Since my last post was about parrot talk, I will ponder the idea of cows talking. The picture above was taken by me long ago at an agricultural fair in Maryland. It looks here like the cow is talking to its companion. It reminds me of commercials, I used to see on TV, advertising cheese. In these commercials cows were talking to each other. I always liked these commercials because I thought they were funny and unique.
I hope seeing this will make you smile. It makes me smile.
Parrots can mimic voices. Some are so good at it they can play tricks on humans.
We once had neighbors that had a pet parrot. One day when they were not at home their parrot kept the mailman waiting at their doorstep. He kept knocking on their door, and the parrot kept responding, “Just a minute, I’m in the shower.” This sequence kept repeating over and over again until another neighbor walking by was flagged down by the mailman and questioned. The neighbor laughed at him and told the mailman about their parrot.
My grandmother told me stories about her sister and brother-in-law, Pauline and Gilbert. They had a pet parrot that could mimic Pauline’s voice so clearly that it often would fool Gilbert. He would be working in the barns or garage, and the parrot would scream, “Gilbert, dinner’s ready!” or “Gilbert, come here I need your help.” Gilbert would hear this and come running toward the house. He would arrive to discover that it was their parrot calling him. The parrot remained their pet despite these tricks.
Parrots have been domesticated for centuries. Probably one the the best known parrots is fictional. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, Treasure Island, there was a parrot character named, Captain Flint. It was the companion of the pirate Long John Silver, and it would perch on this pirate’s shoulder. The popularity of the book, Treasure Island, created a connection between pirates and parrots that is still in play today.
I was surprised to learn today that several of our U.S. presidents had pet parrots or macaws (which is the largest species of parrot.) You can read more about this subject at a website about presidential pets or the Audubon organization.
The macaw you see pictured here was at the Salisbury Zoo in Maryland. The pictures were taken by me.
This beautiful painted lady can travel far.
Her beauty is unmistakable. Her colors are exquisite.
She is well known around the world.
She stops frequently to visit flowers and gardens
Along the way.
"Early Native Americans are thought to have crossed into the Americas across the Beringia land bridge between 40,000 and 13,000 years ago from modern day Siberia. Certain modern Indigenous Siberians are closely related to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with whom they share a common origin."
I wanted to honor Indigenous Peoples Day. I have been unsure about how I wanted to do this. When looking up the word Siberian I discovered this information which I have copied and put here.
The word Iris means rainbow in Latin. In Greek mythology the goddess of the rainbow was named Iris.
She traveled the rainbow bridge between heaven and earth as a messenger of the gods, the Olympians.
In human anatomy the iris is a part of the eye. It is a muscle that surrounds the dark pupil. The iris controls the amount of light that gets into our eyes. Visible light is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can see. The iris within our eyes have different colors depending on our genetics.
I used to see mourning doves frequently many years ago, and then for many years I did not see them.
I think these were the years when my husband fed the feral cats.
This would have been dangerous for the doves. They are a rather slow bird.
Fortunately for the birds, the feral cats are all gone now.
For the past couple of weeks I have been seeing a mourning dove couple periodically in our garden.
They were playing by my kitchen window very recently.
Today I spotted a lone mourning dove in one of my school's courtyards. I had to stop and stare at it for a minute.
I don't think I have ever seen a mourning dove at my school. I thought this bird was oddly out of place.
The picture above is an old picture from long ago. This mother dove nested in the alcove of a tall juniper stump covered with ivy. I have never had the heart to cut the stump completely down for this reason. Eventually it grew downward and a side branch came out of the ground and grew upward. It is now very tall. Long ago I bound the stump together with the branch to give the young offshoot support. It stands in a spot which gets a fair amount of wind in the winter.
The ivy covers it over now. Stripping the ivy is a long overdue project which hopefully can be done in the early spring.
I will keep it there for the winter to help with wind protection.
Update-- I found this picture and decided I should show the couple before the nest was needed.
Autumn twists, turkey tails, and silver stars caught my attention this week.
The twist is a re-blooming azalea, the turkey tail is a fungus that has medicinal value, and the silver star is a re-blooming clematis.
The silver star is joined by a light phlox I planted this summer. It is still blooming, and their colors match.
The turkey tail fungus is bringing interest to the old wood pile that lies along a back fence.
The bird feeders were empty, so I refilled them all.
The bird vine started to buzz, and soon the flock returned.
Can it last throughout the weekend?
The cool nip in the air this morning put a bounce in my stride.
Early last evening a huge hawk was in the crepe myrtle tree closest to our patio.
My husband saw it first and called me over to see it.
I saw it swallow the last bite of a meal. I could not tell what it was.
I thought I saw a grey tail, perhaps a mouse or a small snake.
I don't think it was a smaller bird.
At such close range its size was impressive and its feather patterns were magnificent.
No camera was nearby, so a picture opportunity was missed.
This morning when I was out filling the feeders, I was pleased to spot a beautiful Honorine Jobert anemone.
It was planted long ago in a now neglected section of our garden.
On that same side the pretty white morning glories were blooming. They are a nuisance.
The colorful Coleus on my deck have been show stoppers all summer.
They are still going strong.
I am hoping my calendar will allow some late fall and early spring restoration.
Update-- I found a better picture of turkey tail fungi from my Virginia garden. Can you see how it got its name?
Great Falls Park in Virginia is part of the National Park Service network. It is a great place to find birds of all kinds. This Green Heron was hunting in the woods parallel to the river.
Herons hunting at the falls. Looking for food and perhaps courting.
The time of year was mid-summer.
Down river from the larger rocks provides a calmer settings
In the picture above you can see small ducks in the water.
This gives some perspective as to how big the herons are.
Here is a couple of cormorants. The double-crested cormorant has an orange throat and green eyes.
I do have a picture or two that show the green eye at closer range. Perhaps I will post it later.
One couple down river and one couple up river.
Geese all in a row.
Here is a picture of three cormorants. I can see the green eyes in all three.
You might only be able to see one. Look to the far left.
movingforwardslowly 