Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Sad News for Bird Watchers/Have A Happy 4th



A few years ago, I mentioned that my husband and I like to look at a live cam of an osprey nest. This is the fourth year that this has been done and it is on Hog Island in the state of Maine. Beginning in April,  one can watch the ospreys build the nest, lay the eggs and wait for the eggs to hatch.  You watch the babies grow as the parents work very hard to feed them.

 A very sad thing just happened... the osprey parents had two baby birds in the nest and when they both left the nest, a bald eagle SWOOPED down and took the babies! Gee, that makes me sad but that is nature for you. 

You may read about it on the Audubon website here.


On my last post, I showed you a flower that bloomed from a plant that my brother had given us.  I am showing you some flowers from a few years ago that also bloomed on our front porch.  We had these plants for years but just this past year, we had some very cold weather and they did not survive their winter home in the garage.
They were amaryllis and we had red ones, white ones and a very pale pink one. We had them for years and I mourn the loss of them.
Once again, that is nature for you.


 
 

 
 
As you can see, Richard is not only a talented photographer but a gifted gardener as well!  In America, we would say that he has a "green thumb" but in England, they say "green fingers"!
By the way, did you see the guard that was taunted by a tourist at Windsor Castle and his reaction?  It's priceless.  I notice that it is an American tourist. Dang it.  I keep finding bad news to tell you.

 
On a happy note...it is almost the 4th of July and I hope to watch one of my favorite movies, "Yankee Doodle Dandy".   That is such a great movie, it is perfectly cast. I love that the actress who plays Jimmy Cagney's sister was his sister in real life.
(My sister has been visiting here and she just saw Tom Cruise filming a movie in Madison, Georgia!  If you see a pretty blonde in the background of the movie "Mena", that might be Pam!)

 




22 comments:

  1. Yes, that's nature. It is neither "cruel" nor "good" - it just IS.
    Do you follow Yorkshire Pudding's blog? If so, you have probably been to this website, where we were able to follow a pair of peregrine falcons raise their babies. Linked to the website with the webcam there is also a blog with wonderful pictures of the now nearly grown young ones.

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    1. Forgot to say how much I love amaryllis! I once had a pale pink one in my room when I was a teenager and have never forgotten how much beauty it lent to the whole room.

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    2. Yes, nature IS but like anything, when you follow something for a while, it hurts when you lose it. I think I saw that on Yorkshire Pudding's blog but didn't have the time to look at the falcons cam.
      The amaryllis was beautiful and Richard tended them oh so carefully! They bloomed for my birthday at first (April) but then bloomed later, just in time for my Mother's Day in May. I miss them.

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  2. Temple Grandin would say that nature is cruel, but we don't have to be.

    The amaryllis were so pretty, you are blessed your husband has those "green fingers!" My "black thumb" even kills silk houseplants.

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    1. The golden rule is a good one to follow.
      Richard is the one that is good with plants and flowers, I just enjoy them!

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  3. Aww sad about the babies1I too love amaryllis! Enjoy the 4th!

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  4. Hope you have a Happy 4th of July weekend !

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    1. Enjoy and keep looking on the bright side!

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  5. Such pretty flowers. Too bad they didn't survive.
    Nature is nature, I guess.

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    1. Richard thinks it is possible that an insect might have gotten to them, either that or the cold...On the bright side, he says he will get more and build up his amaryllis army!

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  6. The incident with the tourist and the guard illustrates why Americans have a bad reputation in many places. I am so proud to be an American but that does not make me better than someone from another country. At this time of year it is good to remember what has made us a great country and act accordingly.

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    1. Ha, you don't have to tell me. I have spent quite a bit of time in England and have experienced the bad behavior from American tourists!
      I have never said that I feel superior to others and I hope you never get that impression from me. I am an American married to someone from another country and therefore, have spent some time examining what it means to be American, more than most folks I would say.
      "Yankee Doodle Dandy" IS a great movie. If you have not seen it, you should!

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    2. A superior feeling is not what I get from you. You are a happy resident of the world. I feel that I am too. I have pride in my country just like people from other countries take pride in theirs. At the same time a couple of other countries pull on me a bit. I have seen Yankee Doodle Dandy many times. It is a good movie. As a matter of fact I watched it just last week.

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  7. Oh, how sad about the baby osprey. As you say, that's nature, but it doesn't make it any less distressing and disturbing I'm a big softie and things like that sadden me.

    I love the blooms. Have a wonderful 4th of July to you and Richard, Kay....celebrate and enjoy to the utmost! :)

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    1. Yes, Lee, you understand me! When you follow those babies from the EGG, it makes it a bit tough!
      Thank you, Lee, for your well wishes. We hope to climb Stone Mountain!

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  8. A few weeks ago I saw a beautiful Coopers Hawk on my neighbor's tree branch. He didn't fly off when I got out of the car. I kept very still and eventually he flapped over to my neighbor's holly bush where I knew there was a Brown Thrasher nest. I ran toward him squawking, yelling "No, no! Not while I'm here! I can't allow that!" He hopped back to the tree branch and eventually gave up in disgust. Ah, nature, eh?

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    1. "No, not while I'm here!" That sounds just like me! Now I know we have to let nature take its course, as they say, but it can take its course away from me, not in my yard! I I bet you have a Cooper's Hawk mad at you now!
      Thanks for your comment, hope you have a great 4th of July.

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  9. A good film. Always wondered when I was young about Jimmy Cagney's dancing in that film which was different to the rest until the penny dropped it was Irish dancing where only the legs move. Believe it or not I heard he visited my local area back in the 1940s as there was a large American hospital close by and he was on USO work to entertain the troops. I'm sure I read that in the local paper years ago as a pensioner claimed he used to see him outside the chip shop and no one believed him until he got the press to verify it.

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    1. Oh, I LOVE that you told me this story!! I knew that Jimmy Cagney did USO shows but just that little fact that he enjoyed Fish & Chips there makes me very happy! And I am glad that the pensioner was finally believed!

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  10. Oh no, sorry to hear about the baby ospreys. That is so sad!!! Happy 4th, Kay ~ hope you have a beautiful weekend!!! XOXO

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    1. I know how much you love birds too, Audrey, We have liked watching the babies.
      Hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July too! xx

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