SPRING AT LAST: Bird sightings, tomatoes.....

[mnoble485]

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Rode some gravel road today and saw this family. If you look closely you can see the head of the little one sibling.

Mike

[j44ke]

As far as fish, got a few of these last month……
- Garro.

What a fish! Nice dinner in the making.

Today I saw about 50-75 gannets dive-bombing the water off Montauk Point. Originally they were spread out, but then they began to dive closer and closer to each other, until finally they were all diving within about a 6 foot diameter. Evidently the bunker (herring menhaden etc.) schools will go into a ball when they are being attacked as a sort of defensive measure. Usually that also means there are fish below them also. Or dolphin. But I was too far away to see. However, two fishing boats were heading full speed to the spot, so if there were big fish around, they likely figured it out.

[j44ke]

image-3334759548.jpg

Rode some gravel road today and saw this family. If you look closely you can see the head of the little one sibling.

Mike

That is very cool.

[TMB]

It was decided a couple of weeks ago to increase significantly the raised beds in the yard. I have been building boxes and moving gravel and soil and compost.

4 boxes later and 8 cu yds of gravel and soil (all uphill), and couple of compost bins emptied .....

Ready to start planting. The potatoes go in the ground tomorrow and pole beans are going in as well. Another couple of weeks before the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, etc go in.

But more than anything this means I can ride my bike tomorrow too!

[steve garro]

What a fish! Nice dinner in the making.

Dinner(s) - those are 20 kilo fish, we got 4!

- Garro.

[Jonathan]

I enjoy the daily walk out back to snip what's ripe. That tomato is a beauty and the peppers aren't bad either.

[j44ke]

I was doing the seasonal old growth removal from the perennials, ornamental grasses and mint (all geriatric plantings that may be as old as the house) and beneath the dryer vent in a huge mint bramble I found what I thought was lint from the dryer. When I went to pick it up, however, I realized it was in a hole. Then when I stuck my hand down there, the hole was very warm and something moved against my finger. I had found this year's rabbit nest. Bah! I stuffed the fuzz back in the hole and covered it up with brush, but I wish I hadn't found it as this likely means the raccoons will find it next. Rabbits don't have any problems making new rabbits, but this was not a good pick on location - right by the backdoor, dryer vent, propane tanks, etc. Silly rabbit!

[Too Tall]

Friggin' rabbits are fickle. Every year they "taste" my tomatoe vines, decide they are not yummy until the next day when they must reassure themselves that those vines are still not yummy. Hmmmm.

Sighted: Riding my bike and stopped a traffic light when I spy a large Hawk flying to a large tree with a snake in both feet. Me wondering how this is going to work ;) He transfers the snake to his mouth and promptly crash lands on the dead branch that gives way...everybody tumbles a good twenty feet. The hawk flies to another tree and has lunch. I was in tears.

[defspace]

I'm a big fan of the smaller Gulf Coast heron species. The tricolors are my favorites.

I've seen a few on some of my recent rides. They might have been little blues. I have a hard time making ID on the bike. I guess the throat color is the best indicator?

[mnoble485]

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Spotted this fella outside our construction trailer. Very impressive.

Mike