Monday, March 08, 2010

Settling in

Niblet and I are settling in quite nicely to our home with AB. We're still unpacking; well, I should say that I'm still unpacking. Nib was pretty much good to go once he got out of his cage. Here he is with his new siblings:That's Maya in the orange, Nib in the back eating, and Owen in the classic gray. They all get along swimmingly!

I also have some pics from my visit to RAPTOR with Susan Gets Native! Here's a little montage.

Susan showed me the freezer where they keep the raptor food:
and lest you worry that they might run out, there's also another box freezer full:
And if you happen to get poop on anything, never fear:Works like a charm, according to Susan!

I got to peek in at Lynne's favorite, Earl:
Here's Earl, begging us not to leave just yet--or trying to eat Susan; you decide. She said that Earl could probably bite through that big old glove, given enough time. Her beak is huge and sharp, so I don't doubt that.

I also saw Thirteen:So cute! She's just so tiny, and her feathers look so soft. Susan also let me handle some of her educational stuffed bird parts, and I held the feathered skull of a Short-eared Owl. The feathers were even softer than Niblet's fur, which was surprising to me.

I saw all the raptors, including Storm, Priscilla, and the rest, but photos are hard on the birds so I was careful to just peek in through a crack in the door or the mew and be respectful of the birds. It was a really cold day, and most of the birds were just perched and puffed-up, trying to stay warm. I bet they can't wait until spring!

I also saw some pellets:both fresh and not-so-fresh:
I wonder if I've ever seen a pellet out in the field but I brushed it off as animal poo or something. Because those white ones above look a lot like stuff I've seen. But who knows? I guess you'd have to see if there were little bones in it. I'd love to find a pellet in the field!

While driving to lunch, we saw this beauty:Red-shouldered Hawks nest all around Susan's neighborhood--pretty cool! Sorry about the crazy tilt on this one; Susan stopped in the middle of the road for me (after stopping and turning around and going back so I could get the pic, Mary!) and I leaned across her and shot the pic through the open window. Then we had to hoof it because of traffic, but I got the shot!

On the drive around Susan's town and on my way home, I saw tons of Red-tails, TuVus, and other raptors enjoying the bright sunshine on their wings.
Oh, to be a bird! Sailing above the fields and water,
the wind in my feathers and the world at my feet!

7 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm glad you made it to Pennsylvania! Good luck settling in and find a new job.

"Poop-off" sounds like a competition Turkey Vultures might engage in.

KGMom said...

Welcome (back) to PA.
Ahhhh--now I can relax; your road trip safely over!

Felicia said...

Welcome home! I'm glad you had some worthy diversions on your drive north. Best of luck with the rest of your transition.

Beth said...

Welcome home, D. I am jealous that you got to visit with Susan - cool stuff!

dguzman said...

John--hee hee!

Donna--yup, finally here. I'm so tired of driving/moving!

Felicia--thank you!

Beth--it was awesome!

Mel said...

Hola Delia!
How cool! You've been with Susan and meet Thirteen... awesome! (envy lol)

Curlygirl715 said...

Love the owl picture. Eastern Screech?