Hurricane Irene Preparedness - We Really Didn't Know What We Were Doing, But Did It Blow

Irene from space - NASA photograph

All of our preparations before Hurricane Irene were finished this morning as the morning rains began. All of the patio furniture is secure (stacked or turned over), patio umbrellas folded and placed under the deck, the flag outside our front door is stowed in the entry closet, and most important, the basement door is sandbagged and duct-taped to keep driving rain from seeping into the downstairs bedroom. I got soaked doing these last-minute chores, but it is better to be done now than sorry later like the Aesop fable grasshopper compared with the enterprising ant preparing for winter. We are well-supplied for a few days if the

Coleman multi-fuel camp stove

electricity goes out. There already were a few gallons of water in the downstairs refrigerator, but we bought some more bottles. It was a good thing that most of what we needed were already in hand, the Giant Grocery ran out right before we got to the isle (there were shoppers in the check-out lines in front of us with what must have been the last cases. We also bought some cans of ready-to-heat soup and assorted canned chicken spreads, along with apples and bananas. The gas station near our home had plenty of propane this morning, so our barbeque grill is ready to go with a full tank. There were many cans of fuel at the True Value Hardware store, so my forty-year-old Primus backpack stove and even more ancient Coleman single burner camp stove will be ready to be called upon if needed, but it would get old cooking regularly with this stove without the Sierra Nevada mountains as company, but warm food is better than cold - especially out of a can. So with small flashlight (with extra batteries), tubs of water in the bathtub to recharge the toilets if necessary, and charged handheld devices for communication with the outside world (I have already had to reset the wireless Apple Time Capsule wireless base station because of a short power outage), we are ready for the storm.

The American Goldfinches, House Finches, Mourning Doves, and Song Sparrows were getting in some last-minute lunch before the heavier rains began an hour or so ago. A Downy Woodpecker was making his way between the suet feeder and the finch feeder. Both he and a female

Goldfinch waits

who frequent the space outside the kitchen window are more dominant than the goldfinches - chasing the finches away whenever the two species come together. the woodpecker is distinctly aggressive towards the finches - making a lunging move towards the intruder. The finch is patient and waits until the checkered bully leaves, and then immediately resumes its normal place at the table. As many as four or five finches may feed at the same time - but then I have seen one male finch chase after another; streaking yellow aerobatic bodies hurling through the void between the branches of our backyard trees. The lone female Ruby-throated Hummingbird we have seen over the past week has made her appearance today between the Butterfly Bush, Rose of
Sharon, and liquid feeder - a short appearance, and then a quick exit out the side yard between houses. Even the male Eastern Box Turtle

Commercial Advertising Success

surprised us, and gave use an answer to the question of why we have seen him recently on the patio - he is obviously hiding out under the potted flowers that are around our deck landing. He let me take a picture of him this morning, but once I was finished and heading back into the house, he made a bee-line back for cover. It is amazing how fast a tortoise can move when necessary. The other day I happened to notice what looked like the last inch of a dark-colored reptile tail retreat under the cascades Impatience and Vinca Minor flowing down from the pots - maybe it wasn't a lizard as I thought then, but rather Mr. Slowsky. (1)

I have noticed after the last couple of big storms how there are often new bird species that turn up. Since Irene is going to be a significant event, it will be interesting to see what new shows up this time around. There is documentation of the impacts of extreme weather on wildlife - including birds. It will be time to watch what the early days next week bring.
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(1) An advertising campaign for Comcast high-speed cable service.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker - The Latest

Red-bellied Woodpecker

I was just thinking today, when will I see a new bird in the yard - it happened this evening after dinner. A little earlier while we were finishing our meal, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird male came up to the large planter pots in front of our small deck landing at the patio sliding glass door (1) - for five six seasons we have only seen females, so this one didn't count as "new." But the the Red-bellied Woodpecker that swooped in and landed on the seed feeder was new, added to the sightings in previous years of Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers. All four of these birds are common in the eastern half of the United States, but is is good to see some additional diversity come our way. The only mystery, is why is it called "red-bellied?"(2) From the three angles of the photographs I took, no sign of red on the belly. It was interesting that the bird went for the seed feeder, rather than the suet feeder as the Downy Woodpecker does with regularity. That was the first thing Jan noted while we watched. When you consider the dreary clouded sky this evening and then add up all of the red we saw with the Red-bellied Woodpecker, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and the always-present Northern Cardinal male - it is a nice contrast.
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(1)Verbena seems to have been the attractant.

(2) For a discussion about the "red belly," go to the link here.