’t seem to mind though, and blasted in within minutes.

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It kind of surprised me to have a pretty good sized flock of pine siskins descend.  I have always thought of pine siskins as winter time birds, but then I am a bit further north than I’ve ever resided before.  The bird checklist for the refuge lists them as uncommon in spring and summer, but they sure weren’t uncommon today.

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A female red-winged blackbird even stopped by for a look at the offerings at the Hard Rock Bird Café.  She didn’t stay long, but I bet she’ll be back.

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I’ve had Baltimore orioles before if I put out oranges, and they do try to get some of the sugar water out of the hummingbird feeder, but this is the first time I’ve seen one eat some of the thistle seed.  This is a female, and the male often visits the hummer feeder.

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Through all of this bird business, Emma was her calm uncaring self.  It makes me chuckle to see the way she crosses her front legs when she is relaxed.  She remained this way until just after her dinner.  Then she began pacing around.  She can sense ahead of time when a rainstorm with thunder is coming.  Sure enough, after I took my camera back inside, the rain and rumbles returned. 

The forecast for my next three work days looks pretty wet as well.  Lots of school kids coming on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, so I’m not sure how that’s going to turn out.  Can you just imagine 100 first graders planting trees in the rain??  Sounds like a mud bath to me!  Disappointed smile

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

29 comments:

  1. Glad it is you and not me with 100 first graders!

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  2. It takes a lot of rain to fill all those likes up there. Good luck with the first graders.

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  3. Nice pictures Judy. I especially like the Indigo Bunting. I'll take you on a nature walk tomorrow!!!

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  4. Yeah, Whiskey was always a little restless when a storm was coming. And thunder and lightning? She didn't like that at all! Has Emma always had that little bit of grey on her chin?

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  5. Rain rain go away and come on over to my garden please! I hope you can get the kids' trees planted without it being a mud bath!

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  6. Well, I'd say you had a pretty successful day of birding after all. Those photos of the feeders are just wonderful! I admire your ability to even get up at 4 AM, much less having to actually socialize before 6. Ugh!

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  7. I would have bailed the cold and rain also...
    good luck with those cute little kids in the mud!!

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  8. I just love the Hard Rock Cafe for the birdies, even if it is a bit askew!

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  9. Love the bird photos, very colorful. At least if the 100 kids are muddy, you can send them home that way.

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  10. yup. . .my vote for bailing is with you also. . .nice recovery. . .great pics!

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  11. I don't blame you for bailing either. Rain is nasty stuff with old bones.
    Your picuters are great.

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  12. I would have baled too. Being tired from the get-go, then cool and damp....nope, not my cuppa tea. Love your photos tonight.

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  13. Does the rainy weather bother your hip? You were smart to bail out of that tour - there will always be another tour you can take when the weather is better and you feel more like it.

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  14. I'll straighten the pole when I get up there.

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  15. Way to go Jack! I'd have been a bailer too. There will be other days. Love that picture of Emma.

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  16. I would have bailed before I even got out of bed. I do so love your bird pictures.

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  17. Boy, you sure have a lot of customers at your bent-up ol' feeders. Birds don't care a bit, do they? You gonna leave them outside... what about The Bear?

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  18. Thanks for reminding me about the orange slices. I want to try that this year.

    Lovely photo of the Baltimore oriole.

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  19. Nice to have customers at the cafe ;-) They get food, you get entertainment and photos. Sounds like a symbiotic relationship to me. Have fun with all those youngsters ... I'd be running in the opposite direction :-D

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  20. Love all the bird pictures. I guess that bear was pretty hungry!!!
    Emma looks so studious!

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  21. I've never had an indigo bunting visit my feeders... you sure have a lovely variety of birds visit yours. Nice!

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  22. The birds are soooo pretty and you do such a great job photographing them!
    Good luck with the tree planting and all those first graders....whew, that brings back alot of memories!
    Hugs to Emma.....love the picture of her!

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  23. Beautiful bird pics. Reading the name "Detroit Lakes" brought back some great childhood memories for me. I grew up in Winnipeg and my parents took us down to Detroit Lakes for a summer vacation one year. Those were the days before sunscreen and I remember getting burned pretty good my first day - ouch!!

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  24. I wish it would rain here - it's really dry in New Mexico!

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  25. I was looking at my blog and saw your title out of the corner of my eye in my blog roll. At first I thought it said "It's raining men..." I got all excited and thought "Dang! What's Judy up to now?" lol

    Glad you made it safely to your new spot. Great bird pictures as always. Hope your weather improves.

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  26. Wasn't there a country song out a few years ago that had something to do with ticks????

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  27. You have some good looking diners at the Hard Rock Bird Cafe. 100 first graders and mud - yikes.

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  28. Great photos as usual. It is amazing how fast birds find a new feeder.

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