Ducks on a Stream

Some more new neighbors, a bit further down the road.

Patty has noticed them one day on her way to work. A small flock of ducks on a very small stream.

While there are farms in the area it is not obvious where these might be from. 

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Winter Sun

But for a bit of wind, it was a beautiful late fall day.

Not a cloud in the sky.

Second Owner

You may recall that there have been Carolina Wrens roosting outside our backdoor (memory refresher here). And that diagonally across from the Wren Roost was a Wasp Nest (memory lane).

Well, with the cold weather the wasps have moved out.

And a Wren has taken up residence.

Crazy right? We were out visiting friends yesterday, and arrived home after dark. After carrying stuff inside (lots of potatoes from their farm share) I went back out to retrieve the mail. And upon my return noticed something different about the nest. As I approached the bird came into view. Cool.

It had been on my to do list to remove the nest. That task has been crossed off for the time being.

Leonard In The Sky ...

... with astronomy friends.

This past Sunday, I woke up in the middle of the night, got dressed, grabbed my gear, and went out in to cold. And it was cold. I drove down Route 206 to Atsion Field. There I met a fellow astronomy club member Joe, who had arrived sufficiently earlier to set up his scope and find the comet. Later another club member, Steve, would join us. It was very nice to be out with like minded folks under the stars.

We were there to see Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1), to be specific. The first comet found in 2021.

I had set up everything the evening prior. And was ready to go. 

The best laid plans ...

This is the first shot after I achieved focus. Note the pinpoint(-ish) stars. (Bigificaiton is suggested for all the images in this post.)

Finally, I found it (the green fuzzy bit). But the stars ...

No longer points. Nope, a bit on blobish side.  Grrr ...

It seems that I mounted the camera "backwards" on the ballhead. And thus the knob for the ballhead was hitting the mounting plate release lever. As Joe can attest, it took awhile for me to figure this out. Somewhere along the way I tweaked the focus. Of course, it looked fine on the small screen of the camera.

Note the location of the comet relative to the stars. In the time we observed it moved a noticeable amount. Very cool to see.

If you look closely at this image, you'll see a meteor trail or satellite track just to the left of the comet. It is very faint in the image. We saw several meteors in the two plus hours we were there. And one rather bright satellite as we were preparing to depart.

We observed until it got too cold (my hands were actually in pain, as I had to take my gloves off to futz with the mount) and the Sun began to intrude on the night.

☄️  💫  ⭐️  💫  ☄️

This comet was discovered on January 3, 2021. And it was expected to be the 'best' comet of 2021. And it was. Although for small values of best. It may become a naked eye object, barely, before it disappears in the glow of the sun. It will then become an evening object. albeit low in the sky, for northern hemisphere observes, once it reappears.

I had not been thinking of this comet until the last meeting of my astronomy club, when Joe mentioned plans to go out Sunday morning. I'm glad he did. 

Deadly Beauty

A bird feather, stuck to our living room window.

A pretty little thing, I wonder what species?

And in the lower left of the image, the imprint of more bird feathers. 

I think it makes for a pleasing image.

But the cost. A bird smashed into the window with enough force to leave a feather and the imprint. Anyone who has ever walked into a glass door (I have) will have some little understanding of what it is like. But for a bird flying full speed, it can be fatal.

We've taken a number of steps to minimize such collisions. The vertical line to the right of the feather is one of several hanging cords, which serve to deter the birds. We have a few stickers on the window as well. The feeders are all ten plus feet away, giving the birds time to course correct when they detect the window. 

But many birds feed  on the ground, and when spooked they see a reflection of trees in the window, and fly at full speed into the glass. 

It has been a while since I've found a dead bird below one of our windows. Perhaps the measures we've taken are working. Or perhaps the birds fly off, only to succumb to injuries out of sight. Or maybe the hawk that spooked them picks them from the ground. 

I like to think (hope?) that the birds are ok. And at worst just a bit stunned. As a kid, whenever a cartoon character would get hit in the head, little birds would circle said head, before recovery. Perhaps the birds see little humans circling their heads, before they recover.

It's That Time

When homes across the country become ...

... light shows.

Like this place just done the road. Surrounded by trees, an oasis of light.

My favorite time of the year.

Sunset

The lack of clear views of the horizon is one of the few drawbacks of our place. It limits star gazing opportunities. As well as sunrise and sunset viewing.

But when the trees are bare we do get the occasional sky show.

This was the view from my desk as I shut my laptop for the day this past Thursday, facing west.

I finished up for the day, went out on the deck, and walked around to take in the view to the east.

I used my iPhone as these moments are fleeting. No time to get a different, perhaps more appropriate, camera lens combination.

In a matter of minutes the show was over.

Another reason I enjoy this season.