Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Bird Voyeurism

Today being March 1st I got curious about what else there might be to celebrate other than St. Patrick's Day as I am never loathe to party.  Here's what popped up -

Tuesday, 3/14  National Potato Chip Day  As they are not by any means an unknown food item here, will not bother to do anything fancy.  I already know to open a bag for guests from the bottom  and pour them into a dish - the big ones will be on top and chip dust on the bottom of the bowl. 

Wednesday, 3/15  Buzzards Day

Thurs. 3/16  Everything You Do Is Right Today - c'mon, we all know people who think this is a daily holiday; let's not encourage them.

Buzzards Day did intrigue me.  Research informed me that in 1810 a man and his nephew were traveling near the settlement (now, of course, a city) of Hinchley, Ohio, when in the distance they spied a flock of vultures lazily circling and then diving down to something presumably on the ground. 

Equally curious, they hied themselves to the Big Bend Rocky River where they found a gallows bearing the corpse of a Wyandote Indian squaw who had been hanged as a witch two years earlier.

Several conclusions popped into mind ... vultures are dainty eaters?  A nibble here, there ... or they eat so much that they are satiated and have to fly sluggishly back to their nest to digest... or that was one hella tough squaw. 

Now every year on March 15th locals and tourists gather, binoculars in one hand and a fork in the other - Hinchley offers a sausage and pancake breakfast and if you think about it, sausages are particularly appropriate, composed as they are of fat, salt and bone chips ... 

Meanwhile, another bird spectacular is taking place that we, here at home, can enjoy.   I am referring to the Decorah eagles which lay eggs that then hatch, all these activities carried live by a discreet video feed.  The eggs (three this time)  have just been laid and both parents take turns sitting on them.  In the fullness of time, the eggs begin to show movement and then a beak pops through ... all very dramatic and eagerly watched for by eagle enthusiasts.  The Website for all of this breathtaking activity - including the tedium of reports to others such as "She's still sitting on the eggs - Day 35"

decoraheaglecamalerts.com  to get in on the action.  Right now there are three eggs which were laid around 6 and 7 p.m. in the early evening  Darkness hides the eggs from predators? 

Don't let my blathering delay you - go "eagling" right now!  You might miss something!

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