Friday, May 29, 2020

Strangers In The Morning

In the early morning, like around 5:00 before anyone else is stirring, I sit on my patio and drink my coffee.  I like soaking up all the cool ... especially the cool ... and the quiet, only interrupted by the scream of a peacock and two roosters.

Lately I've been hearing what I instantly recognized as baby birds wanting to be fed.  I raised cockatiels, parrots and cockatoos long enough to become very familiar with the squawking language. FOOD .... FEED ME!!!

I've seen them flying about in the pine trees at the edge of my property, but couldn't really tell what they were.  We actually do have lots of seagulls around here, even though we are far from the ocean.  That squawking though .... that was just too familiar.

I finally got out my camera with the long lens and began shooting in that direction.  Wasn't I surprised when I discovered what the strangers actually were.  These are baby White Tailed Kites.  They usually congregate in grasslands and marshes, neither of which exist in my back yard.
The male, good guy that he is, brings food to Mom and the babies while she sits in the nest.  Once fledged, both parents continue to bring breakfast every day, even though the babies can fly from tree to tree.  They mostly live in Mexico, with a few hanging out in the San Joaquin Valley in California.  Funny, I've never seen them before.
Here's the perfect picture of Mom (or Dad) bringing baby some breakfast.  I watched them for over an hour as they made trip after trip.
Even a mockingbird got in the act.  I don't know if he was looking for scraps or just checking out the baby.  They eat lots of scraps like leftover french fries from my neighbors garbage.  I know that because I find pieces all over my yard, along with the bags they tear apart.  Big time scavengers those Mockingbirds.
Just to be sure I had the identification right, this is a picture from the internet.  They have two very distinctive "eyes" on their wings.  What a cool find in my very own back yard!!  I've seen the babies flapping their wings a lot, so I imagine they won't be around long.  I sure hope they come back next year.  Isn't nature cool??
My sole project for today is to check out my internet provider ... this little Verizon JetPack.  To be honest, I'm not sure if it is that or my computer.  This Mac is over five years old and probably needs an upgrade.  

If you've been around for awhile, you know my last and only copy of Photoshop for my photography is on this computer.  It cannot be transferred to any other machine.  A new computer means I have to subscribe to the Cloud (I hate the cloud) for all my photography needs.  They don't make Photoshop on a disk any more.  It's more lucrative to demand a payment every month, not to mention the hit my wallet will take on a comparative computer of around $4,000.  I draggeth my feet!!!

Worse case, I try to upgrade my computer and it crashes, causing the big expense of a new one.  Best case, when I reinstall everything, Photoshop will magically reappear, having been in a coma, and not remember she was supposed to die a horrible death upon reinstallation.

Either way, it's going to be stressful.  If I disappear for a couple of days, you'll know why!!




10 comments:

  1. Love the bird pictures! Cute little family! I love my Mac and it's getting close to 5 years old, hoping I don't have to replace or update any time soon. Every time I take it to Best Buy for something, they "make it better" and screw things up..leave it alone! Good luck with yours :)

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    1. I don't let anyone work on my computer. LOL Although once I did have to send it off to Apple who wiped it completely. That was my very last copy of Photoshop that I added back on. Sigh ....

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  2. Love the bird family.... beautiful.

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  3. Great pictures of the Birds.
    Microsoft installed a Photo Editing program on this Laptop. Not like Adobe but better then nothing.
    Most Laptops today have more storage then the towers, use less electricity and are very portable.
    Verizon Jetpacks just don't have the connectivity of modems through Cable or Phone Services.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. They are very cool to watch!! The birds that is.

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  4. Great Bird Pics! I know how computers can be, and I KNOW how much Apples costs (which is why I never have messed with them).

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    1. For photography, they are pretty much stand alone. Nothing even comes close to Apple. Otherwise, I would never spend that much!!

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  5. Beautiful birds. Only Mississippi kites here, but they behave in much the same way. Are you sure that isn't' a magpie in wait for something? Argh. They are such scavengers. Not that mockingbirds are pillars of the community.
    Good luck with the computer stuff. I have a 4 yr old Mac mini, reconditioned, and so far, so good. But I don't do much complicated stuff....

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    1. I'm looking up your kites. Mockingbirds here are just trouble makers!!

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