Hell Is Other People

Notice how much greener it is around the feeder now. I got to watch spring arrive here on the mountain in the last couple weeks.





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Night Sounds

Here's a couple more pictures from the front yard in D.C., taken with the benefit of the morning sun.




Meanwhile, back in West Virginia...



When this bird landed on the feeder, I thought it might be a different variety of nuthatch. But while it is smaller than the others I've photographed, it does have white on the face all around the eye, so it must be a young White-breasted Nuthatch.


Hiking through the forest, I found a windthrown tree that had snapped another tree about 8 feet above the ground, and a third down near the base. Carmi has moved on from his tree theme, but I say it isn't over until we say it is!



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HUGE WIN FOR DONALD TRUMP!

The Certificate Of Live Birth Of The Pretzeldent/Muslin Usurper From Kenya


How many years has America™ demanded this document, in vain? And in just a few weeks, The Donald flings his hairpiece thingy into the pretzeldentshal race, and Whoomp There It Is!



This, of course, proves once again that Donald Trump should be the G.O.P. nominee in 2012.


UPDATE: I AM PROUD, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS I AM HONORED. NOW MAYBE WE CAN GET PAST THIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE ISSUE (IF, INDEED, THIS IS A REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE...WE CAN'T BE TOO CAREFUL, MY FELLOW REAL AMERICANS!)



RE-UPDATE: Of course, this changes nothing.

RE-RE-UPDATE:



Malkin is shocked, SHOCKED I say! by these allegations of racism. Legitimate concerns!!!



Is that Pammy Atlas, famous bikini vlogger, aka the shrieking harpy, on FOX Business News???

I'll just quote a common tater at Wonkette:

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W.V. Orbs

Meanwhile, back in my little town: the bushes are much bigger than when I was a kid. Especially the Taxus:


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Mystery birds - Juncos?

The birds that made a nest by the basement door have given up on that location, and made a new nest...on a light that is at the front of the house by the porch entrance. Not exactly an improvement if it's peace and quiet they are looking for.


I finally have a couple pictures of one of them (albeit without many pixels...I've never gotten a shot up close).



And here's a picture I got of the pair back on April 14 (I just now noticed that it wasn't another random tree picture, of which I have a plethora):


They look like Dark-eyed Juncos. How they get from usually nest in a cup-shaped depression on the ground, well hidden by vegetation or other material, although nests are sometimes found in the lower branches of a shrub or tree to mossy nests under house rafters I do not know.

I got another picture of one of the Carolina Wrens yesterday:


View from the deck on April 13:


View from the deck this morning:

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Turkey Vultures at Cacapon

As always, mouse over pictures for the alt text captions, and click for the larger version.

HIKE!








Rocks!





Vultures! (Eastern Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura septentrionalis)






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Let's Wrent A Movie!

Some signs from the neighborhood:



A nest appeared in the rafters under the deck, just outside the basement sliding door. I've seen the builders several times. The first couple times, the lady who was sitting in the nest would drop down a few feet and do a hummingbird hover for a second or two, eying the horrible monster that had suddenly appeared at the door of the hidden cave. But I never managed to get even a semi-decent picture, these small, dark-gray birds are quite camera-shy.



I added a container stocked with flax seeds to the feeder mix. A couple of Song Sparrows flew in to check it out.



The Downy Woodpeckers and Nuthatches remain some of the less shy suet fans.




Carolina Wrens have found the area underneath the feeders to be a fine source of lunch (wren discussion here):



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