I was outside today at 6:22 a.m., armed with pencil and
paper for making notes, my camera and a book. Air was already warm at 61o,
which was today’s predicted low temperature. Nowhere to go but up.
----------
The hummers were
first this morning, on the feeders at 6:24. The suet cake was the favored
breakfast option today…a sparrow was on it at 6:26. A pair of doves and a couple of sparrows were
on the ground looking for seed at 6:27. After
I threw out more seed, there was a convention of sparrows on the ground. I kept
an eye out for the momma sparrow and her youngsters to return as a group but no
luck today. They could have been there as individuals, and I wouldn’t have
known it.
----------
I did notice
that some sparrows peck at the ground very quickly, which makes me wonder if
they swallow the seed without breaking it up. Other birds seem to take the time
to “chew their food properly”. I looked it up online; AI Overview had this to say:
Birds that swallow seeds
whole often use a "crop"—a pouch in the throat—to store seeds before
grinding them, say experts at The Ames Tribune. The Ames Tribune seems to be an online newspaper, but I didn’t
see anything indicating that they have bird experts on staff.
----------
Ha! As I was listening to the
sounds around me this morning, I realized that one rooster seemed to crow the
words “Happy Birthday”. Once I heard it that way, I couldn’t unhear it. Made me
smile and sing it in my head every time. 🙃
----------
We rode the e-bikes to the IGA this
morning, arriving at about 8:15. Piggy cookies don’t get much fresher than
that! Of course, we each had one before
getting back on the bikes.
----------
One would think that by riding earlier in the day, we’d beat the heat. Nope.
As soon as the sun popped over the mountains, the temperature was on a steady climb.
We did get out
at the petroglyphs, but the air was stifling hot, without a breeze. Of course,
Kim had to get his drone out, but we didn’t stay outside long. We ate at Casa
Palomino in Coolidge and got hit with a wall of heat walking out of the
restaurant. Same when we got out of the air-conditioned truck at the Ruins. I
was dealing with a slight headache, so I opted to stay in the visitor’s center
while Kim and Adam went out to see the Ruins. They were back in less than 15
minutes. Too hot out there.
----------
It was a day for
not being outside, that’s for sure. About 6 o’clock, Kim and Adam went up to
the clubhouse to do some guitar playing and singing. I wandered up and started a
puzzle while listening to them.
----------
After Kim got
the telescope set up to image the Jellyfish Nebula, he and Adam watched an Avenger’s
movie. I put my ear buds in so I could concentrate on typing. I couldn’t hear
the movie, but I still struggled to come up with a complete sentence.
So, this is the
day that I hit the wall. Happens every year. Nothing to do but go to bed and
get a good night’s sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment