2018-02-27 17:35
Check this guy out. He's an American Wigeon. If you go up to Montezuma in season you will see thousands like him. However, here in our county eBird flags him as rare. I have certainly n… Read More
Blog Directory > Life Blogs > My Life Blogs > Northview Diary my-life Blog >
2018-02-27 13:03
My only contribution was moral support, knowing where to stand, and when to move, and whether to be loud or quiet. And being bossy. I do that so well....Many thanks to Liz and Jade for… Read More
2018-02-25 15:53
Our little chickie with a chickMighty Bald Eagle youthand mighty tame too!Male Common GoldeneyLone Snow Goose we have been seeing dailyAmerican Kestrel, right where we see him every yearAnd… Read More
2018-02-22 22:47
Snowy CanvasbacksYesterday it hit 75. Today it is snowing like January.We still ran down to the boat launch to look for waterfowl and got lucky.There were ducks everywhere. Some were to… Read More
2018-02-21 13:02
Into a false sense of spring....The sun tracks the tiniest of fractions higher in the sky each day. Although it’s still low enough at daybreak and in evening that there is nearly equal… Read More
2018-02-18 22:51
I see you, but I can't always ID you...(Herring Gull BTW) I am terrible at gulls. If the commonest, most ordinary, most every-day sort of gull, say a Ring-billed or Herring Gull, were t… Read More
2018-02-16 22:39
2018-02-15 15:06
A couple of weeks ago we noticed what appeared to be a trap near the Schoharie Crossing State Historical Site, where a flock of American Black Ducks has been hanging out since the worst of t… Read More
2018-02-15 14:08
Horned Lark, taken up in Stone Arabia yesterdayFrom spring, or at least far from real spring. However, one day last week the male American Goldfinches were singing up a cluttery storm. The C… Read More
2018-02-13 22:52
2018-02-09 11:31
Dr. Peggy holding surgery with her dogs, cats, and horses...and unicorns, and tigers....and other creatures great and smallPeggy has finally decided that it is okay to sit on my lap in the e… Read More
2018-02-07 12:51
It's been a year and almost a week... I've been through the stages I guess. Reminders sometimes make me smile, and a good thing too, as there are many of them. This time of year seems t… Read More
2018-02-04 20:51
Last summer, the boss and I watched a yellow tom cat nearly murder a much smaller black cat that was hiding among the rip rap at Schoharie Crossing. It was quite a fight.We never saw either… Read More
2018-02-03 22:56
Or....didn't we feel silly! The "owl" we saw in a hay field we were passing the other day was an errant cat....as you can see from the edited photo.Now every time we pass a cat I say to the… Read More
2018-02-03 18:22
Click for a closer viewFound in the Town of Glen. We actually stopped to photograph this guy before realizing Read More
2018-02-02 13:15
When this photo was taken one July day three years ago, I think she did. Today, well, it is pretty darned sunny out, so six more weeks of winter.But wait! In Upstate NY, on the sec… Read More
2018-01-31 12:31
It would be great if you could wish dear Rebecca happy birthday today. She is a very special person, as her co-workers, customers, friends and family well know.And she makes the best darned… Read More
2018-01-28 22:00
January, the hard, white heart of winter, kinda like a jawbreaker that just won't melt....And yet....a different season is sneaking in unannounced and mostly unheralded. Or at leas… Read More
2018-01-25 12:13
Blue IceThe wind hoots like a Great Horned Owl, hoooo......hooooo....hoooooooo.....howling through the Honey Locust tree just before the break of day. It's cold out here, the ice like glass… Read More
2018-01-23 13:29
But wasn't the Schoharie pretty the other evening when we went down?So this morning we awaken to tsunami warnings for the left coast where two of my favorite guys are....centered near Anchor… Read More
2018-01-22 20:46
Yesterday was interesting...I am sure your remember that old curse, "May you live in interesting times...."Yeah, that kind of interesting. First our boy and my brother were flying from Flori… Read More
2018-01-21 16:49
She believes in being prepared.....This trip is a pretty big deal.She will see beams from the World Trade Center, some of which her daddy, who drives truck, hauled here from there. She… Read More
2018-01-21 12:17
We tried again for the Snowy Owl, and this time it was there...the boss's idea to look again and I thank him.Bird was utterly unconcerned about cars and sat still for photos, barely looking… Read More
2018-01-20 23:17
2018-01-20 14:16
We went out late yesterday afternoon in pursuit of whatever might be around, from Snow Buntings to new ducks for the year. While traversing snowy winter back roads we received a call about… Read More
2018-01-18 13:26
Just before breakupI love that the river is open again. It is still too high and too fast for the shallows in front of McDonald's to be active, but the other places....down by the boat launc… Read More
2018-01-17 18:28
One of at least two Cooper's Hawks that are hunting the place.The other is immature, and thus more brown than all these fancy colorsCounting birds, when suddenly all goes silent. Birds melt… Read More
2018-01-13 13:55
Check out the Chihuahua with delusions of grandeur. This place sounds like one. Every single one of the six of us is still coughing and hacking and sneezing and wheezing. We assume… Read More
2018-01-11 16:07
I am ever so grateful to have grown up in an era when parents and grandparents knew that milk helped build strong bones and healthy bodies, and considered it a necessary part of every meal… Read More
2018-01-10 12:49
My mom shared this wonderful photo of our boy and my dad on FacebookFrom whence I promptly and shamelessly stole it.Aren't they sweet?When you go out to walk the dogs without a coat or vest… Read More
2018-01-08 17:28
A non-electronic dogging deviceLooking up information on the new Electronic Logging Device rules for drivers. Working on the Farm Side today and learning a lot.Below are some links to inform… Read More
2018-01-08 15:13
Late with the bird feeders this morning...see yesterday's post....and today is a work day, so I got busy on the Farm Side for Friday.Looked up from the computer to see a Mourning Dove perche… Read More
2018-01-07 19:44
Pretty much how we all feelWe have been and are continuing to be sick with a rotten cold. Praying that the man flu doesn't hit the boss, as he is about the only holdout from this plague… Read More
2018-01-03 15:37
I nearly always turn on the yard light when I walk the doggies before dawn. Kinda creepy out there you know.However, this morning, what with the barely waning moon, I left it… Read More
2018-01-02 20:02
Looks like a moonscape, but not far from homeWe did our portion of the Johnstown Christmas Bird Count today, and alas, it was far from exciting. We saw perhaps a fifth as many birds as norma… Read More
2018-01-01 21:54
In Upstate NY Read More
2018-01-01 12:25
The last bird I saw yesterday as the year ended, and I believe the first for the New Year as wellOr at least there was a White-throated Sparrow sitting in the same bush this morning as the s… Read More
2017-12-30 20:05
Because Yankee Hill Lock isn't supposed to look like thisBecause it fits perfectly.Especially the lyrics....."Canadian cold front movin' in....."And staying, and staying, and staying and sta… Read More
2017-12-30 19:56
We showed bulls at the fairWalebe Jewelmaker, by SWD Valiant, out of Wiilsondale Citation JewelShowed ponies in halter and harness....this is Major MovesIn a calf halter....elegant, no?Had t… Read More
2017-12-29 13:38
Common YellowthroatWarblers make for tough IDs. They change plumage from bright to dull between spring and fall...or at least some of them do. Males are often glowing rock stars while female… Read More
2017-12-26 15:54
The road not traveled700 words written of 1000 that are due tomorrow, all about what's going on in farm politicking. From the president speaking to AFBF next month, to NYFB's Circle of Frien… Read More
2017-12-25 14:01
2017-12-23 20:13
This beautiful lamp is made entirely from recycled glass except for the light mechanism. Amazing huh? Made by Amber and her mama.....thanks! Read More
2017-12-21 20:32
A close look inside the one Becky chose. Do click for added detailWe took a little Christmas to Mom and Dad yesterday, fruits, nuts, a few cookies and candy canes......While we were there I… Read More
2017-12-19 18:45
There have been any number of times when I might have said that. The Snowy Owl my friend found. The Black-bellied Plover at Schoharie Crossing. Surf Scoters, Pied-Billed Grebe, White-winged… Read More
2017-12-16 23:53
L J Hand Farm Store had a magical Meet Santa and his Reindeer event today. Peggy liked it. We all did Read More
2017-12-16 13:41
In recent weeks the birdy webs have been afire with wonderment over where all the birdies went. Empty feeders, barren woods, more birds seen in Central Park each day than were seen in all of… Read More
2017-12-15 12:21
We went down along the Mighty Mohawk yesterday to find that she is trying on some winter wares. Everywhere ice was forming in this frigid weather, water-logged, greasy-looking, greenish… Read More
2017-12-13 15:29
Amazing baby blanket was crocheted by Becky. Love the color combination even though I am not usually a fan of pink Read More
2017-12-13 15:23
....did we not learn this trick for filling buckets with a pool noodle years ago?For ages we have lugged heavy barn buckets up into the kitchen sink in the winter to fill them. Ugh! A hard a… Read More
2017-12-11 10:00
This story was written on November 7th. However, due to the cloak-and-dagger nature of deer scouting, you had to wait to read it until deer season ended here. Now it can be published.Novembe… Read More
2017-12-09 20:54
Hunting season is still on.....To go where no man has cut a Christmas tree before....or at least not this yearThis would be a nice tree, don't you think?Huh, guess she doesn't like it. Go fi… Read More
2017-12-08 12:42
Out on the hillYou have days like that. Out in the snow yesterday morning, then we went to our usual haunts. Found no less than four Golden-crowned Kinglets, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Grey C… Read More
2017-12-07 15:32
2017-12-07 14:48
What is is with all the wild game on the place using the road to the back of the farm for a latrine? Deer, rabbits, skunks, coyotes, foxes, turkeys, and mysterious creatures that may have co… Read More
2017-12-06 11:47
Ring-billed Gull, so common as to form gigantic swirls in the sky over the river and massive rafts on the sand and gravel bars there.It's the little things....delicious Stewart's eggnog in t… Read More
2017-12-05 13:12
Maybe it's the full moonWe have had many adventures while birding the county this year. We have been accosted by vicious dogs and scary people.The boss has locked the keys in the car several… Read More
2017-12-04 15:21
Walked out on the hill this morning and didn't see a single bird the whole way up and all the way down. I did HEAR a bunch and that counts too, but it was downright foggy out there. At least… Read More
2017-12-02 11:57
Lesser Scaup in front of McDonald's last winterThis is never the best time of year for me. The short days and gloom and all..... it has been somewhat better than usual this fall, what w… Read More
2017-11-29 17:44
November Read More
2017-11-28 21:53
About this time of year and being busy? Seems to keep me from posting here even though I want to.It is as if we aren't doing anything and yet we are doing it all day long. I started looking… Read More
2017-11-23 11:41
This is...or was....Lucy, a sweet and singularly box-of-rocks silly turkey we were once given.Destined for the Thanksgiving table of Angelo, who delivered grain to us back in the day, s… Read More
2017-11-22 16:28
2017-11-21 20:49
When I first went out this morning Orion was so bright he seemed like ice fire in the sky. There was a wall of mist over the river....each car on the Thruway lit it up white, then red, then… Read More
2017-11-20 15:37
Probably this guyOf writing chores and Thanksgiving dinner prep we had to clear off the kitchen table. Seems somebody got their first deer and we will be processing meat this afternoon.I am… Read More
2017-11-19 14:12
Just as it came out of the cameraWalking the fields and roads most days....things I pass become landmarks of a sort. The round metal washer about half way up the hill that probably fell… Read More
2017-11-18 21:34
DownsideBirding has been slow lately, perhaps because the river is still high. The water is often smooth enough to take photos of birds' reflections though, which is kind of cool Read More
2017-11-18 16:30
At Morning....or pink and gold if you prefer....It didn't last long, but it was nice while it did Read More
2017-11-17 12:45
Check out these odd leucistic, or piebald birds we found over the past week or two. Above is an unusual Canada Goose with a white head. Below, an American Robin, ditto. We found the Canada a… Read More
2017-11-17 12:11
Wish him a very Happy Birthday! Read More
2017-11-14 11:54
Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the first official Thanksgiving in 1863 in response to a campaign by the lady who wrote Mary had a Little Lamb Read More
2017-11-13 12:13
We also came across this lot, which is pretty darned cool for Upstate NYThe kids were all home for a bit this weekend, which made for some major fun indeed.Also included time for our enginee… Read More
2017-11-13 11:49
There were at least three-hundred of these four-letter birds at Schoharie Xing yesterdayThere was just enough ice to hold them and they must have enjoyed it as there were another two-hundred… Read More
2017-11-09 13:27
And the laundry is steaming tooIt is so cold this bright and sunny morning that I can see the breath of the Blue Jay that is screaming from the Basket-tree next to the feeder Read More
2017-11-05 21:58
I love my family. I love my kitchen too. Where else could you listen to people joking about skunk scat and who else would you find doing so?Yeah, truly.See, we are not scatological expe… Read More
2017-11-05 13:26
My boys sleep indoors at night and come in when the weather is bad. This time of year they like to be outside when they can.This translates to the cable for Mack and a nice dog kennel we bui… Read More
2017-11-04 11:00
In the news coverage coal mine.....I often see agriculture as something of a canary in a coal mine when assessing the trustworthiness of a news outlet. With less than two percent of the popu… Read More
2017-11-03 22:33
Red-breasted MerganserSo yesterday we went back down to the river, and although we didn't see the Black-bellied Plover again, we did meet two expert birders, with whom I was delighted to cha… Read More
2017-11-01 21:17
Greater YellowlegsI am. Point me at the outdoors and hand me my binoculars. We ran down to the river today to celebrate getting the taxes paid. (Thanks for all the help....you know who you a… Read More
2017-10-31 13:38
Nuff said Read More
2017-10-30 18:14
This man would have practically stepped on the foxif the boss hadn't yelled to himWe took a quick spin down to the boat launch at Schoharie Crossing, despite the rotten weather, in order to… Read More
2017-10-30 12:26
So far we have seen a shocking amount of rain, but whatever wind there was wasn't bad enough to wake me up. The dog buckets were full this morning though, and yesterday I noticed that they n… Read More
2017-10-30 00:30
October's flying her last flags; she won't surrender to November. Walk the wild side, Walk it now. Get her before she leaves us;We went out west again yesterday to… Read More
2017-10-27 14:48
I ain't afraid of no ghostPlease, please, read this story. "Since the Dusky Gopher Frog is nowhere to be found on the land in question, designating a big slice of it as “unoccupie… Read More
2017-10-27 11:34
Good natured little Diamond, such a sweet, kind pony.The eastern sky looks like a blood orange just now..... dawn is nearly coming.It's still dark in the barn though.How do you hold a flashl… Read More
2017-10-26 16:34
And BIG tillage tools Read More
2017-10-25 14:30
No fear at 11 months...much braver than in later yearsAfter a great weekend and weeks of incredible weather, the season is sliding down into winter. Yesterday was a weirdly warm rainy one, a… Read More
2017-10-23 16:55
I spent this past Saturday, helping (to the best of my meager ability), these two hard-working young folks, at Amber's family's Homemade Frozen Custard Shop at the Windmill in Penn Yan. &hell…Read More
2017-10-20 15:45
Another zealous apple pickerGood thing it's dark at 5:30 in the morning or they might come for me with a net.Because I was out in the driveway with a flashlight at that hour this morning, us… Read More
2017-10-19 18:22
Snidely WhiplashOr the tranquil river, as the case may be.We had fifteen minutes to burn before picking up Becky at work, so we went down to the Schoharie Crossing SHS boat launch to look ar… Read More
2017-10-19 16:05
Lots of birding by ear todaySo foggy a cottontail I startled jumped right on a bird that was feeding in the roadWhat a kerfluffle!Oh, look, a Carolina Wren!Sun's up!Not as foggy up here on t… Read More
2017-10-19 11:40
Insert stern expression and beady-eyed glare hereIf whoever took my blue hay fork puts it back by the porch.Then I can clean up the garden. ***This has been a public service announcemen… Read More
2017-10-17 10:24
All is calm; stars are bright.Not a cricket is stirring, but I did hear a mouse.And Orion is prowling and waiting to pounce.We went down to the boat launch at sunset last night and saw an am… Read More
2017-10-16 12:52
Listening....Wind gives cottonwood its voice.From the first coin-sized silver-green leaves in the spring to the giant yellow circles of autumn, it keeps it talking all year long. Muttering u… Read More
2017-10-15 16:17
Eastern Painted Turtle. We saw dozens of unusually big ones, later in the day, at Franklington VlaieBull Frog...he was a biggun too Read More
2017-10-15 11:35
We hadn't been to Yankee Hill Lock since early summer. Too many bad experiences with creepy, threatening people. However yesterday there was no one there but us, the river, some herptiles an… Read More
2017-10-13 11:31
Honestly, does this guy look anything like me?There are any number of meanings attributed to the wearing of red shirts, from sports team support, to promoting beef, to impending doom for med… Read More
2017-10-11 16:25
To the soft rustle as the leaves trickle down...To the distant barking of the geese as they arrow from river to cornfield and back each day...To Red-winged Blackbirds chirping overhead, as u… Read More
2017-10-09 17:34
Jack, who firmly believes that he is a PercheronWalking past the pony barn on my way over to the other barn. A whinny rang out, but I only half paid attention. However, my mind pictured a sh… Read More
2017-10-09 17:27
I came across this old Farm Side when I was searching my own blog for photos of an old pony and came across it......She sure was special....She was born in the town of Stark in the year fift… Read More
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