Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today is cloudy and warm. It drizzled a bit yesterday.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I planted some Leucojum (aka summer snowflake) 'Gravetye Giant' around the contorta willow.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I watered the leucojum.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I planted the rest of the leucojum in the purple-and-white garden. Then I watered that whole garden.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I gathered seeds from two ripe sunflower heads, one in the septic garden and one in the telephone pole garden. I'm working on a 'Summer of Love' sunflower landrace that will grow well here. Commercial seeds are hit or miss.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did some work around the yard.

It's trying to drizzle again, so I am done for the night.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- It's actually raining! :D Puddles are starting to form on the patio.

Climate Change

[ysabetwordsmith]

This 'blue-green jay' may be the first climate change-created bird hybrid found in nature. Here's why that's good news

Joined by his faculty advisor, integrative biology professor Tim Keitt, Stokes confirmed that the bird was, in fact, a male offspring of a green jay mother and a blue jay father.

Marc Airhart, who interviewed Stokes for the University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences, jokingly referred to it as a “grue jay” — but the hybrid does not have an official name.


The grue jay is cool, but it is long preceded by the grolar bear (aka pizzly bear).

Fall starts

[ribirdnerd]

First full day of fall but it's back to a summer like 80 degrees today.

There were some Blue Jays, Mourning Dove, a Cowbird and Chickadees around earlier this morning.