#id make bill a duck pond

[villeville-chronicles]

Idea: new natural, enchanted forest island with forest animal villagers.

I don't want to delete my current island because I do like it and I'd miss my villagers. I'd have to get another Switch to hook up to my pc monitor, or wait until they allow multiple islands on one account. Until that happens, this is a thought experiment.

I'm thinking of calling the island "Quartzite." I'd pick an island with one east or west facing river. There would be lots of meaningful terraforming, with villagers houses and other buildings scattered around the island. I'd use a lot of hyacinth lamps, as well as mush lamps. I want to use purple roses, purple hyacinths,, blue roses, and white windflowers. The island would be forested with cedar trees. There'd be a lot of wooden details.

As for villagers, here's my list:

Bill the duck,

Tasha the squirrel (has markings like a skunk),

Blaire the squirrel,

Kyle the wolf,

Maple the cub,

Bonbon the rabbit,

Grizzly the bear,

Beau the deer,

Deirdre the deer,

Prince the frog.

I can't wait until they allow multiple islands on one account!

[amuseoffyre]

Ficlet: Give Me a Sign

On the back of Synap’s post about the sign in Aziraphale’s door matching the writing on Crowley’s fake ID, I had an amusing thought and this is the result.

“What in Heaven’s name is this!”

Crowley shot a quick glance back from the duck pond. The palace-end ducks were trying to stage a coup, but that big black swan had swept in at the last minute, throwing its backing in behind the horseguards end. Better than a soap opera, that. “What?”

“What?” Aziraphale huffed – both out of breath and outraged. “This!”

A piece of paper was shoved in front of Crowley’s face and he batted it aside, watching the Moorcock coming in with a lovely dive, snatching the last glob of seed right out from under a cocky mallard’s bill. “S’a bit of paper!”

“Yes!” Aziraphale really was in a mood, he thought, amused. “And what the Hell was it doing in the window of my shop door?”

Ah.

It had only taken the angel eight and a half months to notice it. Crowley’d had ready money that it would go the full year.

He licked the inside of his cheek and tore his attention away from the free entertainment. It’d wind down soon, anyway. No food left to fight over.

The angel was all puffed up like a pigeon, chest out, chin out, everything out. “Well?” he demanded, waving the sheet. “What did you think you were doing?”

Crowley shrugged cheerfully. “Every good shop has opening hours. I was being helpful.”

“You were being–” Aziraphale’s mouth opened in disbelief. “You – this – I hardly call this helpful!”

Crowley innocently raised his eyebrows. “Why not?”

“Well, it’s– I– these aren’t standard hours at all! I’m amazed anyone could understand them or work out…” He trailed off and looked back at the piece of paper. “Oh.”

There it was. Crowley grinned. “Yeah.”

“They won’t know when the shop is open,” Aziraphale said, his own smile spreading on his face.

“Yeah.” It wasn’t swaggering if you just hooked your thumbs through your belt and rocked in place. Felt a bit like it though. “You’re welcome.”

The angel’s mouth did that I’m-not-allowed-to-smile-at-this-but-it’s-escaping-anyway twist and he re-read the page. “You know,” he said, “this is really rather clever.”

“Obviously.” The fact that it was also 100% accurate seemed to be passing the angel by.

Aziraphale made a face at him. “Don’t be facetious, dear boy.”

Crowley reached out and tugged the end of the paper. “Well, if you don’t want it.”

The angel snatched it back with an indignant gasp. “Don’t you dare!”

Crowley turned back to the duck pond to hide the smile spreading on his face. “Fine,” he sighed. “Least you can do is buy me a drink.”

There was the smallest of pauses. “Shall we make it lunch?”

He laughed and flicked another seed grenade into the unclaimed territory of the pond. “Why not?”

[dansnaturepictures]

16/11/19-Brilliant birding day at Portland 

In a repeat of what we did this Saturday a year ago, which resulted in us missing the fireworks (which Missy one of our dogs gets very scared of) we did a further afield trip to Portland. Last year we did Radipole Lake in Weymouth too but today it was Portland harbour and bill with a quick look at Cheyne Weaves and Ferry Bridge too and it felt great to do a Dorset trip once more this year after looking like our Brownsea Island trip late last month might be our last this year. I took the first five pictures in this photoset, two views at Ferry Bridge, two at the harbour in a nice little bit of sunshine and one from Cheyne Weaves. 

To be honest it was a relatively quiet day bird wise until we reached the cliffs of Portland Bill and saw Gannets and Guillemots out to sea. This changed things as we went on to see some really top birds with the way we saw them standing out in my mind after this. We didn’t confirm until when home really but we got a great view of a bird on the fence that looked a little like a Black Redstart. Some kind people we met later on who sadly didn’t see it said this species was about. I had one far away picture of it before it flew out of view and looked back on it and thought maybe it was a Black Redstart and then when home I decided it was. This means I have seen this bird twice this year and actually twice this month now after Sturt Pond two weeks ago tomorrow so this is brilliant and means I have seen this species seven times now. 

Among the top birds that kept coming were a few groups of Common Scoters out to sea one shown in the sixth picture I took today in this photoset, this was really great to see a first for us here and like Black Redstart it’s the first time I have seen them on two separate occasions in a year. This is interesting as these two birds have been seen together by me before in a day on a special day at Hill Head in 2016 when Black Redstart levelled my then highest ever total of birds seen in a year and Common Scoter beat it the first year that started these amazing ones for birds for me so this was a nice touch. 

We also saw numerous Ravens barking about the place a very strong bird for this location like the Rock Pipits we saw at both main locations lots today. I took the seventh and eighth picture in this photoset of them. This like the Common Scoter was a photographical first for me to mean I have now photographed all eight crow species in my life and photographed them all this year too which was very nice. Up until that point today I had not managed to take a wildlife picture bar a Pied Wagtail couple at the harbour that were blurred I didn’t know if the scoters were just ID quality standard or not by that point but it was quite something to start me off for wildlife pictures today. 

The moment of the day came next though as we walked up to where the Short-eared Owls fly around for our fourth attempt to try and see them here over the last two years something that was seeming like it might never happen for us. But I felt positive today we had been told they don’t fly around as much here in strong winds and today finally it felt not so windy. I said we stood a good chance. As we walked up past some buildings we saw a Kestrel on a wire and then another possibly the same one gliding really nicely below the cliff face which was a good view. But I looked up at that moment and thought I saw a Buzzard above but it was smaller. I got the binoculars on this bird and I was over the moon to see it was a Short-eared Owl! 

As we looked there were two more birds with it and we found these were Short-eared Owls too. We enjoyed the next half an hour-forty five minutes or so on and off watching these remarkable birds. I took the record shot the ninth picture in this photoset of one. It felt like very precious moments rivalling that of the last ones we saw flying right above and beside us nearly three years ago now in January 2017 at Farlington Marshes which propelled this bird onto my B list of favourite birds I have seen all nine species on this list in 2019 now. But in the now five times I have seen Short-eared Owls in my life I have never seen three together before. So I was very very happy. 

This is my 193rd bird of the year taking my year list two birds ahead of what I had seen a year ago today on my highest ever bird year list. This catches up a little tomorrow with Ring-necked Duck our first ever seen on that Saturday at Radipole Lake. My year list now includes three owl species alongside little and barn the first time I have seen three of the four I‘ve seen in my life in a year since 2016 when these three species came back into my life. Interestingly that January the day after short-eared at Farlington Marshes I saw little here and barn on the way back home so this is such an important place and trip for this family of birds I adore. 

I took the tenth picture in this photoset of one of many Kestrels we saw today which was very nice. Today I found to be a top class birdwatching day with so many astonishing species seen and I had a lot of winter fun to make this one of my standout days this year. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Short-eared Owls of the year, two of my favourite birds the Gannet and Guillemot, Shag, Cormorant, Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Scoter, Rock Pipit, Black Redstart, Pied Wagtail, Blackbird, Wren, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven and Kestrel.

[ameryth74]

Louis **** Title Generator Tool

** **** it 

LOL.... go!

Two letter words:

There are 107 acceptable 2-letter words listed in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 6th Edition and the Official Tournament and Club Word List:

AA, AB, AD, AE, AG, AH, AI, AL, AM, AN, AR, AS, AT, AW, AX, AY, BA, BE, BI, BO, BY, DA, DE, DO, ED, EF, EH, EL, EM, EN, ER, ES, ET, EW, EX, FA, FE, GI, GO, HA, HE, HI, HO, ID, IF, IN, IS, IT, JO, JU, JY, JZ, KA, KI, KO, LA, LI, LO, MA, ME, MI, MM, MO, MU, MY, NA, NE, NO, NU, OD, OE, OF, OH, OI, OK, OM, ON, OP, OR, OS, OW, OX, PA, PE, PI, PO, QI, RE, SH, SI, SO, TA, TE, TI, TO, UH, UM, UN, UP, US, UT, WE, WO, XI, XU, YA, YE, YO, ZA

Two letter contractions: I’m, I’d

Four letter verbs:

abet, abut, abye/aby, ache, alit, ally, ante, arch, aver, avow (10).

baby,  bach, back, bade, baff, bail, bait, bake, bald, bale, balk, ball, band, bang, bank, bant, barb, bard, bare, barf, bark, base, bash, bask, bate, bath, bauk, bawl, bead, beam, bean, bear,    beat, beck, bede, beef, been, beep, bell, belt, bend, bent, bere, best, bias, bide(archaic usage), biff, bike, bilk, bill, bind, bird, birl, birr, bite, bitt, blab, blat, blaw, bled, blet, blew, blip, blob, blot, blow, blub, blue, blur, boak, boat, bode, body, boff(vulgar usage), boil, boke, bomb, bond, bone, bong, bonk, boob, book, boom, boot, bore, born, boss, boun, bowl, brad, brag, bray, bred, brew, brim, buck, buff, bulk, bull, bump, bung, bunk, bunt, buoy, burl, burn, burp, burr, bury, bush, busk, buss, bust, busy, butt, buzz (117).

ca-ca, cage, cake, calk, call, calm, came, camp, cane, cant, card, care, carp, cart, case, cash, cast, cave, cede, cere, chap, char, chat, chaw, chid, chin, chip, chop, chow, chug, chum, cite, clad, clam, clap, claw, clay, clew, clip, clog, clop, clot, cloy, club, clue, coal, coat, coax, cock, code, coif, coil, coin, coke, comb, come, comp, cone, conk, conn, cook, cool, coop, cope, copy, cord, core, cork, corn, cosh, cost, coup, cove, cowl, crab, cram, crap, crew, crib, crop, crow, cube, cuff, cull, curb, curd, cure, curl, curr, cuss (90).

dado, daff, damn, damp, dang, dare, dark, darn, dart, dash, date, daub, dawn, daze, deal, deck, deed, deem, defy, deke, dele, demo, dent, deny, dial, dice, died, diet, dike, dine, ding, ding, dint, dirk, disc, dish, disk, diss, dive, dock, doff, dole, dome, done, doom, dope, dose, doss, dote, dove, down, doze, drab, drag, draw, dray, dree, drew, drip, drop, drub, drug, drum, duck, duel, duet, dull, dumb, dump, dung, dunk, dupe, dusk, dust, dyke (75).

earn, ease, echo, eddy, edge, edit, emit, envy, espy, etch, even, exit (12).

face, fade, fail, fake, fall, fame, fard, fare, farm, fart, fash, fast, fate, fawn, faze, fear, feed, feel, fell, felt, fend, fess, fete, feud, file, fill, film, find, fine, fink, fire, firm, fish, fist, fizz, flag, flap, flat, flaw, flay, fled, flee, flew, flex, flip, flit, flog, flop, flow, flub, flux, foal, foam, foil, foin, fold, fond, fool, foot, ford, fork, form, foul, fowl, frag, frap, fray, free, fret, frig, frit, fuel, full, fume, fund, funk, furl, fuse, fuss, futz, fuze, fuzz (82).

gaff, gage, gain, gait, gall, game, gang, gaol, gape, garb, gash, gasp, gast(obsolete), gate, gaum(US), gave, gawk, gawp, gaze, gear, geld, gibe, gift, gild, gill, gimp, gird, girt, give, glad(archaic), glom, glow, glue, glug, glut, gnar, gnaw, go by, go on, goad, golf, gone, gong, goof, gore, gown, grab, gray, grew, grey, grid, grin, grip, grit, grow, grub, gulf, gull, gulp, gush, gust, gybe, gyre, gyve (64).

hack, haft, hail, hale, halo, halt, hand, hang, hare, hark, harm, harp, hash, hasp, hast, hate, hath(archaic), haul, have, hawk, haze, head, heal, heap, hear, heat, heed, heel, heft, held, helm, help, hent(obsolete), herd, hewn, hide, hike, hill, hint, hire, hiss, hive, hoax, hock, hoke(slang), hold, hole, home, hone, honk, hood, hoof, hook, hoop, hoot, hope, horn, hose, host, hove, howl, huff, hulk, hull, hump, hung, hunt, hurl, hurt, hush, husk, hymn, hype, hypo (74).

idle, inch, iris, iron, isle, itch (6).

jack, jade, jail, jape, jazz, jeep, jeer, jell, jerk, jest, jibe, jilt, jink, jinx, jive, join, joke, jolt, josh, juke, jump, junk (22).

kayo, keek(Scots), keel, keen, keep, kept, kern, kick, kill, kiln, kilt, kink, kiss, kite, knap, knew, knit, knot, know (19).

lace, lack, laid, lain, lair, lake, lamb, lame, land, lard, lark, lase, lash, last, lath, laud, lave, laze, lazy, lead, leaf, leak, lean, leap, lech, leer, left, lend, lens, lent, levy, lick, lift, like, lilt, limb, lime, limn, limp, line, link, lisp, list, live, load, loaf, loan, lock, loft, loll, long, look, loom, loop, loot, lope, lord, lose, lost, loup(Scots), lour, lout, love, lube, luck, luff, luge, lull, lump, lure, lurk, lust, lute, lyse (74).

mace, made, mail, maim, make, mall, malt, mark, marl, mart, mash, mask, mass, mast, mate, maul, maze, mean, meet, meld, mell, melt, mend, meow, mesh, mess, mete, mewl, miff, milk, mill, mime, mind, mine, mint, mire, miss, mist, moan, moat, mock, moil, mold, molt, moon, moor, moot, mope, moss, move, muck, muff, mull, mump, muse, mush, muss, must, mute (59).

nail, name, near, neck, need, nest, nick, nigh, nill(obsolete), nock, nose, nosh, note, nuke, null, numb (16).

obey, ogle, oink, okay, omen, omit, ooze, open, oust, over (10).

pace, pack, page, pain, pair, pale, pall, palm, pang, pant, pare, park, part, pash(Austral), pass, pave, pawn, peak, peal, peck, peek, peel, peen, peep, peer, pelt, pend, perk, perm, pick, pike, pile, pill, pimp, pine, ping, pink, pipe, piss(vulgar), pith, pity, plan, plat, play, plod, plop, plot, plow, plug, pock, poke, pole, poll, pond, pool, pore, port, pose, post, pour, pout, pray, pree, prep, prey, prim, prod, prog, prop, puff, puke, pule, pull, pulp, pump, punt, purl, purr, push, putt (80).

quad, quip, quit, quiz (4).

race, rack, raft, rage, raid, rail, rain, rake, ramp, rang, rank, rant, rape, rase, rasp, rate, rave, raze, razz, read, ream, reap, rear, reck, redd(dialect), rede(archaic), redo, reed, reef, reek, reel, rein, rely, rend, rent, rest, re-up, rice, rick, ride, riff, rift, rile, rill, rime(archaic)/rhyme, ring, riot, rise, risk, rive, roam, roar, robe, rock, rode, roil, rolf, roll, romp, roof, rook, room, root, rope, rose, rout, rove, ruck, ruff, ruin, rule, rush, rust (73).

sack, said, sail, sale, salt, sand, sass, sate, save, sawn, scab, scam, scan, scar, scat, scud, scum, seal, seam, sear, seat, seed, seek, seel, seem, seen, seep, sell, send, sent, sewn, shag, sham, shed, shim, shin, ship, shit, shoe, shog, shoo, shop, shot, show, shun, shut, sick, side, sift, sigh, sign, silk, silt, sing, sink, sire, site, size, skew, skid, skim, skin, skip, slab, slag, slam, slap, slat, slay, sled, slew, slid, slim, slip, slit, slog, slop, slot, slow, slub, slue, slug, slum, slur, smut, snag, snap, snip, snow, snub, snug, soak, soap, soar, sock, soil, sold, sole, solo, soot, sorb, sort, soup, sour, sown, spae(scottish), spam, span, spar, spat, spay, spec, sped, spew, spin, spit, spot, spud, spur, spurn, stab, stag, star, stay, stem, step, stet, stew, stir, stop, stow, stub, stud, stun, suck, suds, suit, sulk, sung, sunk, surf, swab, swag, swam, swan(brit), swap, swat, sway, swig, swim, swob, swop(brit)/swap, swot, swum, sync (155).

tabu, tack, tail, take, talc, talk, tame, tamp, tang, tank, tape, tare, task, taut, taxi, team, tear, teem, tell, tend, tent, term, test, text, thaw, thin, thud, tick, tide, tidy, tier, tiff, tile, till, tilt, time, tine, ting, tint, tire, toil, toke, told, tole, toll, tomb, tone, tong, took, tool, toot, tope, tore, torn, toss, tote, tour, tout, tram, trap, tree, trek, trim, trip, trod, trot, trow(archaic), true, tube, tuck, tuft, tune, turf, turn, tusk, twig(Brit), twin, twit, type (79).

undo, urge (2).

vade, vail(archaic), vamp, vary, veal, veer, veil, vein, vend, vent, vest, veto, vide, view, vine, visa, vise, void, vote (19).

wade, waft, wage, wail, wait, wake, wale, walk, wall, wane, want, ward, ware(archaic), warm, warn, warp, wash, waul, wave, wawl, wean, wear, weed, ween, weep, weet, weld, well, welt, wend, went, wept, were, wert(archaic), wham, whap, whet, whid(Scottish), whip, whir, whiz, whop, wick, wile, will, wilt, wind, wine, wing, wink, wipe, wire, wise, wish, wisp, wist, wite, wive, woke, wolf, wont, wood, woof, word, wore, work, worm, worn, wove, wrap, writ(archaic) (71).

x-ray (1).

yack, yank, yard, yarn, yaup, yawn, yawp, yean, yell, yelp, yerk, yeuk, yock, yoke, yowl, yo-yo(informal), yuck (17).

zero, zest, zinc, zing, zone, zonk, zoom (7).

IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT

(yes there are 28 ITs)

[sussex-nature-lover]

Tuesday 29th December 2020

My Bird List Again. Parts 3 & 4

♦ outside links are indicated by bold type - none are affiliated to this blog

Guest Photograph - Two Jays out of the window in South London. I’m assured there were four but as is the way, two took off. Photo Credit: Ms NW tE

♦ Faces in Things. Now I’ve circled the Jays I can see a cartoon character with unruly hair. First thought was a cheeky Ostrich’s head, but Crow thinks he can see a cute Badger. Now I can see both.

Brought Forward 24 species

Yesterday I listed the every day birds in our garden and those we can guarantee to see most days, definitely every week, plus the new spots for this year. Next up is 

GARDEN REGULARS:

These are the birds we see frequently but not necessarily every day or this time of year

Song Thrush

If you followed my Blog earlier in the year you’ll recall the calamitous tale of ‘Tracey’ who tried to nest in our porch, firstly on the top of - and with some gentle encouragement, later inside - the open fronted nest box. We called her Tracey after the artist best known for her ‘messy bed’ Sadly the nest came to nothing except a very watchable experience, but we have seen youngsters who if not from Tracy, someone else got it right this year.

Song Thrush are seen here most weeks but we can’t depend on it being so. What I could depend on through early Spring was that one had taken over from the Blackbird and was giving me wakeup calls from the very early hours. It’s annoying to be disturbed so early, but also kind of comforting to have your regulars out there making their presence known.

Wren

Strangely for such a cute little bird I don’t have anything much to say, certainly no personal stories. They’re around, but very low key. I know them best for their upturned tail and unfeasibly loud voice. Sorry no photo, must rectify that, this one’s from the WildlifeTrusts.org site

Stock Dove

Of all the birds I’ve ever seen the Stock Dove is the biggest revelation to me. Until I had my eyes replaced I thought they were plain monotone grey birds. When I could see properly WOW WOW WOW. They have so many tones, they’re so beautiful and the pink, emerald-jade and purple hues are outstanding when they catch the sunshine. This realisation is one of the most incredible sights of my life and both that initial memory and every new viewing always will be.

Collared Dove

One of the above is not a Collared Dove - nope, not buying it even if you have got your best collar on mate

To be fair, I almost put the Stock and Collared Doves in the every day/reliable category, but on balance I don’t think they’re quite there at this time of year. We do see them most days and the charming Collared ones always come in pairs - just like me and Crow.

Green Woodpecker

My ant-eaters. Not seen on the same basis as the Great Spotteds but they live here and breed successfully. Quite stately birds with beautiful plumage I love to see the brief flash of yellow underwing as they whizz through the garden and to hear their laughing ‘yaffle’ 

Similar to GSWs you can tell the sex by the red or plain black colouring. In the Greens it’s on the ‘moustache’ area - see male above with red: females have black. On the GSs it’s plain black heads for females and a red patch at the nape of the neck for males.

Magpie

Comical birds. We seem to have less here than we did. The most I’ve ever seen was a huge flock on the Common in Tunbridge Wells. It’s called the Common but it has the main road going through it and where I saw them was no more than a large patch of grass and trees. The other side is more typical common land, steep and heath-like.

One year we were highly entertained by garden resident DJ (after DJ Spoony) so called as he created a cache of goodies gathered from around the garden much like a Bower Bird decorates its nest. DJ just kept his treasures amongst the leaves at the base of the palm and included a plastic spoon that we used to put out cat food for the hedgehogs...it took us a while to locate.

Common Buzzard

This photo is from the field now known as Babs’ Field directly across the lane from our house. It’s a big field so this is a very long zoom. We saw a huge Buzzard down the lane just yesterday actually. A lot of sightings recently.

Goldfinch

A standing joke in our house - so, so hard for me to capture a picture of them they tormented me and then all of a sudden this Summer they started coming into the garden more and I got photos on fences, verges and wires down the lane too.

Pied Wagtail

Has bred in the porch nest box years ago, had two successful broods. We watched them fledge down on to the log pile. Favourite nestling was The Bunter - guess why? Maybe that was the one who grew up to be The Inspector patrolling the seed and shooing everyone away just because he could.

Grey Wagtail

Usually flies in for a very quick drink and off again, or perches on the corner of the roof by our bedroom briefly.

Sparrowhawk

Nicknamed for both sexes is Sid (Vicious after the punk rock singer)

These two are males. We know their favourite places in the garden. On the fence between us and next door with an eye line to the feeders; on the posts around the decking, perched on a spade or on the bird bath.

Female below.

Total 11

INFREQUENT VISITORS:

Swallow 

All around the local area, once very welcome guests and residents in our front porch.

I also once found one in Ms NW tE’s bedroom and had absolutely no idea how it could’ve got there. This was long before the nesting. I assume it must’ve found a way under the eaves where there’s a fitted wardrobe built in. It wasn’t panicking at all.

Swift 

Sorry no picture, too high overhead. This one below courtesy of the Wildlife Trust site. Along with Swallows and Housemartins a lovely sign of Summer.

Greenfinch

 A very welcome returner this year and they bred, which is brilliant news

Juvenile

Bullfinch 

Sadly not seen any at all this year, which is unusual. Doesn’t mean they haven’t been and we’ve missed them though

Mistle Thrush

We have seen them, but no photos as yet. 

I can’t tell the difference between a Song and Mistle Thrush, I ask for an expert ID. The RSPB says Mistle Thrush are

Medium-sized birds, they’re our largest thrush Chunky and pot-bellied Tawny brown and grey backs with a creamy white speckled front Whiteish cheeks Bold and bullish

and their song is somewhere between Song Thrush and Blackbird. That said we seem to have some Song Thrush here whose songs have evolved (as they do) This might help, although I think in real life it’s less clear cut. I obviously need more practice. 

Jay

The Jay is so shy and has a fairly comical looking face. They live in the woods but we rarely see them in the garden and any photo is snatched very hurriedly, hence the quality of this one. They don’t need to come into the garden though as the woods are full of Oak trees and so their favourite food supply and places to cache it, is right there for them.

Kestrel

Usually seen up at the farm where we saw her a lot with her babies, this mother of two came into our garden in the Summer.

Common Gull

Rather unclear it was very low light inside the kitchen and this was grabbed with my phone. The last few days we have seen hundreds of Gulls: they’ve come inland to the fields due to the inclement weather I guess.

Nightingale 

Definitely heard and confirmed by our neighbour and the local farmer, however, I can’t hand on heart say I’ve spotted them by eye. I think they should be included here though as we more than likely have seen them as well as heard them. I know where they hang out for sure and it’s steps away (see below) The problem for me is that they’re quite insignificant looking if you’re not primed to spot one.

Photo credit Bird Guides on line

9

ONE OFFS IN THE GARDEN:

Mallard

 Two males and a female decided to reside in our garden one summer. We called them Max, Paddy and Holy Mary - a Phoenix Nights reference from the TV series.

Heron 

Occasionally seen overhead, has investigated our garden pond. Not that we’ve got any fish, which is why it probably hasn’t been back. We see them fly by sometimes and definitely up at the ponds. When the one was in our garden I was struck by its size and prehistoric look, of course they look much bigger in a domestic garden than when you see them in a wider setting.

Below is my own photo of a Heron, but at Richmond, not at our pond.

Turtle Dove

2006 was a good year. We had the Ducks and a few sightings of the Dove. I think it stopped by the following year too but can’t be absolutely sure.

Yellowhammer 2014

Just the once on the patio right in front of us, it was quite a surprise.

This is not actually my photo, which is mislaid for now. It’s generic so can’t attribute it.

Woodcock 2019

The Woodcock was a complete shock. I spotted something out of the side window and because of the colouring thought it was a strange female Pheasant, until I saw its bill. Wooaaah! 

5

ONE OFFS IN THE AREA:

Kingfisher down at the bridge

Mixed flock of Geese including White and Grey Lag - in Babs the Buzzard’s field

2

Sub Category just out of interest and not counted

REPORTED BY MY NEIGHBOUR:

Visual of a Cuckoo, which we’ve only heard and not seen for sure. We possibly saw one at the farm, but didn’t confirm for certain.

Goldcrest. I’m jealous

 + 2

REGULARS AT THE FARM:

Little Owl

White Dove

Coot

Moorhen

Canada Goose

Various Ducks such as Grebe, not including Mallard mentioned above

6+

TOTAL = 57+  species spotted at home and 2 others on the one off list seen adjacent to our garden.

Plus Tawny Owl, heard frequently but can’t promise to have a sighting as yet.

Decoration from the Christmas Trees in Standen Courtyard

a lovely hand stitched heart with wild flowers. Let’s hope the Roadside Verges campaign and sensible strimming season grows stronger next year.

Christmas Music of Choice is the Piano Guys

with a very clever Christmas medley and visuals

[javsdiaz97]

🌎¡Feliz día de la biodiversidad!🌎 🇵🇦Cormorán oliváceo🇵🇦 🇬🇧Neotropic Cormorant🇬🇧 🤓Phalacrocorax brasilianus😎 . They nest on trees or the bare ground next to water, often on barrier islands or small islands in lakes. Forages in almost any sheltered body of water, from calm coastal bays to marshes, swamps, rivers, ponds, reservoirs, and fish farms inland.🏞🛤🌅 . North American and Caribbean birds (subspecies mexicanus) have large bills but are smaller than the South American and Panamanian subspecies (brasilianus).🇵🇦��🐥 . A slim waterbird, small for a cormorant, with a long neck, a rather long tail, and a fairly thin, straight bill with a hooked tip. It has broad wings and large webbed feet.🦆🦅🦢 . Forages by diving for fish, usually from the water’s surface, like a duck, but occasionally from the air. Dries its feathers by holding its wings open for long periods while standing out of water. Breeds in colonies around freshwater lakes, making nests on trees. Often rests in small flocks, near water’s edge on land, on islands, or trees.🐟🐠🦑🐡 . ➡️Reference: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Neotropic_Cormorant/id . . . #panama #bird #forest #wanderlust #animal #pty #biodiversity #onlynature #instanature #nature #naturephotography #biodiversidad #shot #canon #aves #naturaleza #bosque #biologia #biology #centralamerica #america #latinamerica #wild #wildlife #wander #tree #trees #aves #cormorant #environment #ocean 💚 (at Costa del Este) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAgLMOhBxVG/?igshid=wrc2adp8bte6

[ramrodd]

Duck Ass Don in his Studio 54 Persona

Connecting the dots between Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Paul Whalen

COMMENTARY:

There are 5 nominal coalitions in Russia I can identify. 3 coalitions are the population by age that Michael Lewis identifies in several of his YouTube interviews discussing his latest book “The Fifth Risk”, a portrait of the current status of the Powell Doctrine.

These population strata are not discussed in this particular video but Lewis identifies groups from 0 - 30 years of age, 30 - 60 years of ages, an 60 - up. This is useful to my personal work, but they are not players in the political drama.

One coalition I identify with the constitutional authority that is associated with the Kremlim and extends from Gorbachev through Yeltsin to Putin: they have the keys to the nukes, which is the only moral imperative I apply to this analysis. I became engaged with this coalition in 1975 as a result of Nixon-Breznev “Detente” and Duck Ass Don in 1986, when American banks refused to deal with him.

The only way you could do business in the Soviet Union before 1991 was with the Kremlin by way of Foreign Trade Organizations. In DC, those FTO’s occupied the mansion across from the Hinkley Hilton where Vanity Fair holds its apres Foreign Corrrespondence reception and across Connecticult Avenue from Christopher Hitchen’s apartment, back in the day.

The other coalition I associate with the people who sent the tanks to crush democracy that Yeltsin faced down. After this incident, and Yeltsin’s subsequent reforms, American business interests I associate with Paul Manafort and Bill Browder began doing business directly with the Oligarachs generally opposed to Putin.

Not every Russian associated with this coalition is bent, but there is a a transnational criminal enterprise that has been active since at least 2013, when I first ran into it in the Russian Dark Web. This transnational criminal enterprise has been egaged in destabilizing global constitutional authority through such initiatives as the grass roots agitation for Brexit, the Ukrainian Independence movement, the false flag assassinations in England, the recent “Yellow Vest” riots in Paris and the Russian hack of the US 2016 election. These people have also exploited Citizens United to launder eurodollars into the Evangelical phone banks, conservative PACs and various hedge funds who disguise their actual conduit services under the fiction of proprietary alogrithms.

Duck Ass Don has had a foot in the Kremlin coalition and a toe in the Manafort coalition since Manafort got there, but he has not been able to close a deal, except for the Miss Universe Pagaent, in Moscow because the Kremlim considers him to be a clown which can keep him and all things Trump safe from RICO.

I have never been to Russia and my sociology is based on doing business with the FTOs and from Hedrick Smith’s “The Russians” which was published when I was still active in a US-Soviet aerospace IPO. “Blatt” is the most important economic dynamic discussed in the book and it has to do with the sound of bribe money hitting the palm (slap the back of your right hand in the palm of your left hand: that’s the reference). This is absolutely in the fabric of the culture and my impression in 1980 was that this informal dynamic is how the Soviet Union was able to make Marxism work and it needs to be factored out of any analysis of political intercourse: again, Michael Lewis points out that everybody grew up gaming the Soviet-Marxist system and it continues.

My mistake was to assume “blatt” was far more benign than it was/is. To some degree, I was misled by Soviet propaganda, on one hand, and actually dealing with Soviet executives, on the other. Obama complains about dealing with Putin because Putin is a total zero sum “what’s in it for me” negotiator and it offends Obama’s Chicago quid-pro-quo political education and recently acquired Nobel laureate mantle. I’d vote for Obama again, but he fucked this up and he has been misled by the Nixon haters in the DNC going back to Carter’s cancellation of the Olympic Games in 1980. Clinton should have won a Nobel Prize for the Dayton Accords and my impression has been that Obama got his Nobel on the expectation that he, Obama, would restore the Clinton Doctrine, but, as I say, he fucked it up.

Well, that was the nature of dealing with the Soviets, who represent the climax state of a Supply-side economic model. I am not a negotiator and my boss/partner did all the serious dealing, but I could look over his shoulder and yon only got the business if the Soviets got what they wanted, chapter and verse. The point was, there was no “blatt” in the Soviet business model, which is why Donald Duck Ass never put a deal together. His “Art of the Deal” defines the “blatt” in the Harvard Business model, writ large.

Now, that’s the background. Duck Ass Don’s mistake has been to deny Michael Cohen and to embrace Paul Manafort in his public declarations, which puts him in peril of RICO with Mueller. Putin can corroborate Duck Ass Don’s written testimony establishing his engagement in the Sovereign Democracy that he and Putin inherited from Nixon-Breznev Detente (the reason why you and I went to Vietnam) and establish an existential separation from all things Manafort and the people who sent the tanks to crush democracy that Yeltsin faced down.

Paul Whelan and Roger Stone are both friends of the Russian enemies of the state in the GOP Deep State, along with Steve Bannon, Newt Gingrich, and Eric Prince, among others, and the vast right-wing conspiracy I identified with Donald T. Regan that came to town with Reagan and is ideologically aligned with the Powell Manifesto that was conceived to sabotage Nixon’s Peaceful Structures in 1971 and, now, dominates the GOP.

Who Stole The America Dream. Hedrick Smith.

Paul Whelan’s arrest is Putin’s way of saying he plans to do some housekeeping and is impatient to pull the trigger and the arrest of Roger Stone reflects that sentiment in Mueller’s shop. Mueller actually doesn’t have to do anything until Putin makes his move, because Putin’s purge of the Russian enemies of the state in the coalition that sent the tanks to crush democracy will light up the dark corners of the GOP Deep State in a way Mueller currently can’t get at, but the arrest of Stone is Mueller seeing Putin and raising the ante for the friends of the Russian enemies of the state.

Now, here’s the thing about Duck Ass Don as Potus: I think he is in mortal danger from the criminal elements in the GOP Deep State. Manafort’s task in the Trump campaign was to install Mike Pence a pistol shot away from the Oval Office, like LBJ and the Manchurian Candidate. I think the 50th floor of Trump Towers was torched to remind POTUS to dance with the one’s what brung him to the dance. These people want to blow up the federal government just like Steve Bannon proposes by dismantling the administrative state.

Atlas Shrugged has been the blue print of the Powell Manifesto since 1971 and that’s the source of my agitation. I’m not angry. I’m scared shitless of these people, and have been since Charles Z. Wick put me on a GOP Deep State black list for being a Vietnam “loser” and, as it turns out, the more important sin of implementing Nixon’s Peaceful Structures.

Which is why Roger Stone was arrested: there is a reason why Stone has been flogging his conspiracy theory regarding LBJ’s role in JFK’s assassination: he knows all the players, he and Bannon. And Paul Whelan is one of those players. Putin is just connecting the dots on his side of the pond for people like you and me to see and understand Mueller’s larger purposes.

That’s the short version. Mueller will play out the full epic and Putin will pull the trigger on these people after the Ides of March. Stay tuned. There is a way out for Donald Duck Ass that will get him re-elected and elevate him to the status of George Washington, but it requires him to kick Roy Cohn to the curb and repent of a lifetime of commercial perfidy.

[khalilhumam]

World Shorebirds Day in the Caribbean: The beauty of wetlands and the birds that visit them

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/world-shorebirds-day-in-the-caribbean-the-beauty-of-wetlands-and-the-birds-that-visit-them/

World Shorebirds Day in the Caribbean: The beauty of wetlands and the birds that visit them

Many shorebird species are migratory, but some do stay

Least Sandpiper at Great Pedro Ponds, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. This very small sandpiper spends the winter in South America, via the West Indies. Photo courtesy Ann Haynes Sutton, conservation ecologist, with permission.

Not only do birdwatchers the world over love looking at birds, they also love to count them: lists and data factor into the pastime in a big way. In the Caribbean, these “citizen scientists” play an important role in documenting the presence and the movements of island birds — there are special dates on which they spring into action, and one of these is World Shorebirds Day, which was recognised this year on September 6. In honour of the occasion, regional birds were counted, photographed, and recorded in the eBird Caribbean database between September 3 and 9. Many shorebird species in the Caribbean are migratory, often stopping off in different islands on their way to somewhere else. The chunky Red Knot, for example, is an incredible long-distance flyer. In its ongoing series of online colouring book pages, the nongovernmental conservation organisation (NGO) BirdsCaribbean noted:

Red Knots breed in the far north, the Arctic. They can spend the winter as far south as the southernmost tip of South America. This means they make some amazing migratory journeys of tens of thousands of miles overall! Red Knots gather in large groups in some places during autumn and winter; this makes them vulnerable to threats like sea-level rise and hunting.

BirdsCaribbean also shared a useful Shorebird ID guide, as many of these charming little birds can be deceptively similar:

BirdsCaribbean's guide to identifying common Caribbean shorebirds.

Members of BirdLife Jamaica — much fewer in numbers this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions — trekked in ones and twos to their favorite viewing sites. One member, on arriving in Old Harbour Bay after heavy rains the day before, found the location overwhelmed with mud:

Watching seabirds often involves large quantities of mud. Photo courtesy of Ian Gage, with permission.

Many shorebirds have an amazing range. The Short-billed Dowitcher, for example, flies from Alaska to Canada, winters south in Brazil and spends time in the Caribbean, too:

Short-billed Dowitchers in Great Bay, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Photo courtesy Ann Haynes Sutton, Conservation Ecologist, with permission.

The Grey or Black-bellied Plover is a global nomad. It breeds in the Arctic tundra and winters south, spreading virtually worldwide. This one decided to make a stop in Jamaica:

The Grey or Black-bellied Plover feeding along the water's edge near Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Photo courtesy Emma Lewis, with permission.

There were more sociable events on the calendar. The NGO SusGren (Sustainable Grenadines) shared photos of an educational trip to the newly-restored Ashton Lagoon on Union Island:

In celebration of World Shorebirds Day 2020, SusGren in collaboration with Environmental Attackers conducted educational outreach for some students of the Stephanie Brown Primary school. The high-spirited students, who were out of their beds as early as 5:30 a.m for the session, were engaged in activities such as bird labeling, bingo, and bird identification. […]

In Trinidad, a huge and diverse array of wetland species was on display. The Whimbrel, an elegant shorebird, is another Caribbean migrant that is still fairly widespread globally:

Whimbrel, Trinidad. Photo courtesy of Jerome Palmer, with permission.

The Black Skimmer, however, is quite an unusual sight in the Caribbean. This bird literally skims the surface of calm coastal waters and lagoons:

Black Skimmer, Trinidad. Photo courtesy Jerome Palmer, with permission.

The beautifully named Laughing Gull is fairly common across the Caribbean, where it breeds. It spends winters in northern Brazil:

Laughing Gulls in Trinidad. Photo courtesy Jerome Palmer, with permission.

Some shorebirds, of course, do stick around. The Brown Pelican, for example, is a regular sight, cruising along the shorelines and further out to sea. Its local name in Jamaica is “Old Joe”; it is a common, year-round resident of the larger islands, gliding low over the waves or doing spectacular dives for fish:

Brown Pelican, known as “Old Joe,” in-flight at Palisadoes, Kingston Harbour, Jamaica. Photo courtesy Ian Gage, with permission.

Another charming Jamaican resident, whose numbers may be augmented by migrants from North America in winter, is the Black-necked Stilt. This noisy bird, on its spindly red legs, nests on the ground near water's edge:

Black-necked Stilts in flight in Old Harbour Bay, Jamaica. Photo courtesy Ian Gage, with permission.

For Jamaican birders, the highlight of World Shorebirds Day was perhaps the appearance of an adorable family of West Indian Whistling Ducks, captured on video by Damion Whyte, biologist, birder and a passionate social media educator on all things environmental. The location — a sewage pond in Portmore, St. Catherine, — was perhaps not so beautiful, but a good birding spot nonetheless:

The West Indian whistling duck (Dendrocygna arborea) is a whistling duck that breeds in the Caribbean. It is protected by law and it is illegal to capture or hunt these birds in #Jamaica. #Roostersworld @Birdlifejamaica @BirdsCaribbean @ebird pic.twitter.com/q2xA3qf218 — Roosters_World (@Roosters_World) September 6, 2020

Species such as this beautiful bird are declining in numbers throughout their range in the Caribbean. Large tourism developments, including hotels, marinas and other projects, continue to be built along the islands’ coastlines, resulting in the destruction of vital mangroves and wetlands in which these birds rest along their migratory flyways. Currently, three tourism projects under way in Grenada threaten wetlands that shelter several endangered species, including turtles. On some islands, especially in the French Caribbean, hunting and plastic pollution are major threats. World Shorebirds Day in the Caribbean is not only a celebration of the birds themselves, but of the beautiful places they call home, even if only temporarily for many of them.

Written by Emma Lewis

[bcfirearmsacademy]

FREE DABBLING DUCKS OF BC CORE HUNTING QUIZ [wp_quiz id="2959"] A dabbling duck is a type of shallow water duck that feeds primarily along the surface of the water or by tipping headfirst into the water to graze on aquatic plants, vegetation, and insects. These ducks are infrequent divers and are usually found in small ponds, rivers, and other shallow waterways, or else they may stay near the shallow, slower edges of larger waterways. Dabbling Ducks Northern Pintail Gadwall Green-winged Teal Wood Duck Blue-winged Teal American Wigeon American Black Duck Cinnamon Teal Eurasian Wigeon Physically, they typically have flat, broad bills that allow them to feed more quickly, instead of narrow bills that would not catch as much food with dabbling motions. When swimming, these ducks float high on the water which makes it easier for them to tip up as they dabble, but they cannot dive completely under the water easily. When they take flight from the water's surface, they can spring directly into the air rather than gaining momentum by running along the surface first. Dabbling ducks tend to be very vocal birds and different dabblers can make a variety of different sounds. Both males and females are vocal, though females are more likely to give the typical hoarse quacking calls while males' calls can be more unique, including whistles, squeaks and honks. Their legs are placed close to the center of their body length, and they walk well on land. Their feet are generally smaller and more compact than the feet of diving ducks or other strong underwater swimmers. Familiar species of dabbling ducks include mallards, northern shovelers, American wigeons, American black ducks, gadwalls, blue-winged teals, northern pintails and cinnamon teals. https://bcfirearmsacademy.ca/wp_quiz/dabbling-ducks-bc-core-hunter-education-course/ Eric Beer | BC Firearm Academy 3229 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC V5V 4B8 604-592-2410 http://bcfirearmsacademy.ca

[joesbrownusa]

Houses For Sale in Sparta, TN

484 Lost Creek Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $170000

mini farm with a very nice 4 be?d?s?/?2 baths double wide mobile home, laundry room, big living room?, eat in kitchen, formal dining area, above ground pool, ?2 covered decks for gatherings, ?several outbuildings for animals and storage, lots of wild life on this 42 acres property. great mountain views!! many acres of marketable timber!

Verna Qualls Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $119000

Old Limestone Quarry closed in early 1960s is now mostly hardwood forest. The railroad and buildings are gone but the tunnels are still there. Mother nature is taking over the surface area with a diverse hardwood forest. No restrictions, small spring, fronts on 3 roads with some utilities available. Build a home at the top with a view or go off grid. Also perfect for preppers or some commercial use like mushroom farming, cave storage, underground bunker or even a rock quarry again. Very unique property

922 Duck Pond Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $862798

Investor opportunity! This property is being offered at Public Auction on 03-09-2017. Visit Auction.com now to see the Estimated Opening Bid, additional photos, Property Reports with Title information, Plat maps and Interior Inspection Reports when available. Auction.com markets Foreclosure Sale properties throughout Tennessee for banks, financial institutions and government agencies who are very motivated to see these properties sell to investors. The majority of these properties are priced below market value. Don’t miss this special opportunity to buy homes at wholesale prices! In add ition to this property, 203 other properties are scheduled for sale at this same Foreclosure Sale. In our online auctions and live Foreclosure Sales, Auction.com currently has 13 properties scheduled for sale in White County and 614 throughout Tennessee. All properties and sale details can be found with a simple search at Auction.com. Create a FREE account today to find more properties like this one, save searches of properties that meet your investment criteria and have the properties you’re looking for emailed directly to you when posted in an upcoming sale event. To view the complete details of this exact property, click the Auction.com link below or paste the Property ID 2330275 into the search bar at Auction.com

719 Gum Springs Mountain Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $75000

You’ll fall in love with the perfect picture property with stunning mountain views, while sitting out on your covered deck drinking you hot cup of coffee. This lovely and practical home boasts 3 bed 2 bath 1200 sq ft home of living space which has solid laminate flooring, nice size laundry room with shelving, walk in closets and lots more. There’s also enough property for horses or a mini farm on your 2.5 acres. Included is a 38×60 pole barn with electricity and paved flooring good for storage or man cave. And above all, it is at an amazing price! What are you waiting for?&#xA ;For showings on this or any property on the market call Rob Cole (931) 256-5008 Rob Cole rob@teamcastelli.com TEAM CASTELLI CRYE-LEIKE 1400 Neal St, Cookeville, TN 38501 931-520-6450 www.teamcastelli.com Thinking of listing your home? Call Elijah @ 931-260-8622.

224 Genes Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $329900

If outdoor living is your passion, you have found home with this peaceful homestead overlooking mountain views. Tucked away on a dead end road less than 10 minutes to Cookeville. Remodeled and open floor plan offers a kitchen with Quartz counter tops, new custom cabinetry, and stainless appliances. Floor to ceiling stone fireplace sets the tone for the cozy at home feel. Main level master suite offers huge tiled walk through shower, double vanity, and spacious walk in closet. Lower level offers 2 bedrooms, large living area , bar area and large laundry room and 2.5 baths. Walk out to th e covered back patio. Outside of the home is a detached 2 car garage and workshop. New in-ground pool with stamped concrete and huge stack outdoor fire pit. 2nd fire pit has stone sitting area with a completed tree house. Situated on just over 5.3 acres surrounded by woods , this nearly 3000 square foot home is the perfect place to call home.

17 Bridge Pointe Ln, Sparta, TN

Price: $98950

beautiful 2.5 acre lot with great views of center hill lake – golf course community (public & private) – excellent building site – boat storage – hiking trails – perfect location for that dream home or retreat

W Hutchins Bend Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $69900

One of the best views on the lake. Build your lake get away! Or let our builder do it for you. Perfect get away.

172 Verlie Ln, Sparta, TN

Price: $139000

Like new and well kept 3 bedroom and 2 bath home on one acre. Spacious floor plan located 1 mile from Burgess Falls State Park.

296 Hope Dr, Sparta, TN

Price: $100000

Beautiful three bedroom two bathroom home located in the cul-de-sac of a quiet neighborhood conveniently located between Cookeville and Sparta. This home offers a fenced in back yard, level lot, and a large shed. This house is a must see! Please contact the home owners by call or text to view this beautiful home. It won’t last long!!

404 Mackie Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $179900

This Single-Family Home located at 404 Mackie Road, Sparta, TN is currently for sale and has been listed on theochomesearch for 15 days. This property is listed by ihouse.com for $179,900. 404 Mackie Rd has 2 beds, 0 ½ bath, and approximately 1,000 square feet. The price per square foot is $180. The property has a lot size of 3.0 acres and was built in 2008. 404 Mackie Rd is in the 38583 ZIP code in Sparta, TN.

219 S Young St, Sparta, TN

Price: $55000

Are you looking for an affordable home, low monthly bills, easily to maintain for your starter home or just want to downsize? You’ve found it here! Your home has such a warm country feel with secluded back yard you’d forget you are a stone throw to downtown Sparta with all the great.city amenities. Your 2 bed, 1 bath, 916 sq ft cozy home boasts stunning hardwood floors throughout, new paint throughout and is MOVE IN READY!!! Why rent when you can buy? 100% financing available. Call today for showing! For showings on this or any property on the market call Rob Cole (931) 25 6-5008 Rob Cole rob@teamcastelli.com TEAM CASTELLI CRYE-LEIKE 1400 Neal St, Cookeville, TN 38501 931-520-6450 www.teamcastelli.com Thinking of listing your home? Call Elijah @ 931-260-8622.

Fire Tower Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $62500

Great tract for hunting or recreation just off Hwy. 111 south of Sparta. Electricity readily available. Nice stand of young hardwoods. Owner will consider selling all or part. Would also consider owner financing with substantial down payment.

715 Gum Springs Mountain Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $75000

You’ll fall in love with the perfect picture property with stunning mountain views, while sitting out on your covered deck drinking you hot cup of coffee. This lovely and practical home boasts 3 bed 2 bath 1200 sq ft home of living space which boasts clean and tidy living, solid laminate flooring, open kitchen/Living room, spacious bedrooms and lots more. There’s enough property for horses or a mini farm on your 2.5 acres of mountain views. Included is a 38×60 pole barn with electricity and paved flooring good for storage or man cave. And above all, it is at an amazing price, why rent when you can buy, male that investment for 2017! financing avail. What are you waiting for? For showings on this or any property on the market call Rob Cole (931) 256-5008 Rob Cole rob@teamcastelli.com TEAM CASTELLI CRYE-LEIKE 1400 Neal St, Cookeville, TN 38501 931-520-6450 www.teamcastelli.com Thinking of listing your home? Call Elijah @ 931-260-8622.

242 Center Dr, Sparta, TN

Price: $50000

Are you looking for a home that has a low mortgage, low taxes and close to all town amenities with privacy? look no further. This spacious like new 1520 sqft 4 bedroom 2 bath is a well kept manufactured home. it sits on a half acre private lot with space for the all the family and more great price wont last long!! Financing available,. call today for more info. For showings on this or any property on the market call Rob Cole (931) 256-5008 Rob Cole rob@teamcastelli.com TEAM CASTELLI CRYE-LEIKE 1400 Neal St, Cookeville, TN 38501 931-520-6450 www.teamcas telli.com Thinking of listing your home? Call Elijah @ 931-260-8622.

133 N Main St, Sparta, TN

Price: $238900

AWESOME HOME IN TOWN! Lola Belle is a historic brick turn of the century home that has been beautifully renovated and boasts 4 bedrooms,2 full baths,a kitchen to die for w/all appliances that is open to the dining room and den area. The beautiful wood, the pocket doors, the hardwood floors, the 2 fireplaces – all define the age of the home but make it warm and inviting. The master bedroom on main level has a private bath and the other 2 bedrooms share a large spacious bathroom that includes a

30 Hillcrest Dr, Sparta, TN

Price: $79500

$$ NEW PRICE Reflects the addition of two BRAND NEW HVAC UNITS AND DUCT WORK February 2017! **CONTACT Susan Roberts at 931-256-0446 for additional information** This Adorable vintage 2 story, 4 bedroom 1 bath home is waiting for a new Family. Plenty of room for the growing family with a Large Back Yard that is a perfect place for Kids & Pets with plenty of room left for the family garden! Located on a quiet street in a well established area. The Neighborhood is experiencing some growth as new homes are being built on this street adding to the continuing popularity of this area of to wn! Add to this phenomenal home the site built outbuilding with three rooms with electric and All within walking distance to Downtown Sparta and approximately a 25 minute Drive to Cookeville or 30 minutes to Crossville makes this an exceptional value with endless possibilities!

305 E Bockman Way, Sparta, TN

Price: $79900

Location, Location, are you wanting to start up your very own business and not sure of how to start?, What you need to do? we have the answers! This Luxury 2310 sqft Commercial Building is complete for you and ready to go? HIGH TRAFFIC LOCATION in the heart of Sparta, across from the new Dollar General and next door to the Post Office!! Property is well established and in a superb conditioned office, ready to take over. Office space has many luxuries, kitchen, conference room, 3 more offices, front desk space, large inventory, fully furnished and large storage space at the back. Low maintenance and low cost utilities. This huge opportunity awaits you, The skies the limit! What are you waiting for?! For showings on this or any property on the market call Rob Cole (931) 256-5008 rob@teamcastelli.com * TEAM CASTELLI, CRYE-LEIKE * 1400 Neal St, Cookeville, TN 931-520-6450 * Thinking of listing your home? Call Elijah @ 931-260-8622 * www.teamcastelli.com

Fire Tower Rd, Sparta, TN

Price: $33600

Are you looking for the perfect place to build that little getaway cabin? Well you’ve certainly found it here on this completely wooded 12 acre tract that offers privacy and seclusion. Great for deer, turkey, and wild game hunting. For showings on this or any property on the market call Rob Cole (931) 256-5008 rob@teamcastelli.com * TEAM CASTELLI, CRYE-LEIKE * 1400 Neal St, Cookeville, TN 931-520-6450 * Thinking of listing your home? Call Elijah @ 931-260-8622 * www.teamcastelli.com

Hickory Ln, Sparta, TN

Price: $42900

Nestled back on 4.87acres of privacy in a cul-de-sac, on level and rolling lot, within the New small Woodlands subdivision. Within Sparta & Smithville. Wide road frontage to maintain privacy. For showings on this or any property on the market call Rob Cole (931) 256-5008 rob@teamcastelli.com * TEAM CASTELLI, CRYE-LEIKE * 1400 Neal St, Cookeville, TN 931-520-6450 * Thinking of listing your home? Call Elijah @ 931-260-8622 * www.teamcastelli.com

383 Flat Rock Rd, Sparta, TN

Investor and Homebuyer opportunity! This foreclosed home is being sold online at Auction.com ending 03-13-2017. Live in, rent or flip this bank-owned home. To view additional photos, Property Reports with title information, Plat maps with property lines, Interior Property Inspection Reports, Financing details or to schedule a viewing, visit Auction.com now. Auction.com sells properties across the country online for banks and government agencies who are very motivated to sell these homes. Don’t miss this special opportunity to buy homes at wholesale prices! In our online auctions and liv e Foreclosure Sales, Auction.com currently has 1 properties scheduled for sale in White County and 114 throughout Tennessee. All properties and sale details can be found with a simple search at Auction.com. Create a FREE account today to find more properties like this one, save searches of properties that meet your investment criteria and have the properties you’re looking for emailed directly to you when posted in an upcoming sale event. To view the complete details of this exact property, click the Auction.com link below or paste the Property ID 2304614 into the search bar at Auction.com

from Houses For Sale – The OC Home Search http://www.theochomesearch.com/houses-for-sale-in-sparta-tn/ from OC Home Search https://theochomesearch.tumblr.com/post/158154693565

[paulinabarryphoto-blog]

Species: Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)

Description:  Adult female,Small merganser with distinctive rounded crest, Long, slender yellow and brown bill, Mostly dark gray with richer brown an light gray lining head crest crest, Dark eyes, white patch on wings

Found: Mid February Scutter Pond ,WA

Information:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/id

Hooded Mergansers dive to catch aquatic insects, crayfish, and small fish. Males court females by expanding their white, sail-like crests and making very low, gravelly, groaning calls. Hooded Mergansers fly distinctively, with shallow, very rapid wingbeats.

Look for Hooded Mergansers on small bodies of freshwater. In summer, these small ducks nest in holes in trees, often near freshwater ponds or rivers. For winter, they move to larger bodies of freshwater, marshes, and protected saltwater bays.

[ramrodd]

Connecting the dots between Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Paul Whalen

COMMENTARY:

There are 5 nominal coalitions in Russia I can identify. 3 coalitions are the population by age that Michael Lewis identifies in several of his YouTube interviews discussing his latest book “The Fifth Risk”, a portrait of the current status of the Powell Doctrine.These population strata are not discussed in this particular video but Lewis identifies groups from 0 - 30 years of age, 30 - 60 years of ages, and 60 - up. This is useful to my personal work, but they are not players in the political drama.

One coalition I identify with the constitutional authority that is associated with the Kremlim and extends from Gorbachev through Yeltsin to Putin: they have the keys to the nukes, which is the only moral imperative I apply to this analysis. I became engaged with this coalition in 1975 as a result of Nixon-Breznev “Detente” and Duck Ass Don in 1986, when American banks refused to deal with him.

Duck Ass Don in his Studio 54 Days before the Trump Towers

The only way you could do business in the Soviet Union before 1991 was with the Kremlin by way of Foreign Trade Organizations. In DC, those FTO’s occupied the mansion across from the Hinkley Hilton where Vanity Fair holds its apres Foreign Corrrespondence Dinner and across Connecticult Avenue from Christopher Hitchen’s apartment, back in the day.

The other coalition I associate with the people who sent the tanks to crush democracy that Yeltsin faced down. After this incident, and Yeltsin’s subsequent reforms, American business interests I associate with Paul Manafort and Bill Browder began doing business directly with the Oligarachs generally opposed to Putin.

Not every Russian associated with this coalition is bent, but there is a a transnational criminal enterprise that has been active since at least 2013, when I first ran into it in the Russian Dark Web. This transnational criminal enterprise has been egaged in destabilizing global constitutional authority through such initiatives as the grass roots agitation for Brexit, the Ukrainian Independence movement, the false flag assassinations in England, the recent “Yellow Vest” riots in Paris and the Russian hack of the US 2016 election. These people have also exploited Citizens United to launder eurodollars into the Evangelical phone banks, conservative PACs and various hedge funds who disguise their actual conduit services under the fiction of proprietary alogrithms.

Duck Ass Don has had a foot in the Kremlin coalition and a toe in the Manafort coalition since Manafort got there, but he has not been able to close a deal, except for the Miss Universe Pagaent, in Moscow because the Kremlim considers him to be a clown which can keep him and all things Trump safe from RICO.

I have never been to Russia and my sociology is based on doing business with the FTOs and from Hedrick Smith’s “The Russians” which was published when I was still active in a US-Soviet aerospace IPO. “Blatt” is the most important economic dynamic discussed in the book and it has to do with the sound of bribe money hitting the palm (slap the back of your right hand in the palm of your left hand: that’s the reference). This is absolutely in the fabric of the culture and my impression in 1980 was that this informal dynamic is how the Soviet Union was able to make Marxism work and it needs to be factored out of any analysis of political intercourse: again, Michael Lewis points out that everybody grew up gaming the Soviet-Marxist system and it continues.

My mistake was to assume “blatt” was far more benign than it was/is. To some degree, I was misled by Soviet propaganda, on one hand, and actually dealing with Soviet executives, on the other. Obama complains about dealing with Putin because Putin is a total zero sum “what’s in it for me” negotiator and it offends Obama’s Chicago quid-pro-quo political education and recently acquired Nobel laureate mantle. I’d vote for Obama again, but he fucked this up and he has been misled by the Nixon haters in the DNC going back to Carter’s cancellation of the Olympic Games in 1980. Clinton should have won a Nobel Prize for the Dayton Accords and my impression has been that Obama got his Nobel on the expectation that he, Obama, would restore the Clinton Doctrine, but, as I say, he fucked it up.

Well, that was the nature of dealing with the Soviets, who represent the climax state of a Supply-side economic model. I am not a negotiator and my boss/partner did all the serious dealing, but I could look over his shoulder and yon only got the business if the Soviets got what they wanted, chapter and verse. The point was, there was no “blatt” in the Soviet business model, which is why Donald Duck Ass never put a deal together. His “Art of the Deal” defines the “blatt” in the Harvard Business model, writ large.

Now, that’s the background. Duck Ass Don’s mistake has been to deny Michael Cohen and to embrace Paul Manafort in his public declarations, which puts him in peril of RICO with Mueller. Putin can corroborate Duck Ass Don’s written testimony establishing his engagement in the Sovereign Democracy that he and Putin inherited from Nixon-Breznev Detente (the reason why you and I went to Vietnam) and establish an existential separation from all things Manafort and the people who sent the tanks to crush democracy that Yeltsin faced down.

Paul Whelan and Roger Stone are both friends of the Russian enemies of the state in the GOP Deep State, along with Steve Bannon, Newt Gingrich, and Eric Prince, among others, and the vast right-wing conspiracy I identified with Donald T. Regan that came to town with Reagan and is ideologically aligned with the Powell Manifesto that was conceived to sabotage Nixon’s Peaceful Structures in 1971 and, now, dominates the GOP.

Who Stole The America Dream. Hedrick Smith.

Paul Whelan’s arrest is Putin’s way of saying he plans to do some housekeeping and is impatient to pull the trigger and the arrest of Roger Stone reflects that sentiment in Mueller’s shop. Mueller actually doesn’t have to do anything until Putin makes his move, because Putin’s purge of the Russian enemies of the state in the coalition that sent the tanks to crush democracy will light up the dark corners of the GOP Deep State in a way Mueller currently can’t get at, but the arrest of Stone is Mueller seeing Putin and raising the ante for the friends of the Russian enemies of the state.

Now, here’s the thing about Duck Ass Don as Potus: I think he is in mortal danger from the criminal elements in the GOP Deep State. Manafort’s task in the Trump campaign was to install Mike Pence a pistol shot away from the Oval Office, like LBJ and the Manchurian Candidate. I think the 50th floor of Trump Towers was torched to remind POTUS to dance with the one’s what brung him to the dance. These people want to blow up the federal government just like Steve Bannon proposes by dismantling the administrative state.

Atlas Shrugged has been the blue print of the Powell Manifesto since 1971 and that’s the source of my agitation. I’m not angry. I’m scared shitless of these people, and have been since Charles Z. Wick put me on a GOP Deep State black list for being a Vietnam “loser” and, as it turns out, the more important sin of implementing Nixon’s Peaceful Structures.

Which is why Roger Stone was arrested: there is a reason why Stone has been flogging his conspiracy theory regarding LBJ’s role in JFK’s assassination: he knows all the players, he and Bannon. And Paul Whelan is one of those players. Putin is just connecting the dots on his side of the pond for people like you and me to see and understand Mueller’s larger purposes.

That’s the short version. Mueller will play out the full epic and Putin will pull the trigger on these people after the Ides of March. Stay tuned. There is a way out for Donald Duck Ass that will get him re-elected and elevate him to the status of George Washington, but it requires him to kick Roy Cohn to the curb and repent of a lifetime of commercial perfidy.

[dansnaturepictures]

My 10 Wildlife/Photography highlights of 2018: Blog 3-Experiences with my favourite birds this year including the Durlston visit

Yesterday I examined what another amazing year of seeing and photographing wild birds I have had and I further explore that here as every year birds from a special group of twenty four for me give me some of my most splendid memories. On my list of twenty four favourite birds are ones I’ve always loved and dreamt of seeing, species that captivated me right from the beginning of my birding days helping form a solid structural spine to my hobby, birds I have just grown to love over time and ones perhaps a memorable picture of one paved the way to me loving them. The beauty of having so many favourite birds is that I might not see them all every year so different ones tend to shine in different years.

A Jay over Lakeside on New Year’s Day was my first favourite bird seen this year and just two year ticks later the Great Crested Grebe was seen too and the Great Spotted Woodpecker at Denny Wood in the New Forest later in the day would be my third favourite bird seen this year. The Green Woodpecker would go onto be a year tick at Lakeside too a month and three days later, but with a lot of Green Woodpecker habitats visited it kept me waiting quite a while to see it especially compared to previous years so it was all the sweeter when I spotted it. The start of the year brought me many top moments with favourite birds of mine, Dipper as my 90th bird of the year and Guillemot as my 110th were wonderful birds to see as part of my incredible Scotland trip. The trip as I’ve said was my present for my 21st birthday and on my birthday at Pennington and Lymington as well as favourite birds of mine Brent Goose and Shelduck seeing my first Kingfisher of the year was very special as I saw one on my 18th birthday at Lower Test too so it’s just wonderful to have a bird I adore and always have so much be part of two very important days of my life.

Towards the end of February and going into March Brent Goose and Kingfisher would provide me with some of my most memorable favourite bird experiences this year. One Saturday and another two weeks later I went to Farlington Marshes where I first fell in love with Brent Geese all those years ago, and as they prepared for migration it was sensational to see massive flocks of them fly over our heads. It’s just a fantastic natural spectacle, as shown in the 1st picture in this photoset which I took on the second of these trips, it’s a moment you just have to stop, look at and admire and the noises they make are brilliant. On top of this it was the times they flew over our heads early in our birdwatching at Farlington which is why I became so in aw of them and fell in love with them in the first place so it’s always lovely to enjoy this again and it really stood out this year. I also took the 2nd picture in this photoset of one sitting down on the first of these two trips.

The day after the first visit we went to a sunny Blandford Forum in Dorset which is famous for its Kingfishers among other things on this stretch of the River Stour, and this favourite bird of mine did not disappoint. We saw them on four separate occasions that afternoon getting very close and witnessing a couple diving. In the sun even more I just really appreciated their sheer beauty so much and it’s such a fantastic memory. I took the 3rd picture in this photoset of one on the day. The next Dorset trip and Dorset trips often feature heavily in this post came on a memorable Easter Weekend when I had a wonderfully wildlife filled Sunday at Weymouth’s Radipole Lake and nearby Portland Bill. Gannet was one of five year ticks on the day and a star at Portland Bill. Also notable that whole big weekend of the year for me for favourite birds is that I saw about five or six Buzzards from the car along the motorway on the way to places that weekend which I found quite something. A couple of weeks later in a close encounter with two Buzzards at Martin Down where I got the 3rd picture in this photoset I was reminded that a key attribute that makes me love them is their scale. Earlier at Radipole I got to really enjoy lots of Pochards close up by the bridge and centre one shown in the 4th picture in this phototset.

The next Dorset visit we made was an annual one which got its own highlights post the last two years as its always a big day for us in a year and that’s mostly because of experiences with my favourite birds, visiting Durlston Country Park which we did on the 22nd April. Favourite birds dominated once again with nice views of another Gannet and lots more Guillemots, one of these was bridled which I’ve never seen before so that was interesting. But as is often the case at Durlston one of my favourite birds the Fulmar a year tick on the day stole the show in another massive highlight of my whole year. I always marvel at Fulmars on this trip because there is no place like Durlston I know for seeing them up close. We would go onto notice walking beside the cliffs that there seemed to be lots of Fulmars around this year. Furthermore this year they seemed to fly much higher up the cliffs close to where we were standing where only gulls usually venture allowing us fantastic close views and I was in wonder at a fantastic natural sight as they swerved beside us beautifully once more. I took the 6th picture in this photoset of one flying. I even saw one sitting on the cliff which I never have up close at least here before, as shown in the 7th picture in this photoset. I think I had my best Durlston visit yet for Fulmar pictures which has been a constant within the visits, with more taken than ever on the day and I was very happy with them all. The flight one in particular in this photoset could be my best Fulmar picture yet a bird I have really come on with for taking pictures of since 2013 thanks much to Durlston. At the time it was taken it joined a great stock of pictures I really liked that I had taken of my favourite birds this year alongside Brent Goose, Buzzard, Pochard and more. In another Dorset visit on the first May Bank Holiday Sunday this time back to Portland I saw a Razorbill to keep the record of big favourite bird moments in Dorset trips going.

I was lucky enough to encounter again this year the Cuckoo hearing my first of the spring at Pig Bush in the New Forest such a strong location for them in April, and I went on to hear a few more. A moment that stood out was at Martin Down in May when I heard two calling and one was in the bush right beside me which was just magical. Two days later on late May Bank Holiday Monday and I would step closer and closer to seeing this bird hearing one on Eyeworth Pond in the New Forest’s heath before eventually seeing it and hearing and seeing it a handful more times on that day which was just a stunning natural experience to have again. At the end of that week I visited Thursley Common in Surrey and was lucky enough to see the famous Colin the Cuckoo too. But what stood out was hearing this bird fantastically close and I remarked at how I usually hear them from far away and other sounds non-natural and natural obscure the sound but in these three days this year I heard the sound at its purest which made it more beautiful.

On the rather hot early June Sunday that followed the Thursley visit at Hill Head I was very excited to see one of my favourite birds the Shelduck with seven adorable chicks close by in the harbour, the adult shown in the 8th picture in this photoset. This was yet another of my top wildlife pictures in my opinion of a favourite bird of mine this year joining my other favourite duck Pochard and more. I wondered that evening if my first picture of any kind of 2018 being of a Great Crested Grebe at Lakeside had set the tone for 2018 to follow 2016 as a year with many standout pictures of many of my favourite birds. I felt I had been striving to get another Shelduck picture I was really happy with since 2012 when Slimbridge and Llanelli WWT shots of them dominated my photography year and this year I was so keen to get this picture and this achieved it for me. Along with a Buzzard I photographed along the nearby Titchfield canal path earlier on this day and yet another calling Cuckoo this clocking it up to the seventh different location I’d heard and/or seen one this year at the time it became a bit of a day of favourite birds.

Our Yorkshire coast visit in June to Bempton Cliffs where I took the Gannet picture in the 9th picture in this photoset and the area brought amazing views of year ticks at Flamborough North Landing on the first night there Puffin and Kittiwake in harmony with Gannet, Fulmar, Razorbill and Guillemot. It was an amazing week posted about in my 8th highlights post in this set where I also saw another Dipper so I won’t say too much about it but I just wanted to include this sentiment here.

A favourite bird of mine I struggled to see this year was Sedge Warbler not seeing one for well into the summer after a few years of not really seeing them clearly or for long. But as I walked alongside the River Itchen at Shawford I spotted one flitting about in the reeds which was another blink and you’ll miss it sighting but an ID standard camera shot of it just flying off allowed me to pick out all the markings and I felt a memorable element of increased recognition of a bird I adore as it took my year list to 169 beyond my 2013 and 2015 totals which had previously been joint fourth highest ever for me. The following Saturday I saw over 20 Little Egrets on one lagoon at Keyhaven which felt special. On the Sunday just gone at the Lymington end of this local nature reserve it was magical to see one hunting in the twilight and doing an action that resembled stomping, all to the backdrop of the peaceful sound of water gushing from a nearby pipe. Going back to warblers on a scorching August Sunday I saw my first Dartford Warblers of the year eventually at Thursley Common in Surrey after a bit of a wait also to see one this year, it was an honour to see three of these beautiful and precious birds.

The Osprey was a big star of my Bird Fair trip again seeing them at Egleton and Lyndon this year and I talk about that in my highlights post about the Bird Fair this year. I also photographed a Sedge Warbler being ringed at the BTO demonstration at the fair as shown in the 10th picture in this photoset. The week after the Bird Fair the August Bank Holiday weekend we went to RSPB Arne in Dorset where it was wonderful to see another Osprey as part of the brilliant Poole Harbour project. Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, Little Egret and Shelduck also joined lots of Sika Deers as stars that Saturday.