That’s how fast six months can go by when you’re having fun! Seems like only yesterday that Dickie and I were traipsing around Shollenberger Park in Petaluma in the hot summer sun. Today you need a heavy coat and gloves to fend off the cold. It was down in the 30’s last night here in Windsor. Of course, we’re still thankful we don’t have to put up with the ice and snow and single digit temps they have in many parts of the country.
We skipped our walk through the vineyard today, since it was so chilly. Yesterday, when we walked there, we saw those huge clouds of starlings again. Just like last year. We’ve been noticing the flocks of robins passing through for a week or more,
but this was the first we’d seen of the starling migration this year. Here’s a shot I took with my new Canon XSi that will give you some idea of the sight:
Did you notice the bigger bird in the center of the photo. Below is a crop from the center of the photo above. I’ve circled the hawk in red in this shot:
That was one of our shy red-tailed hawks that usually scream at us and fly off in a huff when we get within a hundred yards or so of them. I’ve been closer to them on earlier occasions. but lately they’ve been flying away almost as soon as they spot me. Anyway, this one was just flying across the vineyard when the starling cloud caught up to him. Quite a few of the starlings settled in a eucalyptus tree on the edge of the vineyard. Here’s look at what that was like:
With Christmas only a week away, we haven’t put up a tree yet. I’m tempted to let it slide this year, but Dickie won’t hold still for that. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree. Usually by the time we buy ours, the ones on the lots are about dried out. In fact, one year the tree seller just gave us one (to get rid of it, I feel fairly sure). We’ve had a nice poinsettia sitting in the kitchen for a week or so. They are a beautiful plant. Here’s what ours looks like:
In a day or two we’ll pick up a tree. Hope we can still find a good one. Here’s what ours looked like last year:
Hope you found a good one, too. Dickie and I wish all of you who read this a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We skipped our walk through the vineyard today, since it was so chilly. Yesterday, when we walked there, we saw those huge clouds of starlings again. Just like last year. We’ve been noticing the flocks of robins passing through for a week or more,
but this was the first we’d seen of the starling migration this year. Here’s a shot I took with my new Canon XSi that will give you some idea of the sight:
Did you notice the bigger bird in the center of the photo. Below is a crop from the center of the photo above. I’ve circled the hawk in red in this shot:
That was one of our shy red-tailed hawks that usually scream at us and fly off in a huff when we get within a hundred yards or so of them. I’ve been closer to them on earlier occasions. but lately they’ve been flying away almost as soon as they spot me. Anyway, this one was just flying across the vineyard when the starling cloud caught up to him. Quite a few of the starlings settled in a eucalyptus tree on the edge of the vineyard. Here’s look at what that was like:
With Christmas only a week away, we haven’t put up a tree yet. I’m tempted to let it slide this year, but Dickie won’t hold still for that. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree. Usually by the time we buy ours, the ones on the lots are about dried out. In fact, one year the tree seller just gave us one (to get rid of it, I feel fairly sure). We’ve had a nice poinsettia sitting in the kitchen for a week or so. They are a beautiful plant. Here’s what ours looks like:
In a day or two we’ll pick up a tree. Hope we can still find a good one. Here’s what ours looked like last year:
Hope you found a good one, too. Dickie and I wish all of you who read this a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
