A Tale of Two Tanagers....

The Scarlet Tanager is one of my favorite birds--such a spectacular color!!  So  I was thrilled to find 3 in one tree the other day, when southwest winds finally brought migrating birds to Central Park this month!  (I was also glad, as I was dragging my friend David around the park with me -- I was worried I'd be boring him, but fortunately there were birds to see.)  However, the light was =awful=...you can hardly tell that this bird is red:

There were so many birds to look at, however, that we continued walking.  At one point David said, "What are all those birders looking at?"  I couldn't tell, but knew several of them and we walked over--they had a Summer Tanager high in a tree.  If you're not a birder or if you're not familiar with spring migration in Central Park, a Scarlet Tanager is a beautiful red bird with black wings, and several usually come through the park each spring.  A Summer Tanager is all red (ok, these are the males of each species that I'm discussing--the females are yellow!), and there are fewer of them, so I consider it a big-deal bird.  I looked back in my notebook and the last one I saw was in May 2011.  (There were likely some seen by others last year, but I probably wasn't in the park on that day or couple of days...)  There was no point trying to take a picture with my little point and shoot camera though, with it so far away.

THEN, he flew way down to eye level!

Ooh!  Aren't you pretty--Now turn around and let people see your red wings...

Thank you. It would be nice to see you even closer, maybe, too...

Good golly...are you going to take a bath in front of all these people!?

Oh, what a show--now dry off each side for everyone!

Oh, my goodness, for having to wait 2 years to see one, this was a pretty spectacular show.

I'll confess, though, that I was still disappointed that I didn't get a good shot of the Scarlet....then one appeared this afternoon and seemed to be a total show-off!!
Hello!

Yes, I'll let you see my wings, too...

I'll even sit in the sunshine for you!!

So I'm absolutely thrilled.  Someday I'll have a bigger camera with more zoom and will have more experience, but for today, I'm very happy to be able to share these :)

4 Very Cool Wood Duck Photos...

The way the sun was glistening and reflecting off the Reservoir in Central Park today was amazing, and it reflected off the ducks as well.

4/13/13 Birding

I forget that one of the easiest ways to frustrate myself is to go out birding with an agenda.  Spring migration has begun, and I sat at the desk of my day-job all week reading email reports of warblers coming into Central Park and the other NYC area parks--so far Pine Warblers, Palm Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrushes and a Yellowrump.  So I toddled off to the park after lunch today to see all four (of course!) and (of course!) didn't find a single one.  There were some lovely birds to see, though, and below are some of my best pictures for the day.

I didn't get pictures of some of the "best" birds of my day:  I had a lovely Fox Sparrow sitting on a branch over some water, who got scared away by a duck landing in the water.  I had a Swamp Sparrow that  kept hopping behind things and then flew away.  Just as an Eastern Towhee hopped out onto the path, a guy came along with a dog on a leash and scared the towhee away--my Winter Wren also got scared away by a dog on a leash, but I'd already gotten a picture and the dog was a Puli, which I'd never seen one in person before, so that was interesting, too!

Here's a Winter Wren... (I need more zoom on my camera, LOL!)

A pair of Chipping Sparrows...

The White-throated Sparrows are looking very bright for breeding season...

This male Northern Cardinal was feeding the female in courtship...

This Mallard may look like he's sleeping, but his eyes are open...

The Grackles are looking very iridescent...

This Grackle has half a dinner roll, but he couldn't put it down to eat it, because other birds were trying to take it from him...

In the center of this picture is a Hermit Thrush who ran into the bushes and never came out again...:sigh:...

We'll see what the rest of the month brings!

Today's exercise tip

If you're at work, and you realize that it's still so wonderfully light out at 5pm, and that makes you think that bathing suit season is right around the corner and maybe you should work on your arms (discreetly, of course),  you might then decide that you're going to be all clever and use the heavy duty 3-hole punch as a free weight to do some arm lifts perhaps... 

Well, I'm here to tell you that it would be a good idea to empty all the punched-out holes from it first...

How To Do Your Taxes in 20 Easy Steps

(Note:  these instructions pre-suppose that you have cookies in the house.  If you don’t (and I don’t believe you!), either go to the kitchen and make some, or go to the store and buy some—your choice.)

1. Bring the bag of everything financial from last year downstairs to do it in front of the tv and the fireplace -- it’s much nicer that way.  Get something to drink, because taxes are thirsty work, and maybe you should have a cookie to go with that drink. 

2. Look out the window.  That cookie was good, perhaps another is in order…

3. Look in the bag, think "didn't I swear I was going to be organized last year and that this year was going to be different?"

4. Dump bag on table, set little pieces of paper (aka “receipts”) aside.  Put big pieces (bills, etc) into stacks by company. Organize stacks.  Wonder how recipe for ice cream, now-expired coupon for goat cheese and password for college alumni website ended up in the bag.  Wonder where a couple of missing credit card statements are, hope there's nothing important on them. Occasionally curse bank of your choice for charging high credit card rates, or whatever weasel-like behavior they’ve been exhibiting.

5. Look out the window again.  Go to store to buy finch socks because the poor little birdies out there have nothing to eat.

6. Come home and put up finch socks and some suet for good measure.  If the birds are going to eat, you may as well have a cookie, too.

7. Look at pile of receipts and other assorted tiny pieces of paper.  Think, "I =know= I said last year that I was going to be more organized and that this year would be different.  Next year =WILL= be different. Maybe I'll get Quicken."  Go to kitchen and look at cookies, but it’s awfully close to dinner—maybe just a half of one.

8. Go online to price Quicken.  Check out Facebook to make sure you're not missing out on anything important. Is it your turn to play in one of the online Scrabble games?  Heaven forfend that anyone should wait.  Weren’t you going to upload some pictures??

9. Time for dinner.  Make it, eat it, clean up.

10.  Watch tv, sort receipts and tiny pieces of paper during the commercials.

11. Organize everything in neat little piles on the table. Check Facebook, make your online-Scrabble move if it’s your turn again, watch more tv, occasionally glance at piles on table.  Have one more cookie.

12. Go to bed because you're tired and you don't want to make any mathematical mistakes, which in this state you will, of course, because you're tired.

13. Get up. Look at pieces of paper on table. Think that you need a good fortifying breakfast to tackle it, so make eggs.

14. Wash dishes. God forbid you attract a bug while you're doing your taxes.

15. Is that a spider on the ceiling?

16. Shower.  You don't want to smell.  And get dressed, because what if a neighbor looked in the window and saw you doing your taxes in a towel--what would people think?  Besides, it's cold.  Holy cow, how long has that laundry been sitting there?  Fold socks and underwear and put in neat little piles.  Go back downstairs, because it's really time you began to sit down and...Ooh, cookies!

17. Do anything else you can possibly think of to procrastinate until you finally cannot stand it any longer and you know it has to be done before you see the accountant in the morning, so buckle down, add everything up and write down the totals on the form he sent you.  Eat a cookie.

18. Look for missing credit card statements. Wonder how you could have possibly been so disorganized all last year and wonder what the hell your life is coming to. Eat a cookie.

19. Find a box to put everything in and write the year on the outside of it, in thick marker. Make sure to get every side, because you know you'll put the side you've written on against the wall and then hell, you'll never know where anything is ever again.  NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT.  Eat a cookie.

20. Take everything to the accountant, discuss very important matters (cookies, unfortunately are not deductible, despite being an essential part of the tax-preparation process), let their office type everything up, review it when it’s ready, and sign and submit it.  Pay or collect refund as directed.

NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT, BY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!   Eat a cookie.

I checked gravity for you all last week...you're welcome!

Scene: Me, walking over 51st St., talking to my Mom on my cellphone about our respective days. She is telling me something, when suddenly my heel hits something on the pavement, wobbles and I am immediately on the ground, having executed an almost-absolutely brilliant stage fall, taking the brunt on my hip, travelling up the torso and not landing on my knees at all.  It would have been perfect, had I not instinctively stuck out my left hand and struck the heel of my palm...

Me (my cellphone has not left my ear):  Hold on a minute, Mom, I fell over.

Mom:  What? Fell over what?

Me:  I FELL OVER!! My heel hit something and I'm on the ground. (I start laughing, and realize there are several people trying to figure out if I need help or not..one hands me my fabulous wooly hat, which is on the wet sidewalk...) Thank you -- I'm ok... (they continue on their ways)

Mom:  (laughing) Are you ok!?

Me:  Yes, yes, I think so, let me just get up... (I stand...I can move everything and don't seem injured.) Ok... that was just weird...

Mom:  What =happened=!?

Me:  I don't know--we were talking, then I was on the ground!!   (We are continuing to laugh hysterically...)  Ok, so what were we talking about?

Mom:  (pause)... I have no idea...

Me:  Me neither... (more hysterical laughter...)

And...scene.

(And no, except for some soreness in my left hand where I hit it, I wasn't sore at all the next day!)

I Agree: Yes, Artists Matter...

The blog Everyday Opera posted a wonderful entry entitled "Why Artists Matter" this week.  I was inspired to share it on my own personal Facebook page, but I'll also share my comments here.

I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but I recently saw on thread on Facebook (on a page that didn't belong to one of my friends --it was in comments of a post that was economy-related that one of my friends had shared) a comment along the... lines of "art and artists don't do any real work and don't contribute, so they shouldn't even be considered (in whatever discussion...)..." I had neither the time nor the emotional energy to respond (and respond well!) at that time (and had not at hand my statistics about how much money the arts =does= bring into the economy--it's actually a lot!), and so left that person to the others there telling him he was an idiot, but it genuinely sorrows me that there are people that think the arts don't matter, because they do -- they matter to =all= of us.

We need music, theatre, dance, painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, literature, etc. to bring us beauty for our souls and something to reflect on and perhaps give us a mental or emotional "vacation" from the difficulties of daily life and to give people "excuses" to feel emotions they might normally not think they could or "should" feel. I don't know of a civilization that's has recorded any history or left any evidence of themselves that hasn't left behind traces of artwork or decorative metal-working or music or -something-. I believe it's fundamental in our natures to want to create, and it is integral to our beings to do so and to support others in their creations.

If you've already read this far, I challenge everyone out there to go out and experience something artistic that you normally might not have by the end of this month. (That gives you 15 whole days!) Go to an art exhibit or a chamber music concert or the symphony or a dance recital, or even just youtube something you might not ordinarily look at if you are snowbound and can't get out! Go do something to support the arts... thank you.