2022-08-25 12:05
Matt and Lisa took me up to Peck's yesterday for a visit. They have their camper there this week.The lake did not disappoint...nor did the company. Some of my favorite peeps.Not to men… Read More
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2022-08-25 10:16
Not the chicken culprit, but the scourge of the gardenHe's back! That smug and self-satisfied stalker of the skies, Orion the Hunter.I couldn't believe it when I went out this morning. It's… Read More
2022-08-24 10:09
NY Congressional districtsger·ry·man·der/ˈjerēˌmandər/manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.achi… Read More
2022-08-23 10:45
Jill the Border Collie has to wait for first light to go outside. She knows it, and although she barks when I take Mack out into the darkness, after that she waits patiently. The reason… Read More
2022-08-21 18:43
Been a long time since I posted here, I see...Real life keeps me busy these days, although at the end of the day I often wonder just what I did with my time.Mostly take pictures, grow stuff… Read More
2022-08-02 10:47
A long, long time ago I was helping someone study for college biology, learning the binomial nomenclature for New York birds and wildlife. I've done that a couple of times now, taking i… Read More
2022-07-21 19:02
Slightly broken storage tote planted to green beans,and an accidental canna, which must have been in the dirt Container gardening Read More
2022-07-20 09:49
The first inkling we had was Matt calling me to see if we were all okay. He had seen a post on Facebook about a bad accident down on the corner.Quick roll call...everybody accounted fo… Read More
2022-07-20 09:31
All green and silver, hummingbirds swim through the bee balm Read More
2022-07-09 17:21
I was boiling brine for refrigerator dills. Found some nice cukes at an Amish farm in Otsego County yesterday and I wanted to get the dill before the caterpillars did.The girls were sw… Read More
2022-06-28 15:49
A long, long time ago some wanna be friends ditched the boss at a ball game. It was way below zero and he was a long way from home. His best friend was on a date and had his girl a… Read More
2022-06-25 10:59
Somewhere near the closing of a busy day yesterday my younger brother contacted me looking for a little company. His wife is away and he was lonesome.I would have gone anyhow, as we are clos… Read More
2022-06-23 11:09
I was amazed today when I went into My eBird to upload audio from some Downy Woodpecker fledglings and a singing Warbling Vireo.Today is day two thousand of a checklist every consecutive day… Read More
2022-06-10 09:56
Can you tell me what these two are? I figured out for myself that the butterfly is a Viceroy rather than a Monarch, based on the dark line on the hindwing, and the date of its appearan… Read More
2022-06-09 16:18
...unexpectedly working a Border Collie.My three dogs are all gone, those little black collies of long-ago fame. Now, all I have is my tiny terrorist, er, terrier, Mack. His idea… Read More
2022-06-07 10:29
Saw these under a tree by the side of the road the other day.No Sunday sales.I do not need a puppy.However, I cajoled Ralph into turning around to go back...just to ask ya know… Read More
2022-06-06 17:05
....Lake Museum that is. The kids and Baby Bailey took me along with them on a visit Saturday and what a great time we had.Passenger PigeonQuite a pretty bird~Northern GoshawkHavi… Read More
2022-06-03 09:53
Red-bellied WoodpeckerWe went out last night to pick up milk for the house. Farm households like ours go through a lot of it, especially during these hot, sticky days, when its refreshi… Read More
2022-05-30 14:07
2022-05-23 00:08
A sleepy mama Downy Woodpeckerpeeks out of her nest hole at Yankee Hill LockYesterday, area educator and extraordinary birder, George Steel, and I attempted a "Century Run".That is, we… Read More
2022-05-20 21:01
Yea, or Nay? Read More
2022-05-20 20:14
Will no longer serve as a great reason to tour around the mountains taking in the scenery. Moose Quest has taken us from Maine to many lovely places in the Adirondack Mountains, as wel… Read More
2022-05-12 15:51
We were at Schoharie Crossing boat launch this morning, when a walnut thumped to the ground inches from my feet.Dang, what was up with that? I glanced up, only to realize that I was standing… Read More
2022-05-09 17:16
Chestnut-sided WarblerThe sky is a glass of orange juice at the horizon, cold weak tea at the zenith.There is a singing to the Lord that cannot be ignored.Hustle the dog back inside wi… Read More
2022-05-04 17:30
Most years American Crows nest in the hedgerow that separates us from the next place to the east. They maraud a bit here in the yard, but not much more than passing birds do. I figure… Read More
2022-04-24 21:09
Or perhaps I should say, elephantsAnd Peeps Read More
2022-04-24 20:49
Red Wolf Sichuan TakinTurkmenian MarkhorRed PandaSnow LeopardSatisfied Customer Read More
2022-04-24 20:17
Grey Wolves African Red River HogBactrian CamelsSatisfied Customer Read More
2022-04-23 20:29
Cooper's HawkPalm Warbler Birds....Eastern PhoebeOspreyDouble-crested CormorantGreat EgretEastern MeadowlarkBlack-capped ChickadeeBonaparte's GullMigration equals fun timesSwanicus Plas… Read More
2022-04-12 11:01
The Lynk Street nestA friend was kind enough to alert us to the presence of a Common Raven nest on a silo at another friend's farm earlier this spring. (Thanks Bill!)We were able to document… Read More
2022-04-04 13:10
Pectoral SandpiperWe always called it that although you won't find it on any map, because the lake is really just a low spot in a corn field near my parent's house. It is well below ro… Read More
2022-04-01 17:55
Killdeer making more KilldeerThere are three Hooded Mergansers in this photobut one of them is slapping the other in the face witha set of wet wing feathers, while his girlfriend looks… Read More
2022-03-28 12:22
I only see a few swans ever, but these sounded like TrumpetersA good friend conveyed us out to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge yesterday and what an adventure it was.The weather was… Read More
2022-03-25 11:04
And the Carolina Wren Read More
2022-03-23 15:15
She emerges from the dark horizon and slips silently up through the trees to the east if I stand in the backyard early enough.Except for the traffic it is silent out here, although traffic i… Read More
2022-03-21 06:00
Wish him a very Happy Birthday! What a difference he has made in our lives here at Northview Read More
2022-03-08 19:46
But last night the bedroom bucked and whirled like a rodeo bull. Then I woke up this morning with a big head like a split watermelon. Felt a little like those long ago days when I thought I… Read More
2022-03-07 12:26
Common Goldeneye drake from a couple of weeks agoYesterday it hit 60 degrees here. It felt like summer...with an undercurrent of chill from the remaining snowbanks and river ice...just an oc… Read More
2022-03-05 12:40
Maybe you remember days when you were shorter. When Henry Huggins was a hero and Ramona and Beezus were good friends.When school was spaghetti in the lunchroom that you could smell all… Read More
2022-02-25 13:36
So, yesterday our good friend took me back to Fort Edward Grasslands. We had a fantastic time and saw a number of Northern Harriers, Rough-legged Hawks, a cute little American Kestrel… Read More
2022-02-19 22:40
And the keeping of them.I have for the past mebbe 20 years or so done the books on an old Windows 95 computer. Our late bookkeeper (and beloved friend) set me up with Quick Books, taug… Read More
2022-02-18 10:12
For stealing lamb milk replacer out of the bag in the kitchen.When asked at the crime scene, "Was it worth it?", he replied gleefully ......"Oh, yes, yes it was! It was indeed!" Read More
2022-02-08 13:52
I grew up with ironing, a pastime that shares some letters with Iron Maiden, as well as many aspects of similar torture. BITD, my grandmas rolled freshly sprinkled clothes in baskets… Read More
2022-02-05 12:01
For a hamburger today....Seems that is the story around here, through no one's fault, but discouraging all the same.The things we look forward to the most end up shuffled aside by unav… Read More
2022-02-02 12:07
This story has been making the rounds of the bird groups and listservs and I thought you might need to know about it too. HPAI has been detected in both wild and domestic bi… Read More
2022-01-31 21:45
Northern CardinalWith the recent harsh cold snap the ice is becoming more extensive and there are fewer geese and Mallards than earlier.Bald EagleRecently though, we found several North… Read More
2022-01-31 12:35
She who supplied me with a gigantic stuffed flamingo that requires a human-sized chair all to himself to sit in my bedroom. Very fluffy, like a feather boa.And very pink.A n… Read More
2022-01-16 14:25
Why, yes, yes we are!For more Sunday Stills Read More
2022-01-11 12:08
Just before the cold wave hit (or the balmy summer break to my friends in western states and Canada) we had a little ice storm. Here in the valley the ice wasn't stupendous, but it sure made… Read More
2022-01-09 16:40
Horned LarkI don't exactly do resolutions, having learned that I am going to fail every single time, no matter how desirable the results may be.Oddly pigmented American Goldfinchthat has bee… Read More
2022-01-06 22:22
Been working off and on at the daunting task of cleaning out the folks' house. You can only do it just so long at any given time because of the myriad decisions needed. Toss, sell… Read More
2022-01-03 11:12
Sorry I have been absent from Sunday Stills for so long. We have been so terribly ill that I barely crawled out of my chair for several weeks. Much better now, and back in the gam… Read More
2022-01-02 21:32
Got to spend the day today participating in the Johnstown Christmas bird count. It was different in many ways, as I joined an area educator, George Steele, counting his territory, rather tha… Read More
2022-01-01 22:42
Iceland GullThe boss and I had quite a day chasing 2020 birds today. We found 30 species, including some that we would rarely see this early in the year.Great Black-backed GullsWe did a litt… Read More
2021-12-27 13:23
In the east says that the sun is probably trying to rise. It won't officially break with the edge of the earth until 7:28, but it is bright enough to see without the yard light once yo… Read More
2021-12-10 17:34
That's Peggy's Great-grandma, Peggy, in the front row.Found the clipping in a drawer the other day.Something clomped through our household over the past couple of weeks that surely was… Read More
2021-12-02 19:45
A huge Grey Squirrel has been running up and down the edge of the big (4X8) windows in the living room lately. It is massively irritating and we h̶a̶t̶e̶ don't… Read More
2021-12-02 16:21
The boss went out on Seven-county Hill yesterday to find and procure our traditional home-grown White Pine Christmas tree.The tradition began back in the day when we really couldn't afford a… Read More
2021-12-01 23:27
This Blue Jay's feathers seemed very fresh and brightFor more Sunday Stills Read More
2021-11-24 12:43
I started working for a local veterinarian when I was 15. No working papers or anything, just started cleaning kennels and feeding dogs on weekends filling in for my then boyfriend, wh… Read More
2021-11-20 11:44
Quiet as a church out there, only echoing moonlight on icy roofs to disturb the peace. I have to wake the dog up to walk him it's so early.The men will be here soon ready to pursue the… Read More
2021-11-17 18:55
Would have been Dad's 90th birthday. I wish he had made it. I miss him and Mom so much.... I keep a word processing document called Letterstomymother, in which I record all the th… Read More
2021-11-12 12:06
After a summer where it started raining at the end of June and never stopped, we have been gifted with some amazing weather for November. Sunny skies, lovely sunrises and sets, and war… Read More
2021-11-08 21:06
I love colored glass! I pick up bits I find on the ground on the farm, sea glass, pretty bottles and bits, and put them in sunny windows. My kitchen windowsill is full of glass, stones, and… Read More
2021-11-03 10:53
Begins this weekend or so I'm told.All I can say is ugh.And it froze hard last night. Latest hard frost I can remember. Time to cut down the cannas and dig them. A terrifying job, as th… Read More
2021-10-31 12:02
The blog drought? Nothing but Sunday Stills posts as far as the eye can see...Well, first I guess is that the short days and darkness really mess with me. I just plod along one foot in… Read More
2021-10-31 11:29
I like the light and these short fall days with the sun at such a low angle there are plenty of shots to be had. I had a hard time narrowing it down in fact.For more Sunday Stills... Read More
2021-10-26 11:25
These were taken from inside the car as we drove around in pursuit of birds.For more Sunday Stills Read More
2021-10-20 10:52
And apple blind...After a too-short night of moon-tousled sleep I went out in the dark with the doggo.I was wearing my headlamp as is the norm when my day starts before the sun do… Read More
2021-10-17 14:03
So sorry I missed the last two weeks. Busy time of year in a year that has already shown traces of overall madness.For more Sunday Stills Read More
2021-10-15 16:41
The mums, I think the variety is SheffieldSo...it is time for frost in this area, past time really, not that I have the slightest desire to see it arrive. Instead I have been reveling in the… Read More
2021-10-06 20:47
Had some problems around the place this morning, but we more or less either solved or shelved them for a more fortuitous day...mostly shelved.The boss suggested going birding. I was li… Read More
2021-10-03 17:51
Or do they?I am sure you remember being a kid when they brought out the watermelon. For us it was usually at a grandparent's house. It would maybe come from a cooler, as its big oval s… Read More
2021-10-02 10:39
What peppermint fumes feel likeTis Autumn, the season when us folks in the country wish they were called outsects and lived up to their reputation...rather than being insects and wanting to… Read More
2021-09-30 17:35
What my friend found hidden among the things they have planned for us Read More
2021-09-29 15:36
Who has been spamming the comments here for the past few weeks, I have had to turn on comment moderation. I will turn it off again in a bit, but he has been irritating me mightily and I am a… Read More
2021-09-29 11:00
Common RavenBlue Jay topknotCarolina WrenBirds we've seen recently. Some of these have already been on Facebook, but not everyone has that so........Blue-headed VireoRing-necked P… Read More
2021-09-26 15:00
Lyker's Pond, one of our favorite birding spotsFor more Sunday Stills.... Read More
2021-09-25 20:11
Does this nectar make my butt look fat?There must be an equation to explain the way the foggiest mornings bring the highest number of warblers, with the possibility of identifying them decli… Read More
2021-09-20 21:24
For more Sunday Stills Read More
2021-09-14 14:48
Woke up today to find this story on Facebook. I tend to lie in bed for a while when I awaken before the rest of the house for a good reason. Once my feet hit the floor downstairs Mack welcom… Read More
2021-09-14 14:30
This was during the height of the ****** crisis when government nannies were ripping families apart and leaving loved ones with no advocates in horrible situations.Mom hospitalized with COPD… Read More
2021-09-13 20:47
Assorted photos, taken in assorted places, on assorted days. I just have to....you know....take pictures of everything I see... Read More
2021-09-13 00:31
For more Sunday Stills Read More
2021-09-07 18:19
On Tuesday no less....better late than never and all....Our county fair was last week, spilling over into yesterday as well. Peg took a lamb and she and her mom showed some bunnies and a duc… Read More
2021-09-02 14:30
Tiny cashew of a crescent moon, sitting duck up in the sky.And there he came along behind, bow drawn the fullest, belted dagger dangling. Ida swept away summer last night, let… Read More
2021-09-01 09:00
Today would have marked their 70th wedding anniversary, but they only made 69. They met on a blind date, lo these many years ago, went to each other's proms that year, and then did eve… Read More
2021-08-30 16:40
More of our wonderful beach day in the Outer Banks, one of my favorite spots in the whole world.I love it there! Read More
2021-08-30 10:34
Above is a slightly redacted (to hide the kids' faces and the name on the mailbox) photo taken at the same time as yesterday's Sunday Stills Black-and-white shot. What a difference col… Read More
2021-08-29 09:00
Through a rainy windshield......again...For more Sunday Stills Read More
2021-08-22 16:21
Rainy windshieldFor more Sunday Stills Read More
2021-08-18 00:38
The salt off my binoculars lenses. Because the kids drove over 30 hours by my calculations to pick me up and take me along on a speedy trip south for a day at the beach....the beach at… Read More
2021-08-15 09:00
Took me two days to find this stuffMight need it this weekend Wonder what this is sayingabout the season after next....Immature Song SparrowNot the best of summer at allFor more Sunday… Read More
2021-08-10 10:42
2021-08-09 18:22
Thor takes his work(guarding the house)seriouslyVery seriouslyCam is much more laid back,Although on call if actually neededPlant ID pleaseHot enough to make the Robins pantJuv. Rose-breaste… Read More
2021-08-08 13:57
For more Sunday Stills Read More
2021-08-07 20:59
But it was back in 2019.... The Farm Side: Strange objects in the skyBy Recorder News | May 23, 2019 | Local Commentary, Opinion | By Marianne Friers Sweet Sunday sitting, on… Read More
2021-08-01 20:21
It might appear that there's been a bear in these here woods...but this is justthe remains of one of the fungi loving allthis rain Read More
2021-07-28 10:15
OvenbirdI received an email yesterday from the Macauley Library at Cornell that amazed and delighted me. It said, in part, "Dear Marianne, This summer we released Sound ID in the… Read More
2021-07-27 17:21
I am not averse at all to sitting and this is one of my favorite spots....when the wrens will let me that is. They hatched a second batch of little ones this week and are downright sno… Read More
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