Scuff Productions

For the last couple weeks, we AND next door neighbor Jeff Kane have heard a startling LOUD early night calling from the trees in back of Dianne’s house……………

Startling because it was LOUD……………….

THEN, last night, ALL our evening birds began literally squawking loudly, rapidly, constantly. They LEFT the feeders, but were in the trees panicked. You could hear parent birds chirping to call juveniles closer and into shelter. We looked out there to see what could cause this ruckus. The sun had just set, so it was likely too late for a hawk.

Rodger spotted it, a BIG OWL likely 16-18 inches tall just sitting on a branch straight out from the deck. He sat there…..we noticed markings, and as Rodger went to get the Camera and right lens, Mark moved the open glass door and the Owl flew closer to the birds in the trees. THEY responded with more noise. The conflict went on for minutes as the prey moved further into the forest and then closer …..the owl following.

After all the reading we could find, we were almost certain we saw the rare and endangered Northern Spotted Owl (pics from Web):

About one hour later we were outside and heard that same LOUD call coming from the trees in back of us. After finding a good sound page for the Owls, I became MORE convinced it was the spotted owl. BUT……………………………

A call was placed to the Audubon Society here THIS MORNING. It brought about a mini-conference there in the bird care center immediately. They came BACK to the phone saying THEY are 99% sure we are seeing a BARRED OWL because our forest here is not OLD enough for spotted owls:

The BARRED OWL:

Here’s a fabulous BIRD link, where, when doing a search, you can hear some of the best recorded bird calls I know of anywhere. SO. Click on the Spotted Owl Voice LINK………….if it isn’t sounding LOUD to you, your speakers aren’t playing it at the sound we hear it:

WhatBird Spotted Owls

I called Audubon Society this morning, and they want confirmation……………..THEY ARE SAYING FOREST PARK trees are TOO YOUNG to support Spotted OWL life. SO.

MARK AND RODGER are NOW on a MISSION. We MUST get a picture, and turn it in to Audubon. They have said IF we get the picture, and it IS a SPOTTED OWL……..THEY WILL ALL BE UP HERE that very evening they see it.

SO. We PROBABLY have a BARRED OWL NOW nesting in the neighborhood, but we’ll hope it’s that rarer animal. I will be happy if it IS the Barred OWL, it was a BIG magnificent bird. I must have been 16-18 inches tall. If you hear your little feeder birds squawking loudly at dusk, take a peek in the tree for this big guy.

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By the way, the baby Juncos that refused to move from the garden wagon nest site finally fledged and are on their own. This was taken last week, and I could NOT believe how fast they grew:

Seen on Democracy Now this morning, this headline that tells me, within a year or so, the U.S. will begin to draw down its occupation to about the 70-80 thousand it will require to maintain a safety net for the Oil Companies to operate and control their NEW possessions. This IS the reason Bush & Cheney, and company, took this country to war. Will it make gas cheaper?
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Iraq Opens Oil Fields to Foreign Firms

Iraq threw open the world’s third largest oil reserves to foreign firms on Monday putting U.S. and British companies in a position to return to Iraq for the first time since Saddam Hussein nationalized Iraq’s oil over three decades ago. Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani listed eight oil and gas field areas open to foreign firms for long-term development contracts.

Hussain al-Shahristani: “Through these initial offers, we hope to increase production of these oilfields to about 1.5 million barrels per day, in addition to current production which is 2.5 million barrels per day. The ministry is seeking to increase production from now until contracts are put into effect, until it reaches 4.5 million barrels per day in the next five years.”

The Iraqi government has already pre-qualified 41 foreign firms to bid for the contracts. Iraq postponed the announcement of a series of no-bid contracts that are expected to be given to to Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total, BP and Chevron to service Iraq’s largest oil fields.

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I get SO disheartened reading this although we’ve simply been waiting for it to happen.

**note: WE have been OUT of communication since last Monday when dear friends Serafina and David arrived from Alameda, CA. There has been non-stop gabbing, eating, dining, laughing, dog-chasing-squirrel runs, more talking, laughing, dining, and a phantasmagorical phriday night in St Johns Friday where we karoake’d our way into the wee hours and spent Saturday in the heat wave recovering. MORE on that all later.

I have to catch up 100 hundreds things today now that these wonderful friends have gone and taken their “kids” Abby & Glenda, the pups, with them. Mac is in withdrawal.

The BERRY blurb? OUR raspberry jam is made from one specific variety of berry, the “Cascade Delight” only available here at West Union Gardens, just 3 miles from the house. Last year we made many batches on June 15. That shows you how cool the spring was. THIS YEAR, the berries begin harvest NEXT MONDAY, July 7. We will be placing two flats on reserve and be making my yearly favorite Raspberry Jam with Sure-Jell LITE pectin. This is how they will look on our counter one week from now:

Whoopee!

BTW, one of our favorite native Forest Park flowers is now blooming down there, and I always love seeing it the first time:

I hope to catch up on a little web friends reading THIS week.

I just had another little voyeur thrill……..

First I see a very mottled, paler robin shaped bird land on a branch right outside this office window. It looks around, I spot two robins 10 foot back in the sun in the grass lightly chirping. A couple loud chirps and this youngster sort of flutters to the ground near them where Mom immediately puts “stuff” in its mouth. Wow! A baby robin just being taught how to live. Not quite a good flyer yet, but just a FEW days from being on its own in this world.

Than.

I see, out of the corner of my eye, commotion. I look out to see a small Sharp Shinned Hawk IN flight flying all around a Fox Squirrel with claws extended……..WHEW! What a chase….the squirrel did NOT run up a tree into the safety of branches. Why, I don’t know. He kept circling. The hawk paused…..sat on a flat branch to observe.

Hawk takes off again….same poses, claws out, just missing the big squirrel who can dart in different directions instantly.

This happens TWO more times before the hawk gives up and flys off. The squirrel continues to graze…….seems he didn’t feel too threatened, OR……..he feels he has the skills he needs to avoid being dinner.

The REAL story is, I never dreamed this small hawk would take on the big bushy Fox, a squirrel that doesn’t belong here in the NW. It was introduced by settlers from the N.E. who thought this bushy big guy was a lot more handsome than the smaller native Douglas Squirrels. We rather like our native squirrels…..THESE are the guys you can almost walk up to and they sit watching you, but sit there…….they’re brave little guys:

Must go…….am way behind on that summer list of things needing work………………………….

Rodger is coming home today! He needs to GET here collapse, relax, and be away from the fire. I will be so happy to see him this afternoon. Imagine! I even cleaned a house! Whoo! I bought some more Shuksan strawberries for this home-coming and have in mind two huge dishes of fresh strawberry shortcake in late afternoon with plenty of whipped cream! I have things ALL ready to go…………. just before I leave for the airport, I’ll quarter enough berries for this event, drizzle just a bit of sugar on them, and let ‘em wait for our return from the airport! Should be fun….. NOTHING sweeter than a strawberry from the Northwest just off the vine.

However……………………we got a huge surprise in the park on yesterday’s dog walk.

Yep, I wrote about walking in the park. This much hiked place is a fairly civilized place of course. Wildlife is in there, but you just don’t see it on the trails during the daylight.

We were within about 200 feet of a corner just like in one of the pics I posted last week:

when, just around the next corner, coming toward us, was what I first thought were two rather thin german shepherds. About the time I realized there was NO hiker with them, I realized I was looking at coyotes. They realized at that same moment what it was THEY were looking at, did an unhurried turn, and disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief MAC haven’t seen them, or if he did, he only thought they were other dogs he knew he’d soon be greeting. Ah. relief. So we continued on to that corner ….

Just as MAC hit that corner, he breathed in the scent of the coyote. An animal he has chased in circles up here at home. MAC went WILD. A growl, and paws to the ground, he took off as fast as he could go, disappeared around the next corner, then OFF into the forest, up the hill, down, around, all over, huffing all the way. I couldn’t believe this was a simple dog who loved chasing sticks. He really tried to find the villains for about 5 minutes, Ellie even getting excited about Mac’s chase but she wasn’t sure what it was she was supposed to be finding.

Since coyotes are rather solitary animals, I am simply guessing this pair was together as parents or considering becoming parents………… That was one Exciting 10 minutes………….

THIS morning, returning from the walk, JUST as left the parking area to turn up Newton, Peter observed a beautiful thick grass & stick nest…..and a bird sitting in it. As I turned to look, the bird silently flew out and disappeared. I thought it a robin but we weren’t sure. The nest was just 2 feet off the ground and I know robins do not nest very high. I walked over to see what color the eggs were…….no eggs. a pile of just born baby birds was there, so NEW, they were simply sleeping off Mom’s last meal. Breathtaking.

Home we came. I am cleaning house, MAC just finished getting a real clean bath, clothes in the machine, I’m looking forward to seeing my pal soon……..and hope to help him relax after this most awful life experience he’s just been through.

Hope all’s well……………………………….

Poor Rodger. He flew off to California family duty on the last day of a cold heavy gray day, just like almost every other spring day we’ve had this year. Since then the weather has exploded into summer, which means the long list of yard duties that have been lazily postponed for two months came calling.

Nature’s kids, the birds, don’t seem to have changed one behavioral note. Junco’s, for example, are on their second nesting season, and if lucky, will complete four this year. I would imagine that’s the price of being the little brown bird who stays here year round despite mud, snow, wind and cold. They are handsome little birds:

The bird is so small but sure have learned to build thick sturdy nests:

(No harm was done to a Junco Egg or Chick in taking this picture. This nest was pulled out of the lawn AFTER the baby’s left)…..And the “real” size?

We’re having a second season encounter with one Ms. Junco. We noticed a female junco flying out of the plants just outside the garage every time we came outside a week ago. She would land on the closest tree branch to us and begin “chip chip chip chipping” at us constantly. Here’s where this happens:

I thought I better find this nest and protect it if needed. So I looked closer

then closer………….. Then I realized it was not ON the ground. Because we’d postponed planting of all those May 5 plants purchased at the Canby sale, they were still sitting on the garden wagon. She nested in there. Can you see the nest?

Now?

Juncos don’t reason through about safety before they nest, but we love ‘em ’cause they stay year round. We’re happy they chose our lawn to make nests in…IF we see them at all and know a parent is chipping at us, we make sure they’re protected for the duration of the nest cycle.

This birding favorite, the Evening Grosbeak juveniles are being seen regularly. The lack of smooth feathers, and the one in back showing off her punk hairdo are signs, these are kids:

On Friday, I found Shuksan Strawberries down on the island at one of the little farms….what a find:

I don’t think there’s a better strawberry than when local northwest strawberries are in their short season.

These Shuksans were luscious. Two flats returned to this house, one half flat given to neighbors, and the rest became my favorite “memory of my Mom”…….FRESH FREEZER JAM…………….. Here’s how it looks before (the spray whipping cream added for drool effect):

Here’s how it looked afterwards:

**Along with a completed batch of hummingbird food.

Those containers sit for 24 hours, then go into the freezer. Yes, I did have to clean out a few year old things in there…. How often to YOU get around to THAT little task?

Other tasks keeping me busy while Rodger’s gone have included: repairing the big wine casks that had been turned over by vandals out at driveway’s edge while we were in NY……….., removing the LOST veggies like corn that didn’t make it through the cold WET nights of May, and re-planting new starts, new seedlings, new lettuces, new onions, squash, cucumber, tomatillos. Harvesting rhubard and freezing, mowing lawns, edging with a shovel much of the yard, spraying the driveway for plant growth, trapping moles….mostly “attempting” to do so, etc etc etc.

Oh well…………it’s been the busiest I’ve been since last June….It seems when summer explodes in the Pacific Northwest, you better plan on some long days. I hope these sun days are here to stay. I miss Rodger very much.

Rodger is in California. His only sibling, his sister Cheryl did not wake up from sleep Tuesday night. She was 53. As the only sibling, it has fallen on Rodger to take on the giant task of straightening out all the loose ends. There are many loose ends.

It is so busy at home, I couldn’t go at least right away……….we’ll see. Posting will take a rest for a bit.

M
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Added Sunday, June 15:
**Thanks for all your supportive e-mails, and comments. ALL of them were forwarded to Rodger, who, although using a dial-up saw what you’d sent. That means a lot………thanks a million. It’s been a real struggle dealing with unresolved issues. / mark

For your consideration:

The berm is looking better than when the dirt was just dumped here 3 years ago:

SO. In the mad rush to get ready for NYC nearly 4 weeks ago, I prepared our $20. greenhouse (plastic frame with plastic wrap).

I personally mixed our own potting soil, placed it into the little 4 inch pots to get the corn seeds sprouted and up by the time we got back because it would be high time to plant them that 1st week of June. Got it all placed inside the greenhouse, got distracted and returned 3 weeks later to review progress. Nothing was up:

Hm. I waited 4-5 more days before I dug in those little pots to see what happened. NOT ONE seed had been placed in these pots. I walked into the garage, there was the package intact. SO now…….will we be eating garden corn late summer or not? I did the “real” planting last Friday. We’ll see.

The garden tomatoes are all in surrounded by those “kozy-coats” ….these aren’t all tomatoes. 8 are tomatoes, the rest are HOT peppers:

The tomato coats will come off first in about a month, but the peppers will remain almost 2 months….into the hottest part of our summer.

The bent lawn. That was my second problem. I got back from NY, mowed the lawn and got furrows:

After introspection, I thought, hm. I MUST have put that blade on wrong. That was a pretty stupid thought since it mowed all last summer just fine………. I got the ramps down, brought out the tools, went to the shed, got the mower and parked it by the ramps. I got off the tractor…….looked at it from behind. It was leaning sideways. GEEZ! How is it that I am NOT thinking? As soon as the flat tire was inflated…..voila! Smooth lawn this week.

Oh well……..12 years into living here, and I still forget some basics, eh?

Our Forecast? RAIN for four more days. Below 50 at night. We’re ALL tired of this wet weather.

On the happy side, THIS was the cutest post ANY chick could have given me. I went out on the deck, he didn’t fly off, but moved to the back side of the feeder. He couldn’t resist this cute look at me though: