I've never seen an indigo bunting, but there have been sightings in my area. 

I don't think black is an evil colo(u)r, but it does sound ominous that a group of crows is called a murder.  Visitors to my yard include robins (they came back early this year), blue jays, those little yellow birds, doves (or as the husband calls them: lunch), squirrels (dinner), deer (also dinner), and the occasional woodpecker.  When a neighbor started raising chickens, the hawks started visiting.  Witnessing one take a chicken ruined my life.

I've never seen an indigo bunting, but there have been sightings in my area. 

I don't think black is an evil colo(u)r, but it does sound ominous that a group of crows is called a murder.  Visitors to my yard include robins (they came back early this year), blue jays, those little yellow birds, doves (or as the husband calls them: lunch), squirrels (dinner), deer (also dinner), and the occasional woodpecker.  When a neighbor started raising chickens, the hawks started visiting.  Witnessing one take a chicken ruined my life.

The Robins seemed early here also this year. We had a pair of mourning dove show up early also and the female appeared to soon to be laying eggs. Sure enough they build the worst nest I have ever seen on the cement part that runs under our bathroom window. A couple of days later there was one egg in it. 2 or 3 days later the egg was gone. We looked on the ground encase it had fallen out, but no egg could be found. Could have been taken by a crow. They are still around the house but not building any nests that I can see. I mentioned on another post at the other site that my father was raising ducks and had the in a chicken fence enclosure but with to top because the ducks didn't fly. Anyway an owl took a liking to duck meat and these being easy pry would swoop down at night and help it's self to a duck. It took 6 in all before my father said enough is enough and took the owl out with a 22. He said he would normally not shot an Owl because they keep the rodent population under control , but this was the 30's and they needed the ducks to eat. As you can see, this owl had do problem taking on a duck. Just noticed he has the 22 rifle in the picture. Was only looking at the owl before. Look at the size of it's feet and talons. They could take your face off.

I would not want to tangle with an owl.

You might not have found any egg shells in that nest because some birds carry the empty sell pieces to another location to distract a prey's attention from where the babies are.

I would not want to tangle with an owl.

You might not have found any egg shells in that nest because some birds carry the empty sell pieces to another location to distract a prey's attention from where the babies are.

No it was too soon for the egg to even hatch before it went missing..

I got the scare of my life one time out in the bush on an exercise. It was winter with snow on the ground and I was observing out of a slit trench with an IR scope (Infra Red) called a Starlight. It multiples the ambient light forty thousand time so you can pretty well see in total darkness with it. I was dressed in Arctic white cam and had my parka hood up and was wearing a white arctic face mask with only above my nose uncovered. I'm watching a tree line which is a cross from me for movement and something moved and cause the snow on the pine trees to fall off. Then I see this dark shadow coming my way getting bigger and bigger in the sight until its so large it's blocking everything else out in the sight. It looked like a jet aircraft coming in on me but I couldn't hear no noise and at the last second I dropped my head lower in the trench and swish, it went right over me.  I turned around to try and see what it was and this giant owl that should have been in Jurassic park was sitting about 10 feet behind me in a low branch. It was just looking at me and I stood and then it must have realized I wasn't a rabbit or small animal and then just left and went further back in the bush behind me. Owls eyes or so good they can not only pick up any slight movement as small as a mouse but can also do it in the dark.

These are the finches we get in the garden, as they love the seed hearts in the feeders. The top is the Goldfinch, followed by the Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Bullfinch.

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In most raptors, the female is bigger than the male. That is the same for women in the county where I live. I was explaining to bar trollop just the other day about "nature." The male of the species is always the brightest of colors, striking if you will & very pleasant to the eye. The female on the other hand, is dull & drab & not colorful at all. And that is reason why I look the way I do, & you look the way you do. 

In most raptors, the female is bigger than the male. That is the same for women in the county where I live. I was explaining to bar trollop just the other day about "nature." The male of the species is always the brightest of colors, striking if you will & very pleasant to the eye. The female on the other hand, is dull & drab & not colorful at all. And that is reason why I look the way I do, & you look the way you do. 

You smoothie you. I bet she had her draws off in a flash.

Pullman Strike May - July 1894

Shaped national labor policy in the U.S. during a period of deep economic depression. The Panic of 1893 had shut down much of the economy & the railroads stopped purchasing new passenger cars from the Pullman Company. Workers were laid off & wages lowered. This was a time when many factory workers lived in houses that were owned by the the factory & paid much of their wages back in rent. Their wages were lowered but the rent wasn't hence the strike. Labor organizer Eugene Debs formed the workers & a national strike resulted. At the height of the strike President Grover Cleveland ordered the Army to stop strikers for obstructing trains. General Nelson Miles (noted Indian fighter) took command in the west & violence ensued. The strike was broken with the result of 70 dead, the American Railroad Union was busted & Eugene Debs went to jail for six months. 

In most raptors, the female is bigger than the male. That is the same for women in the county where I live. I was explaining to bar trollop just the other day about "nature." The male of the species is always the brightest of colors, striking if you will & very pleasant to the eye. The female on the other hand, is dull & drab & not colorful at all. And that is reason why I look the way I do, & you look the way you do. 

You smoothie you. I bet she had her draws off in a flash.

Yes Major, I have always had a way with words. The Irish curse ya know. 

In who's poem is the Skylark mentioned. One hint, a Canadian wrote the Poem.

We have Purple Finch.

Red Pot finch in north Ontario

The owl didn't realize you weren't a rabbit.  He flew off because he didn't want to face the wrath of the wife if he brought home Canadian take-out for dinner.

I had so much clothing on and my pockets were filled with everything from flashlights to portable hand warmers. So they can lift at least twice there own weight but I was pretty a bit too heavy.  Great Horned owls are know to attack dogs people and people with hats.

I was trying to show you some video from You tube of Owls attacking, but the site for some reason won't let me.

It's a Great Horned owl that my father has in the picture.

13 May 1822 - Francisco, King Consort of Spain born. 200 years ago today.

Cousin of Queen Isabella II of Spain whom he married in 1846 on her 16th birthday, he was 24. An arranged Royal marriage that was an unhappy one. She produced nine children, but it is thought that no more than three were her husbands. He was granted the honorary title of King on his marriage on the understanding that he would play no role in politics. 

Isabella had a voracious sexual appetite and many lovers, it is almost certain that her successor Alfonso (later King Alfonso XII) was the son of a Captain of the Guard Enrique Puigmolto. 

Queen Isabella was deposed in a revolution in 1868 and the Royal couple fled into exile in France. They separated amicably and got on far better as friends than they did as a married couple. 

Having looked at all the Royal Families of Europe for many years they all throw up some dysfunctional figures, but Spain comes out on top as the most disordered in history, yet it survives today, still with more scandal at its heart. 

Pullman Strike May - July 1894

Shaped national labor policy in the U.S. during a period of deep economic depression. The Panic of 1893 had shut down much of the economy & the railroads stopped purchasing new passenger cars from the Pullman Company. Workers were laid off & wages lowered. This was a time when many factory workers lived in houses that were owned by the the factory & paid much of their wages back in rent. Their wages were lowered but the rent wasn't hence the strike. Labor organizer Eugene Debs formed the workers & a national strike resulted. At the height of the strike President Grover Cleveland ordered the Army to stop strikers for obstructing trains. General Nelson Miles (noted Indian fighter) took command in the west & violence ensued. The strike was broken with the result of 70 dead, the American Railroad Union was busted & Eugene Debs went to jail for six months. 

I have a metal device that is zig-zag in shape which looks like it was used for hanging up pants on in a a pasenger train compartment. It has Pullman stamped in the metal. It's pretty solid made.

With you story it probably has value now.

Amazon employees are attempting to unionize.  I wonder if trouble will ensue.  If they strike, wouldn't they be obstructing the flow of commerce? 

I don't think so. It's not like they are the post office or the air traffic controllers so wouldn't affect too much other that people who order things from them.

Don Carlos, Prince of Asturias (b. 1545; d. 1568), was an unfortunate result of incest which seemed to plague the Spanish monarchy.

The Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs tended to intermarry, especially after the Reformation which reduced the pool of suitable Catholic partners. As a result, particularly in Spain, they ended up with some rulers barely able to function as humans into the 17th century.