eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Hi,

Yup, this is my 650th post. I was going to name it the "Sexcentennial-Plus-Quinquagenary Post", but I figured the title alone would be a turn off. Then I thought "650th Jubilee", but given yesterday's (terrorist) events the word, "Jubilee" seems way out of line. That led me to write a poli-sci piece, but that was unfitting for this blog. Sooo... For the moment, here's Mrs. CCA to display and discuss her carved bird collection. (If the demand is there, I'll get back to the terrorists later.)

Mrs. CCA here. It's appropriate on the occasion of CapeCodAlan's 650th post to share a few of our favorite birds--not the outdoor ones, but the indoor ones. Some of these you may have seen before, and some, not. Just in case you're interested, here's a bit about some of our favorites, and how you can find similar ones.

This photo shows two of our miniature birds carved by Canadian decoy maker John Gervers . One is a marsh wren, and the other is, oddly enough, a roadrunner. You can't tell from this photo how small they really are, but both birds are charming. Then we have a primitive bob-white by Massachusetts carver Will Kirkpatrick. Mr. Kirkpatrick continues to do beautiful work in Hudson, MA. Then there's the wonderful Delft tile of a flying goose, which I picked up at an antiques show here on Cape Cod.

Here we have two real actual decoys by Cape Cod carver John Mulak of Yarmouth. The one on the left is a bufflehead, and the one on the right is a blue-winged teal. Both are fairly old, but in beautiful condition. If you're lucky, you may be able to find some of his work at decoy auctions in the Northeast. The third small duck is in fact a porcelain Herend figurine, and while the green ones are difficult to find, Geary's has a decent collection of this duck in other colors. Pricey (because they're embellished with 24k gold!) but sweet.

Last but certainly not least, we have a set of three shorebirds perched on a piece of driftowood, with no maker's mark at all. But just because they are unbranded doesn't mean we don't love them--they're full of character! And we have a lovely Kentucky warbler carved by another Yarmouth man, Fred Schmelke. Mr. Schmelke was a local high school shop teacher, who turned a profession into a hobby which then turned into a new profession! His birds are available each year when the South Yarmouth United Methodist Church has its annual summer fair. I've bought birds from Mr. Schmelke at the fair for three years running now, and each year, his carvings are better!

So that's a show of some of our favorite birds. Why don't you all share some photos of your best "indoor" birds?

See you by the feeders for another 650 and counting...

CapeCodAlan and Mrs. CapeCodAlan

Contest: Word search...

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check this out...

I included the old storage mailbox to provide perspective... No matter how many times I see these puppies, I'm still struck with the "Velociraptor Nature" of the beasts. (By the way, take a look at this piece concerning velociraptors and birds...)

On the more diminutive front, have a Red-breasted Nuthatch... Quite cute...

The feeders were unusually active today... No doubt the smaller residents were charging their batteries for the upcoming nasty weather.

And suddenly, the "Nag-o-Meter" goes off the scales!!! Yes, just like the turkeys and the nuthatches, you should be bracing your feeders for the winter. I'm sorry... I'm being as gentle as I can be. But feathers big and small are depending on you to clean things up and make all back 40 copacetic. I've found that if the yard is in order, and plans are in place for the inevitable snows, all will be fine. (I still have to figure out how I'll dig my way to the feeders this year... but not to borrow trouble... at least not yet.)

See you by the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

P.S. And speaking of nagging... What about that word search contest?

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Why here's one now...

Longtime reader Harry, "Gipper" Morris offered the following comment:

"Weird or by coincidence?

PBS, Public TV on the Nature program last night, had a documentary on the intelligence of Crows, titled "A Murder of Crows". The best one I've seen so far.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/

A Must See."

Harry, I did indeed see that piece... Exceptional work, though I believe the makers were a bit off the mark or short on several points:

• When it comes to using roadways and street lights to crack open nuts, it appears that the birds do in fact situate the drops such that cars will in fact crack the nuts, and then wait for the red light to get to the goodies. (See our Oct. 13, 2007 post.)
• There are now indications that crows may not just talk amongst themselves. I can't count the number of times that I've watched jays scatter seed for waiting crows or witnessed crows and jays fighting off a hawk. There's just too much coordination there... and where there's coordination, there is at least rudimentary communication.
• And speaking of talking... Did you know that crows can talk? If captured in early development, crows can talk just as parrots do. (BTW... There is a horrible myth that crows can only enunciate with a split tongue - that's hogwash! The creatures just have to have human contact at a very young age.)
• As far as I know, crows are the only animals (outside of us) who can make tools with non-native materials. (See link above.) If this means what I think it means, we're probably looking at an IQ of about 7 years old in human terms.
• I don't think the PBS show went far enough concerning the social nature of the corvids. I once watched a crow window hit and the aftermath... The survivors were almost frantic. Their loyalty was stunning.
• I wish PBS had explored the physiology of the crow brain. (See link above.) It's fascinating that corvids and higher primates develop similar social structures given significantly different brain structures. Is it possible that Mr. Darwin can sing in harmony?
• Finally, IMHO, PBS dropped the ball Big Time as to the ramifications of how we treat crows. Are we shooting and poisoning creatures with the mind of a developing child and the loyalty of a golden retriever? Seriously, this is a whopping philosophical dilemma.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Is our word search contest too hard???

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Alor here (the bird blogger formerly known as CapeCodAlan...)

You know, it's finally beginning to dawn on me that I (and Mrs. Alor) must be in some respects (and to whatever limited capacity available) deities to the backyard birdies. After all, it is I, Alor, who disbands a dozen velociraptor turkeys with just the mere threat of My "Mighty Floating Comfy Cushion of Horror."

What the crows must think... It is I who chases away hawks, provides fresh food and water, and gives them shelter. I can move an entire landscape within hours... Yeah... I like that... Alor, God of the Birds.

Of course, even Gods can't be perfect. (Vulcan was ambulatorily challenged... Hodr was visually less than 100%, and Zeus was way too frisky.) And no doubt there are chinks in My divine armor - I'm hobbled by stepping in critter droppings, wood ticks are My nemesis, and I yack in the presence of macaroni and cheese. Still, I must be supernatural to my feathered flock.

Geez Wally... This could be a pretty sweet gig being all powerful and stuff...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan Alor, God of the Birds...

P.S. OK, so on a re-read, maybe I got carried away and had a "Gulliver moment". Oops...

P.P.S. A question came up about the mechanics of out word search contest... Simply put, search for words up and down, left and right, and on the diagonal whether they be spelled correctly, or in exact reverse correctly. For example, if you find "ylregnig", that would be a valid discovery disclosing the word, "gingerly".

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Rarely do I stray from the topic of birds, but tonight, I am going to. Earlier today, National Public Radio (NPR) fired long time contributor Juan Williams...

I'll keep this short and on-topic... eBirdseed.com has always shown me considerable leeway when it comes to subject matter. I've always had pretty much free reign when it comes to content and images. So long as I didn't claim that the President was in fact an Idaho potato or display adult pics, my bosses have let me go. And that's how it should be. I get paid to write, tell the truth, and hopefully bring in a breath of common sense. I've talked about death, God, and economic disaster with nary the word, "Boo!" from the folks above. Not so for Juan; he got the boot.

Does the Juan Williams story have any place on a bird seed blog? You'd better believe it does. It really doesn't matter whether you write about birds or The Beltway (and I write about both.) The moment the "Powers At Be" shut you off because they don't like the truthful, high-quality content of your work is the moment that we have real problems...

Who on earth would ever have guessed that a birdseed company's "editorial management staff" would inadvertently (and oh so insignificantly) stand as mentor for NPR? Wow... Just wow...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK... Enough! We had yet another crow knock on the front door today. In fact, there were three steady, continuous knocks. (You'd swear that someone was out there.) But no, a quick check showed not one but two crows standing on the railing. (One even had the gall to have a recently-donated potato chip in its beak. In retrospect, Mrs. CCA may have had it right - they wanted fresh water in the bird bath for the purpose of dunking.) I'm not joking... This is for real. And honestly, this is growing on the creepy scale.

Ever wonder what goes in those creatures' minds? I've always assumed that there was some sort of analogous intellectual mechanics between the corvids and the higher primates. (See "Crow Brains"), but this is just nuts. Have I somehow become a member of the murder? How far do the trusts and responsibilities go? I'm pretty sure that if I let the front door open, one (or more) of them would come inside. What do they expect of me, and what happens if I tick them off? A couple years ago I was cleaning the gutters and found a rock... Was that the hallmark of a disgruntled compadre? Quite frankly, I don't have the warm and fuzzies... We already have problems with aggressive turkeys, and now we've got pushy crows...

Do you remember the end of the movie, "The Birds"?

See you by the feeders,

P.S. Don't forget the word search contest... And don't make me call in the ringers... CapeCodAlan

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Before we get started, I should mention the obvious and then offer a simple solution. To wit, about the "puniness" of the chest drawing in the last post... True, it is puny, but you can zoom the IE/Firefox display simply by holding down the "Ctrl" key and hitting the "+" key. Try it... To reset the display, just do a "Ctrl 0". That should make the crude drawing usable and keep you sane at the same time.

Back to the birds, or more accurately, the yard...

While the shots above may not look earth shattering, for us there's been a significant change; I added mulch around the footings of the feeders. The idea being that the grass there had long since been worn/scratched away (and seed remnants took its place), and that a new venue was called for. Besides... perhaps the area won't be so muddy during the soaking times. We'll see what happens, but already the ground feeders seem to disapprove.

But that leads us into a touchy subject for me - spiders. Quite simply they scare the Hades out of me. We're talking phobia here. Oh, I don't freak over the daddy long legs types, but those big honkin' (1"+ diam.) black suckers absolutely blow my mind. (I once took a BB gun to a 2" wolf spider in my living room.) Anyway, back to the mulch for just a moment... I was lifting old bags of the stuff when surprise! Looks like I interrupted a nasty-spider house party. Woo hoo! I was already nursing my annual "back spasm boogie", but that didn't stop me from performing a near-perfect 9.8 "Ricochet Rabbit Head Smash" against our 9' garage ceiling. As soon as I landed, I stomped one of the brutes straight into the Shadows of Glory, and I know another galloped off into the flotsam and jetsam that is our still-being-cleaned garage... But after that things get blurry and I probably suffered a convulsive, arachnid loss of consciousness. (I don't mind killing spiders, I just mind getting close enough to them to kill them. Do you see?)

The upshot of all this? We've got mulch under the feeders, the garage is cleaner, and Mrs. CCA is going to ride shotgun for the rest of the car stall revitalization. (And I do mean shotgun!)

See you by the feeders,

P.S. Word search contest

CapeCodAlan

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All kinds of project-related stuff tonight... Let's see... First up is a pile of hobby in the waiting...

• The inlay curio table is almost done and only needs the tender loving care of a honking big fastener, a bit more inlay, thickened epoxy, and a finish coat.
• The mailbox/birdhouse too is pretty much fait accompli. I figure I can mount that on a 10' tabernacle mast and sink the steps in a large sonotube. That will be a blast...
• But what of the "fleur de lis"? Should we wait until I build a shed? Perhaps when we open the kitchen into the dining area? Or should we just stick the thing on a pike and jab it into the garden???

The problem had to do with the long screws that would rise from the underside of the top of the bottom carcase into the posts of the top cabinet. Unfortunately, the internal lower workins' (cleats) got in the way and would split for sure... The solution was the old boatbuilding trick of gluing (or sistering) a block to the cleat to reinforce...

Lastly, there are these...

The "youngest" of those boards is 100 years; the oldest is probably 300 years... (Note the ruler on the first piece - that's 12" marked in black.) I've fussed over the latter for three decades and probably have one more to go. Years ago I spotted an old chest in a local restaurant and took appropriate measurements...

I've started building with the "newest" of my antique stock, though the crude "napkin" drawing and modern boards will probably do ya'...

Just fun projects to think about and then really mull over...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. And the contest waits...

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First off... Thoughts go out to the trapped Chilean miners and their families... So far three have been rescued... Let's keep our fingers crossed.

As for the pumpkin ale bread, that was an absolute smash. I mean it was "off-the-scales" good. About the only change we'd make is to use the smaller bread tins and watch the bake time accordingly. (Then again, there are umpteen pumpkin ales out there...)

Back to the birds... Check out the two pictures below...

What I'm about to say may sound crazy, but I think that those two birds are each throwing a tantrum. I may have mentioned this before, but if for no other reason than the repeatability of the behavior, this note bears another mention... When crows don't get what they want, they raise their shoulders and ruffle their feathers. Go ahead... laugh. Accuse me of wearing an aluminum foil hat... But I'm telling you that crows prefer meats, and are none too happy with stuff like old taco shells. Oh, they'll eventually eat what they get, but it's pretty obvious that they ain't delirious. (Do you remember Randy, the little kid in the movie, "A Christmas Story" who fussed over eating his meatloaf and mashed potatoes? Well, there you go avian style. And no, I am not going to beseech the corvids into eating the undesirables by cooing, "Who's daddy's little piggy?")

You know, there are times when I stop writing an entry and re-read what I've composed. Ummm... Now where's my medication?

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Wanna know how we discovered the secret of the frustrated crow? Our cat Toby showed us - when he's torqued, he ripples his skin. I'm tellin' ya'.

P.P.S. The word search contest still calls!

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We were trying to come up with something sweet but not too sweet, with fall flavors and aromas, and we definitely succeeded!

We found the recipe online (thank you, Sam Adams Brewing Company!), and it sounded so delicious that we just had to try it. We started with a good strong pumpkin ale. Our local liquor store doesn't carry the Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale recommended in the recipe, so we chose Post Road Pumpkin Ale, the product of another Boston-area brewer. And the results were fantastic, if we do say so ourselves*.

And we had almost as much fun taking the BEFORE and AFTER photos as we had in making the bread. Here's the BEFORE picture. It came out so beautifully that we decided to try applying a watercolor filter to the image, and ended up with something that looks like a Dutch still-life. Gorgeous, no?

So those were the basic ingredients. Once they were thrown together in the right amounts and the correct order and slid into the oven, delectable aromas started wafting from the kitchen to other parts of the house. It even distracted our football-watching!

After more than an hour, the timer beeped and we got the finished product out of the oven and allowed it to cool; this is the outcome:

And the best part? It tastes even better than it looks! If you have an afternoon free and want to try a new yummy recipe, you can't go wrong with this one.

Sadly, the birds won't get even a crumb.

See you by those fragrant feeders!

Mrs. CapeCodAlan

And about that word search contest...

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

*Recipe notes--here are the few changes I'd make: I'd use several smaller loaf pans instead of a large one; I'd grease and flour the pans; and I'd add a bit more cinnamon to the recipe.

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, now it's official... The turkeys don't like the crows and I do like the crows; ergo I don't like the turkeys.

Above, you can see a crow being chased off by the turkeys. That's a bummer... However, I still retain one dreaded weapon that turkeys absolutely fear - the horrendous fluffy cushion. There is something about a fluttering, descending, harmless deck-chair cushion that bends the gobblers' tiny little minds... (To them, the falling foam must smack of an eagle attack or something along those lines. I wonder what would happen if I were to unzip my sweatshirt, grab the front bottoms and splay them out like giant wings? My guess is that either I'd end up getting stitches, or I'd never see the turkeys again, and I really don't want either outcome.) I've found that the turkeys no longer charge me when I approach the feeders... At least they remember me. Anyway, between the crows and the cushions, all stays sane in the back forty.

What else?

We've seen a drop in feeder activity no doubt due to the abundance of fall seeds, nuts, berries, etc. We'll have to watch this - as winter nears, the demand for feed will go up.

Lastly, the wife is going to be whipping up a few loaves of pumpkin ale bread... (Man, does that have potential or what?!?) We'll keep you posted on that one...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Word search contest? What word search contest?

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nope, this isn't going to be the usual backyard birding post! Long ago, I promised that I'd occasionally throw in an occasional off-topic post, and tonight's the night.

First things first... You should know that this is a re-write of another blog post I wrote for someone else. But every so often I write something that might actually have real long-term oomph, and when I do, I tweak it, and pass it on. (Think of this as a blog post "service pack".)

Onward...

Well, 'tis fall, and not all things in Heaven and on earth are feeders. I know for a fact that at least one of you out there has expressed an interest in building a boat. My guess is that that number is considerably larger. After all, we are the "handy-person" types. So what do you say? Do you to build a superb two-person "oar and sail" boat for less than $1,000? If so, read on...

There are only five things you need to do to build an economical small craft that will last the rest of your life:

1. Read the following three books, all by Dynamite Payson: "Instant Boats", "Build the New Instant Boats", and "Instant Boatbuilding with Dynamite Payson". "Three books!" you scream? Calm down. Dynamite is a fantastic author. (Literally one of the great American writers IMHO.) Those three books will probably take a couple of weekends to consume, and a lifetime to digest.
2. Make your decision concerning what boat to build. I'd recommend the "Teal". (Plans available from Dynamite.) There are several reasons for this choice:
   * I've built the thing...

   

   It's a simple build, and a superb boat. (I once mentioned to Dynamite that I thought that pound for pound, foot for foot, and dollar for dollar, it was one of the best designs ever conceived. He sort of laughed, but I asked that he come up with a better value... His response was something to the effect, "Now that's a tough one.")

   
   
   * Payson explains how to build the boat in "Instant Boats".
3. Buy the plans to the boat.
4. Learn the basics, hands on...
   * Build a scale model! (This is a "must do and is surprisingly simple and cheap using just cardboard!")
   * Practice real scale with epoxy and fiberglass using shop scraps.
   * Buy a quality architect's rule and learn how to use it.
5. Go forth and build her!

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. And still there's that pesky word search contest...

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not too much happening here... Bird activity has been relatively light. Maybe that has something to do with the hawk I startled a while ago. (Lawdy, lawdy, when spooked, those things can really scoot. No surprise smaller song birds don't have a chance.) Anyway, it has been dank here. It's a "Jim Croce/Karen Carpenter/Carole King" kind of day... (I wonder if the birds get the blues?)

Still, there is a beauty in it...

Oh to be coming in from the clam flats...

What else? Well, it's probably time to harangue you again concerning the word search puzzle... It's interesting to note how reluctant folks are to enter these things. I'm running a similar challenge for another blog, and I know the readership rate - the people are out there, but they're just so apprehensive about entering. My guess is that everyone figures that these contests are just scams to get their email addresses, etc. It's a sad time that we live in. (FWIW, our puzzles are on the up and up. If you want to confirm that, just post a comment and check out the responses of previous winners.)

And finally there is the matter of breaking Microsoft Solitaire... Long ago I was diagnosed with A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder). (Try earning an engineering degree when you have difficulty just reading an entire sentence.) As a form of therapy I play 30+ hands of Solitaire per day to sharpen my focus and memory. (It has worked wonders!) But in all the years of playing the game, I have never seen the following occur...

No, that's not a Photoshop trick, that's for real... (For those of you not familiar with solitaire - columns of cards have to descend in order and by alternating color. The column on the left breaks both rules.) As the old beatniks would say, "Crazy man!"

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Yeah, the lawn needs work, the garden is small, we've got a scrap birdhouse (occupied by a downy) and we're growing flowers in a rusty old BBQ grill. Still, there's a peace there. In fact, there's almost a Shaker echo to the place. My guess is that Thoreau would approve - just stark enough to enjoy "close to the bone", but still "where life is sweetest."

There's an interesting story behind the photograph above... By the time I had a chance to take the snapshot, by all rights it was too late in the day. In fact, there was so little light left before dusk proper that I didn't even bother with the tripod. My reasoning was that at least I could take some sample pics to find the best angles, and then come back when the luminous energy was a tad more cooperative. And that's exactly what I did. Figuring I had nothing to loose, I fussed with the various camera settings and pretty much ended up with the expected - dark blurry mush, but with one exception. On a lark, I set the camera to "Sports" mode, braced myself, drew my breath, and pushed the button. I heard the standard shutter open, but not close for a good two seconds. This seemed totally counter intuitive in that by my way of diminished thinking, a high shutter speed would equate to a high shutter speed. Anywho, the end result is what you see - a pretty respectable image taken under dim conditions. Now you shutter bugs out there can scoff, and rightfully sneer that I just don't understand aperture, ISO, and the Tao of the Canon. So be it.

Maybe the takeaway is that this is a bit of heaven, and it takes a bit of serendipity to capture it...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Not bad, if I do say so myself... I've learned to mess with settings like "Sports" (fast shutter), manual focus, "Portrait", and "Macro". So far, the camera hasn't exploded, so I must be doing something right. On to the words of warnings...

Truth be told, there probably is only one word of warning - "Backup!" Here's what happened...

1. I took the photographs above as usual, and after looking at them on the computer, promptly deleted the ones I really wanted right off the SD chip.
2. As Windows XP doesn't support saving deleted files in the Recycle Bin when those files are wiped off a removable drive, a third-party app was called for. Unfortunately, trying to find a decent (and free) undelete program can be tricky, but I did finally find a winner.
3. Too bad that my machine (not eBirdseed's) blue screened on me not once or twice, but three times within minutes. (For the geeks amongst you, I was getting a STOP 0x7F - most likely a memory stick issue.) That of course demanded an immediate backup, which is no mean feat when the PC keeps crashing.
4. Alrighty then... The story to this point boils down as follows... I couldn't write this post because I couldn't get to the photos I needed because I accidently deleted them. However, I couldn't undelete them because I needed a freeware application that I couldn't use because my system had become unstable. And before anything could go forward, a thorough backup was called for on a system that kept failing.
   Welcome to my world.
5. Ahhh... But this grizzled old tech/engineer had one last trick up his sleeve - take an external house fan, point it at the back of the hobbled computer, and let it cool down those failing memory sticks. And what do you know? It worked.

So all that was left to do was to perform a good backup, install and use the undelete software, edit and embed the images above, and then try to decide what caliber of bullet I was going to use to shatter the faulty memory sticks. Someone ought to sell tickets.

See you by those Daedalean feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Our word search puzzle goes unsolved...

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)