Living in the Woods

You never quite know what's going to happen around the Lovenest. Sometimes it can be downright dangerous. Snakes. Yellowjackets. And huge tall trees.

This beautiful Black Oak had shaded our house - its trunk just feet from our front door - for years. It came down in last night's horrific storm - and did us a last favor by falling away from the house, and just missing that truck.

Tree, what a grand tree you were.

A "Tobyquit"

We have given our dear friend and colleague Toby Zakaria just a wee little bit of the birding bug, we hope.

On vacation in Curacao (yes, Birdcouple is jealous), Toby had this Bananaquit fly onto her table. Ever the resourceful journalist, she snapped a quick picture.

A really cool picture, in fact. For what do Bananaquits like to feed on? Sugar!!

Friends of Duck Stamp website debuts!

The Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp website has just debuted! Please check it out at http://www.friendsofthestamp.org/

It's a great website, and important cause. Just look at the percentage of land in National Wildlife Refuges paid for by "duck stamp" dollars:

REFUGE                             
Sacremento in California        99.6%

Parker River in Massachusetts     99.3%
Bosque del Apache in New Mexico  99.2%
Pea Island in North Carolina   99.2%
Quivira in Kansas   99.1%
Muskatatuk in Indiana   98.9%
Horicon in Wisconsin   98.7%
Monomoy in Massachusetts   97.8%
Bombay Hook in Delaware   95.1%
Santa Ana in Texas   94.9%
DeSoto in Iowa and Nebraska   90.7%
Laguna Atascosa in Texas   87.5%
Anahuac in Texas   87.3%
Okefenokee in Georgia   86.2%
Ottawa in Ohio   86.0%
Edwin B. Forsythe (Brigantine) in New Jersey   84.6%
Blackwater in Maryland   76.6%


The 2012-2013 stamp (carryng that beautiful painting of a Wood Duck up there) goes on sale on June 29.