2020-10-12 10:00
Sauntering up to the pic-a-nicHmm.....coast looks clear....well, except for that fat little clown with the camera....but she doesn't look too dangerous to me.....Wow, nice selection fo… Read More
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2020-10-11 13:38
Scapula of a what?What altogether? Read More
2020-10-11 10:30
For Alan and Amber. This is Jack (with the ball) and his little "sister" Hannah. They made me think of Cam and Thor Read More
2020-10-10 15:23
2020-10-08 16:59
The storm yesterday was almost unprecedented for its sudden violence and pointless brevity....it only lasted a very short time but in that time it did horrendous harm.There was plenty… Read More
2020-10-06 16:26
Was a short visit to Yankee Hill Lock. First we saw a Common Loon. Not really rare, but a nice bird to spot.Later the boss, with his amazing eagle eyes, spotted a Ruby-throated Humming… Read More
2020-10-04 11:00
Adult White-crowned Sparrow in the gardenOur weedy yards and lanes are a magnet for sparrows during fall migration, so much so that yesterday another birder requested a chance to come grab a… Read More
2020-09-29 13:31
AKA Whiskey JackA Canada Jay might not be the cutest bird in the world, but they are way up in the running.If you have an older field guide, a Grey JayThanks to a good friend who… Read More
2020-09-28 09:50
This beautiful young lady today, wish her a very Happy Birthday!Love you, Amber Read More
2020-09-27 22:31
More of same.....Virginia Creeper and a foggy Scarlet Tanager Read More
2020-09-27 21:44
Fall colors post. The dry summer gave us an old-fashioned autumn. Read More
2020-09-27 21:18
I would have completely missed this Common Gallinule, even though it was at a pond where we often see them and just a few yards from my feet. However it gave a mighty honk, thus catchi… Read More
2020-09-25 09:57
Afloat on a tinfoil rainbowThe first orange mint came into my life at least forty years ago....probably more. I had several herb gardens through several moves and major life changes. I… Read More
2020-09-18 10:54
The nut brown scent of fallen leaves, scattered on the ground like nature's Legos, crunching every step you takeBlood-tipped spears of staghorn sumac dripping each dawn's daily dew, th… Read More
2020-09-12 09:55
Summer Read More
2020-09-08 19:03
This guy was just creepy...No elbows!The kids had planned to stop down to see us on the weekend and then travel up to Lake Placid on Sunday to sneak in some Christmas shopping.I made s… Read More
2020-09-05 09:51
Huntie Boi Green Heron yesterday at Goldman Road Swamp. He is not afraid of me anymore and doesn't fly when I walk down by the water. Nice catch, huh?Bam! Read More
2020-09-04 10:41
Sometimes metamorphosis is not all it's cracked up to beLike else everyone I hate the new format. Saw several articles on this and gave it a try.Long story short, I love it.T… Read More
2020-09-01 10:31
There are many ways to put up winter squash, some of which involve peeling, cubing, boiling and all manner of pains in the neck.However, many moons ago I stumbled upon an easier way to… Read More
2020-09-01 10:00
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!Love you! Read More
2020-08-29 20:03
Could a woodchuck.....Wait a minute, that's not wood!What's going on here?At least it's not something I planted Read More
2020-08-26 18:36
A kind friend shared a recipe for them yesterday on Facebook. Other years Liz and I have cut up tomatoes, heated them in a pot with herbs, run the result through the food processor, an… Read More
2020-08-25 10:18
Sun tries to rise and leaves a bleeding bruise on the horizon to the east.In the west the lightning's rising, orange, white, no color bright...flickering like a cheap candle in a horro… Read More
2020-08-24 16:49
One of the Great Blue Herons at GRSReally more like unswamped.We have for many years birded a couple of bodies of water on Goldman Rd. in Montgomery County. We used to take the kids for picn… Read More
2020-08-22 13:59
In the clouds........*However, it seems to be done in cartoons...... Read More
2020-08-20 09:59
I never meant to hurt your feelings ....that hot Montgomery temper gets me now and then although I try to keep it on a leash.I still love you as much as always, never meant to see… Read More
2020-08-19 19:12
Is not like the others Read More
2020-08-17 10:53
Seat belts. Yesterday was church for our plain folk neighbors. There were very many of them, belonging to all the different orders and levels of difference. They were out on the r… Read More
2020-08-12 12:56
For about twenty minutes of our morning hour at Schoharie Crossing today.As I walked up to the aqueduct to look into the canal under it, something splashed behind me. I turned to… Read More
2020-08-12 10:28
Came up the driveway at 10 or so last night, lights flashing through the windows, mebbe up to no good?Whooo.... saw the cars and lights and lit a shuck down the driveway willy-nilly?Ex… Read More
2020-08-11 19:04
Please click to embiggen photosGoogle has changed the Blogger posting interface and not for the better. thanksUpdate, after the apple tree came down. We are, perhaps unadvisedly, letti… Read More
2020-08-07 10:51
It appears that a company with a terrible track record has purchased the second largest lamb processing facility in the country under dubious conditions.First, here is an article with the de… Read More
2020-08-05 15:37
Long before I met the boss his father planted a Winesap apple tree for his mother. By the time I first visited here it was a stately beauty. In typical fashion for a heritage apple it produc… Read More
2020-08-04 10:39
It's raining already and supposed to get worse before it gets better. Pretty warm out when I walked the doggo though. No time in his run for him today I guess, but he doesn't mind. Just… Read More
2020-08-01 13:32
Heaven only knows what this month will bring, but if the rest of the year is anything to go by we won't be ready for it.We still go out hunting for good birds though, road farming along the… Read More
2020-07-25 14:15
A serious water main break under the truck stop parking lot down in town left the whole village without water last night. There were concerns that it might not be fixed until Monday.Although… Read More
2020-07-24 10:33
Yes, I was indeed and now I am sorry for it.Worst thing is I KNOW better than to react in such a manner. No excuses, except I will offer that everything is just so damn bad now that it… Read More
2020-07-23 15:17
Not the guy we were looking for, although we would have liked to get a better picWe found a real good sparrow up on Dingman Road in Fort Plain the last day of May. Others have seen it too si… Read More
2020-07-22 15:35
*click me*Spare tireSee the dog?Birding and road farming this lovely county in Upstate NY. Some music for your trip Read More
2020-07-20 23:18
The Eugene Ferrin in this story was my great grandfather:THE ALFRED SUN, WEDNESDAY, March 21, 1900A Terrible Fire.Eugene Ferrin’s Home Burned To the Ground Early SundayMorning and Two… Read More
2020-07-20 17:28
At least there is now water in our riverThe dragonflies are celebratingwith an orgy of epic proportionsIt's mid-July and so far the year has unwound like a Tasmanian Devil on crack.Nothing h… Read More
2020-07-19 10:15
The eastern sky is a fire opal, molten sun rising from the depths of its midnight mine to burn away the fog by nine.Will hay be baled by five?A yesterday's worth of repairs, in the furn… Read More
2020-07-18 17:29
"Seriously, Mabel, did you hear about the Wood Duck down the canal? Dumped hereggs in a Hoodie's nest. No better than she should be."Grey Catbird, grumpy old dowager, all hump and rump.Ruby… Read More
2020-07-13 18:35
Be careful about taking that tempting bait. Sometimes the barbs are not visible at firstBureaucrats that is. It appears that if one is in NY and has a business...any business, including… Read More
2020-07-11 17:54
It's rained a bucket or five thousand lately, pretty much every day.There are all kinds of puddles in the driveway and the yard.More rain is forecast for tonight to the point that the races… Read More
2020-07-09 13:00
The stress is higher than the heat index....but still Read More
2020-07-07 10:15
Happy Birthday, baby brother. Sorry you have to spend it so far from home. The chicken was incredible!Love you! Read More
2020-07-06 18:32
You can't beat locally grown chicken that goes from coop to cuisine in less than 24 hours.My dear brother's family raised chickens this year and he and my nephew processed a few this weekend… Read More
2020-07-06 18:22
The other day we found that the Schoharie Crossing State Historical Site had been vandalized since we had last visited, albeit in a fairly minor way. The mess was promptly cleaned up and man… Read More
2020-07-04 00:47
In this majestic rural park........I feel bad for the maintenance crew, really nice fellows, who have enough to do with the mowing and trimming and picking up of all the lazy people's garbag… Read More
2020-07-02 13:34
Growing up where you never find a black raspberry overlooked by foraging birds and pop it in your mouth to savor the wild, tart flavor.Never being able to ramble at will, wandering aimlessly… Read More
2020-06-30 16:31
2020-06-30 16:16
This is the most inclusive shot I took.Note that there are birds all the way to the edges. I thinkthere were some outside the photo as well.Called "Count the Commons".Mergansers that is, Com… Read More
2020-06-27 21:21
We found something neat the other day.While waiting at a stop sign over in Fonda, I looked down at the county building. There was a bird on the cell tower there. A closer look through b… Read More
2020-06-23 14:24
Sunset over our favorite orchard..uneditedThis weather is not kind to people like me. My paternal grandmother suffered horribly from it, my dad does, and the older I get the worse it gets me… Read More
2020-06-19 10:22
Willow FlycatcherWith hay season in full swing there are almost no opportunities to get out and bird. I make a list or two from home each day and that is about it.....Fledgling American Crow… Read More
2020-06-16 13:06
It's the journey that matters.35 years ago on this day I talked my brother into milking the cows for me at my job on a large dairy farm. He had gotten me the job in the first place when he w… Read More
2020-06-15 10:38
We were birding a favorite swamp when thisBelgian foal came thundering up the road,already heavy with the strength and power soon to comeHe was pretty cute from my POV although I am not sure… Read More
2020-06-11 10:29
They never saw me sitting on the porch taking pics of them, but were driven to run away by the relentless flies. The long lawn is an endless window on the wild world. In the past few weeks t… Read More
2020-06-09 11:18
But have no wings....And the neighbor's lawn mower hits scary things Read More
2020-06-07 18:35
First, as I was watering plants at around 4:30...hey, it's almost light out then...a Yellow-billed Cuckoo sounded off in the yard. Awesome to have had both potential species of cuckoo right… Read More
2020-06-05 09:22
Common YellowthroatIn the murmuring dark.My farmer's soul can't sleep past four. If I get up the dog gets up and must be aired right smart.Off in the distance just one robin is singing.Or is… Read More
2020-06-04 17:22
...seem to come and go..... (do listen) Read More
2020-06-02 16:46
Blue-winged WarblerSome earth bound and some with wings to fly Read More
2020-06-02 16:13
Spotted SandpiperSong Sparrow with a big MayflyNot long after sunrise, the best time of day Read More
2020-05-30 18:18
Pink Lady apple...purchased last November 16th. Still usable if a little roughLast year's apples taking up room in the crisper drawer. Space needed.Had a thought. Could you mix rhubarb… Read More
2020-05-28 13:10
As mentioned the other day there isn't much left of either the Schoharie Creek or the Mohawk River. With the dams at the locks open the water packs its luggage and heads for the sea.Who coul… Read More
2020-05-27 10:33
Bunnies is scrappy little critters! Read More
2020-05-26 09:06
First born children...game changers they are. Magicians. In one fell swoop they take a bundle of selfish needs and wants and impossible goals and dreams and change it into a mother, who will… Read More
2020-05-25 19:37
Almost as much water flowing through this fountain Alan built meas there is in the river these days.Or should I ask, where's the water?As I may have mentioned we visit the boat launch at Sch… Read More
2020-05-25 18:05
Hurry, the polls are closing....oh, wait, they aren't even opening....I've always voted in person...since I was 18 in fact....However, this year the school budget and board vote is by absent… Read More
2020-05-24 19:10
Creatures of the not quite night and not quite day. Yesterday dawn this possum was traversing the lawn at a high trot. If Facebook has told you to love them and leave them....well, feel… Read More
2020-05-23 13:46
Male Red-winged BlackbirdFemale RWBLCommon GrackleEastern MeadowlarkReally, they are.Female BobolinkMale BobolinkMale Baltimore OrioleMale BirdfeederFemale Baltimore Oriole, beating up the c… Read More
2020-05-21 10:22
Adventuring has taken place around home the past few days....but there were adventures nonetheless.The dreaded pig bear was spotted sauntering through the gap in the fence around the long la… Read More
2020-05-17 15:40
Spring...so long awaited, so very welcome. Trees are blooming. The lilacs are almost open, as are the flowering crab apples that line Main Street down in town.The first hummingbird arrived a… Read More
2020-05-13 16:22
It started with oranges. We put a few out for the Baltimore Orioles. If you build it they will come and they did, several in fact.Two hung around. A regular adult male and this individual. I… Read More
2020-05-10 14:05
I'm thankful to the Lord every single day that I can call my mother late in the afternoon or early in the evening and just talk.Some days she plays Dragon Mahjong while I bash things on Klon… Read More
2020-05-06 17:12
The size of this guyAnd you can be outdoors in the Adirondack foothills Read More
2020-05-04 00:46
The Kentucky Derby may be postponed for months and there may be no racing at the speedway, much to the boss's disappointment. However, there is still the fun of watching buggies cramme… Read More
2020-04-30 19:32
There is a season...Around here it's nesting season. You already probably know about the Mourning Dove nest on the sitting porch. Have I mentioned that I love that bird? She never ever moves… Read More
2020-04-29 16:38
A gallon jar sits on a dresser.Cool, clear, green, a little dusty, a flaw here and thereBut lovely in its way.It's filled with pennies, almost to the brim.Their dates represent many years, s… Read More
2020-04-27 11:43
This is NOT April.April is a month of new baby birds, fresh bright flowers, and balmy spring breezes.At least in theory.However, April was hijacked.This is a stone b*tch of a month dug… Read More
2020-04-25 22:42
There is an American Bittern in this photo.The boss and I spotted him at just about the same time.I really wanted one for my county list this year.No FOY dance though as I was too busy takin… Read More
2020-04-22 18:31
The road to adventureBeen realizing lately that they have always been mega important to me. I started taking notice when I was small and living upstairs over Grandma and Grandpa Montgomery… Read More
2020-04-21 10:10
Brown Creeper, nemesis for three yearsFound yesterday thanks to his tinkly songOpened the sitting porch yesterday, a small thing for sure.And yet kinda lorge as well. This morning it is… Read More
2020-04-20 10:30
That broke the collective lock down backs seem to have been boat launches and golf courses.It appeared to me all through this that our illustrious goobernor wanted a new headline every week… Read More
2020-04-18 20:01
Male Eastern BluebirdSneaky snipe. Now you see them, now you don'tWilson's SnipeSnowgansersDon't let the weather stop youHooded Merganser pair at a pond we have started visitingThe local lin… Read More
2020-04-16 20:30
My sentiments exactly Read More
2020-04-15 15:54
Not to be an alarmist or anything.... I hate to spread possibly unnecessary concerns. However, I've been getting a teeny tiny bit worried. In light of the recent closures and partial cl… Read More
2020-04-14 09:48
Late afternoon. Liz took Jill out on the hills for a run. Border Collies have to run and Jill is no exception.It had rained off and on all day, with a few gusty winds thrown in to blow… Read More
2020-04-12 12:58
Hear the exaltation in the song of the Field Sparrow.Happy Easter dear friends and family Read More
2020-04-08 10:34
Came downstairs to a robin quartet, all caroling in unison. Shadows laced the walls around me, reflecting thoughts of super moons and terrible losses.To find that they were not projected by… Read More
2020-04-07 12:29
The dance of the sugarplum......gullsThings are different.I've watched with horror the news stories of people willfully attempting to injure others by spreading this dread disease. Seen… Read More
2020-04-05 16:20
Appomattox Court HouseWe shoulda been headed for the Outer Banks this weekend for a week of Civil War battlefields, beaches, and beautiful birds.We went last year for the first time for… Read More
2020-04-05 12:10
Is probably not actually named Lyker's Pond. Might be part of Bear Swamp, or maybe not. It's on Goldman Road, near Lyker's Road though. As a family we have been going there pretty much since… Read More
2020-04-04 11:35
These young gents were weaving all over the road, really pounding down the pavement until they met the lady in the third wagon.Somewhat subdued after that, but I wish you could have see… Read More
2020-04-03 14:19
In the mood for loveOn your 2020 eBird county list is a Black Vulture, you tend to get a little nervous.Especially when you count a pair of them right at home, right behind the barn.At least… Read More
2020-03-31 10:38
Jill waiting for me to kick the nab ballLike every other Border Collie we have ever hadshe does not admire the camera.There's a little dog from Oklahoma living here with us now. She is trend… Read More
2020-03-30 12:05
Even though it is only March our local farmers are on the land. They are fertilizing, fitting ground, getting everything ready to plant, sometimes even when it is raining.Whether Amish or En… Read More
2020-03-29 10:36
I have no woodcock photos,so this load of sawdust...made from woodwill have to doNot the navigator....Nor the bumblebee...The flight instead of the Timberdoodle.Better known as the American… Read More
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