Odds and Ends

Happy Spring!
I have several things which I would like to share with you. They're all rather non sequitur, so stay with me.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day! I know this isn't the most interesting news, but it was so spectacular that it's difficult for me to refrain from sharing. After my schoolwork, I was able to spend most of the day outside with my family and Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Corey. Poor Corey has chewed up his last ball, so he is now using a stick that is much too long for him. He looked so comical that I decided to post a picture.

I am now doing a Cornell citizen science project that is new for me. It is called NestWatch and involves monitoring birds nests in the Spring season. I have one nest, a Blue Jay's. She is still in the egg laying phase and there are two beautiful little eggs so far. I will keep a close eye on the nest, visiting about once a week on average to monitor for any signs of neglect, cowbirds, etc. This is a really wonderful project; I'm learning a lot about the nesting process and enjoying my time with the birds. If you are interested in this project, I'd encourage you to check out the website to learn more about it!

The spring birds are back! Last week the Baltimore Orioles came back, along with a Blue Headed Vireo, a male Rose Breasted Grosbeak (one of my favorites!), and a Black and White Warbler. Yesterday, the first Eastern Kingbirds could be heard making a racket in the yard. It's actually a bit odd to see them this early in the season; I usually don't see them till June or July.

Well, this is enough babblings for one post. Thanks for visiting my blog!
God bless,
Mandy