Coopers Hawk

She’s been saving me a lot on bird seed lately, mostly by scaring the other birds off–her successful catch rate is very low. I say “she” because this is a fairly large bird and…..well, here is what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to say about that–“Life is tricky for male Cooper’s Hawks. As in most hawks, males are significantly smaller than their mates. The danger is that female Cooper’s Hawks specialize in eating medium-sized birds. Males tend to be submissive to females and to listen out for reassuring call notes the females make when they’re willing to be approached. Males build the nest, then provide nearly all the food to females and young over the next 90 days before the young fledge.” http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/lifehistory

Obviously, a more “primitive” evolutionary arrangement than that favored by hominids :-).

My Uncle Blaine–He Was Bigger Than Big

When I was five, he was a giant, much larger than any man I knew

He would take me for rides on his bulldozer—that was big too

Everywhere we went he was calm, confident and keen

With huge dams, big pipes or some massive machine

He was powerfully strong, but gentle, not gruff

Big problems or small, he could handle the stuff

An angry bull through the fence or a neighbor in need

Or even getting back at my mom with a watermelon seed

He had a great intellect that he didn’t wear on his sleeve

If his ego was large, it was impossible to perceive

The impact of his life on his family and friends

Is of a size I am unable to convey in the end

……..Me, I’m riding in an old pickup truck—a 1940s International Harvester rig

I’m riding with my uncle Blaine who was bigger than big.

Wynter Blaine Sturtevant 1922-2013

Room With A View

On the recommendation of friends and family, Katie and I checked into the Ester Lee Motel in Lincoln City. After the drive down from Portland I was ready for a nap. I woke up just in time to catch the last moments of the sunset from the window of our room.

 

I should have anticipated that the sunrise might be worth getting up for, but I didn’t and It was. It was not only a colorful sunrise, but a lovely setting moon. Once again, I woke up just in time to click off a few shots from the window before the colors faded.

After breakfast, we came back to check out and I caught a parting shot from the same window.

Nice lodgings with a nice view–we also saw some whales spouting, but they were a loooong ways out there.