Halloween

School house rock was the theme...

the pictures aren't great...most on a different camera... but here is what I do have.

Conjunction Junction in process....I'm just a bill...on capital hill...

Guess who one First Place in 2 costume contests!!

Homemade....

I will post better pics when I get my camera back...

One more day at the lake....

Labor Day 2010....The pictures are NOT REAL...(uploaded from google) but the experience is.

My dad wanted to go sailing!!! and the church youth had a boating activity and he was taking his sail boat out as a boating option. Off to Mark Twain Lake I went, Edgar was too scared to try sailing. When I arrived a kid by the name of Sam age 10 had sailed from the boat ramp to the dock with my dad. His Dad was going to meet my parents at the dock with the pontoon boat, but it took too long to get to the dock since the wind was coming from the same direction as the dock. You can't sail the boat directly into the wind. It was very windy winds about 30mph+!!! and the waves on the lake were bigger than I have ever seen they were the size of ocean waves4 foot swells easily. The boat leans way over to the side in big wind, and Sam was scared. But we could not leave him on the dock alone,so we made him get back in the sail boat. Sarah was going to be there but she could smell trouble so she went home. So my Dad, Mom,Sam, and I were in the boat. We sailed out to find Sam's Dad with the pontoon boat. It was so windy we were going fast and the boat was leaning hard and the waves crashing getting us wet. We found his Dad in the middle of the lake and since a sail boat cannot manuver so well... we came in faster than we meant, so my dad turned hard and fast at the last minute so we didn't ram into the pontoon boat. In the process the boat tipped too far over and water started rushing in and my Dad fell out....well thats bad because he is the only one who really knows how to sail.

As soon as he fell out the boat came back up right and we took off so unbelievably fast away from the pontoon boat. My mom was holding the main sail tight, and Sam just started screaming and crying. I had gotten in the cabin to help level the boat in the wind. and I started to yell at my mom to let the main sail out, so we would stop going soo fast. She didn't know how. So I got myself up there, realeased the jib sail and let out the main sail. Then I knew we had to take down the main sail but I couldn't remember how. It had been years since I had been sailing. And then all of the sudden it came to me unloop it from the mast. and I took it down. that slowed us down to a near stop! whew! So the pontoon boat caught up to us and Sam finally got on the pontoon boat. My dad had been rescued by the pontoon, so he got back on the sail boat. We decided to sail back to the dock with only the jib sail since it was so windy. We couldn't go directly there since the wind was coming from that direction. We had to tack back and forth going in at an angle inching closer as we sailed along. Unfortunately... there was a cove and we cut the turn too close in our effort to hurry back to the dock...and we ran aground. In the small cove with lots of dead trees. We could not get out the wind and the waves pushing us into a rocky shore. We flagged down the pontoon boat. They tried to just pull us out but the roaps got crossed and we couldn't both get turned the right way due to the trees in the way. So Sam's dad, on the pontoon boat had a jet ski, which he thought he could use. So I got out of the sail boat to help with the lines, and push the boat off the rocks. It finally got moved and and I got on the pontoon boat. It was easier to climb onto and the jet ski had less to tow.

While he towed in the sail boat, the pontoon boat also ran aground. Well the smart youth of the church got out without lifejackets to push the boat over into deeper water. With Sam's dad gone a 16 year old was left to drive the boat. We could have waited there at the shore for Sam's dad...but the teen agers thought it was a great plan to get us out of the cove. I don't know anything about a pontoon boat including the front and back of the boat. So when I got on the boat I sat on the front ledge helping with the ladder. Anyway we got out of the cove but the kids where stranded and had to swim quite a ways without lifejackets in big waves. Not smart. Once safely back on the boat we started to motor around kinda slow hitting every wave. It felt cool because the waves kept hitting me. But as we would go slower the waves hit harder and the back of the boat started to get a lot of water on board. Well we finally hit a wave so hard it swamped the boat. I took a last breath because I thought we were all going to sink. I was on the front and actually floated up. When the boat came back down I landed back on the boat, but the whole thing was full of water. The engine was out of water in the air and the front was deep in the water all the kids were so scared. The boat righted itself when people moved to the back and had about 3 foot of water over it. and did drain, but everything on board was soaked. Everyone had their cell phones.... all wet.

We hit at more of an angle than this boat.

Sam's dad finally caught up with us as we were getting to the dock. He was clueless as to what had happened and was wondering why we were going back so soon. When I finally found my parents I told them that at least in the sail boat I never took a last breath.! We went and ate a picknik lunch and I called Sarah and told her how smart she was for leaving. That girl knew something was too crazy!

That was my Labor Day. Scary as hell! When I left I drove about 25 miles toward home and felt so tired I pulled off in a Missouri dept. of conservation parking lot and slept for an hour or so... too exhausted from the excitement of the day to drive on without a rest.

Back to the Birding lake....Edgar took his mom and sister fishing.... and I went to find the birds.

To the life list I add Tufted Titmouse. A little gray bird with an echoing voice, the Tufted Titmouse is common in eastern deciduous forests and a frequent visitor to feeders. The large black eyes, small, round bill, and brushy crest gives these birds a quiet but eager expression that matches the way they flit through canopies, hang from twig-ends, and drop in to bird feeders. When a titmouse finds a large seed, you’ll see it carry the prize to a perch and crack it with sharp whacks of its stout bill. They often flock with chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers and are regular visitors to feeders, where they are assertive over smaller birds. Their flight tends to be fluttery but level rather than undulating. (( Interesting I also saw at this location chickadees, nuthatches and red bellied woodpeckers.)) The redbellied woodpecker I could see their nest/ cavity in a tree there where at least 5-6 of them. It was really neat to watch them playing, feeding and going back and forth to the nest. I saw many other birds, all species I have seen and listed before. Guess I need to find a new place to bird.

Same Lake more birds and fish...last weekend

Black Capped Chickadee

A bird almost universally considered “cute” thanks to its oversized round head, tiny body, and curiosity about everything, including humans. The chickadee’s black cap and bib; white cheeks; gray back, wings, and tail; and whitish underside with buffy sides are distinctive. Its habit of investigating people and everything else in its home territory, and quickness to discover bird feeders, make it one of the first birds most people learn.
White Breasted Nuthatch

Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside.
Red tailed Hawk I saw this bird on a tree limb in the woods looking down at a creek bed.

• You’ll most likely see Red-tailed Hawks soaring in wide circles high over a field. When flapping, their wingbeats are heavy. In high winds they may face into the wind and hover without flapping, eyes fixed on the ground. They attack in a slow, controlled dive with legs outstretched – much different from a falcon’s stoop.The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of open country. Look for it along fields and perched on telephones poles, fenceposts, or trees standing alone or along edges of fields.

Edgar and his boys caught a mess of cat fish... it was very yummy... Thanks to Tim and Tab for cleaning and cooking :)

Birds!!! more Birds!!! and Catfish too.

Edgar had helped win a case for a lady in his union... Vicki... She was so nice and invited Edgar and I out to her families property in Oakwaville Ill. about an hour south east of St. Louis. Wow was her place amazing. Edgar caught this Catfish at her lake
This was a birding and wildlife overlook at her place. Her mother in law has been feeding birds here for at least 14 years.
This was part of the lake overlooking Vicki's house and the swimming beach, fishing dock and swim deck.
It was so beautiful! Edgar had a great time fishing he hooked at least one other really good sized CAT that got caught up in the rocks. I swam over to try to free it... and felt it or another fish brush past my leg. I couldn't free it so he had to break the line. I had fun swimming and watching the birds...
Ruby Throated Hummingbird

I saw about 30-50 of these little birds today... Her mother is law had several feeders and she said the hummingbirds swarm when the feeders get low. So there where many all around and in the trees near by. I didn't have my camera so again this is from the internet.

There where lots of birds but few I could positively identify... but this one was clear as day... Red bellied woodpecker. Again my camera would never do it justice so this is from the internet too.
I saw many Cardinals, more goldfinches and sparrows... none I could positively ID

It was a good day... but the hot sun made me soooo tired by the time I got home I took a 2 hour nap. I heard owls, pileated woodpeckers and warblers

Sightings 8/11/10

Red Headed Woodpecker:

Easily identified by its red head and white wing patches, this woodpecker is also the most adept at catching flying insects. It is one of only four woodpecker species known to cache food in the winter months and is the only known to cover food with bark and other wood. Historically a species with population fluctuations, it has experienced a 4.6% decline per year since 1980 due to habitat destruction and a milieu of other factors.

Identification
Adult males and females are indistinguishable in the field and are easily identified by their red heads, necks, throats, and upper breasts. Their remaining underparts are white and their upperparts are mostly black with a blue or green iridescence. A large white patch on the wings is used to identify both adults and juveniles. Juvenile plumage most differs from adults on the head, neck, and upper breast with varying degrees of brown or red and white wing patch. Bill is white or gray. The bird I saw was most likely a yearling...however his head was partially red. The bird was sitting as seen here pecking at an exposed tree limb.

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfishers are found along shorelines and wetlands in fresh and salt water environments. They require sandy vertical banks for nest burrows and clear water so they can see their aquatic prey.

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Behavior

Belted Kingfishers perch or hover over open water, watching for prey. Once prey is sighted, they dive headfirst into the water and seize it with their bills. Typically prey is taken near the surface, and the birds do not submerge themselves completely. Belted Kingfishers are highly territorial and vigorously defend their territories. Their most common call is a dry rattle, often given in flight. Belted Kingfishers almost always take food from the water, feeding predominantly on small fish. They will also prey on crayfish, frogs, tadpoles, and other aquatic dwellers. The Belted Kingfisher nests in burrows dug in sandy banks. Two of its toes are fused together and act as a shovel for digging these burrows.

I also saw all of the same bird I saw on Sunday...As well as Mallard ducks, Mourning Doves and red winged black birds.

Beginning Birding 101

So I found myself in need of a new hobby.... since I really didn't have many I truly liked. So I took up watching the birds.... I love the outdoors... and I like to have lists of things I have accomplished... A life list of birds I have seen and positively identified... fits well.

So this morning after a few months of starting to notice birds and look over field guides... I went out on my morning expedition/ adventure...

My little point and shoot camera is not gonna work to take identifiable pictures...So you will just have to trust me until I can get a better camera.

So I went to an area of Forest park which has been returned to native vegetation with a prairie and a lake and stream... So this morning besides the everyday birds like robins and doves... I saw (pictures from the internet)

Starling:

First brought to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century, European Starlings are now among the continent’s most numerous songbirds. They are stocky black birds with short tails, triangular wings, and long, pointed bills. Though they’re sometimes resented for their abundance and aggressiveness, they’re still dazzling birds when you get a good look. Covered in white spots during winter, they turn dark and glossy in summer
American Gold Finch:

This handsome little finch, the state bird of New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington, is welcome and common at feeders, where it takes primarily sunflower and nyjer. Goldfinches often flock with Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls. Spring males are brilliant yellow and shiny black with a bit of white. Females and all winter birds are more dull but identifiable by their conical bill; pointed, notched tail; wingbars; and lack of streaking. During molts they look bizarrely patchy. These are active and acrobatic little finches that cling to weeds and seed socks, and sometimes mill about in large numbers at feeders or on the ground beneath them. Goldfinches fly with a bouncy, undulating pattern and often call in flight, drawing attention to themselves. Their song sounds like Po-ta-to-chip.
Barn Swallow:

A familiar inhabitant of barns and other outbuildings, the Barn Swallow is easily recognized by its long forked tail. It was originally a cave breeder, but now the swallow nests almost exclusively on man-made structures. Migrates fully to Central and South America.

Welcome to New Mexico

1. What is the capital of New Mexico? ____________________
2. Which country borders New Mexico? ______________________
3. What is the name of the large river that runs north/south all the way through New Mexico? ________________________
4. What state borders New Mexico on the west? _________________
5. What state borders New Mexico on the north? ______________________
6. What state just touches New Mexico at its northwest corner (at the famous "Four Corners," the point where four states meet)? ______________________
7. What 2 states border New Mexico on the east? ______________________ and ______________________
8. What is the largest city in New Mexico? ______________________
9. Name two mountain ranges in New Mexico. _____________________________ and _____________________________
10. What is the name of the National Park in southeastern New Mexico? _____________________________

We just entered New Mexico... near Gallup.... isn't nice to finnally be in another state?

Hope you enjoy the quiz!!!