News from both, the (wild) bird and (mouthy, domestic) bird fronts:

News from both, the (wild) bird and (mouthy, domestic) bird fronts:

1) I have discovered that playing those stabbing opening chords of Steve Winwood's "Gimme Some Lovin' " on a Hammond organ through a Leslie speaker is an *excellent* way to drive the drumming horny Mr. Red-headed Woodpecker out of our fireplace chimney flue!

This a recording that I made using a cheap camera.  I was standing in the middle of my living room when I captured Mr. Horny, Hormonal Red-Headed Woodpecker:

(For whatever reason, the 'insert video' function in Blogger isn't working correctly this morning, so we'll have to use the direct link to the video:  )
http://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=BYpnx36gHC4&ns=1

2) Mr. & Mrs. Carolina Wren have checked in this morning for the first time this season to see if last year's decoy nest - the one that they built over my new piano in my living room! - is still intact.
(Their nest is between 2 of my 14 antique Hammond clocks.)

3) Due to Conrad's excellent timing and sharp aim, my 11 yr. old blind pug is now an official "Doodie Head". Saturday, I had Conrad on my shoulder while I was cleaning Rudolph's hideously dry eyes, and applying Vaseline so that one day, he might actually be able to blink again! 

Anywho, Conrad- being the polite soul that he is - had to take a potty. When possible, he honestly tries to hand his butt off my elbow, so that he will crap on the floor, rather than down my back. As I was bent over, cleaning Rudolph's eyes, with no warning, Conrad seized the opportunity to hand his butt off my bent-over shoulder, and SPLAT! This wasn't a small, polite, demure crap. As Mark called it, it was a "Nasty Sh*it!"
There I was - kneeling in the hallway - bent over poor, old, blind Rudolph, with my hand supporting his head (and my thumb acting as a temporary dam to keep the flood of crap that was on top of his head from running into his eyes!) I desperately needed a paper towel, but I couldn't move an inch, or I would not only be fighting a hideous dry eye situation, but due to Conrad's excellent skills, I could also be fighting a bad infection.
I had to yell into the living room for Mark to bring me a paper towel.

As always, he plays down the situation until he actually sees and realizes the gravity of the matter at hand. As he handed me the paper towel, he was trying to stifle a hearty cackle!

- Michael