One For Us Old Farts......

"Naptime!"

That might help those of us with insomnia.

Another New Blog

Racine Exposed, "Revealing Hidden Truths:" http://racineexposed.wordpress.com/

Another voice appealing for reason from City Hall.

It's been added to our sidebar list of local and area blogs.

Another Fire

"Fire at Burlington food processing plant now seven-alarm"

"BURLINGTON - A seventh alarm has been called on a fire at a food processing plant in Burlington.

"The fire broke out just after 6 p.m., and is at 33102 N. Honey Lake Road in Burlington, the site of Echo Lake Foods.

“'There are some ammonia tanks up there, they are exposed, we called in two more alarms,' said Burlington Mayor Bob Miller. 'We are calling in two more alarms.'”

Read more:  http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/189113611.html


Damn.  I don't think I've heard of a seven-alarm fire before. 

Open Blog - Thursday

She plays guitar, too?

The Winter Sky

Just a quick shot of the winter sky with my new Canon 60D. I haven't got to play with it much due to travel and then weather not being cooperative when I got back and life generally getting in the way. But so far, I like it. Here's why.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

"gallery hijack"

This is marvelous. So many people looking at "art."

Snow Bunting

Another winter migrant from the Great White North....The Snow Bunting.

Snow Buntings are very hardy birds. Able to withstand temperatures of thirty below zero, they migrate more from food deprivation of seeds than from the cold. Too keep warm, these ground foragers would either huddle up together in weedy bushes or even burrow in the snow. Truly an Arctic bird!

Plumages differ with the seasons. In the late fall, both sexes will appear to have that have rich chestnut brown on the crown, cheeks and shoulders, black wings a white belly. When breeding season arrives in the tundra spring, males will have white head, shoulders and undersides with a black back and wings. The females would a similar coloration except for a mottled grey on the wings.

While wintering in Wisconsin, can be found foraging on the ground for seeds by the roadsides near agricultural areas and weedy grasslands as well as near coastal beaches.

Top picture was taken by the lighthouse on 10/28/2012 while was taking pictures of a Dunlin and a migrating Black Bellied Plover. A small flock of Snow Buntings landed in front of me from a nearby bush. The winds howled cold from the lake, freezing my fingers NUMB! It was really difficult to get many great pictures. The picture below I took from the Cornell Lab site to give readers an idea what the breeding season Snow Bunting looks like.

Babies

Are You Broke? Are You Bored?

Here are some suggestions to help you pass the time.

Things you can do with absolutely nothing.

Push your eyes for interesting light show:
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes) See a variety of blobs, stars and flashes. Try to make out things - is your subconscious trying to send you a message? Can you control what you see by pressing different areas with different forces? Would it be possible to somehow see the same effects on TV? Or for that matter, watch TV with your eyes shut doing this?

See how long you can hold your breath:
(Amusement Potential: 4-20 minutes) Not that much fun, but it sure passes the time. Play with a friend, or try to beat your own personal best. Some tips: hyperventilate before hand, and stay as still as possible.

Try to not think about polar bears:
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes) This is especially hard, because by trying too much, you remember what you were trying to avoid thinking of. If you try too little, you end up thinking about polar bears anyway.

Scratch yourself:
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes) Go ahead, scratch yourself now. Even if nothing itches, go ahead. Doesn't that feel pretty good?

Hurt yourself:
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes) What is pain? Why is it unpleasant? There's nothing physical about it - it's all in your mind. Plus, after pinching yourself for awhile, boredom will seem nice next to being in pain.

Try to swallow your tongue:
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes) There's not much to say about this one. It is possible.

Look at something for awhile, shut eyes, study after image:
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes) Another great time waster. It takes about 30 seconds of staring to create an after image, and the image is then viewable for about the same length of time. Fun to combine this one with pushing on your eyes.

Get yourself as nauseated as possible:
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes) Best achieved by looking straight up and spinning around. Try to be so dizzy you can't even stand up. This is also entertaining due to the "makes boredom seem a lot better" effect (see "Hurt Yourself").

Things you can do with very little:

See what's in your neighbour's trash:
(Amusement Potential: 20-30 minutes) You can learn a lot about people by what they throw out. You might uncover some dark secret about them. Plus, they might be throwing out something with value that still works, like a VCR.

Watch TV, repeat everything said in Italian accent:
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes) Sort of entertaining. Fun to pretend the people on the screen are actually talking that way.

Call up people who write editorials you disagree with:
(Amusement Potential: 15-60 minutes) I'm surprised no one has thought of this before. Unleash your fury on the person who had the nerve to write a letter like that! I'm pretty sure it doesn't qualify as a prank phone call, too.

Make prank phone calls:
(Amusement Potential: 20-60 minutes) Very entertaining, but requires discipline. Remember - vulgarities don't make a call funny, but getting the other person to believe a ridiculous story will. Even more fun if you get a bunch of people on the line using a Wonderphone and take turns making the calls. One to get you started off: Call McDonald's, try to make reservations.

Pretend all humans will die except for people in the room with you:
(Amusement Potential: 10-20 minutes) What would you do if this really happened? Would the group stay together, or would there be factions? Who would join what group? Remember, there would only be power for a few days before the plants ran out of fuel or broke. To travel, you would always have to be near cars to siphon gas out of. Best to do with people you know.

Step off a curb with eyes shut, imagine it's a cliff:
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes) To get any benefit out of this one, you have to have a good imagination. Don't step off immediately, build up to the jump. Study the ravine below. Feel the winds at that altitude. Step off and... AHHHHHH!!!!!

Burn things with a magnifying glass:
(Amusement Potential: 5-30 minutes) Ants are always fun to use for this, but burning the face of someone you don't like, under some circumstances, can be just as entertaining.

Things you can do with another person:

Have a water drinking contest:
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes) While the competition is fun, you probably won't feel too good afterward. To give your event an old western theme, slam the cups upside down on the tables after you have emptied them.

Stare at the back of someone's head until they turn around:
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes) This works on the "I have the feeling I'm being watched" principle. Conduct an experiment--does this really work?

Have a "Who is less competitive" competition:
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes) Trying to win at this will make you lose. Trying to lose makes you win which makes you lose. Not trying at all makes you lose which makes you win which makes you lose.

Pick up a dog so it can see things from your point of view:
(Amusement Potential: 3-5 minutes) Think about it: your dog has only seen the house from a viewpoint from 6" to 2' high (15 to 60 cm for all you metric fans). It's never seen the tops of counters, what you keep on your desk, the tops of shelves, etc. Try looking at things from its point of view, too.

Pull out a hair, stick in someone's ear:
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes) Best done to sleeping people. Added challenge in having no one else around, because then you can't blame it on anyone else. Try to beat your record number of times before the person catches on.

Pour water in hand, make sneeze noise, throw water on back of person's neck: (My persoanl favorite) 
(Amusement Potential: 5-15 minutes) Always a good gag. For an even bigger reaction out of the person, act like you're not sorry at all for what they think you did. Comment instead on how big that sneeze was or about how there was a lot of mucus in that one.

Conjugal Visit

CAUTION fOUL LANGUAGE

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my waterlogged wonders.  How are you?  Rain and/or snow today, then back into the deep freeze.  Oh my.  No wonder that winter weather depresses people.  I get depressed just writing about it.  Well, January is all but gone.  One more month and we can see daylight. Spring is coming, I hope. 

The Super Bowl is this Sunday.  Who cares?  If the Packers are not in it, it means little to me.  The Harbaugh brothers are coaching opposing teams, but, again, that doesn’t pique my interest.  I may watch/hear part of it if it’s on TV while I’m doing something else.  Some people watch just for the commercials, but those will all be out on YouTube the next day. 

I read in the Journal Times about Racine probably taking 785 streetlights off of the grid to balance the budget.  How can City Hall justify that after all of the money they’ve wasted on Mr. Mayor Dickert and his pet projects?  It’s beyond ludicrous.  Mr. Mayor breaks the law, but we have to pay for it.  That’s immoral.

Junior informed me of his latest career goal the other day: professional wrestler.  Oh dear.  I asked him if perhaps a degree in accounting or computer science or something else might not be a good idea just in case the wrestling business doesn’t pan out.  I don’t think he heard a word I said.  He already has his professional wrestling name and personality picked out: Zoltar the Zombie, who will eat “brains” during interviews and such.  My, I’m so proud of my son the zombie.  What’s nice is knowing that he changes his career goal at least once a week.  Tomorrow he may want to be Zoltar the zoologist.

Finally, here is a video with suggestions on beating the winter blahs:

That woman is so cheery that I get nauseous. 

Thank you so much for stopping by this week.  I’m delighted to have visitors to my blog, irregular and otherwise.  Please stop every week and see what Madame Zoltar® has to say.

Banish the blahs with a few sips of Madame Zoltar’s Blues-B-Gon™. madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com. 

Be careful walking and driving.  This has to be one of the iciest winters we’ve had in awhile.  When you least expect it, a patch is there.  The days are getting longer.  Noctovision!         

Open Blog - Wednesday

Hey you, thanks.

Fire on Jacato Drive

Guys, my husband and I worked very hard to make things work on Jacato Drive. We decided to let someone else give it a try. Well, last night there was a horrific fire there. If you can find it in your hearts, please try to help these folks out. My heart hurts ... We worked so hard with tenants... Gave people a chance. No, we didn't get rich...far from it...but, in the end I felt we helped decent people who had little in the way of money get on the right track. It isn't always about money.

This was taken Saturday!

While we were at Richard Bong State Recreational Area the moon was coming up. It was so pretty and it looked like a pretty Fall moon with the tree. I could not resist taking a picture of it. I hope everyone enjoys the picture.

Yesterday Was BWAD And We Missed It

 Yesterday, Jan 28th, was Bubble Wrap Apprecation Day and we missed it.
 http://www.fast-pack.com/bubblewrapappreciation.html    But being that we're irregulars we can celebrate it when ever we want.

In honor of bubble wrap, click this link  http://www.fast-pack.com/popgame/popgame.html   and join me in celebrating the soothing sounds of bubbles popping.

DodgeBoy

Open Blog - Tuesday

Excalibur!

Find the Cat

No trick - it's there among the junk! Find the black & white cat, then send this puzzle along to annoy your friends!

It is there walking in plain sight.

PLEASE.... do not post the answer!

3 German Shepherds in a British Pub

Open Blog - Monday

Real workaholics don't let the day of the week stand in their way.

"Rita Hayworth Is Stayin' Alive"

I'm not a big Bee Gees fan, but I do like Rita Hayworth.

Short Eared Owl

I was thinking of doing a "profile" on the Common Goldeneye, the Snow Bunting or a Snow Goose next, but in the light of recent sightings at Richard Bong State Recreational Area, I settled on the Short Eared Owl.

The Short Eared Owl is a medium sized owl that thrives in grasslands, open meadows, tundras and prairies across most of northern North America and Eurasia. Often first seen at dusk in a low to the ground in a moth like flight over the grasslands in search of rodents that make up the most of their diet. Its plummage is a tawny brown with streaks on its pale breast. Although relatively small, they do appear quiet large in flight. Their broad wings them look that way. While flying, one could see the buffy brown color with light and dark spots under its wings. They are partially diurnal and be seen hunting at dusk and in the late afternoon on cloudy days.

Although the Short Eared Owls' range is widespread across the globe, their numbers have been reduced dramatically due to the loss of their natural habitat. They are endangered in several states! I've noticed that Bong taken measures to preserve their winter homeland.

This picture was taken 1/24/2013 at Richard Bong State Recreational Area. Bong is one of the few places in Wisconsin one can actually see these beautiful birds. After reading reports of their sightings from my birding friends, Tender Heart and I set out to find them. They can be seen flying low over the grasslands between parking lots D and E at dusk. It was a couple of times being out there, before I could actually get a quality photo. For the price of a seven buck admission, it was worth it....

Below is a video of a Short Eared Owl at Bong taken by one of my birding friends....

Useless Information

Did you know:

Today, 500 billion matches are used each year, about 200 billion from matchbooks

"Dog acts like a car | Volkswagen Commercial"

That dog acts like I did when I was a kid.

Random Thoughts

Went out last night and got really wasted. I woke up in the middle of
the night next to some chick who was snoring and farting, so I knew I
made it home OK! 

I've accidentally swallowed some Scrabble tiles. My next bowel movement
could spell disaster.
 

I spent a couple of hours defrosting the fridge last night, or
"foreplay" as she likes to call it.  

 After both suffering from depression for a while, me and the wife were
going to commit suicide yesterday. But strangely enough, once she
killed herself, I started to feel a lot better. So I thought, “Screw
it, soldier on!”

I woke up this morning at 8, and could smell something was wrong. I got
downstairs and found the wife face down on the kitchen floor, not
breathing! I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. Then I remembered
McDonald’s serves breakfast until 11:30.

Bought the missus a hamster-skin coat last week. Took her to the fair

last night, and it took me 3 hours to get her off the Ferris wheel.

A Catholic boy in confession says, “Bless me Father, I have sinned, I
masturbated while thinking about my sister.” “That's a disgrace”, said
the priest, “especially when you have two gorgeous brothers.”

A government survey has shown that 91% of illegal immigrants come to
this country so that they can see their own doctor.

Open Blog - Weekend

Enjoy yourselves.

"Dude On Lead Horns Is Awesome!"

How do you discover that you have a talent for that?

"Sheriff's radio ad says 911 not best option, urges residents to take firearms classes"

From JSOnline:

"Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. set off alarm bells Friday with a radio spot some view as a call for citizens to arm themselves.

"In the radio ad, Clarke tells residents personal safety isn't a spectator sport anymore, and that 'I need you in the game.'

"'With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option,' Clarke intones.

"'You could beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back.'
Clarke urges listeners to take a firearm safety course and handle a firearm 'so you can defend yourself until we get there.'

"'You have a duty to protect yourself and your family. We're partners now. Can I count on you?'"

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/sheriff-clarke-urges-residents-to-arm-themselves-with-guns-o38h47h-188375091.html


I know that occasionally the Racine Police Department is stretched thin and they call upon surrounding communities for backup.  I would not want to be a victim of a violent crime during one of those "thin" times.  But I haven't armed myself, yet.    

"Judge: Slander deal must be released"

From The Journal Times.com:

"RACINE — The settlement agreement that ended a former city employee’s slander suit against Mayor John Dickert is a public record and must released to the public, Racine Circuit Court Judge Gerald Ptacek ruled Friday.

"William Bielefeldt sued Dickert in 2011 claiming the mayor defamed him in radio comments he made while campaigning for re-election. The parties reached a settlement in late April, just days before a scheduled jury trial. The lawsuit cost city taxpayers $100,000 in legal fees.

"In May The Journal Times filed a records request with the city and Dickert asking for a copy of the agreement. A confidentiality clause built into the agreement barred Dickert from releasing the agreement without Bielefeldt’s permission or a court order, so the city and Dickert filed a lawsuit against Bielefeldt in June, asking a judge for direction."

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/judge-slander-deal-must-be-released/article_57e73626-6732-11e2-af37-001a4bcf887a.html


I think that a Kenosha judge should have heard this case, too.

The Big Chill 2013!

Last weekend was The Big Chill in Racine Wi.. This is when the people make carvings out of the snow in downtown Racine. I didn't get down there over the weekend to watch them do make the statue's.

We had a lot going on here at the house my daughter was getting everything ready to go back to school. Drew and I did go downtown on Wednesday and we have gotten some really good pictures to share with everyone. I hope all of you will enjoy the pictures we froze taken the pictures.

That is all of the pictures that we have from The Big Chill in downtown Racine Wi. 2013. I hope everyone enjoys our pictures we a sharing.

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Four for Fridays after a long and interesting week filled with new experiences. Anyways, some questions for you....

1) If you were on a baseball team, what position would you play?

2) What is the farthest you have ever walked?

3) What bill do you think is the best value for your money?

4) What do think is beyond the stars?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Thank you, Betty.

"Racine County Corruption - Special Edition"

Racine County Corruption has posted a Special Edition which highlights communication problems with our Sheriff's Dept., and also contains an affidavit that RCC says former Racine District Attorney Mike Nieskes falsely swore into court records.

There's always something brewing at:   http://www.racinecountycorruption.com/

Just doing a little shopping !!

There was a bit of confusion at a local Sporting goods store this
morning.

When I was ready to pay for my purchases of gun powder and bullets
the cashier said, "Strip down, facing me."

Making a mental note to complain about the gun registry people
running amok, I did just as she had instructed.

When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, I found
out that she was referring to my credit card.

I have been asked to shop elsewhere in the future.

They need to make their instructions to us seniors a little clearer!

For BL Basketcase

I saw this on Break.com and immediately thought of you.

Open Blog - Thursday

Howdy-do.

"The People vs. Winter"

Unfortunately, I can relate to that video. You probably can, too.

American Tree Sparrow

Migrants from the north, the American Tree Sparrows are often found in weedy fields with the Dark Eyed Juncos.

Not to be confused with the over abundant, aggressive and invasive House Sparrow, the American Tree Sparrow are more of a rural bird than their Old World cousins. Wisconsin is home to 27 different sparrow species and I have documented 13 of them so far. I know that identifying sparrows can be difficult, so bear with me while I try to explain as we go along. The first thing noticeable thing about the American Tree Sparrow is the rusty red cap and rusty (not black) eye line on a gray head. They have a streaked brown back, and a smooth gray to buff breast in both male and female. American Tree Sparrows give an overall impression of reddish-brown and gray. A dark smudge in the center of the unstreaked breast is common. Plus they have a bicolored yellow and black bill.

Their closest relative of the American Tree Sparrow is the Chipping Sparrow. They also have rusty cap, but instead of a rusty eye line, they have a black and white one and NO markings on its chest. Chipping Sparrows also have a solid black bill. On top of that, the Chipping Sparrows are summer residents while the American Tree Sparrows are the winter birds. I hope this helps

Look for small flocks of American Tree Sparrows hopping along on the ground in winter in weedy fields with hedgerows or shrubs, along forest edges, or near marshes and roadsides. They readily visit backyards, especially if there's a seed feeder.

The top picture was taken at Cliffside Park on 12/1/2012. This little guy just happened to be on the trail I was on for an easy picture. The bottom picture was taken to Richard Bong State Recreational Area on 1/12/2013. This dude just happened to be on the roadside for another easy picture.

"Dolphin Rescue Hawaii"

Mary mentioned this video in today's Open Blog, so I thought I'd post it. Poor dolphin.

Huge Bear Surprises Camera

Click here to see bear invade campsite

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my noble savages!  How are you?  We finally got some real winter temperatures and I don’t like it.  Brrr.  When it gets this cold, I worry about my car starting and I worry about myself getting started in the morning.  I just want to stay in bed.  Tell me again why we live in Wisconsin.  I forgot.  Brain freeze.

Since our illustrious and magnificent Green Bay Packers are no longer involved in the postseason, I don’t much care who does or doesn’t win the Super Bowl.  The Packers’ season is over and so is my interest.  The commercials are the best part of the game.

This past Saturday, Señor Zanza, Junior, and I went to see the snow sculptures on Monument Square.  What a sight they were!  Simply gorgeous what they do with the snow.  There were ice sculptures, too, in front of businesses on Main and Sixth Streets.  They also were beautiful.  Because of our weather, I think most of the sculptures are still up and relatively unscathed.  Stop by and check them out.

I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about Mr. Mayor Dickert’s efforts to turn over the management of CAR25 to one of his buddies.  Tsk, tsk.  Why always the crooked way, Mr. Mayor?  Why always the con?  You and your cohorts should be ashamed of yourselves.  Bilking a city is not something to be proud of, Mr. Mayor.  Please stop lying to us, please.  Please be a man for once and speak the truth.

I use Mr. Mayor and his lies as a teaching tool for Junior.  Over and over, Mr. Mayor provides an example of what not to do.  Over and over, I point that out to Junior.  In fact, I’ve told Junior that he could live an honorable life simply by doing the opposite of whatever Mr. Mayor does.

Finally, my dears, here is a funny Mr. Jimmy Kimmel video on the cold weather:

Thank you, my sweethearts, for reading my blog this week.  It’s always a pleasure to have you visiting.  I look forward to it every week.

How cold is it?  Find out: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

The temperatures are supposed to rise a little later this week, but it’s January and it’s Wisconsin, so make sure you dress appropriately for the weather.  Watch out for those darned icy spots.  Be careful out there.  Filipendulous!

Open Blog - Wednesday

Let's dance.

"Sports Illustrated Kids 2012 SportsKids of the Year: Conner and Cayden Long"

That's a heartwarming and inspirational video.

Silverback Gorilla

Amazing Video.......SER

CHURCHES LOST DURING HURRICANE SANDY

When hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, even houses of worship were not spared.

A local television station interviewed a black woman from New Jersey and asked how the loss of churches in the area would affect their lives.

Without hesitation, the woman replied, "I don't know 'bout all those other people, but we ain't gone to Churches in years. We gets our chicken from Popeye's."

The look on the interviewer's face was priceless.

Crazy Marriage Proposal

"Audi's automatic driving for parking"

Impressive? I don't know. The video below impresses me more.

Open Blog - Tuesday

Thank freakin' you!

A Couple of Birds For Drew

I was in Florida last week for my annual Disney Marathon trip. Thursday was a cool, windy day in and I went to Emerson Point Preserve near Palmetto. Lots of birds out that day and thought I would post a couple of pics for Drew and the other bird fans here. First, a pelican of some type (is there more than one type of pelican? Surely there must be).

Next, I know what this is. It is a roseate spoonbill. I love these guys, great color.

 

Here's another one where you can see the shape of the bill better.

See, I can take pictures of things that aren't in the sky too!

The Jupiter-Moon Conjunction Photos

Okay, I blogged about the close pairing of the Moon and Jupiter so here are some photos. The first one I got about 3:00 in the afternoon, but I prefer this one I took about 3:30pm.

Jupiter is to the lower left of the Moon. I went out for sunset as well. This is the first time I photographed sunset with my new Canon 60D. Wow! A bit different than my old camera! Shoots a lot faster and the sensitivity is different. Managed to get the differences sorted out in time to get a green flash. I am sure I will get better as I practice with this camera.

As soon as the Sun set, I turned to the Moon and Jupiter. 

About 8:00pm, I went back out and got this shot. The exposure was short to bring out details on the Moon. You can see the Montes Jura chain extending into the dark side of the Moon (upper left part of the Moon).

And I took one more with the Moon overexposed to bring out the Galilean Moons. Ganymede is to the left of Jupiter and Io and Callisto to the right. Europa was transiting in front of Jupiter at the time and not visible.

I hope you got to see the conjunction. Another one will happen on February 18th, but it won't be quite as close as this one.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog

Eagle Sightings

The above snapshot is a pair of Bald Eagles that I've seen on the break wall in Carre Hagel Park last November. Since then. I've been increasingly aware that a pair or more of Bald Eagles hanging around in the Racine County area. More than two dozen sighting have been reported....

To give an idea what is going on...

On November 4, I saw two eagles at Carre Hagel Park. Later on, in the SAME morning, I saw ANOTHER one by the lighthouse.

On November 10, I saw one perched in a tree at Smolenski Park. 

 Just after Thanksgiving, I saw another by the lighthouse with members of the Hoy Audubon.

Just before Christmas, Tender Heart and I saw fly over Hwy 100 in Oak Creek. It was heading east.

Two weeks ago, Tender Heart and I saw one fly over Carre Hagal Park.

Last Thursday, Tender Heart saw one fly over 4 Mile Rd. It was heading north.

Over the weekend, we again saw another near the Festival site.

That's just a few reported sightings....  I've heard of some being at the Pugh Marina, Carthage College, Echo Lake out in Burlington and other place around here.

A good way to find these eagles is to keep an eye the gulls and geese. If an eagle appears, they will manically fly up into the skies creating a chaotic confusion  Remember, a birds' eyesight is very keen.

I'm aware of that some readers may have never seen an eagle, now is a good time to keep an eye on the skies.... Good luck!

Useless Information

Did you know:

There were 6 presidents still alive at the same time twice recently in history.

One was at the time of Bill Clintons Inauguration in 1993 still alive were:
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton

Even more recently, George Bush Junior at the time of his inauguration:
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush

Open Blog - Monday

Enjoy your day.

Dark Eyed Junco

Shifting gears here away from the rare and unusual to something more plain and common. Something we ALL may have seen.... the Dark Eyed Junco.

Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They’re easy to recognize by their crisp charcoal grey markings, white underbellies and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. One of the most abundant forest birds of North America. Not only just found in forests, but in fields foraging for seeds with American Tree Sparrows, parks, backyards and even under feeders. They are everywhere...

Dark-eyed Juncos are birds of the ground. They hop around the bases of trees and shrubs in forests or venture out onto lawns looking for fallen seeds. You’ll often hear their high chip notes, given almost absent-mindedly while foraging, or intensifying as they take short, low flights through cover.

This picture was taken this afternoon at the nature center in the Richard Bong State Recreational Area. Tender Heart and I had been birding there for four hours with great success. I liked this picture especially the way it was looking up at me as if to say, hello.... The picture below was taken in my backyard on 10/19/2012. That's about the time of the year that they arrive in Wisconsin. They'll stay here until about April before heading back to the Great White North.