.

.
Borrego Springs, CA

Friday, September 6, 2013

Temps are still soaring

This has been a rather interesting week.  Monday was a holiday, Tuesday I was back to painting posts, and Wednesday I ran errands and visited Mr. Smith.  Then yesterday I was expecting some visitors.  A fellow Fish and Wildlife volunteer, and blogger, that I worked with a couple of years ago at Anahuac NWR, was making her way from the National Bison Range NWR to the Boundary Waters of NE Minnesota.  I had great plans for a wonderful tour of the refuge as she and a friend stopped by.

IMG_9435

However, Marilyn and her friend, Bob, didn’t arrive until late in the afternoon, and they had very limited time to spend on their way to the Twin Cities.

IMG_9431

So, I took them to see all of the trumpeter swans on Flat Lake, and then we made our way to the Ice Cracking Lodge where they treated me to dinner.  Smile  Thanks, Bob!

Today I thought I’d do some mowing around headquarters and the RV pads, but with the high temps and no rain that we’ve had for the last five weeks, there wasn’t anything to mow.  The grassy areas are still a burnt out brown, and are likely to stay that way until we get a nice amount of rain.

73 Tamarac NWR, 201330

So instead I decided to prepare for the bird tour I’m leading tomorrow.  I needed to scout around the refuge for where I might take anyone that shows up to see some birds.

IMG_4399

Despite there having been no strong cold fronts from the north, most of the little birds have left the refuge and headed south.  When a cold front approaches, the strong winds out of the north help the birds on their way.  The winds have been light or nonexistent at night, so the birds have left anyway as their internal clocks require them to do.

IMG_4403

That makes a bird tour at this time of the year quite a challenge.  With the temps in the 80’s and 90’s, the waterfowl birds haven’t been in the mood to build up their fat supplies and begin their journeys south yet.  This refuge is a big stop over place for waterfowl from the north during migration, but none have arrived yet.

IMG_4357I did find a lone cedar waxwing this morning, but that doesn’t bode well for tomorrow morning.  Oh well, we’ll find some birds to look at.  I can always take folks to see the swans, and as a last resort I’ll bring them to my Hard Rock Bird Café to see a few hummingbirds, chickadees, and nuthatches.  I suppose it’s a good thing I can talk a lot about birds whether they’re around or not.  Confused smile

IMG_4396-001

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

24 comments:

  1. Kind of disappointing that your friends couldn't stay very long. But isn't it great seeing good friends again?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maybe some birds will take pity on you and show up just for your tour tomorrow. I can always hope for you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So I guess spring is the best time to see lots of birds.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm sure you could put together a great bird tour in the middle of a snowstorm. You have the "gift of the bird gab". Be glad it isn't too cold yet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ditto Collene!

    I would love to be on a bird tour with you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. great capture on the last picture.
    Hope the birds come out of hiding for your group tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I guess those soaring temps are making your personal temperature soar? I'd have thought being as far North as you are, you'd be knee deep in snow by now.

    Good luck on your tour tomorrow. May the birds be with you! :cD

    ReplyDelete
  8. I especially like that last photo of the Chickadee in flight.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I had no idea it was so hot in MN in the summer.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Here's hoping you find birds all over the place!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Those darn bird, when you need their help they bail on you. Good luck, I'm sure with or without subjects you'll make it interesting!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. It has been an unusually hot summer in Minnesota. It can't last much longer. Fall is on the horizon. I hope you are able to scout up some birds for the tour.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Where's Alfred Hitchcock when you need him!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I hope you find some good birds on the tour. I love the last photo. It's so hard to get a good photo of a bird with it's wings spread.

    Which reminds me. Would you do me a favor? I remember a bit ago you either posted or left a comment on someone's blog about shutter settings, and how certain settings allow us to get the wings clearly, like a hummingbird's, instead of the blur. I did what you said, and got some great photos, and now I can't remember what I did(I'm always changing things on my camera). I mentioned changing my settings to get a good shot, and had a few comments on one of my posts asking me about the settings.

    If you DO put that info on your post, I'd love permission to copy/paste it over to my blog, giving you credit of course. (It wasn't anything detailed, just something about opening your shutter up to a certain number, I think?) :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. So sorry we didn't manage to get to the refuge sooner. But it was good to see you again and maybe I'll get to see you there next year or actually work there sometime myself. Thanks for the little tour.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think birds know when you're coming, that's why they go to the other side of the tree where you can't see them. Maybe it's the same with bird tours! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. hey. . .ya got a meal out of the deal. . .so good for you!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You just never know what people will be thrilled with, I have never seen a cedar waxwing. I would be delighted.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Odd to find one cedar waxwing without the usual crowd of them. LOVE the chickadee photo! :) Hope you had a few people show up for your bird tour this morning. I would have but I was busy not sleeping.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Odd to find one cedar waxwing without the usual crowd of them. LOVE the chickadee photo! :) Hope you had a few people show up for your bird tour this morning. I would have but I was busy not sleeping.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The heat has screwed up things everywhere.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Your last picture is "fanned"tastic. Love it!

    ReplyDelete