Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Good lord, these people are nuts.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

This blog will pay for itself.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

I really should read my own blog.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

White supremacy is terrorism.

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Birdwatching / Friday Afternoon Open Thread

Friday Afternoon Open Thread

by | 143 Comments

This post is in: ,

Here’s another pretty limpkin to look at:

When I first got into birdwatching a few years back, limpkins were high on my list of local birds to spot. We hiked through miles of trails along rivers and lakes looking for them. We saw all kinds of birds during those trips but never a limpkin. They’re shy, but I don’t think they’re all that hard to find — we were just unlucky/lacked skills.

Well, at our new place, limpkins are everywhere. They keep me up nights with their unearthly screams and crap on my canoe daily. That’s because there are tons of apple snails around here, which is their favorite food. The snails lay their eggs all over the cypress knees, piers, boats, whatever is near the water. The eggs look like blobs of vivid pink caviar.

Has anyone heard from TaMara? It seems like a lot of pets and their humans are struggling lately, which really sucks. Not just on the blog but in meat space too. I’m keeping good thoughts for them all, wishing I could do more.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

143Comments

  2. 2.

    zhena gogolia

    I haven’t seen any news from TaMara, but I haven’t read the 53 threads that got put up overnight.

  3. 3.

    Lapassionara

    I had the same question about Tamara. I don’t see every comment thread (please don’t scold me), so I am not sure I would know if she has checked in. What an ordeal! I am hoping for good news.

    Also, too, I wish Baud would check in.

  4. 4.

    kindness

    I’ve been holding my breath waiting for news about Bixby. It’s funny how we get to know each other’s ‘kids’ so.

  6. 6.

    Gravenstone

    Nice bird. But the splash of greenery is what really catches my eye in the midst of this still brown and drab spring in these parts. I know the greening up of the grass and the rush of budding trees is just around the corner. But for right now it’s all flat and blah.

  8. 8.

    mrmoshpotato

    Haven’t seen a post from Tamara today. I’d imagine she’d make an update post as opposed to just a comment about Bixby.

  9. 9.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Here’s from TaMara on FB:

    Thanks for all the kind thoughts. We have a mobile vet coming this morning (thanks Tim!) and the chiropractor vet will be calling this afternoon when she has a break. So we are on our way to finding some answers.

    Posted 6 hours ago

  10. 10.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia: I have been watching the threads like a hawk, hoping for good news about Bixby, and I can confirm that there have been no updates (unless an update on an already dead thread).

    This comment is not OT, by the way, because I did reference a hawk.

  16. 16.

    TaMara (HFG)

    What’s wrong with Baud??

    I have no news at the moment. Bixby has had a cortisol shot to reduce inflammation and we are in a wait and see mode. I wish I had better news. MRI is on the table, but there are some logistic issues and other issues. He’s slowly getting better, not worse, so we are holding and hoping it continues to slowly heal.

    Also, I’m about over vets. Which the medical professionals around me (two of who are in on Bixby’s treatment), and are done with our modern medical system, say, well duh. I believe the first class you should have to take is on how to listen.

  17. 17.

    ola azul

    @Major Major Major Major:

    What a silly name for a bird!

    Imagining a limpkin, not Heller-well-read but sensibly literate, IPad nestled cozily in her breakfast-nook cypress knee, munching on the occasional pink blob and trying gamefully not to get apple-snail-larval schmutz on her screen or crack it while scrolling — and happending upon this post.

    She thinks to herself, why yes, I *do* so love apple-snail jellybellies! But day-um, I would *hardly* call it an “unearthly scream”! And this “canoe” of which you speak? I just thought a raised platform strategically placed at water’s edge bespoke more of invitation than prohibition. Excuuuuuse me.

    And then she happens upon someone who calls himself Major Major Major Major who, it seems, finds limpkin to be a silly name. Oh, she thinks. That’s how it is, is it?

  18. 18.

    Uncle Cosmo

    Open thread, so, brief observation:

    In order to stabilize B-J on my PC I’ve gotten used to having to pause 3 video windows that run in the right sidebar within a minute or so of clicking onto a thread: ora.tv, Billboard News, & something that shows seemingly random folk walking down a city street.

    In the last couple of days I’ve noticed that the ora.tv window ain’t there no more. Either they got tired of advertising here, or the site rebuild deleted them. Whatever. No more Larry King or Jesse Ventura, hooray! (But I still have to pause the other two or else the screen locks up…)

    Carry on.

  19. 19.

    spudgun

    @TaMara (HFG): Glad to see you comment! Missed the other thread, so I can tell you now that I’ve been thinking of you and Bixby since last night and sending him the strongest healing vibes I can. So (cautiously) happy that the trajectory is heading in a positive direction. Here’s hoping you get some answers.

    Hang tough, you guys!!

  20. 20.

    MazeDancer

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Better, not worse, is the right direction.

    Good vets are hard to find, but bet you can sleuth out one. There have to be some in CO. Maybe even one with Great Dane experience.

  21. 21.

    Betty Cracker

    @rikyrah: I disagree with that person you quoted. By hugging people onstage today and laughingly noting that he has their permission to the crowd, he’s implicitly saying “suck it, snowflakes” to the people who said he made them feel uncomfortable.

    I mean, that’s a position to take — he could say hugging, massaging women’s shoulders, sniffing their hair, etc., is completely harmless and women who feel creeped out by it should just get over it. Even the women who spoke out made it clear they didn’t think his conduct rose to the level of sexual harassment— it made them uncomfortable.

    But Biden is trying to have it both ways. If you “get it,” then demonstrate that in your future conduct.

  24. 24.

    ola azul

    @Betty Cracker:

    Had the same reaction. Just Joshing Joe reckons he can elide the criticisms and breeze right on past without acknowledging them.

    Dick move, imo.

  26. 26.

    J R in WV

    @rikyrah:

    “Bank says it wants subpoena to comply”

    I think they should stop asking nicely for information, and just issue a subpoena and send staff with the subpoena and a truck to take the data demanded straight away.

    Fuck these people — just send federal agents with a subpoena to take what is needed!

  28. 28.

    J R in WV

    I want to apologize to folks who have fussed about Balloon-Juice coming up like a web site from 1997. That happened to me just a little while ago. Maybe a different browser?

    I dunno. I added one of the more notorious resources suck to my ad-blocker filter list, could that have broken modern web tech?

  30. 30.

    rikyrah

    chris evans (@notcapnamerica) Tweeted:
    Kamala Harris made a direct appeal to black Americans framing her desire to raise wages for educators as a path to attract young black people to the profession who would otherwise opt to pursue more lucrative careers. https://t.co/jKzJmDlOqm https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1114278339437572096?s=17

    chris evans (@notcapnamerica) Tweeted:
    “Harris backed her proposal with a study which found that black teachers in classrooms helped improve educational outcomes for students. The study found that black teachers are more likely than white teachers to raise the expectation level for black students.” https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1114278506790256641?s=17

  31. 31.

    zhena gogolia

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Baud has taken a timeout. I must say, given my medical situation right now, I might have to as well. Nothing serious, just probably too much politics for good health. I’ve cancelled news alerts from WaPo and am mulling getting rid of my dead-tree NYT subscription. If I keep the digital, I’ll just glance at it the way I do WaPo, rather than actually reading any of the articles, which doesn’t seem to be good for my well-being. BJ is the hardest thing to give up.

    FWIW, the physician’s assistant (my doctor retired Mar 1 and the new one doesn’t come on until mid-May) said she’s seeing a lot of “politics”-related illness (she was too tactful to say Trump; my old doctor and I could rag on him to our heart’s content because he trusted me).

    I’m thinking I also need cats. The PA very nearly gave me an order to adopt some cats within the next two weeks. But that’s difficult logistically in the middle of the semester.

    I AM PRAYING FOR BIXBY.

  32. 32.

    Humdog

    Biden trying to be jokey about his touchy feelyness immediately after releasing a video claiming he now understands that he made some feel uncomfortable is just like Wilmer not releasing his tax returns.
    Both are asking voters to give them what we know to be a very tough job, mainly because of all the forces arrayed against making progress in this country. Then both show themselves incapable of doing what they promised, when the only obstacle is there own dams selves. Bernie has his taxes, but can’t make himself show them. Biden can’t keep his hugging arms to himself for one event. How can they govern the country if they cannot govern themselves.

  35. 35.

    debbie

    @TaMara (HFG):

    I’m sorry you and Bixby are going through this. Being an advocate for a being you care about is just about the hardest thing in the universe. Persist!

    (Baud said he was going away for a while, about two weeks ago, I think.)

  39. 39.

    debbie

    @Betty Cracker:

    I don’t know that he’s trying to have it both ways. What he needs to do is acknowledge and accept that his intentions alone aren’t enough. He needs to understand and be sensitive to others’ perceptions of his actions.

  43. 43.

    zhena gogolia

    @debbie:

    No, I’ll make sure to keep the puzzle subscription. I’ve gotten so used to doing them online that I don’t mind any more. But if you have the subscription I think you can print them as well.

    Now the New Yorker has two great puzzles a week — Mon and Fri. The NYT doesn’t loom as large any more for me. Their puzzles have gotten worse and everyone else’s have gotten better. Evan Birnholz on Sunday in WaPo blows away most Sunday Times puzzles. I still like the Sunday Times Variety puzzles, especially Split Decisions, though.

  47. 47.

    Betty Cracker

    @ola azul: Hahaha! The only detail I’d tweak in that delightful scenario is that the bird would be eating adult snails, not the eggs. They wade right past the pink egg blobs in search of snails to munch while perusing content on their iPads…

  50. 50.

    HinTN

    @eemom: We can only hope. Uncle Joe’s gonna do what he does and then we’ll see. I’m for him to be out but what do I know.

  51. 51.

    Immanentize

    @J R in WV: I disagree about the meaning of “bank wants subpoena to comply.”. Translated, to me, that means “we are happy to give you everything we have, but we cannot look too eager to assist. Please send us formal documents, the boxes of documents are already prepared.”

    There are some laws that require financial institutions to notify people if they release information about them. But that is not necessary if they receive a warrant or a subpoena (and maybe even an official investigation letter)

  52. 52.

    Mary G

    Having the ability to create a pumpkin photo as beautiful as that must make having a longer drive for groceries and Trumpster neighbors well worth it.

  53. 53.

    MazeDancer

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Found this name at a really out of date forum at GreatDanesOnilne.com. Good Dane vet in Denver area. Co-founder of his clinic: Raymond Cox Deer Creek Animal Hospital.

    They’re open until 8:00, which right away is to their credit.

  55. 55.

    debbie

    I’ve employed thousands of Electrical Workers. They will be voting for me!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 5, 2019

    Yeah, but how many did you actually pay?

  56. 56.

    Leto

    @rikyrah: Someone call the cops, I just witnessed a murder! Rich putz running his trap, showing what we all know.

    @zhena gogolia: I have a free subscription to WaPo via my military email address. I don’t have any alerts on, but about once/twice a day I check the site. No need for more (IMO).

    Having a pet to stroke is supposed to lower blood pressure. Just be mindful and don’t go the Cole route (that way lies madness, mustard, and mop handles!).

  57. 57.

    zhena gogolia

    @debbie:

    No, it’s not. But I can’t take the aggravation any more. (1) I have it hard-wired into me to think the front-page headline of the NYT newspaper is the be-all and end-all, and that spikes my b.p. every morning now. (2) Our local delivery is a clusterf–k, and the regularly missing paper is also an aggravation.

  58. 58.

    zhena gogolia

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I certainly can print them now, because I have a 7-day home delivery subscription as well, but I’m not sure you can print them if you let go of the home delivery. I’m going to have to find out.

  60. 60.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @TaMara (HFG): Exactly. The best vets I’ve used (aka the only ones I’ve used more than once)have listened to me, understanding that I see the critter daily. And with horses, they knew that I knew what I was talking about.

    And I’m happy to hear the wonderful Bixby is at least no worse.

  61. 61.

    zhena gogolia

    @Leto:

    Oh yeah, I have my limits now. At one point I had five cats — that’s too much. My plan is two cats from a shelter, full-grown but not old, who get along with each other. No preconceptions about gender or color.

  62. 62.

    J R in WV

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Whoa, that was it!!! Thanks!!

    I am so not a web developer, even though I hired and managed development of web services… I just stood back and let those who knew how do it — great management doesn’t attempt to do things the team is supposed to be able to do.

    Betty C — now I want a picture of Pink Snail Caviar, stat!!!!

  63. 63.

    delk

    @zhena gogolia: I have the NYT crossword app. I’ve been working my way backwards through all the Friday puzzles on my iPhone and the Saturday puzzles on my iPad. I actually like the phone version better and when I get stuck there’s always my Polish vocabulary flash cards. ?

  66. 66.

    J R in WV

    @Immanentize:

    Well, IANAL, so I will bow to you superior specialized knowledge here.

    I still like the image of the bank, all closed up and shut down, with federal agents taping paper over the doors and windows, with a fleet of Ryder trucks outside at the loading docks, and truckloads of documents being confiscated for the use of the House. Sweet dreams, right?!!!

  67. 67.

    Gvg

    There are also confidentiality laws. Frankly, no one should ever ask for things like financial records without a supoena. I can’t imagine what the house is thinking. Just do things right in the first place.

  68. 68.

    zhena gogolia

    @trollhattan:

    I love dogs, but walking them in freezing rain is not an option for me. And we have a lot of freezing rain now that the climate has changed.

  71. 71.

    Jay

    There are some Vets who practice because they love animals.

    There are some Vets who practice for other reasons.

    Sadly, just like we have to “shop around” for Medical Practioners who “get it”, we have to shop around for Vets for our Fur babies.

    When you find them, you will love them.

    When we lived in YVR the cats went to the West Coast Cat Clinic, a one vet practice that loved all cats. When we got the dogs, after several disappointments, we found Port Moody Animal Care, a one Vet practice that loved all pets. When we moved here we found Sahali Animal Hospital, a multi Vet practice that loves everything from gerbils to horses.

  73. 73.

    frosty

    For me, it’s a roseate spoonbill that I’d like to see. Five snowbird trips and I’ve yet to see one. Maybe next year!

    ETA: I’m not a birdwatcher … yet. I can see the obsession to start keeping records coming however.

  75. 75.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @rikyrah: Is it too much of a brag to mention that a comment I made at that twitter account in a thread you linked to was retweeted by @notcapnamerica? I hope not, since I just did.

  76. 76.

    zhena gogolia

    @frosty:

    Betty has posted multiple roseate spoonbill pictures (not recently, though). I’ve been in love with them since I had a bird sticker book as a child. It almost (ALMOST) makes me want to go to Florida.

  78. 78.

    eemom

    @HinTN:

    We can only hope. Uncle Joe’s gonna do what he does and then we’ll see. I’m for him to be out but what do I know.

    All’s I know is it can’t possibly hurt for everybody to shut the fuck up about him.

  81. 81.

    Mnemosyne

    No news on our kitty Annie. G is home with her today while I’m at the first day of my writing conference, and then we’re both gone all day tomorrow.

  82. 82.

    The Pale Scot

    ‘Sugar daddy’ website owner charged with debauchery in Belgium
    Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/26/sugar-daddy-website-targeting-belgian-students-faces-legal-action-richmeetbeautiful

    Seriously, really… This is a thing.

    The guy starting advertising in and around Universities,

    They also want the company’s promotional materials to be seized, claiming that they “reduce students to sexual objects”.

    Propriety blocks free enterprise, Oh The Horror

  83. 83.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Have all you birdwatchers read Red-Tails in Love? It’s one of my favourite books (and I seem to recall there was a PBS program about Pale Male, years ago now).

    Link to book.

  84. 84.

    ola azul

    @frosty:

    For me, it’s a roseate spoonbill that I’d like to see. Five snowbird trips and I’ve yet to see one. Maybe next year!

    You tried Ding Darling Nat. W.R. on Sanibel? Usedta spend fair amount a time there (guided fly fishers outta canoe for a stretch), and roseates was spoonbilling regular denizens a the place right around now if mem’ry serves. Plus alla fabulous scents wafting about now — lovely time to be in Fla.

  87. 87.

    eemom

    @Gvg:

    There are also confidentiality laws.

    Um, there’s also a lot of shit you give up when you’re president of the united states, like confidentiality.

    Hell, I remember when Ronald Reagan’s colon was on national teevee.

  89. 89.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @TaMara (HFG):

    What’s wrong with Baud??

    I don’t think anything’s wrong; he announced a week or so ago, on one of the early-morning threads, that he was going to be away for a while. He didn’t say how long, or where he was going; I’m just thinking “walkabout” and letting him check back in whenever he feels like it.

  90. 90.

    Wapiti

    @Gvg: I agree. In this day and age I expect any legitimate business to not turn over any records without a subpoena in order to protect their clients. So go straight to the subpoena.

  91. 91.

    trollhattan

    @zhena gogolia:
    Don’t overlook the opportunity during those cabin fever times to have a retrieving type dog continually shove toys at you. Charming!

  93. 93.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @TaMara (HFG):

    I have been thinking about Bixby (and you) a LOT since yesterday! Good thoughts and vibes and white light all laser-focused your way.

  96. 96.

    frosty

    @zhena gogolia: We’ve been going and camping at state parks, which is completely different from the Disneyfied version of Florida. Highly recommended.

  97. 97.

    WaterGirl

    @Betty Cracker: Biden is digging his own political grave, day after day, and it pains me to watch it even though I never wanted him to run. Times have changed, and Biden seems to get that for a minute, and then he doesn’t get it again. TONE DEAF over and over and over

  98. 98.

    frosty

    @ola azul: Yes, we spent an afternoon at Ding Darling, which is where my roseate spoonbill quest began. We didn’t see any there, nor Myakka State Park, nor the outskirts of the Everglades. We may make it back one of these Februarys.

  101. 101.

    jl

    Moultmentum!!!!

    At this point, I guess the minority of us Democrats who are not running for president need to make it clear that we believe in this country too? Or am I being overly touchy?

    I guess I am biased against him. Moulton’s intrepid campaign against Pelosi as Speaker consisted of him and his various pals doing exactly nothing but issuing empty pronouncements. But the corporate media ate it up like he was Geo Washington and US Grant, and FDR rolled into one. The poor soul may have been sadly mislead by that experience.

    So, not auspicious for him as anything at all, really, in politics. He holds a Democratic seat, best I can say for him right now.

    In Las Vegas, a Massachusetts congressman weighing a presidential bid looks to cast himself as an outsider
    By Jacob Solis, The Nevada Independent

    “I’ve always been an outsider,” Moulton said. “I’ve always been willing to take on the Washington establishment. That’s been true in almost everything I’ve done, and I’m someone who doesn’t have a long political history. But I am someone who believes in this country.”

    https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/in-las-vegas-a-massachusetts-congressman-weighing-a-presidential-bid-looks-to-cast-himself-as-an-outsider

    found via Josh Marshall twitter.

  102. 102.

    SiubhanDuinne

    This is wildly off-topic, BUT:

    My old iPhone 5 has been on life-support for the last few weeks. Today, I finally gave up and bought an iPhone 8 Plus.

    One of the things I have to get used to is opening the phone with a thumbprint rather than a 4-digit passcode. And earlier, in order to authenticate the thumbprint, took probably 15-20 iterations, maybe more (I wasn’t counting).

    Anyhow, I mentioned this to an acquaintance (actually, the guy who made it possible for me to skydive last September) and it turns out it’s his company that developed the software for the thumbprint app used by iPhone. That was a moment, when I finally wrapped my head around the “small world” stuff!

  103. 103.

    Leto

    @zhena gogolia: A co-worker of mine has a Maine coon. Told me if I ever wanted one, his mom raises them so it wouldn’t be a problem. The thought of my own Steve (!!!) excites me more than I care to admit. But no more pets until we’re someplace more permanent. Our little apartment is full enough with just the three of us and my parents (who are there just during the day helping me).

    Basically it’s trying to balance my desire for one, maybe two, furballs versus Avalune’s want of a small farm/circus. We’ll find a happy equilibrium. :

  105. 105.

    WaterGirl

    @TaMara (HFG): Stop me if I have told you guys this story about our family doctor growing up. Dr. Nebrensky. A patient came to him that had seen a dozen doctors and no one could figure out what was wrong with his knee. They just sat and talked and our family doctor asked a lot of questions, and listened to the answers.

    Turns out the patient had frequent problems with constipation and did a lot of straining on the toilet as a result, hence the knee problems. That’s treating the whole patient.

    I keep sending Bixby what I call the mind meld, aka encouraging thoughts beamed to Bixby across the miles.

  106. 106.

    Spanky

    @rikyrah: And here I thought it was her reaction to Dubya’s shoulder rub.

    I’ve been spoiled by 22+ years of great vets, four of them at one animal hospital. So it’s sometimes hard for me to remember what it was like in my early years of being owned by cats. The one unforgettable time was when the my little girl cat tore a claw, and the vet prescribed soaking in an iodine solution. It was a hot summer and I was wearing a thin t-shirt and shorts when I plunged her sore paw in that tincture. I may still have the scars….

    I’ve been thinking of how maybe capable vets aren’t so common when I read TaMara’s account. Bixby absolutely needs a new vet! And Aleta’s sad time with Charlie seems to be vet related as well. Hope you both find a vet you can be a partner with.

    Zhena G! If werebear were here she’d remind you that all cat problems can be solved with moar cats! We have 5 now, and I may allow that for some folks that’s too many. Me, I think that’s about the maximum. But 2 is better than one, and three is better than 2.

  111. 111.

    frosty

    @SiubhanDuinne: My 2-yr old 6SE opens with a code. I think it offered the thumbprint option but I rejected it. It’s also the same size and shape as the 5 and thus is the last phone I’ll be able to buy that fits (barely) in the watch pocket of a pair of Levis.

  112. 112.

    Immanentize

    @jl:
    I side with Charles Pierce, here:

    Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan is back in town. Put that together with Biden Fever and the apparently endless self-regard of our own Congressman Seth Moulton, along with the white-dude-adjacent stylings of Mayor Pete, and every diner in Ohio is going to be jammed with White Dudes Who Understand

  113. 113.

    laura

    @TaMara (HFG): I was late to the thread and have been fretting about you, your Bixby and spotty Scout all night and day.
    So many jackals love jackal pets and well, just wish each of you the best outcome for your boon companions!
    ((((((((Hug)))))))))

  115. 115.

    Immanentize

    @WaterGirl:
    Straining can also really cause heart attacks. There was even an X-Files about this unhappy fact. Stay regular!

  116. 116.

    Immanentize

    @debbie:
    But they understand you! They get it!

    (I want a dollar for every time “I get it” is mouthed during this campaign — baby needs to go to college!)

  119. 119.

    jl

    @Immanentize: I swear upon all Holy Books, and spaghetti recipes, when Ryan announced I wondered whether the past war hero and stand-up person, but current sad nobody and hopeless bloviator, Moutlon, could be far behind. Oh, why did I not post a snarky prediction comment?

  121. 121.

    Immanentize

    @jl: I think Moulton got there first, but nobody much cares.

    spaghetti recipes

    Did you have some “Dago red wine”* with that? I really hate Ryan and Moulton.

    *If you don’t know this Tim Ryan story, Google it.

  125. 125.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Immanentize: As an old white dude, I’d like these old white dudes to shut the fuck up for a while.

    Uncle Joe, it seems to me, is just being an asshole. That’s his choice, I guess, but I don’t think it’s a good look.

  128. 128.

    Nicole

    Sending good thoughts to Bixby.

    @SiubhanDuinne: I really enjoyed Redtails in Love. Nowadays you see redtails everywhere in Central Park. We’re up at the north end and they are one of the joys of winter in the city.

  129. 129.

    ola azul

    @frosty:

    Yes, we spent an afternoon at Ding Darling, which is where my roseate spoonbill quest began. We didn’t see any there, nor Myakka State Park, nor the outskirts of the Everglades. We may make it back one of these Februarys.

    If you already know this, please forgive, but one of the sometimes overlooked aspects of tryn’ta getta good look at wading shorebirds is timing the tides. If you happen to go somewheres on or around high tide, chances are the birds’ll be tucked away or roosting somewheres. In my admittedly amateur experience, an early morn (cuz they’s hongry then and the light is a rich, buttery, soft-magical yellow!) foray timed nearer to low tide is best: i.e. arrive in morn when the tide is, say, 2/3 the way to dead-low ebb, then you can bracket the falling tide with the first murmurrings of the incipient flood once the stasis of dead-low is past. Also, bigger tides, more frenetic spoonbilling action cuz shit’s happening! Better chance of seeing roseates spoonbilling uppa hoover-upright storm on minnies and grass shrimp and whatnot.

    Full and new moons (generally) have much bigger tides (inna relative sense; Fla. tides purty mild overall), as ‘pposed to neap tides, so if you can arrange travel round these times (and who doesn’t adore a tropical full-moon?), might also put odds more in your favorl

    As I say, if you already know alla this, hope you’ll overlook my being a busybody. Just breaks my heart a little to know that somebody wants to see some roseates and has put in the effort and still ain’t got there (maybe make it more sweet when it happens!).

    p.s. Here’s a link to a tide table. Din’t have Ding Darling, so replaced with Captive Island inside (purty analogous, but prolly can get exact tide times for optimal viewing — and more and better hints, I expect — at ranger stations; D.D.N.W.R. if innerested: (239) 472-1100).

    https://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/floridagulfsites.html#estero

    ETA: Forgot “search” function nature of link won’t reproduce, so including a general link to Fla. tides. Lo siento.

  131. 131.

    Jay

    “I’ve spent much of this week fascinated by the sudden emergence of Andrew Yang, a tech entrepreneur running in the Democratic presidential primary. Yang made news this week for hitting the 65,000 individual contribution threshold that the Democratic National Committee had set for candidates to appear in the first primary debates. Yang’s campaign caught fire after appearances on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show and Joe Rogan’s podcast last month, and his campaign has masterfully tapped into that momentum for their own fundraising efforts.

    Who exactly are Yang’s supporters? Given his two biggest media hits it’s a question worth asking. As Sam Stein and Will Somer point out in the Daily Beast, in addition to an army of meme warriors, Yang’s campaign has attracted support from some of the worst corners of the Internet, the same online forums that were early supporters of Trump 4 years ago. Yang is not a white supremacist, his campaign has said they don’t want support from the chans, and much of the support from the 4chan crowd would probably fall into the trolls being ironic category but it’s important to remember that early support for Trump from these online communities looked and felt the same way initially.”

    https://hopenothate.com/2019/03/16/time-4chan-gamed-democratic-primary/

  132. 132.

    AnotherBruce

    @frosty: Be careful, that way leads to birdy madness. I warn others not to follow my example. You will find yourself driving hundreds of miles to see that elusive bird. For I am hooked on birding.

  134. 134.

    Immanentize

    @B.B.A.:
    Thank you for leading me to a new group. Just the stuff I like, slightly jangly guitars, good lyrics and that calm voice sound. Kinda like Yo La Tengo mixed with something more country. Cool. Grazie!

  135. 135.

    chris

    @J R in WV: Cheers, mate. It works in Android but not Linux. Haven’t tried Windows but will tomorrow although my guess is it does or the whole commentariat would be up in arms.

  136. 136.

    frosty

    @ola azul: Nope, didn’t know about the tides. I’m looking at wildlife at the time I’m there sightseeing. I haven’t gotten obsessive enough to dig into habitat, time of day, tides, or whatever. That day may come, but it is not this day. :-)

    Thanks for the advice, though, you know a lot more about this than I do.

  137. 137.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @AnotherBruce: I only drive about 20 to see the eagles.

    I ended up going to The Huntington, traffic wasn’t awful. OTOH, traffic in West LA is horrible since fat bastard is there. Sunset’s closed from the 405 to the Hills.

  142. 142.

    Spanish Moss

    @frosty:

    I too went on a roseate spoonbill quest this year. I had seen a few at a distance at the Merritt Island NWR last March, and I wanted to get a closer look at some this year. I was able to see them many times at the Viera Wetlands in February, up close too.

    My husband and I live in MA and we tried the snowbird thing for the first time this year, and I am hooked. Fortunately I am able to work from almost anywhere, so we spent a month in the Viera area and went to the wetlands every day, sometimes twice a day. In the evening hundreds of birds fly to this small island in the middle of one of the cells: egrets, herons, vultures, ibises, spoonbills,… It was quite a spectacle.

Comments are closed.