All hallows e'en !

THIS NEVER GOT THROUGH. MAJOR VERIZON PROBLEM REVISITED> KNOW ITS LATE BUT MIGHT PRODUCE SOME IDLE AMUSEMENT>

If you are totally bored come to Blythe for the evening, SWMBO's coven is putting on a display of co-ordinated cursing (Cursing is reserved for SD web site managers, swearing is for trapping fingers in drawers or Oakland Raider fans) and fly by bleeding cysts just before the big event. The big event ? Every year we build a large bonfire in an open field near Blythe. At Midnight the Hobthrushes ignite it, and the entire population of Blythe joins hands and dances widdershins around the conflagration in an atttempt to get in touch with the living. Beautiful, artistic but sadly hopeless. yearly our numbers dwindle. !!
Getting ready here at home for trick or treaters. 410 loaded with #12shot and salt. The gamekeepers in the UK thought that was fun to shoot at poachers.I will go with Gourmet sea salt tonight. Thinking a nice pink Hawaiain ?
May pop down to Ripley and borrow "Beau" the owners call him BO. Papers call him Beauchamp !I call him "Beecham" The vagaries of life !
This is a serious Staffordshire Pit Bull (of the euro variety). He met me at the gate, dragging a blue plastic swimming pool with water, and as I pondered my next move tore it to shreds, while looking at me. At this point an elderly Hispanic lady, my new friend "Nana" came out with a broom and leveled it. "BO behave this is Mr Higson". Synapses obviously clicked. Now I wait and see what he is going to chew to bits before I go in. Seems he has found the daughters disney figurine set. He brought me 2/3 of Snow white yesterday. Absolutely awesome dog, loves tummy tickies. But fabulous scarer off-er !
Spent the day doing my "Book circle". Drop 3 wigeon and a cormorant, sewage plant 9 sp 23 individuals, fish farm nothing, Cemetery "Sparrow flock" up to 12.8 being Juncos !
Any way will post a couple of picks. Sat for along time for the Shrike to work his way down a fence line, actually no problem, was watching the river go by and absorbing the beautiful wintery day. Cranes calling,hear no traffic just sunlight and quiet. Very nice, Why I live in Blythe.
Remember if you are meeting SWMBO for the "I have suffered all year for my hobby, now it is your turn" co-ordinated broom flight, that if you arrive with your bristles behind you ,you will be grounded. Real withches ride Bristles forward. Just a safety tip Roger.

Stuff, nonsense, and who invented MSG? I need to remove them from the gene pool

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Happens every time. End of the week , take out. Chinese? or Mexican ? Depends on what time I want to wake up in the morning after imbibing their chemical cocktails
Chinese 2am , mexican more 3 am
They say they will noty use MSG if you ask them
Chinese. Polite nod as in the back they load the left overs from the lunch buffet into a card box, cover with brown gravy and nuke. Usually arrives before your order is complete, with a grapefruit sized ball of cold rice jammed in another box.
Mexican.Mucho head nodding, si, si no MSG, barely comprendes,it makes the food more authentic. Girl turns and screams order through to back, some kind of opening, and dark cave like space beyond it with a lot of sizzling going on. "Dos numero tres, dos numero ocho. to go.And were the f89k is julio I get off at five?"
Now I am no great scholar of the varied spanish tribal languages, I am kind of down on inca, and the bill she wrote was not in any Mayan petroglyphs I could sort out, but I was reading upside down. Did I miss any refernce to MSG ?. Maybe the Gov set it up? Lets see every third letter........
I have to go and ponder my schedule........
Will load pics. Unless you have dial-up, you will not appreciate the length of time it takes to dump a pic !............
Done dumping !!!
From the top down, I think.
Spent hours trying to get these dowitchers to line up and spell my initials H about done, R looking good, Something scared them. Awkward damn bunch any way.
Lark Sparrow. A less than annual, bump into bird
an X kingfisher.
White Front on take off warm up flap
and Photo confirmation of Pied Cowbird, in Ripley, believe it or not.
Got the new Brian Small id photo book. Christ, awesome pics, dabbling myself, I can appreciate the hours, and effort that went into those pictures. Amazing. Sadly. It will go in with the ever increasing number of photographic id books I do not use
Why. Believe me not for the quality, etc, but I just do not think photos can compete with drawings. They are too subject to lighting effects etc, printing defects, size comparison. Lee J and I pondered a recent Howell publication together, and went into shrug mode. Not over the info or presentation. But with the every day a new sub sp of a Herring Gull, appearing attitude. Just using the pics in one "New Species" can be split, literally frame by frame, into species.
Just my view will pull out periodically and drool over. But not a field guide.
My pics, I try and use my stuff to take a bird "picture". At 1550 sec you are not seeing the bird like that again. Just a brief moment in time.Also I don't have the money or equipment to take those kind of pictures. Heck some of the lenses used by pros cost more than my whole rig ! So my pics include stuff and rubbish, but they are about the bird. Don't care if you can not ID
Just ejoy the second !
Pyewacket is sat on the edge of the key board. Waiting to type something about stereo typing of Black cats with tails with a crook in the end, as evil.Especially at this time of ear. George is sat behind muttering "Why is that rescue cat named Pye when everyone knows only Siamese cats are named that"
Please check off any bird you do not have your life list if you can remember what movie Pye was in !
Gone birding Roger

Why Verizon made its biggest executive decision, and several notes over one day

Where to begin ?
I asked Verizon operatives a simple request. Dump my spare dial up. Don't need it.Start?
Tuesday. 19 and a half hours and 24 operators later I have my phone and computer back.
To say I am irate at these bastards (say what you mean roger) would be a misuse use of the word (JHFIUTXJTRSU^YT&(P*^T&%E%&*UXCJKHVLKU) sentence coded as all 53 words you can not say on the computer are in there.. The problem is that when you ask for a change of service they automatically assume you no longer need dial up but have changed to firesnotdvd,34. When I said NO not only do you worthless bastards not have it out here, but if you want a god damn laugh call me on your worthless god damn cel phones (at 9pm last night). Finally got through to the "Dial up Lady" in Tokyo. Yes , you have to talk to "The last remaining Dial up person in the Galaxy" So if you have dial up ONLY in your area and screw up. Call me, have the Canadian Number you MUST NOT HAVE.
The first factor I used as I talked to the drug crazed Indian hashashin dervishes was . "How many of you are there per square foot in your office? ". Keep asking for their supervisor until the number drops to single figures. 5 hours.
Spit at phone until dehydrated. Own a rubber phone. "Why can't you speak English Rajah, me no understand you" "Why do you not shut up so I tell you what wron , Yo do no know I tell you?" "I busy , call back, in 45 minutes, (can I have your number?) No private"
BUT the best is yet to come. The old shoe store in Blythe, perfect neighbour Jo just told me, on the Radio announced its opening as the new "Verizon customer service center, the easy one stop store for your Internet and Wireless services "
Do you realise how tight zip ties can be pulled around your wrists, and whyhim and my wife have hidden the car keyshave hidden my car keys?
Please delete the next lines about my feelings on the Tech service in Punjab concept.
"......................................................................................................... and the Brahma Bull you rode in on" Now birds"
Put a couple of pics in, shortage of birds.
AAH the 28th of October. Very quiet week really. Saturday The jeep would not start so I went into the garage and fixed while SWMBO started the washing/laundry. The machine blew up. Having fixed the jeep, came in to "Help" ie be critiscized, (spelt like mentally cirumsized) for the fact that the 20 year old Maytag machine I bought 10 years ago for $50 diedAfter unloading and draining, suggested go to gee gees and I would deal with. Headed out jeep, hit open on garage door button. Door opener fell apart on top of jeep. Take truck. Gone in the whisp of a dragon stare.Got stuff vaguely back on track. Went birding. Dead. Printer broke.Spent sunday falsifying a "Why I am the best teacher in the galaxy and you need to love me and everything I do I am so special look how wonderful I am" "document. Actually , falsifying is wrong. I am very good at what I do. Basic paper training and obedience training for 210 9th graders.I am not that special a person that I can sit around with my 15 students, building Butterflies for home coming .Boy theres a tuffy. And the lid is coming off when/if our new Principal returns. THE Special lady who has 9 students all day, which rotate through my classes, I have 3 in a class of 36, is incensed that I am not spending more one on one quality time with her "Charges".... Will quit whimpering and start downloading a few pics. All just what I could grab. Wind disgusting the last 3 days. Not much hope of much this weekend. Here come pics. Dowitcher 9 feet 35 mm. Whip that puppy someone !!!
More stuff soon
Roger.

A note over several days

I thought I would ease into this weekend and use spare time to add "Micro Observations" to this note. Instead of trying to write it all at once, Nearest pic.I thought the bird doing this was a White phase Reddish Egret. It kept doing it, most annoying, Snowy Egret. Fortunately I was following it when it went into "HUNT and DIE" mode. It took a silly wild ass stab at something in the water. As the pic shows, may have chewed off more than it should have bitten. Flew up and landed, last egret snap. I feel a " Taa Daah.There it is " end to a true ostrich plumed Burlesque event. My father took me to one on my 18th Birthday, in Germany, my passage to man hood ! Most people who read this, would not even know what I mean !
Some flatulent screaming idiot, put writing in some media that said you can rationalise a persons out look on life by seeing what music they listen to during the previous week prior to taking this quiz. Probably some fool on the most annoying human TV show. The Ojay winferret show.
Now an intelligent person, taking this meaningless test would lie. .
After all, all the Osmonds records and anything with Barnie would be what I would usually write, in this on line poll.Got to stay within the norms.
Picked up the last 5 cds by my player. Judge me for what I am.
Allman Brothers Greatest Hits
RL Burnside "A ass pocket full of whiskey". (Probably the best blues album ever)
COB " Moyshey McStiff and the tarten lancers of the sacred heart"
Frank Zappa "Hot rats" and last
Lorretta Lynn "Van lear Rose" with Jack White, fabulous music.
Number six is "Music to start a cult by" penned by Joshua Tree/Morongo Valley locals "Gram Rabbit"
I guess you can now evaluate me !
A brief Hisevenus......................
Stolled that idea from Victor Borge. Possibly the only comedien to reduce me to consistent laughter, I know whats coming, kills me every time. It was based on his "deficit sketch". Every thing being worth less now than it was originally. Hence Snow white and the six dwarves, a "Five shooter", he sevened his breakfast with a be-eight smile.
Hence the Hisevenus........
There are gaping assh1112s in LA. I have proof . "NEWS at 5am on Hyperduper 400 megaDoppler side radar mega trak storm drama channel 7 in mega disaster emergency celebrity watch car chase on I 12345, fim at 11 am "
YES. Some lucky bastard in Blythe won the $456K mega back up prize,I will track my long lost cousin down later. He will be the one buying rims for his Chebby at the tire shop tomorrow, before axing the fambly to the all you can eat Sizzler salad and chittlins bar. !!.
How do I spot people who have their heads firmly up their ass ? The smug news caster said " Have you ever been to Blythe? You could probably buy the whole town for that, hah hah hah but there are some nice people out there I've heard ! Hah hah"
NOT only are we nice, but we are smart, and that I felt was an insult to my town.
Just for the record "WE the PEOPLE of BLYTHE are nice, and resent the fact that powdered poofters in LA disparage our town and intelligence by suggesting it is worth $425k. WE the people are not that stupid There is not a God Damned person in Blythe who would spend over$217,145.27, and that includes the Golf Course"
East coast arrogance at its best
Better do birds for the week, after I go see who fills his gas tank up to the top. Found my winner !

Sunday 11th 300+ Dowitchers at the sewage plant,( plus 1 solit sand,1 lsr Legs and a Pec Sand all late) made my morning. These birds were obviously both tired and hungry, but couldn't decide whether to feed or sleep. It was totally awesome to sit in the crisp predawn maybe 25 foot away and listen to them twitter to one another,tales of where they had bin, or where going I don't know, nice to eaves drop. Nothing much of extra, a smattering of expecteds.
Monday. Was on the computer thankyou Columbus for the day off. I had all my reply immediately or we will dipatch our lawyers to put you in jail and take away your free coupons mail seen to.Or was that Publishers Clearing house
Anyway I just cut them in half. Why the computer ? I had $216 funny money on my credit card, I had been squirreliing away,Couple of choice bird books, , need the VHS Version of The Peter Gabriel concert (DVD sucks) and a copy of "Plato and a Platypus walk into a bar" Hilarious quasi serious Philosophical digression. SWMBO walks in Jeep won't start.$205.64 later. Ugly day but at least I can start in the black.
During the week a build up of N Harriers. As we all know N Harriers exhibit anthropormorhic gynadometasophistery . I would give you the correct word, but I am not getting up and looking for my Harriers of the Galaxy book.I forget who wrote it , but it is a neat book.It has something to do with balance of the sexes in different breeding conditions, etc. Anyway some years you get a ton of males and sometimes you don't. Awesome science. Any way for what its worth. It seems to work on a seven year cycle here in blythe.
During that time frame we have gone through the full cycle of all males to no males and now all males,obviously with a smattering of each at both ends of the spectrum. Learned some fink.
Rest of the week nothing terrifying in the bird world.
Saturday. 2 Townsends Solitaires at the entrance to Hidden Bitches. I have seen 11 this fall, mega record number. Was hid behind the ice cooler waiting for them this am. First caring knowledgeable interested nice person of the day had to stop (See kinder nicer Roger). Park in front of me with SScoop Doggy Doo Doo blasting out of his speakers, descend the ramp from his jacked up Ram Dodge Terrain wrecker, and ask me if I was stuck. I thanked him for his concern and gave up. As I was admitting defeat a Varied Thrush landed , gave awesome momentary views , gorgeous bird. Dipped bobbed and headed for Mayflower one yard at a time. I must have knocked on more sodding doors this morning than a speed freak Jehovahs Witness, trying to get permission to thrash through peoples yards. It stayed one "Look at me I am beautiful, dip hop over the fence" away from the thing. I will catch up with it. New Ferrug on the block blind in one eye. Load some pics. Going to go and make rice pudding . Probably have not eaten that in 35 years. I recall at grammer school we where given a pool of it and where allowed a spoon of raspberry jam to stir in. We called it affectionately "Blood in the Snow". Hmm, maybe that was semolina.
Life is full of too much excitement,
Regards rh

World record ?

I (that would be me) on this day {(that would be today) which would be before tomorrow and after yesterday} the 10th of October, the year of our Lord 2009. Didst see, albeit on my own , without croneys and/or sycophants. Witnessed and photographed all three sp of native US goldfinch within 10 miles of my domicile and before 9 am. Evidence attached.
Fun day, the best in a while.
218 LB Dowitchers. and 145 Gtr Ylegs at the sewage plant. 1 solitary, 2 pecs, a snipe, and 2 SB Dowitcher, call etc. Peregrine fly over. 3 Ferruginous, and six more sp raptors. I was watching a Swainsons, hovering. Forgot to take its pic !12 Waxwings.
Went down a road for no reason,stoppped while trying to figure out why. Sage Thrasher hopped up. Works for me.Then a Rock wren hopped up. That is a super neat bird, if you ever get a chance to sit and look at one closely, do it.Then,spent too much time trying to photo a Saltonis/none Saltonis Song Sparrow. All within 100 yds of each other. 47 Sandhills flew over, and I almost stood on an unhappy side winder. It was only about ten inches long. Picked it up, to take its picture in the hand. Idiot !I suddenly realised I needed 3 hands. Put it down to get organised, it left. Should have put it in the glove compartment. Pics downloading. Tomorrow sounds/feels good !
Roger
Need to drive more odd roads

Week in review, with input from our studio guests

Love that title makes me feel like a sunday morning News regurgitator.
Might as well start off on the wrong foot. I got up early to try and resolve my IRS argument. I have four piles of paper work on the kitchen table. I received letters from the leaders of each pile, all this last week.
Here are my choices! This could be a reality show !
Pile one. Seize eveything. Hell if you can put a noose on a ghost good luck !
Pile Two. Dock my pay $3oo.
Pile Three Dock my Bank account $300 a month
Pile four. Voluntarily send them $300 a month, with the accompanying slip which must be in their hands by the 28th, if not it goes to Pile One mode.
This is four seperate areas of our tax system, who are focussed in on me !All with their own agenda
Each section offers various choices of subjugation to make Mr IRS happy !
Funny thing is they are already doing option/pile two. IRS person. Do not change from what you are doing now.
"But what about Death threats?"
"Oh we are at least 10 weeks behind"
reassuring , I will write until the IRS plucks my keyboard from my cold dead fingers !.
I wonder if the IRS has a lot of wasted time effort and redundancy ?. Career change. Going to become a "Person who chooses to be anonymous, but is close to the President who does not want to reveal the secret facts from the meeting, as he is a source close to a source who will only speak on grounds of anonimity."
Press Compromise Headline.
"President and heads of state pass around Bong and female lobbyists in secret "spin the bottle" meeting to discuss Iran, Mrs Obamma jumps out of cake in Bikini" A source close to the President, who chose not to be identified, revealed today under secrecy the behaviour at Summit meetings. More unconfirmable speculation at 11pm. Michael Jackson still dead.Film at 11am.

BIRDS from the week.
Pec Sands continue at sewage farm, down to 2. A lone Solitary sand. Rapid turn over over of waders, especially LB Dowitchers 5 to 46. Same idea with GTR Legs. Gtr Whitefront going nowhere
Monday, south of I-10 65 Swainsons Hwks over 2 fresh cut Alfalfa fields.
Thursday. 2 Lsr Nighthawks at school. Will attach some bird pics from the week.
RH
Pics
You have your basic WC Sparrow from Hell. IT IS NOT FLUFFED UP !
Just huge. Race anyone ? And 2 green/yellow birds. Test your ID skills !

33333334PPBEEEAA

ON A WHIM, A COUPLE OR THREE YEARS AGO, I STOPPED At the pound. which is 11 miles out of my way. For no reason, on a friday night. Wandered in, and purchased a kitten with 20 minutes to go, before being offed. Always have had a black cat with green eyes and a crook in the tail. Hence the heading. Pyewackit, in an effort to love me to death, walked across the key boards, a la Archibald and Mehitobel. All you da Vinci code freaks get going. This could be the directions to the 3D coloured version in HiDef of some Myth ! Oh well. Pause to dump photos. Anything over 8 bighties is 5 plus mins on dial up. Got fed up and went birding
BLYTHE BIRDS First weekend of October 3 and 4
Sparrows and raptors Tour.
Sparrows every where, a good show at my chumming spot, nothing rare but a chance to grill WC SParrows. One very large dark lored bird. Hopefully pic gets through. A dusting of warblers, and the 2 summer tans linger. Any goose is either a river sitter ort a flyover. So the juv W Front at the sewage ponds (Still today) was a treat. Raptor build up, should be a good fall, 10 sp over the weekend, standouts Ferrug, Merlin,Red Sh, and my favourite Kite.Both Summ Tans hang on. As usual we trail by a about 2 weeks in the fall and lead by the same in spring with migrants. Total of 33 Pec Sands for the day 26 at sewage farm rest in a flooded field.
Just made a life decision.
Birds and photos and happy tales of calves horses and baby chickens and baah lambs on sunday. My screwed up commentary on Wednesdays. It takes way too much time to download pics, and then get annoyed. @ hours for that above. But ok I started in with raw procucts and a chunk of baa lamb. I have the "TO die for" Curry quietly bubbling on the stove
SOME OBSERVATIONS
Embarrased over the medias treatment of Letterman. At least he was honest and out of wedlock, and if he had to go fly somewhere to spank or screw an aide, my taxes did not pay for it. Has everyone forgotten about the no morals what so ever jerks who run our country ? I guess so.
How can Iran have a secret radioactive enrichment plant ? If they announce it on TV, chances are nobody in the "World Government" jumped up and said "How come I did not know about this secret, Gibson Does.
And lastly, "Secret visit by the VP of (this crumbling democracy) America to Kasback-jammitstan to meet Hamma-lambadingdong " Once a month the secret pops, to us plebs !
I can see it at the Istambul airport, man on phone.
"Look Fajita ,the petal of the dew drops of the Nile, drag his sorry ass out of bed and get him down here quickly, this idiot just showed in a big infidel Plane, he is in Duty free right now, and then sneak back on the plane so the honour Guard can be here. Jesus christ I did not know until now either, listen I don'care if the camel ate half his dress uniform, look fajita I don.t care if he had a long night on his Hookah. Get his ass down here now." Suprise Suprise. NBC has Its cameras set up to watch the "secret" land . Am I the only one who thinks the masses are being treated like clueless statstics now a days?
More on Wednesday
Roger
Serious wind storm coming through.