Raptors and Waterfowl

I finally got to go birding today. I spent most of my time divided between two sites - Camp Dennison gravel pits (aka "Grand Valley") and Armleder Park. Grand Valley now has a gate which requires one to have a key-card to gain admission, so unless I can finagle one from my friend Dennis the naturalist, I am back to birding the pits from above, with a spotting scope.

Since I have no photos, I will provide you with links to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website. If you don't have this site bookmarked or included among your favorites, you really should. You can get tons of information about birds from the CLO.

I had a good number of waterfowl today, with Ring-necked Ducks (which I persist in calling "Ring-billed" Ducks, since the ring on the bill is much more prominent than the ring on the neck), Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, Mallards, Canvasbacks, and an American Wigeon all at the pits. I also saw Pied-billed Grebes and American Coots there, and Canada Geese while driving. Hooded Mergs and Buffleheads are some of my favorite ducks. They are so cute! I missed the Snow Goose which had been hanging out in a field in Newtown. (I see Susan missed it yesterday, too.)

Even as I typed "grebes and coots" in my waterfowl list, I could feel my birding mentor, Jay Stenger, thwacking me on the back of my head. You see, the term "waterfowl" is (or should be) used only for members of the Anatidae family, the ducks and geese, and neither coots nor grebes fit that category. But, for me, the non-purist, if it hangs out with ducks, if it swims like a duck, if it looks like a duck in my scope view, I am going to call it "some kind of water fowl."

Also at the pits was a Bald Eagle, sitting right along the road, watching the waterfowl (including the coots, since eagles don't care about classification of their dinner) as closely as I was. When I tried to get closer to photograph him, he flew. Ah, well.

Today was a good day for raptors as well as waterfowl. Besides the Bald Eagle, I had a Red-shouldered Hawk, 4 Red-tailed Hawks, 2 American Kestrels, a Cooper's Hawk, and, at Armleder, a really sweet Northern Harrier that was hunting the field for sparrows. Unfortunately, the Rough-legged Hawk that has been hanging out there was a no-show. The general consensus among area birders is that it has moved on. Susan may have been the last one to see it on Tuesday.

The harrier was a great bird. When I first saw it, I thought, "That Cooper's Hawk is huge!" I soon realized I was seeing a Northern Harrier. This accipiter-like hawk has a long tail like a Coop, but longer wings in proportion to its body. The juveniles and females are similar in color to a Cooper's Hawk, but the males are gray on top, with white under their wings. The key field mark in any age/sex Northern Harrier is the white rump. Behavior is a big clue to the ID as well. Instead of chasing small birds, with quick wing beats and sharp twisting turns, like a Sharpie or Coop, a Harrier hunts by flying low over a grassy field, alternating deep, strong wing beats with coasting and gliding. I got to watch this one doing her thing for several minutes. She dropped down into the field once or twice, but I didn't see her catch any prey. Check out the Illinois Raptor Center for more information on harriers. Be sure to click the link for more photos.

My First-born Pot!

OK, don't laugh. Seriously, if you laugh, you will hurt my feelings. In Tuesday night's pottery class, we glazed our first pot, and tonight, I got it back after firing.

Before I show you pictures, let me explain. This piece is only the third one I threw, on my very first night of class. After doing two others, I was tired and I really goofed it up, so it is pretty wobbly. Next, I was trying to do a black cat silhouette with a rubber stamp in black underglazing, as a sort of signature, and I had too much glaze, so it made a big smear. I decided to do a random pattern of black splodges instead. Finally, I didn't really choose my colors carefully. Some people were working with "paprika" and "sea foam," so I just used them since they were out.

OK. Enough exposition. Here is the finished piece, from several different angles:

What is this supposed to be?
A "salsa dish"
Yeah, right.

Oh, what the hell. Go ahead and laugh. I did.

Toxicology Tuesday, December 11

The holiday season is a hectic one. Don't add to your worries by putting your pet's health and safety at risk. Be sure to check your decorations and other seasonal items, like these simmering liquid potpourris, to see if they are

Toxic or Not

Answer: Toxic

[To be fair, the Hope Rose product said "non-toxic" on the label on the back of the bottle, but there was no list of ingredients, so I don't know anything about it.]

Liquid simmering potpourris, regardless of the scent or season, contain cationic detergents, essential oils, or both, and are one of the top 10 most common poisonings in cats, as reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Cats are exposed by licking the product directly from the container, or when cleaning their fur after a spill. (Dogs would be equally affected, but this seems to be more a cat thing to do.)

Cationic detergents are corrosive, causing chemical burns of the skin, the mucous membranes of the mouth, or the corneal surface of the eyes. Signs are drooling, severe GI distress, skin or eye irritation, and general depression. Essential oils have similar signs.

DO NOT induce vomiting if your pet ingests liquid potpourri. The corrosives burn on the way up as well as on the way down, and can damage the lining of the esophagus. Instead, dilute the toxin with milk or water and seek veterinary help immediately. Affected cats are usually hospitalized for supportive care, including pain management and supplemental feeding, for several days while the ulcerated areas heal. Prognosis for recovery is good, unless the esophagus is severely affected.

CarolFest

Saturday was my mom's birthday. She and I, and a friend of hers, went to CarolFest at the famous Music Hall in Cincinnati.

The well-known Cincinnati May Festival Chorus was the main entertainment, but there was also a children's choir, a troop of ballet dancers, and a Baptist church choir performing on this incredible stage.


There was audience participation as we sang along with best-loved Christmas carols. Some of us even danced a little dance called "The Reindeer Twist" along with the children of the Fairview German Language School choir.

Before the show started, I wandered around the lobby and balcony of this beautiful and historic Cincinnati landmark, enjoying the sights and sounds.

The ceiling and chandelier from below:

and looking down from the balcony.

Santa and Mrs. Claus held court in the lobby assisted by a number of young elves.

This is the grand staircase to the balconywhere a group of bellringers were playing.

Frosty and Rudolph roamed about,

greeting the youngest visitors.

Here are two beautiful ladies: My mom on the left and her friend Pat on the right. I teased them that they must have called each other the night before: "What are you wearing?" "How about black slacks and Christmas sweaters?"

Can I Stop Shopping Now?

I have kept this secret long enough. You might as well know the truth about me. I was born without the shopping gene. I absolutely HATE to shop. I get no thrill from sales, markdowns, or stalking the wild bargain. I can't stake out a pair of pants and then visit them daily, waiting for them to go on clearance. I go clothes shopping twice a year, only because I have to. I usually find a pair of pants that fit, then buy them in 4 different colors. If that happens to be the day they are on sale, so be it. As far as I can tell, every day there is a sale.

I recognize that a certain amount of shopping is necessary for life - food, clothes, dog toys, the odd present. But, shopping as a sport? Ugh. The crowds, the noise, the prices, and the overwhelming amount of STUFF that the retail industry insists we can't live without - it all makes me crazy.

Are all these people unemployed?
Why are there so many people here
on a Thursday afternoon?

Oh, I like shopping well enough when I am in some funky little place and I see something that would be perfect for a friend or relative (or me!), but to deliberately go out to stores to buy something specific - I would rather have root canal. At least with oral surgery, you get an anesthetic.

Even Santa seems to be in pain.

This year, Christmas shopping is particularly difficult. I have no idea what to buy my mother. (Mom, if you are reading this, please stop now.) She doesn't want "anything she has to dust." She has a super-sensitive nose, so candles, potpourri, and any scented bath products are out. "What stinks in this store? Oh, it's the soaps and lotions." Every year I buy her a sweater. I think she is sick of them.

I asked her what she wanted. She sent me an e-mail that said: "Eight gifts. Two pair black socks, two pair white socks, two pair navy socks, two pair tan socks." Mother. That is not 8 gifts, that is one gift called "socks." (I have a good mind to buy 8 pairs of socks, take the pairs apart, and wrap them in 16 different packages.)

Today, I was off work, it was a sunny, clear day, and I wanted to go birding. Instead, I went Christmas shopping. Again. In a mall. Again. Pass the Novacaine.


This trip, the main goal was Kenwood Towne Center. As malls go, this one isn't bad. It is two stories tall, with multiple arms extending from the central core, it is far from my house, and it is currently undergoing construction. But, at least it is full of expensive stores where I can't afford anything.



So far this month, I have been in 2 malls, 2 books stores, 3 hobby/craft stores, 2 bath/linens stores, 4 (?) music stores, a feed store (twice), 1 pet store, and 6 or 8 other assorted department and specialty stores. I have gotten gifts for my sister, my staff, and my dogs. And for my mom? Socks. (MOM! I told you to stop reading!)

I swear, next year, I am going to Christmas shop all year 'round, rather than doing this again. As long as the stores provide analgesics, that is.

First Snow

Today was our first measurable snow of the season, two inches on my front deck at 8am, and Cincinnati Weather Hysteria was at a peak. Schools had 2 hour delays or closed altogether, weathermen shrieked at us to beware the "Alberta Clipper," and every TV news department did a piece on snow shovels and ice melters. Brrrrr! How dreadful! What would we do if we lived in Minnesota, where Birdchick is talking about 8 inches, on top of what they already have on the ground? (Reminds me of a joke: "How is a man like a snowstorm?" --- Punchline is R-rated!)


The dogs are always thrilled with the first snowfall. Soon, Grace will begin to complain, and refuse to move off the deck for her "necessary" trips, but for now, she enjoys the changes around her.


Holly always loves to root around in the snow, and when it is deeper, will use her nose as a snowplow, tossing the accumulated snow up in the air.


Today's white stuff didn't stick around too long, changing to rain as I drove into work. Tonight, temps are supposed to be in the mid teens. Brr! Sounds like hot cocoa and a fire is in order.

Toxicology Tuesday, December 4

Before my sister had these evergreen shrubs removed from her front yard, I took some photos for the blog. Does anybody know what they are, and if they are

Toxic or Not?

Answer: Toxic

especially to horses. This is Taxus, common name yew, which has many varieties. I don't know which one this is, nor does it matter as the toxicity is the same. With toxic plants, it is always important to specify what part(s) of the plant are toxic and to what species. In this case, the wood, bark, leaves, and seeds are all toxic, but not the fruiting structure, the aril (the red "berry.")

In horses and cattle, which are usually poisoned accidentally when someone throws the tasty clippings into the stall or pasture or if yew bushes are planted next to a fence, even one mouthful can be fatal. There are usually no signs, other than "found dead." The toxic agents, alkaloids called taxines, affect the electrical conduction of the heart, resulting in sudden heart failure and death. Rarely, there may be a delay of one to two days before symptoms - weakness, trembling, difficulty breathing, slow heart rate - are seen.

While yew is also toxic to pets and to birds, it is not commonly eaten by these animals. Cases in dogs are usually related to a bored puppy chewing on whatever is at hand. If you see this happen, induce vomiting immediately and take the pet to a veterinarian, as seizures may occur in dogs. There is no specific antidote for taxines, leaving decontamination and supportive care as the only treatment options.