Thats Just The Way It Is Sometimes

Northern Flickers are one of my favorite birds, they are colorful, smart, and big, but sometimes, some one comes along who is smarter and bigger.... But thats just how nature is.

A young Coopers Hawk took this Flicker right out of hte air with a sickening thudding noise, dropped him to the ground and squeezed the life out of the woodpecker. It all happened so fast I barely was able to get this shot off!

Sorry Flicker, but thats why its called survival of the fittest!

And now for another eyesore and a neglect of duty

Click this link and take a look at the photos on the first two pages of the photo stream and then come back, go ahead I will wait.

The tenants of this house were packing up and moving out today after ten months of the landlord refusing to fix the leaking roofs, leaking plumbing, clogged sewer line, electircal problems, water heater problems, mold growing on the ceilings, the floors so bad tha the tenant actually fell through one as he was leading me through the house to take pictures.

Long story short, the building commisioners office was called a little bit before 3:30pm and told the tenants are moving out, and they want to make sure this slimlord is not able to put another family in this death trap of a house.

Building Inspector Ron Hartman all but flat out refused citing that he is supposed to get off work at 4:00pm.

I put the tenant on the phone with him, and he explained everything going on in the house, and how he will not be able to have access to the house after midnight, again, more concerned with getting off at 4:00pm than to get in the house while he has a chance, knowing full well once the willing tenant was gone, he could not enter the house with out the property owner asking him to come in (are building inspectores vampires where they can not cross a threshhold to a home unless invited?)

Thankfully, Pat Mclaughlin, John Gonder and Kevin Zurchmiede realized that their duties to serve this community does not necessarily end with a certain position on the dail of a watch.

I also hope these three take Hartman to task on his basic refusal to act.

more bars in more places...

Adding a little Decor

My Daughter, my Niece and a couple of friends decided to addd a little decoration to the front windows of the Family Health Center on Spring and Tenth for the parade Saturday.

A few hours and about $20 for poster paint and foam brushes, and the fate of my windows were sealed!

Question is do they still do this downtown for Harvest Homecoming?

First lines....

Below are the first lines in some of my favorite books and stories, care to name them?
(no particular order of favoritism)


"Call me Ishmael."

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

"Not long after with my family to New HampshireI happened a path that into a wood on the edge of town."

"Barnardo: "Who's there?" "

" Lo! 'tis a gala night
Within the lonesome latter years!"

"From my grandfather Verus I learned good morals and the government of my temper."

"When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods..."

Excellent Birding

Double-Crested Cormorant in Flight

Black-Crowned Night Heron
Capsian Tern In Flight



Osprey catching a fish

(please excuse the low quality of these photos, they are the raw product and have not been proccessed)
The processed photos can be seen HERE

The Falls of the Ohio is a hot bed of good birding opportunities right now. The young Osprey raised on the tower by the hydro-electric are pretty much full grown and very capable apex predators.

A small flock of Caspian Terns has taken up residence, taking advantage of the low water levels to target easily caught shad and Skip Jacks.

Like wise a very healthy population of both Black-crowned Night Heron, and Double-Crested Cormorants are doing very well in the shallower than normal waters catching fish and crayfish.

A large Beaver has also been spotted on multiple occasions, and is getting more accustomed to people, making him less reclusive.

A friend of mine has also photographed a perfect example of a Peregrine Falcon, and I have finally been able to capture a return of a healthy pair of American Kestrel. Unfortunately it has been since early spring that I last saw either the juvenile or mature Bald Eagles that were nesting in Loop Island Wetlands, and hunting the falls area for fish, ground hogs, opossums and the likes.