A friend just sent this saying that it reminded him of me when he saw it. Wasn't that sweet!

The Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count is still going on through tomorrow (2/20/12). Hope they don't miss counting all the ones around here - snowbirds or not ... and me, of course. ^.^ You can find out more about it and where to get the forms here.

I wonder if they know I'm a bird!

Travel agencies are picking up on my Tweets about flying and contacting me through email promoting their websites.

Does that mean I can fly First Class, Second Class or end up in the Baggage Compartment with the cats? If First Class, do I get to select my meals (is that even an option any more)? If Second Class will they crush the peanuts for me? May I use the Restroom Facilities or do the passengers take their chances with a bird on board? This has possibilities. :) \|/ \|/

This is for the birds!

Have you ever heard the expression "This is for the birds! And I'm not a bird." That's exactly what Scarlet Butterfly said to me last weekend when we had our 1st snow of the year. So she checked out of the bird condo and went off tumbling with the troops permanently. Where's her sense of adventure, anyway? Oh, right. That would be an adventure. Well, to each his (or her) own. This is my adventure... surviving the cold when I could be in Florida somewhere.

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday. I did... feasted on bird suet. Yum!

Well, that was easy.

Well, that was easy. ScarletButterfly has her own website now called Tumbling Wih The Troops. Check it out... a tad naughty and a bit sassy, too!

Something's gotta give...

Hmm... ScarletButterfly's profile pic is more than twice the size of mine. Whose blog is this anyway... I'll have to see about that!

Much to be thankful for... underwear, babes, blondes...

Attn: Military personnel, veterans, support groups and fans... the November R&R is ahead of schedule and ready for inspection. Enjoy! :)

For the hunks, babes, and fans of the military!

The October issue of the R&R newsletter is ready for inspection.

Enjoy!
ScarletButterfly


P.S. For those who missed the September R&R (maiden issue), here it is. The November issue will be on schedule - 11/1/10.

Roommates!?!

I'm taking in a roommate... Scarlet Butterfly... not sure how she's going to behave; she's on probation.

One year and counting

It’s hard to believe we’ve been here in this gorgeous setting for a year already; but then when I think of that long cold wet winter we had last year and no spring to speak of, what’s not to believe!

A couple of weeks ago a coyote was spotted climbing through the huge lava rock pile between the house and the barn. I missed it. Drat it! I'm told the coyote was of the gray variety. I'll add this to the list of things to check out.

Speaking of rocks... in the towns where I’ve lived most my life you had to pay big bucks to landscape with rocks of any significance; you know, the kind you can’t lift by yourself, even with a helper. We have the one huge rock pile that I just spoke about; two medium sized ones where we planted a Dogwood (see rock image 2 posts below) and a weeping Japanese maple; and another medium one that Kitty likes to climb and repose on top of ala lion-like as he surveys his stalking ground below. All the rock piles have beautiful moss that is a bright green in the spring and turns darker as fall approaches.

So far, Kitty's stalking has only resulted in a couple of tiny lizards that couldn't out-run him. As hard as he tries, the squirrels and my fellow birds are too fast for him. But it’s fun to watch him stalk his prey as he crouches close to the ground… only to see them scurry off much to his dismay. (Luckily he hasn't seen the quail that parade through the lawn once in a while.) His body language during the whole stalking process speaks volumes. He loves being outside. Let’s hope this coming winter isn’t as wet as last year. I do think he’s forgotten about all the rain we had and the snow.

As for an early spring next year… hope springs eternal...

Speaking of eyes...

Ahem! Attention, please!

German scientists have concluded robins can see Earth's magnetic field which allows us to navigate. Well it's about time... who doesn't know that! How do they think this bird (me, moi) gets around to all those locations for those payload drops that humans ask me to do. (More about that later.)

We (birds, that is) have an internal magnetic compass. Scientists are just not sure if it's tiny magnets in our beaks wired to our nervous system that detects lines of magnetic force... OR if magnetic fields are "seen" via our eyes using a complex light-sensitive mechanism. The scientists suggest it's the second theory, at least for the European robins they studied. And I'm not telling! Let them figure it out.

Happy Mother's Day To All Fine Feathered Moms!

... and all other moms out there, too!

Been busy keeping watch over Tree Top Village while Grandma was recuperating from her hospital stay. Happy to say she has fully recovered.

Bird condos in Tree Top Village

Spring came while Grandma was away, but you wouldn't know it by the looks of things today - very dense fog - I don't even have a good bird's eye view of anything; except the bird condos. Fully occupied. Lots of chirping and flitting about when the sun is shining. Note: The bird condo is seen just below the eaves. There's another one to the right. That's lava rock in the foreground.

The BirdBuzz is we'll be lucky to see the sun before Tuesday. We had a thunderstorm last night. And next month summer arrives. Unbelievable! So what does that give us (besides a yard full of pine needles that we gather and burn on "burn day") - 6 months of rainy season, 3 months of summer with little spring and fall?

Deer - resourceful rascals, aren't they!

It's been such a rainy winter that there is no more drought! That's the good news. The bad news is everyone is late getting their garden planted (ugh! no opportunity for snatching a few seeds and juicy worms surfacing from freshly plowed dirt; although several ornamental trees and shrubs have been planted.) Note: One deer managed to reach a lower limb by standing on its hind legs to nibble on the blossoms much like you see here nibbling on the grapevines. Grandma doesn't mind... she'd like to plant shrubs just for the deer! She even keeps a hanging bird feeder on the deck and another hanging basket of twigs, straw, fluff, etc. just for us birds to feather our nests. :)

Cat or Manx?

We had 2 new sightings - an orange cat with no tail (like the one shown here) - or could it be a Manx(?) and 6 quail. So that adds to our list of 5 deer, wild turkeys, funny looking rabbits, "regular looking" squirrels, Red Hawks, Stellar Jays, red-headed woodpeckers (good thing all our roofs are metal) and many other fine feathered friends that Grandma hasn't identified yet. But give her time, she will!

In the meantime, leave a comment; I promise to answer back!

Birds Of A Feather

A new Twitter friend, @oldbakerman, sent this poem to me; it's one his mother used to say when he was a child. It's obvious where his story-telling and poetic talents come from. I must admit I was tempted to shake my tail when I got it, but proudly fluffed my feathers instead.

Thank you, Winston. So 'tis true: Birds of a feather flock together! I like having you as a friend.

@RobinNestor…

He came to my window
to say how do you do
and shook his little tail
and far away he flew!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yeah, I know... it's not Valentine's Day yet; but seeing as how I'm so far behind with posting I thought I'd get an early start with this one.

Nobody to love? Don't we all know some bird who is always complaining about not getting any valentines or has no "love interest" to send one of their own? Tell 'em to get a life... and leave the worms for me!

Hey, that's a yellow bird singing that tune, not this robin!

Happy Valentine's Day
to all you critters out there!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

OMG, it's been months since I've posted a blog... the altitude must be getting to me. Either that or just been too busy checking out the local critters and food supply - you know, juicy worms and such - and time flies when you're having fun. These new digs at 2600' elevation are enough to make anyone a wee bit light-headed; especially while getting familiar with these lofty surroundings.

Must admit I've never seen a Red Hawk before (see photo above). But there one was perched on a limb to greet us as we drove onto the property for the first time. Awesome.

As if that's not enough to chirp about, you should see a Stellar Jay in flight - like a graceful swoop in slow motion allowing you to see the contrast of the dark gray head and wings (they look black to this bird though) and striking blue body. Stunning. Enough to tweet home about. (Of course, my redbreast is nothing to be ashamed of now, is it?)

We've heard the wild turkeys down near the edge of the spooky pine forest but, haven't seen them yet (though the contractors have). I call it spooky because I hear tell that a mountain lion cave has been spotted in those woods and there's a tunnel through the patch of red brown Manzanita branches just waiting to grab you.

Moving on to larger critters - you know, Bambi and family. Seeing deer on the property is a daily occurance. The most we've seen at one time is five. They're getting braver - grazing closer and closer to the house (the upper lawn and back yard). I'm tempted to perch on their racks, just to see what they'd do. I'm sure when the word (deer talk) spreads that the orchard gate is being left open for them, 'they will come' - of course, the good pickings are gone and the gate will be closed come Spring.

As for me, I'm safely perched on the sunny side of a building just outside my bird condo. Who said robins HAVE to go south for the winter. Of course, I may have to rethink this. I'll keep you posted. Chirp chirp! \|/ \|/

Personal Want Ad: Wanted! Woman to . . .

LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

Poolside chats, barbeques, and ... fishing!

Seeing the tweets of @Roommate_Wanted on Twitter reminds me of a Personal Want Ad I saw a few years ago. And since it involves worms, my favorite delicacy, I thought I'd share this with you.

WANTED!

WOMAN TO COOK AND CLEAN FISH,
DIG WORMS AND MAKE LURES.


MUST HAVE GOOD BOAT AND MOTOR.

PLEASE ENCLOSE PICTURE
OF BOAT AND MOTOR.

Water-boarding Is Not Torture - Being Without Twitter Is!

What do you do when your modem dies and your Internet connection goes down mid-afternoon on a Friday? Access to email accounts – gone! Access to your website or anybody else's – gone. Worse yet, that means no access to Twitter either. Talk about torture! What must ArtistAnika or Sunny525 be thinking, or TheSickChick, IrishAttic, Blondetwit, Libertygirl3 and Writer_Dad – all friends I follow or tweet with on a daily basis? Will they even notice there have been no tweets from RobinNestor lately?

Now what to do? Who to call first? Do I need to remind you, dear reader, what's it's like just trying to get to a real live person for a service call these days? Recording: "Please enter or say your ten digit telephone number. You said 555-123-4567; is that correct? … etc., etc."

And once you get there – they keep referring you on and on until finally ... a live person in the tech department. That's when you start praying. Praying that there's no disconnect during the process so you don't have to start all over again. Sure enough, disconnect!

So you call your computer guru who informs you that your modem is obviously dead. You need to get a replacement from the phone company. I found a shortcut to the tech department this time, only to be referred to the company "store" to order the new modem that can't be shipped until Monday.

Back to guru – I ask guru if he can find a modem locally and install it before Wednesday. "I'll check around and call you in the morning." Guru called Saturday to say he had found one; he can work me into his Monday schedule. At least I know I'm in good hands now. Panic is starting to ease.

Message to Twitter: I'll be thinking of you the whole time, Tweetie. So sit tight little bird, I will be back as soon as I can.

In the meantime, the panic is gone; but, the torture continues. Uh oh, I think withdrawal is coming on!

www.twitter.com/robinnestor