Paul and I are headed to St. Louis for a wedding this weekend. I'm feeling fairly confident that everything will continue well for the Bluebirds. It's now a daily task of mine to check the perimeter with purple Maglight in hand before heading to bed. I worry, what can I say?
There are 4 eggs in the box and I have noticed Mama spending her days there, so she must be incubating. I have no idea when they are to hatch, and I don't want to know. I'm sure that I jinxed them last time. This time: one day at a time.
ap recap :: box score :: game log
Boy am I glad that I was doing some good for injured/abandoned wildlife while the game was on! It was a slow day at Wildcare and I was tempted to hop on the computer to check in, but I held back. Didn't want to ruin that rush of happiness when I would arrive home and check the outcome:P
From the box score, I gather that our offense was rendered ineffective, especially with men in scoring position. It not that they didn't get hits, they just didn't translate into runs. And Westbrook (6-4) pitched really well. In six innings, he allowed only 4 hits and no earned runs with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. This should help his already low 2.77 ERA (there's some guy out there playing fantasy baseball who got stuck with Westbrook at the beginning of the season loving him now).
On Friday they start a 3-game Interleague series against the Colorado Rockies at the Jake. The way the offense has been connecting, too bad they aren't played at Coors Field where the high altitude definitely helps the ball fly free. Interleague play is good for nothing!
ap recap :: box score :: game log
They are back at .500! They have not had a winning record at any point this season. Tonight could change that. I am focusing entirely on their record. I still believe that they are not contenders, that their standing in the division will remain at 3rd or 4th, and that they will have a good season if they end up at .500. I'm not convinced that this team, who is looking so good can maintain their current level of play.
What I'm not thinking about
They are moving right up in the division standings. They are now 2 games behind the White Sox and 4 behind the Twins.
As a team, here's how they doing in the American League in batting:
Runs: 2nd
Batting Average: 2nd
On-base %: 1st
Hits: 2nd
Walks: 3rd
SO: 5th
HR: 11th
Their starting pitching ranks 3rd in ERA and that's pretty much the only very good thing about their pitching. The starters are young, give up too many walks and have been robbed of wins by the 'pen. As far as the bullpen is concerned, it's going to take them awhile to dig themselves out of the hole they created.
But it sure will be fun to watch :)
Highlights from last night
Ben Broussard came in to pinch hit in the 8th with the bases loaded and no outs. On the first pitch he hit a homerun. It was the first time a pinch hitter has hit a Grand Slam for the Tribe since 1986. It was only his 2nd of the season. I sure hope its a sign that he's coming out of this awful slump.
Ronnie Belliard went deep in his third straight game. Just what has gotten into The Tongue?
Casey Blake had a great game. He went 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 runs and a solo HR.
Worrisome
Little O committed his 9th error on the season last night.
Jody Gerut and Ben Broussard are apparantly good friends and they've been working on their mechanics at the plate together. Good thing because neither are looking very comfortable up there. Maybe they should take a lesson from Coco ;)
Because of the increase in hummingbird activity this year, we have 2 feeders out for them. They use the Oriole feeder as well (no Orioles have shown up yet). Good thing that they have all these feeding stations because a bird that I wouldn't expect to enjoy the sugar-water (nectar) was at a hummingbird feeder--an immature Red-bellied Woodpecker!
As an aside, I must convey how delighted I am that there is a fledgling Red-bellied here. A female died last year because of a window collision and it broke our hearts. Plus, they only have one brood a year, so its great knowing that they were able to reproduce successfully.
Last week, I witnessed the immature Red-bellied being feed suet by his papa which was quite a sight. Today I get to witness an even more remarkable sight. He started out at the tube feeder that contains thistle. There's a tray underneath that he was both hanging onto and eating from. Then he went over to the hummingbird feeder, gripped onto one of the the posts, and while hanging vertically started drinking the nectar. I grabbed the binoculars and could clearly see a tongue extending out into the little hole. He stayed there for over a minute. While he was feeding, papa was at the suet cage. They both left together. Amazing!
They aren't "our" nestlings, but here are 6-day old little ones captured by a bluebirder.
http://www.hunt101.com/img/184189.jpg
http://www.hunt101.com/img/184188.jpg
Tonight's Show
BILL CLINTON
Former President of the United States
Author, "My Life"
Anyone going to read the memoir? I'm curious about it, although since Hillary is still throwing her political weight around I highly doubt that it's a very, um, intriguing kind of book.
ap recap :: box score :: game log
It was a heartbreaker. The Indians came back from a 8-run deficit only to lose in the 10th because of a 2-run HR by Jose Valetin. Urg.
Tonight brings another shot at the W.Sox. You have to love baseball if for only the fact that you don't have to wait a week to see your team play!
What you don't see every day
Coco Crisp, Ronnie Belliard, and Matt Lawton hit homers. These guys are lead-off hitters--what are they doing going deep?
A theory verified
Last week, I hypothesised that the reason Coco was starting to hit was because of Escobar being sent down. Apparantly, both players were told that one of them would be sent down. That night, Coco went 4-4. He hasn't stopped.
Relief on its way?
Bob Wickman is getting regular pitching outings in Akron and apparantly is feeling good. Jack-in-the-Box (as I call him) could be a huge shot in the arm for the team, especially the bullpen. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but with all the rehabbers and the talent playing for the Aeros, I wish I lived in Akron again! I'd be at Canal Park every week :)
ap recap :: box score :: game log
Whoo-hoo! In one fell swoop, the Indians have made it to .500, gained a game on the White Sox and inched a ½ game closer to Minnesota. I watched most of the game, but I would get a bit nervous, so I puttered around the house during some of it. I haven't felt that way about an Indians game in years--since the '01 playoffs to be exact. I realize now how supporting a non-contending team has its advantages! You get to laugh at their mistakes instead of cringe and there's no anxiety during games. If they win, great; if not, there's always tomorrow. But now I find myself with a team that is actually contending for 1st place in their division. My guess is that this status will be short-lived because I don't see how on earth this team can keep it together until August. But right now...today...they are in a position to overtake the number 2 team and get within 1 of the leaders. Incredible.
With the dominance of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, things have been happy around the house this spring. I wonder what the summer will hold.
This afternoon I heard "the sound that strikes fear" and found a dazed Common Grackle on the grass outside the window near the feeders. I determined that he had damaged his wing and so bundled him up in a box and drove him over to Wildcare. Oh, I've forgotten to mention that I did a shift there last week that went very well. I have another this Thursday, so I'll report something after that one. So, I arrive at Wildcare and a volunteer takes him out to the aviary tent to test his flying ability. He plummeted to earth. She checked him and found that his wing was not broken, but probably sprained. To double-check this, she let go of him again and he darted underneath the tent! By the time she made it out of the tent herself, he had disappeared. This happened while I was inside meeting people and taking a look around at the creatures. When I went outside, she explained what happened and we searched awhile finding only a rabbit in the undergrowth.
She was terribly disappointed and embarrassed with herself that she "allowed" it to escape. (I think it was purely an accident.) The bird should have been bandaged and put into a pen for a couple of days and then released by me here. Instead, there is a Grackle out there with sprained wing far, far from home. I keep suppressing the idea that it was a roosting female or male caretaker of some sort. I do believe that the bird will manage alright. There is food available there and the wing wasn't not broken, so should be able to fly again in a couple of days.
I just returned from a quick peek into the nest box and saw 4 eggs therein! One had some white on it and I don't know why. Hopefully its just a pigment thing. If it's excrement from mama, it will cause a sterile egg. But since she's a veteran egg-layer extraordianare, I highly doubt that she'd be so careless.
My nightmares continue because I know that the predator remains in the yard at night. I know this because I forgot to take down the suet cage before heading to JazzFest (Buddy Guy was *great*!) and it had been ravaged by the time we returned around midnight. It also got into the drip pan of our Weber grill, a problem I solved by placing the pan in the grill for safekeeping. I'm hoping that the lack of tasty treats will convince the raccoon (I'm *sure* that's who it is) to move onto other pastures.
ap recap :: box score :: game log
So far, Inter-league games have come down to pitching. Against the Reds, it was all about their bullpen not being able to hold onto leads. Against Atlanta it was all about starting pitching: the Indians won because of Cliff Lee and Jason Davis, Atlanta because of Byrd.
Once again, the Indians find themselves in position to hit .500. I sure wish that they could make it a game or two above .500 so that they could fall to it every once in awhile instead of always having to reach it!
Tonight begins a 4-game series against their division rivals the Chicago White Sox. They are currently 3.5 games behind the White Sox who trail the Twins by 1.5 games. There are so many possibilities about what could happen over the next 4 days, it makes my head spin. What upsets me is that because Fox Sports Chicago is evil (don't ask me why, it'll send my blood pressure through the roof), I won't be able to see any of the games! You better believe I'll be listening to the radio broadcast though!
After the Bluebird scare, Paul and I discovered ourselves in perfect weather. The humidity and heat of the last month were gone. We sat on the deck for 2 hours watching birds. The fact that we can sit on our own deck and see so many is a gift beyond value.
Who did we see?
Eastern Bluebird (2 adults, 4 fledglings)
Tufted Titmouse (3)
Carolina Chickadee (1)
Common Grackle (10)
Mourning Dove (12)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
White-breasted Nuthatch (2)
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (4)
Chipping Sparrow (1)
House Sparrow (1 male adult, 3 fledglings) damn!
Northern Cardinal (2)
Turkey Vulture (1 circling overhead)
Indigo Bunting (1 male)
Brown-headed Cowbird (4)
American Goldfinch (8)
House Finch (8)
Here's an interesting fact about the male Indigo Bunting from Yahooligans! Animals : "Indigo Buntings may look blue but they have no blue pigment in their feathers. They are actually black, but the way the light shines through the structure of the feathers makes them appear blue."
Yesterday afternoon Paul and I were inside trying to figure out what to do with our day when we heard a sound that puts fear in my heart: a bird hitting a window. My immediate thought was "oh, please, let it not be a Blue!" Paul ran to the door and my worst case scenario was confirmed with his "oh, god, it's a fledgling Blue!". The little one was sitting calmly on the deck without visible sign of injury. My panic and nausea was quelled a bit by seeing him(her) knowing that it was very possible that s/he could be alright. The birds who have perished after hitting our windows have looked dead afterward, lying prone on the ground, eyes closed. But the Blue was sitting upright, breathing through its mouth, looking stunned. I was ready to bundle it up in a box and rush it to Wildcare where we would insist on a no-holes-barred treatment (being volunteers there now, we have more pull?) I reached down and stroked its beautiful mottled blue feathers a bit, marveling at the fact that I was actually touching one of our fledglings again. In just a bit, s/he flew off, heading back to the trees where the other fledgling were practicing insect catching.
Later in the day I saw all 4 fledglings sitting on the electric wire with Papa, so I know that s/he survived the collision.
ap recap :: box score :: game log
I watched 6 innings of yesterday's game against the Braves. Then it became too painful. I just couldn't stop thinking about '95 and how the Tribe offense met the Braves pitching and how poorly that worked out for the Indians. According to the Braves' announcers, starting pitching has been a problem this year for that team, although it certainly wasn't a problem last night. Paul Byrd pitched 7 shutout innings giving up a mere 4 hits and 0 walks. The only player that had Byrd's number was Matt Lawton who had 3 hits off the guy (and reached base another time on an error). He has increased his hitting streak to 16 games; a tie for his career best. Other than that, the Tribe just couldn't get on base, let alone get the ball into the outfield.
Jake Westbrook didn't look his sharpest on the mound, which didn't help matters. He gave up 8 hits and 4 earned runs in 5 innings pitched while striking out 4 and walking 1. The 2 homeruns hit were costly. He did, however, manage to keep his ERA under 3.00 and should still lead the AL.
In the 4th inning, Omar Vizquel left the game after attempting to bare-hand a ball. Hopefully his hand is alright and will be in the lineup today. I miss Omar when he's not in the field.
Skipper Eric Wedge was tossed after correctly arguing a bad call. The second base umpire called Coco Crisp out on a stolen base attempt and the replay clearly showed that he was safe.
With this loss, the Indians are yet again 2 games from .500 and 4.5 games behind the division leader Minnesota Twins.
ap recap :: box score :: game log
I didn't see the game, but apparantly it was quite an outing for pitcher Cliff Lee.
"After facing only four Atlanta Braves batters, Cliff Lee had given up three hits and a run, and his pitching coach was at the mound.
But the Cleveland Indians' left-hander wasn't worried because he knew he was throwing strikes...." ap recap
I was just in the kitchen cleaning up the blender from a tasty treat of vanilla soy milk, a banana and a scoop of SlimFast (try it with some ice cubes to make it frothy; it's absolutely delicious!) when I saw a pair of bluebirds near the box. As I was thinking, "oh, there's mama and papa checking on their nest, very good" another pair of bluebirds swooped in and chased the 1st pair away. I assume that the aggressors are the original pair since a.) they were the more aggressive and b.) once they had won the battle, mama went into the box.
What does this mean? Well, bluebirds will not interrupt the nests of other birds, including their own species. This "new" pair was probably just combing the area for potential nest sites and happened across restricted real estate. My guess is that they are looking for a place for a 2nd brood, their first nest box having not been cleaned out for them by a box owner.
ap recap :: box score :: game log
Oh, that elusive .500 mark! The Indians have squandered another chance to pull even on the season. I stopped watching the game once it went into a rain delay. At that point it was the top of the 5th and they were tied at 0.
Now Cleveland heads south to take on the Braves. Can we say '95? A lot has changed for both teams since that World Series. Both teams are struggling, each are a couple of games below .500 and neither are projected to win their divisions. Sounds like an intriguing matchup. I think that it should go the Indians way, but I've been wrong just about each and every time I predict an outcome for the Tribe this year. We're heading to the Indy JazzFest tonight, so I won't see game 1 of the series.
I just checked on the box and found a solitary blue egg. Happy days!
ap recap :: box score :: game log
I didn't watch the game last night because I was indulging in free Showtime movies. I did happen to break away from movie watching to view C.C. Sabathia's 2nd at bat noting that he had a single in his 1st, that they made him bunt, and that he struck out on 3 pitches. Why not let C.C. swing? He pitched to near perfection last night. Throw the guy a bone.
With the win, the Tribe is once again one game away from .500. Can they do it? Can they tie their losses with wins?
Kudos to the Cardinals who remain in 1st place in their division with the best record in the NL, somehow managing to be 11 games over .500! I honestly didn't believe that this team had it in them to be this good.
Papa Blue finished work on the nest yesterday. I haven't seen much activity around the box today, so I'm thinking that mama and papa are sharing some quality time alone today ;)
I keep having nightmares about the box. They don't extend past my experience of seeing the dismantled box--I don't see the predator, I can't do anything to stop it, etc.
Not since early spring have I seen a Red-Headed Woodpecker and today I see two! Both were in places that I've not seen them before (come to think of it, I'm not sure if I've ever seen them outside our yard). One flew overhead and landed high in a dead branch while I was out on the path. The other flew in front of my car on the way home from my walk.
ap recap :: box score :: game log
The Indians 4-game winning streak ended in a poor showing last night. Some individual's streaks continue, however. Matt Lawton had three singles Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. Victor Martinez went 1-for-3 Tuesday, extending his hitting streak to 13. Travis Hafner is batting .381 (8-for-21) with four doubles and three RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.
Had the Indians won last night, they would have hit the .500 mark for the first time all season and pulled within 4 games of 2nd place and 4.5 games of 1st.
Jason Davis was responsible for all 7 runs in last night's game. His ERA has ballooned to 5.72. He managed to strikeout 4, but he walked 3. His walks are a problem; he ranks 6th in the AL with 35 on the season. Maybe he just likes pitching out of the stretch ;)
FaithfulAmerica is airing an ad in Arab countries which you can view at: http://www.faithfulamerica.org/adclip.htm
The transcript runs as follows:
"A Salaam A’alaykum ["Peace be with you" in Arabic]. As Americans of faith, we express our deep sorrow at abuses committed in Iraqi prisons. We stand in solidarity with all those in Iraq and everywhere who demand justice and human dignity. We condemn the sinful and systemic abuses committed in our name, and pledge to work to right these wrongs."
"This message was endorsed and paid for by thousands of Americans. www.faithfulamerica.org" [Appears on screen at end of ad].
Speakers - Rev. Dr. Don Shriver, Imam Feisal Abdur Rauf, Sister Betty Obal and Rabbi Arthur Waskow.
By signing on to the ad, you can have your voice added to the thousands of Americans who are deeply regretful of and concerned by the abuses of Iraqi prisoners. FaithfulAmerica is planning to state the number of people who have signed onto the ad at the end of it.
On my way past the bluebird box yesterday while mowing the lawn, I peered inside and saw a new nest being formed. There was also some, er, mating behavior going on between papa and mama.
Because I've attributed the vandalism of the nest box with the creature that is eating our suet at night, I've been bringing the suet in at dusk. Last night I forgot and went out around 10:30. I must have interrupted the start of its eating fest because not only was the suet on the ground not yet consumed, I noticed that the bird bath that hangs next to the suet was swaying. I also heard rustling in the undergrowth near the road. I checked the nest box and it was fine. Paul jumped at the chance to accuse me of "checking the perimeter" when I came inside with Maglite flashlight in hand :)
ap recap :: box score :: game log
I wasn't able to see this game and I sure am sorry that I missed it! Jake Westbrook continues to pitch like a bonafide ace, having a 4-hit complete game shutout today. He now leads the AL in ERA. I don't have a real stat here, but I don't imagine that any Cleveland pitcher has lead the League in ERA since well, maybe Bob Feller. Any corrections to this idea welcomed.
Why?
Alex Escobar's demotion to Buffalo puzzles me. I understand needing a backup catcher while Victor was injured, but why send Escobar down? I didn't realize that he was having a bad time of it, and if I were to pick an OF to send down it would have been Coco Crisp. Of course, maybe Alex's departure has lighted a fire under Coco's ass who had another banner day. Now that Victor is healed and playing, they are threatening to bring up up OFs Raul Gonazlez, Mark Little or Russell Branyan. Oh, I'll take Escobar over Branyan *any* day, as would hitting coach hall-of-famer Eddie Murray who apparantly hates the guy. I'd heard it said that Murray uses Branyan as an example to the young hitters of how not to have a major league career.
ap recap :: box score :: game log
The Battle of Ohio is over and the Indians are the 3-time victors! They won each game by coming back in late innings. I cannot describe the excitement the games elicited in this house this weekend. To watch my team beat up on another team's bullpen was absolutely delightful since I've seen the opposite too many times this season.
My love of the Indians began in 1995 when I lived in Cleveland and they went to the World Series. I didn't become a regular season fan (read: true fan) until '99 when I moved to Indiana and started listening to the games via the internet (back then the feed was free). The "Indians of the 90s" as they are commonly called, but in actuality exsited from '94-'01 were dominated by strong offense. Pitching was fairly weak, although there were the bright stars of the day and the bullpen could hold its own when it needed to (although I would cringe when Dave Burba would take the mound). Those were the halcyon days when a 4-run deficit going into the 8th wouldn't cause much consternation and I would think to myself "oh, this one's in the bag". No kidding. The offense was that good.
Those days are over, replaced by the incredibly youthful Indians of the day. They are described as "rebuilding" by the baseball pundits, but I don't really see it that way since what I believe will emerge won't resemble the teams of the '90s. Rebuilding towards division leaders, yes; rebuilding towards offense-oriented teams, no. This time, I think they are blazing a new trail towards balanced offense, defense and pitching. And because of the balance, they have the potential to last longer and be deeper than anything that has existed recently.
The series against the Reds this weekend has gone far in cementing my love for the team. They never gave up and there was someone who stepped in right when they were needed. The bullpen was strong and therefore allowed the offense to come back.
Something you don't see every day:
Coco Crisp was intentionally walked in the 8th. He had an amazing series outrunning throws to 1st, stealing bases, and hitting. He jumped on two pitches high and a bit inside that seemed made for his bat driving one down the right field line for a bases-clearing double yesterday and a 2-run homerun today. Last year Coco annoyed me to no end because he had nearly no plate discipline. The Coco I saw this weekend was not the Coco of the past year.
Continues to impress:
Ronnie Belliard deserves to start at 2nd base in the All-Star Game. Not only is he getting on base and driving in runs, but he's made some great defensive plays in the field.
Looked shaky, but will come around:
Ben Broussard is slumping.
Cliff Lee gave up a couple HRs today and didn't look his sharpest. He was also ejected by an "activist" umpire who jumped way too quickly to the conclusion that a ball up and inside (read: near his head) to Griffey Jr. was intentionally thrown. These young upstart umpires promoted after a recent umpire strike have been a constant thorn in the game, imho. They are too concerned with heading off problems before they begin and in doing so do not allow the natural progression of the game to occur. They seem to go into games thinking that something bad is going to happen and that it is their job to prevent it. Instead they should concentrate more on calling pitches well and the play on the field, dealing with incidents calmly and astutely when they occur. It is very important for umpires to gain the respect of the players and coaches, but when they act rashly and take the "tough guy" attitude they get only the opposite.
Something to look forward to:
Victor Martinez remains day-to-day and is likely to hop back into the lineup very soon. No DL thankfully.
Bob Wickman might very well make it back to the 'pen after the All-Star Break.
In our travels yesterday, we bought an oriole feeder. It is now filled and hanging outside on a hook next to the hummingbird feeder. I halved an orange and nailed it to the stump near the feeder in a hopeful attempt to attract the lovely birds. Indiana is native to 2 species; Baltimore and Orchard. We've seen both varieties on the Clear Creek path, but never in our own yard.
Game 3 of the series against the Reds is going on as I type, but I just wanted to sing the praises of the Indians for their play over the past 2 games. With a bullpen which has given up 14 leads, this team has somehow come from behind to win the last 2. They even managed to win one in the god-awful uniforms of the 70's. Oh, they looked hideous. Apparently, the story goes that the team who had to wear them on a daily basis became so feed up with them that a player piled them up in the clubhouse, doused them with lighter fluid and was about to set them afire when the team captain appeared on the scene and convinced him to postpone the inferno. He went to management, explained the players' feelings and managed to get a change in design that staved off a future rebellious bonfire. The uniforms were given (hopefully after a good cleaning) to charity to be auctioned off.
I have very sad new to report. The bluebird box was vandalized and the eggs consumed by a predator, probably a raccoon, on Friday night. I came downstairs on Saturday morning to see the box open and on the ground. It was a terrible feeling and all I could think was that I jinxed the birds' success by determining a hatch date last week.
I cleaned the box thoroughly, put it in the kitchen to dry and then we headed out for a day of activities around town. Our first activity was orientation training at Wildcare where I was able to seek comfort from like-minded people about our recent debacle. Both Paul and I are scheduled to do "shadow training" this coming week.
When we returned home in the late afternoon, we put the house back together with some wood glue and some nails (only the base where it attaches to the fence post was damaged). Once it went back up, the birds were there within a minute or two. It is definitely their house and nothing is going to change that. What does need to change is the post that it is on. I can't with clear conscious keep it on the fence post knowing that it is just as susceptible to predation by raccoon as it was before. We have a metal pole that we could use and I think that that's the route we need to take.
OK, so here's an example of the type of article to which I referred in my last entry:
Poor Version of Democracy
The author, E.J. Dionne Jr., is a senior fellow in government studies at the Brookings Institution.
After you're done with the article:
I do realize that the subtitle of this weblog contains more than the subject of nature. Why, then, have all my posts for months focused solely on birds and the occasional beast?
Well, I haven't been reporting anything from the world of politics because I've become so angry at so many things that I've taken a break from staying up with it all. Everywhere I turn I am faced with another issue that boils my blood. I have felt ready to explode and that's just not good for the old blood pressure. Relief might finally be on its way, however. Since I recently heard from the local democrats about volunteering, I might have found an outlet in which to actually do something about things instead of just becoming overwhelmed with absurdities and frustrations. Next Saturday, I'm scheduled to work at the Farmers' Market doing voter registration. It's a small step, but you know what they say about every journey.
As far as baseball, and more specifically the Indians, are concerned, they have been a constant source of oscillating frustration and hope. The bullpen thus far has been beyond abysmal. I easily tire of watching them lose the lead in games in the 7th, 8th, or 9th innings. The bullpen has accounted for an amazing 16 blown games, and even if they would have held the lead in just half, the AL Central would be a very different race. On the other hand, the Tribe offense has performed beyond expectation, the defense has improved since last year, and the starting pitching has so much potential that it's hard to believe that those players are wearing Cleveland uniforms. But none of this excuses me from not writing about it. I guess that I've just not worked on finding my voice. I need to do better.
I just checked the bluebird box and found 4 healthy eggs within. I've heard mixed reports on 2nd clutch size. Some maintain that each successive clutch contains one less egg than the preceding one; others maintain that they are independent of each other. I have a gut feeling that 4 is going to be the final clutch size. If so, incubation should start this weekend the target hatch date would be the 25th (no comment from the peanut gallery about not counting chicks before they hatch, please).
Paul and I walked the path last night and noticed interesting behavior. Of the human variety we found that people were out in droves, but unlike the crew that walks on weekends and/or in the morning they were distinctly unfriendly. Hardly anyone made eye contact, let alone said hello. The opposite is true in the morning when it is not uncommon to exchange pleasantries (and even short conversations) with 95% of the people you pass. I think that this phenomenon can be explained in many ways, the most obvious being that people are trying to get away from people and unwind from their day in the evening, whereas in the morning people are happy to great the day and the strangers they meet.
Of the animal variety (of behavior) we noticed lots of little ones. A family of Carolina Chickadees were hanging around a tree together which made for quite the scene of chaos and near-cacophony. A baby rabbit darted through some undergrowth. An American Robin was sitting on her nest in a tree. Red-winged Blackbirds were actively maintaining their breeding ground property lines.
Having Jean le Jeanjamin here was such a wonderful thing. He forced me to walk 3+ miles every day, a habit that I hope to continue despite his departure. On his last day, we walked down to the river to get a lie down and a drink for him when I slipped and fell hard. I really hurt my left arm around my wrist and I was muddy from head to toe. I bought an arm support at Target and have been wearing that. It has shown signs of improvement, although it is still very sore and not able to support any weight or lift anything. I can drive now, though, so that's good.
I walked alone this morning; the first time since my tumble. I was serenaded by a Mockingbird with his assortment of calls. There's nothing like watching a Mockingbird do a Cardinal call followed by a Song Sparrow, followed by 3 more calls that I didn't recognize (I'm not at all proficient in bird calls). There were lots of butterflies out, but none landed on me today. A 3 foot snake crossed the path about 15 feet in front of me and since I cannot identify snakes either, I have no idea what kind it was. I got a good enough look that if I saw a picture of one, I could probably figure it out, but I'm a bit too lazy right now to research it. I'm willing to say that it was a poisonous copperhead because that makes me look brave and un-"girly" approching it for a closer look :)
The bluebird box is now host to a second nest. No eggs as of today however. I've yet to spot the fledglings and hope that the tornado-like weather conditions of late have not caused them harm.
I spotted a fox running through the back of the property on Memorial Day. It was too big to be our fox pup, although the daytime activity is reminiscent of her. Perhaps she's already grown to full size?
Hummingbird activity hit a low last week, but is up in volume tremendously this week. I suspect that there are some fledglings hitting the feeder. We were able to witness a male mating display this past weekend which does seem to support the theory that the members of the first brood have left their nest(s).
