Coopville: September 2021

Friday, September 24, 2021

Friday Night Steam

Let's take a ride on a Stanley Steamer!

Source of video:

5.49K subscribers

At the turn of the 20th century there was a rival to both petrol and electric cars. And that was the Steam Car. We chat with vintage car enthusiast Bryan about his 1908 Stanley Model K Steam Car. He talks to Take to the Road about what it takes to fire up a Stanley Steamer and shows how it is a fast and fun old car. It has bags of character. And of course steam!

For more info on these wonderful steam cars:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Motor_Carriage_Company

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Today's funny :o)

H/T to Donna!!!!

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'Nuttin....

.... happening in Coopville:

Going to take next week off.....

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Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Meet Chris Maynard.....

..... a feather artist!

“My work with feathers gives me a satisfying perch from which to view the world.”

— Chris Maynard

Chris Maynard has worked with feathers since he was twelve. His unique feather shadowboxes are recognized by art collectors, bird lovers, and a wide and interesting variety of people from around the world. He only has time to turn a small portion of his ideas, which fill many notebooks, into his shadow box feather designs. His favorite tools are the tiny eye surgery scissors, forceps, and magnifying glasses passed down through his family.

Maynard combines his strong backgrounds in biology and ecology into not only his art, but also a tabletop book and engaging and informative talks on the beauty, function, and meaning of feathers. He is a member of Artists for Conservation.

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Today's funny :o)

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A beautiful morning!

Sunlight hitting the top of the big tree:

From the "office" window:

Deer next to the driveway:

Deer in the back:

More damn deer:

The herd is getting bigger. :o(

Lots of snakes this year.....

No too much left in the garden:

Spot in the poopie bin:

(Don't know why they like to go in there.....)

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Monday, September 20, 2021

Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights LIVE HIGHLIGHTS!

The Inca Tern

This striking bird occupies part of the same habitat ruled by the ancient Inca Empire in South America. Inca Terns are best known by their dashing white mustaches, which are found on both male and female birds.

The species is found only near the cold waters of the Humboldt Current, where the birds feed on anchovies and other small fish. Like Least Terns, Inca Terns feed by plunge diving and surface dipping. The birds also scavenge scraps from sea lions, dolphins, and fishing boats. Declining fish stocks are one of the reasons for this species' population decline.

Nesting by the Thousands

It's a gregarious species, nesting in colonies of several thousand birds. The recording at the top of this page, from Pantanos de Villa Wildlife Refuge outside of Lima, Peru, gives an idea of what these noisy colonies are like.

The Inca Tern's elaborate courtship includes a "high flight," with the male quickly ascending to several hundred feet, pursued by the female. Pairs choose a nest site in cliff hollows or fissures—sometimes even in the old nest burrow of a Humboldt Penguin. They often return to the same nest site for several years in a row, and both parents incubate and care for the chicks.

Inca Tern pair. Photo by Greg Homel

"Coastal Peru is a spectacular place to see vast numbers of Inca Terns and other seabirds such as Peruvian Boobies and Guanay Cormorants," said ABC Vice President Mike Parr.

"It's hard to imagine that there were once even more seabirds using these waters. The double-whammy of over-fishing and excessive guano harvest—which eliminates nest sites—has been compounded by the effects of the El Niño cycle, which affects fish stocks."

From Threats to Protection

Rats, cats, and other introduced predators on some islands also affect nesting and breeding success. Islands are particularly susceptible to the effects of invasive species; for example, free-roaming cats have contributed to the extinction of 33 species on islands.

Following years of lobbying by in-country NGOs, the Peruvian government created the Guano Islands and Capes National Reserve in 2009, protecting Inca Tern as well as sea lion breeding colonies on 28 guano islands and cliffs along the coastline.

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