Author: sharonstjoan

Great Tailed Grackles are fun birds to watch.

You find them easily by following their loud and distinctive vocalizations.

They chatter, sing, whistle and shriek. (I included a link at the end of this post if you are interested in listening to the diversity of their songs and calls.)

But mostly they sing like this happy guy.

Grackles are always at least as interested in you as you are in them!

They are devoted people watchers.

Cheers to you from the cheerful grackles~

Here is a sampling of their vocalizations:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great-tailed_Grackle/sounds

For the Hindu, evolution being the work of a blind watchmaker creates no problem. The creator god is not the supreme power. He is not infallible. He is but a form of the Mother Goddess. – Aravindan Neelakandan

Unlike Christendom, Hindu intelligentsia did not have a problem with the idea of evolution. Evolution came to India within a few decades of 1859. In 1879, the Krishna Samhita of Kedarnath Datta Bhaktivinoda was published. He was the grand guru of Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada Swami, the founder of ISKCON. Particularly interesting is the way Bhakitivinoda Swami treats the Dashavatara concept in his book:

What a beauty.

I couldn’t figure why he was here in his breeding plumage hanging out with the snowy egrets.

Maybe he was lost.

Cheers to you from the lonely cattle egret ~

Hummingbirds in flight are difficult photos for me.

You can see his tongue here,

and here.

The world has been so depressing for such a long time now,

that I am sharing some of what keeps me going.

And risk boring you with too many photos.

I am going to post a series of hummingbirds, macros are next.

Hummingbirds help me realize how hopeful the world still is.

I hope they help you too. Cheers to you from The Holler Hummers~

The U.S. military has replied to PETA’s letter about recent reports that dogs—including working dogs, animal companions of evacuated Americans, and rescued animals—were left in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Army sent us this response:

I can report that the U.S. military did not leave any dogs in cages at the airport. … During the extremely complicated and dangerous final phases of the retrograde mission, U.S. forces went to great lengths to help the Kabul Small Animal Rescue facilitate the evacuation of more than 150 stray Afghan dogs. These dogs were not permitted on military evacuation flights due to regulations, but the Kabul Small Animal Rescue claimed to have arranged a chartered plane to rescue the animals. Unfortunately, that plane did not arrive, leaving no options to evacuate the dogs. U.S. forces identified…

Curious vole in a hole says hello,

while squirrely plots to get his fix.

Forced to ponder,

as squirrels are,

he finally leaps,

to steal his treats.

And stares me down with a squirrely frown.

Cheers to you from clever critters everywhere~

Crescent City, nearing the border with Oregon.

Battery Point lighthouse began operation in 1856.

Coastal Oaks covered with moss in temperate rain forests.

Southern forests are much drier.

Point Reyes National Sea Shore. (Click to enlarge)

Fierce winds have bent the trees at The Point Reyes Lighthouse.

Klamath California (click and see if you can spot the distant grazing elk herd).

Cheers to you from coastal California~