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You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Birdwatching / Wednesday Evening Open Thread

Wednesday Evening Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  October 20, 20216:09 pm| 44 Comments

This post is in: Birdwatching, Open Threads

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The last one was getting unwieldy, so here’s another. Bonus photos!

First up, a scene from the river a few days back:Wednesday Evening Open Thread

Next, three Belted Kingfishers engaged in aerial combat over the river:

Wednesday Evening Open Thread 1

And finally, one of the combatants rattling at the other birds before he joined the fray:

Wednesday Evening Open Thread 2

They’re super-feisty, Kingfishers…

Open thread!

 

 

 

 

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Reader Interactions

44Comments

  1. 1.

    zhena gogolia

    October 20, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    Beautiful.

  2. 2.

    Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]

    October 20, 2021 at 6:21 pm

    Bit of Balloon Juicer news, I’m going to be moving back to Maui from New Mexico to take care of my mom in early December.

    Any rumors of me moving to keep tabs on NotMax at Baud’s orders are completely incorrect.

  3. 3.

    JustRuss

    October 20, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    Nice pic of the river.  If you gotta get chomped by an alligator, I guess there’s worse places for it to happen.

  4. 4.

    West of the Rockies

    October 20, 2021 at 6:23 pm

    Wait… is that a portion of a body and a backpack?

  5. 5.

    NotMax

    October 20, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    @Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]

    That’s what I pay Baud protection for.

    :)

  6. 6.

    JustRuss

    October 20, 2021 at 6:27 pm

    @Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]:  Aloha.  Lived in Lahaina several decades ago.  OMG I’m getting old.

  7. 7.

    Fair Economist

    October 20, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    What beautiful photos! And locations!

  8. 8.

    Betty Cracker

    October 20, 2021 at 6:29 pm

    @Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]: Best of luck! Seems like a lot of us are looking after aging parents. I think that means we’re good people. ?

  9. 9.

    sab

    October 20, 2021 at 6:34 pm

    Wow. Florida skies are amazing.

  10. 10.

    delk

    October 20, 2021 at 6:36 pm

    That first picture could be a jigsaw puzzle.

  11. 11.

    Poe Larity

    October 20, 2021 at 6:43 pm

    Which bird is the independent?

  12. 12.

    Gvg

    October 20, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    I am off this week. Tomorrow my father and I will do a boat trip on the St. John’s river. We haven’t done it in several years so really looking forward to it. We were going Monday but the boat battery was dead. Joys of boat ownership. Weather is perfect. Going on weekdays increases wildlife viewing, especially turtles.

  13. 13.

    NotMax

    October 20, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    Shocked, shocked.

    A $6 billion federal program created to provide fresh produce to families affected by the pandemic was mismanaged and used by the Trump administration for political gain, a new congressional report has found. Source

  14. 14.

    Betty Cracker

    October 20, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    @Gvg: How fun! Hope y’all have a fabulous trip. I love the St. John’s. I assume you know why it flows north, right? ?

  15. 15.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 20, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    I love that picture of the river, Betty. It’s the clouds…

  16. 16.

    debbie

    October 20, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    @delk:

    It reminds me of a Pink Floyd album cover. More the atmosphere of it than an actual cover.

  17. 17.

    germy

    October 20, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    This monkey helps with food prep in the kitchen.

    youtube.com/watch?v=BQpk3QnTBKM

    I like the little faces she makes as she snaps each bean.

  18. 18.

    NotMax

    October 20, 2021 at 7:11 pm

    FYI (WaPo link).

    An Army reservist charged in the Justice Department’s sweeping investigation of the U.S. Capitol riot was demoted and discharged earlier this year, becoming the first known service member to be forced out of the military after officials learned of an alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to personnel records reviewed by The Washington Post and the former soldier’s attorney.
    [snip]
    Hale-Cusanelli is one of at least six service members charged in connection with the riot. Another, Marine Corps Maj. Christopher Warnagiris, also faced a military administrative proceeding recently, the outcome of which is pending, officials said. Authorities have accused Warnagiris of assaulting police and leading rioters into the Capitol building. His attorney did not return a request for comment.

    Both men have pleaded not guilty.

    At the time of his arrest, Hale-Cusanelli, who remains in federal custody, according to the Justice Department, was employed as a civilian security contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey and held a secret security clearance, prosecutors said in a March court filing. Navy investigators interviewed 44 of his colleagues, including Navy personnel and fellow security contractors, about his behavior at work. All but 10 described Hale-Cusanelli as “having extremist or radical views pertaining to the Jewish people, minorities and women,” prosecutors said. Source

  19. 19.

    debbie

    October 20, 2021 at 7:12 pm

    @germy:

    Hey, snapping’s tough!

  20. 20.

    germy

    October 20, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    Geese like it when you play harmonica for them.

    youtube.com/watch?v=mgg0CGA5U8I

  21. 21.

    germy

    October 20, 2021 at 7:15 pm

    @debbie:

    I admire her determination.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    October 20, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly: Clouds are so underrated!

  23. 23.

    debbie

    October 20, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    Sad that they dropped the homicide charge, but I’m hoping Brazil’s Senate report about Bolsanaro’s COVID abdication is just the first of many efforts in ridding the world of this scourge of despots.

  24. 24.

    Burnspbesq

    October 20, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    The Westchester County (N.Y.) DA’s office is flinging grand jury subpoenas hither and yon in what appears to be a criminal investigation of a Trump-owned golf course.

    therealdeal.com/2021/10/20/trump-organization-facing-criminal-probe-over-westchester-golf-course/

  25. 25.

    debbie

    October 20, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    @germy:

    I admire the 10 percent she skimmed for her mouth.

  26. 26.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 20, 2021 at 7:19 pm

    Get it together Red Sox!

  27. 27.

    debbie

    October 20, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    @Burnspbesq:

    I can’t get past the whitelist pop-up, but if that’s the same as this, it’s nice to know that Sing Sing’s less than a hop and a skip away.

  28. 28.

    germy

    October 20, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    @debbie:

    These things happen in the kitchen sometimes.

  29. 29.

    Burnspbesq

    October 20, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    @debbie:

    There are a number of truly nasty places that New York State could send Trump if he goes down on state charges, and Sing Sing isn’t the worst by any stretch of the imagination.

    I particularly like the thought of him freezing his fat ass off in Dannemora, with the wind off the St. Lawrence River cutting like a knife and snow from before Halloween until after Easter.

  30. 30.

    debbie

    October 20, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    @Burnspbesq:

    I’m liking the idea of Rikers; apparently, it’s gotten so bad, the old days there look good now. He could see his home from there.

  31. 31.

    germy

    October 20, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    CUPERTINO, CA—In a long-anticipated keynote event, Apple revealed Tuesday that their new MacBook Pro will be a refurbished Dell laptop they got off Craigslist for $500. “It has some scratches here and there, but the thing still runs just fine—you just have to be patient when it starts up,” said CEO Tim Cook, who heralded the all-new model as a bold new direction for the company, highlighting the notebook computer’s Ethernet port, CD drive, and Vampire Weekend bumper sticker as just a few of its cutting edge features. “We know the touchpad was unpopular, so you’ll be glad to know it’s been eliminated. We’ve also eliminated the webcam. As a bonus, the new MacBook Pro will come preloaded with Minesweeper, Windows Vista, and Microsoft Office 2007. Unfortunately, it does not come with a charger, but we estimate there’s still about two hours of battery life on there.” At press time, Cook added that the MacBook Pro would start at $1,999.

    (the Onion)

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    October 20, 2021 at 7:30 pm

    Oh my god, Betty, that top picture is absolutely stunning.  And the Kingfisher!  Awesome pic.  He does not look happy.

  33. 33.

    MomSense

    October 20, 2021 at 7:30 pm

    Beautiful photos!

     

    @Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]:

    ❤️ It’s an adventure.

  34. 34.

    JPL

    October 20, 2021 at 7:32 pm

    @Burnspbesq:  Mitch would love for that to happen, and so would I, but  imagine what republicans would say on the campaign trail.   OMG

  35. 35.

    germy

    October 20, 2021 at 7:32 pm

    This shot from the Soviet war film “The Cranes are Flying” is incredible camerawork for 1957. pic.twitter.com/QIa4eUmRsp

    — Pedro Carreira (@pedrojdoc) October 13, 2021

  36. 36.

    germy

    October 20, 2021 at 7:33 pm

    As cute as a button#birds #photographer#nature #NaturePhotograph#photooftheday #ascuteasabutton pic.twitter.com/gVUtyCq292— Le Jinjin 乐金金 (@lejinjin) October 19, 2021

  37. 37.

    p.a.

    October 20, 2021 at 7:52 pm

    What type of discharge did he get?  Is honorable possible when the dismissal involves wrongdoing?

  38. 38.

    cain

    October 20, 2021 at 7:59 pm

    @sab: just like the stupidty of the people who live there! **rim shot

  39. 39.

    cain

    October 20, 2021 at 8:01 pm

    @NotMax:

    Are the other 10 – women, minorities, and Jewish?

  40. 40.

    Kelly

    October 20, 2021 at 8:06 pm

    @p.a.: according to the story  an other-than-honorable discharge

  41. 41.

    Betty Cracker

    October 20, 2021 at 8:20 pm

    @cain: Outsourcing my response to the great Johnny Cash:

    Wednesday Evening Open Thread 4

  42. 42.

    Rob

    October 20, 2021 at 9:36 pm

    I would not want to mess with an angry kingfisher

  43. 43.

    Bupalos

    October 20, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    Omg that river pic is unbelievably good.

  44. 44.

    Tehanu

    October 20, 2021 at 11:21 pm

    Lovely photos, especially the river.

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