First, I have to say that I am totally rockin' this William Shatner CD called Has Been. Yes, that's right I said William Shatner. Some of you may remember him from Transformed Man or even Golden Throats, but let me tell you he has really grown as a musician. He can feel, he can touch (let's see how many of you get that reference). If you haven't heard it, I highly recommend downloading:
Common People
You'll Have Time (I want this song as my sig file!)
That's Me Trying
I Can't Get Behind That (I have fond memories of listening to this with WildBird on the Fly while driving around in Maine)
Now, who was our mystery bird:
Well, is this a chicken? Is this a ptarmigan? I thought this one was going to be too easy, but the lack of head really stumped some readers. This bird is a raptor:
It's a Harris hawk! The funny thing was that Non Birding Bill snapped these photos at Game Fair and tonight when I was talking to him he asked, "What's that a photo of again?" He took the picture and he couldn't remember? Crazy boy! Here's a comparison of the Harris and the ferruginous hawk:
I love his photo, it looks like the Harris on the left and the ferrug on the right are having a tete a tete, but are really contemplating an attack towards each other. My money would be on the ferrug, if they were to fight. Oh sure a whole gang of Harrises might take out a ferrug, but they're not that tough when there's just one.
So, Andrea had the first correct answer! Whoo hoo, go Andrea. Don't forget to email me your snail mail address so I can send you the winning lens pen. Ohhhh. Ahhhhhh. Those things really are handy.
I'm currently hanging out in the big scary old house that is Mr. Neil's home. I've never been in here completely by myself before (save for a few cats). I'm just bursting with creativity right now and he's been kind enough to allow me to use his writing quarters. The best part of the whole deal is that I get to raid some green tomatoes out of the garden for my frying pleasure. Mmmmmmmmmm, I loves me some fried green tomatoes!
I swear, this place as the most forgiving birds. There have been no bird feeders out all summer due to bear activity. Last week NBB and I put up three new feeding stations and it's loaded with birds in less than a week! I couldn't believe the rush hour like activity that was surrounding the feeders when I arrived today--even a pileated came in to the gigantic suet log. Robins were raiding a fruit bearing tree right between the feeders. Robins always make me nervous this time of year. They form these large flocks that always seem to give their warning calls and their kind of secretive. It's as if they are up to something sinister and they don't want us humans to find out.
Well, I am just all over the airwaves the next few days. Tomorrow morning I'll be on A Balanced Breakfast (at 5:50am for you early risers--they do have live streaming over the internet), then I have down that I'm supposed to do KFAN Outdoors tomorrow night at the State Fair, but I don't have a set time so I'm not so sure about that one. Friday afternoon, I will be on a KTIS show called Along the Way with Kim Jefferies (but she is away so it will actually be with Steve Moore who I met when he interviewed me at Birdwatch America last January). And then there's Saturday night at 9pm when I'll be on the Flirtologist Show aka the Jill Speigel Show. The last two radio programs are new ground for me. I think KTIS is a religious station...boy, I really hope I can behave. Jill Speigel will also have an animal psychic on the same show...again, I really hope I can behave.
You can call in for both the Kim Jeffries show 1-800-571-2755 and on the Jill Speigel show 651-641-1071. Feel free to call with questions or to harass or to remind me to behave.