After two week of fevers, sore throats, coughing my fool head off and a malady of different ailments I was finally put on antibiotics. My sleep is deprived, I've taken a cocktail of medications and my body feels ransacked but I think I might just live after all.......now. Just in case, I've purchased an herbal supplement - a combination of Echinacea and Goldenseal - to see if the hype is for real. I'm not one for home remedies, however I get debilitatingly ill on a yearly winter basis and I'm pretty sick of it. I've tried everything imaginable and I'm willing to try more. Yes, I got both the seasonal and h1n1 vaccination and was told I had neither. **sigh** - well, it's my weekend to myself and I have some me time to relax. I'm making a mustard dill vegetable soup for supper and it smells fantastic. I'm also watching "the Tudors" from Netflix on my computer, Season one is done and I'm 1/2 way through Season two.
So this morning I put a leash on the dog and hopped in the car with my birding essentials. We started on the Eastern Trail where we were greeted by a pair of Crows at the parking area. Samantha had me in tow up the trail, spooking eight Common Goldeneyes (two males and two females) as she tried to snuff up all the other doggie odors along the way. Have you ever tried to take pictures with a 95 pound dog towing you around? It's not easy! Anyway, we got to see two Red-Breasted and one Common Merganser, around 20 Black Ducks, five Canandian Geese, a few gulls and then the highlight - two Bald Eagles! Of course the dog was being naughty (she hadn't been on the Eastern for some time) so I couldn't get a good shot of them! Grrrrrr! We got back to the car and headed to Pine Point.
So this morning I put a leash on the dog and hopped in the car with my birding essentials. We started on the Eastern Trail where we were greeted by a pair of Crows at the parking area. Samantha had me in tow up the trail, spooking eight Common Goldeneyes (two males and two females) as she tried to snuff up all the other doggie odors along the way. Have you ever tried to take pictures with a 95 pound dog towing you around? It's not easy! Anyway, we got to see two Red-Breasted and one Common Merganser, around 20 Black Ducks, five Canandian Geese, a few gulls and then the highlight - two Bald Eagles! Of course the dog was being naughty (she hadn't been on the Eastern for some time) so I couldn't get a good shot of them! Grrrrrr! We got back to the car and headed to Pine Point.
Caw! Caw! The welcoming committee
Common Goldeneye
Samantha isn't much of a stalker
Common Merganser
Come'on mom! Hurry up and stop taking pictures!
That's it, I'm coming to get you.
See how well pictures come out with a dog tugging on the leash?
This is a Bald Eagle
So, then we hit Pine Point at the Co-Op. First I see men digging in the flats - not sure if for clams or worms (I believe the area is closed for clamming right now), then I realize that Mount Washington is shining clear as a bell past the river. The water was calm and beautiful on the marsh side but basically birdless, so I move on over to the area overlooking Ferry Beach. Now that was a whole different ball game! I was dead low tide and the birds were loving it! To name what I saw, there were Common Mergansers, Long Tailed ducks, Harlequins, Common Eiders, Common Loons, Black Ducks, Common Goldeneyes then Crows, Herring Gulls, Balck-Backed Gulls and a couple of Glaucous Gulls. Jackpot! Sam didn't care, we didn't have to get out of the car here.
Pull up them pants!
Mount Washington - Click to enlarge
From there we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few supplies, then I swung into the hardware store. I found a Nyjer sock for my Goldfinches and grabbed a bag of Critter feed (peanuts, corn and sunflower seeds) for the deer (shh!) - they've been coming out the past few nights to dig at what's falling out of the feeders, and with all the snow I'm sure they'll appreciate a little help. Within an hour of putting up the Nyjer sock, I had a big, fat Goldfinch on it. :)
I'll let you know how the deer watch goes.
Oh, poor Boo Boo wit da cold! So where's the recipe for the mustard dill soup???? Sounds yummy, I could even smell it when I read that and I want the recipe or the method, or whatever. I so love the banner shot of the boy and dog. I can't say nearly enough about it, WUNNAFUL!! Just a fantastic photograph. Maybe I can get my dogs to lick me on camera.........
ReplyDeleteOh, the little boy below is so precious! The sweetest thing. You take great kid shots, which I do not. Mostly, I think about baking children into pies. No not really. But it takes a certain special thing to take photos like that of a child and you have it.
ReplyDeleteIs that why I'm not getting any Goldfinches? I've been using Smartwool. Har har har. Seriously, no Goldfinches.
ReplyDeleteThey're both mine so I have ample opportunities for a good kid cleaning. My poor kid is probably one of the most photographed in the US - or the world. He's starting to hate it now.
ReplyDeleteI think the finches knew what the sock was, someone must be feeding them nearby. They would eat from the feeders on occasion, but I think it was when whoever would run out of thistles!
I'll post the mustard soup recipe, it's pretty good!