Saturday, November 15, 2008

Winter is back


We’re getting our second blast of winter tonight. The wind has been blowing hard all day and leaves are drifted in banks outside the back door. We’re expecting a freeze that will probably kill our tomatoes and peppers…just when they were starting to bear fruit again. I covered them with plastic, but if it gets below 32F, I doubt it will help much.

I hope everyone has checked the Operation Migration website I linked over on the right side of the page. Every time I visit the site, I’m amazed by the dedication of those folks preserving the rare birds. This year is proving to be frustrating because of the weather that has slowed their progress.

Having lived in North Dakota, where the Wood Buffalo-Aransas birds pass through during both migrations, I’ve had the good fortune to see Whooping Cranes in the wild twice. I saw four flying overhead during their northward migration way back in the 1950’s. That’s when the entire population was less than 50 birds, so it was a memorable day.

In the early 60’s, I saw an adult pair and two juveniles resting in a slough near Belden during their southward migration. Several big Canadian Mallards were swimming around their legs, and the contrast in size clearly showed how tall they are.

While you are over there, take a look at the merchandise they sell to raise money for the program. Christmas is fast approaching and they have some good gift ideas that are refreshingly different from what you can find in WalMart. Best of all, the profits go to a good cause. The little stuffed bird in the photo is just a sample of what they offer.

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