The Savvy Boomer

Watch eagles nest in Iowa

The babies are getting bigger ever day.  Hard to imagine how big their talons already are.

 

 

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How a Chinese student would deal with BP

I recently asked a 19 year old Chinese student I am tutoring for admission to a US university what he thought about the BP oil fiasco.  His reply was brief and to the point.  He said that if this happened off the Chinese coast that the government would first nationalize BP and seize their assets.  Then they would jail all BP execs and they would exhaust every scientific resource the execs could think of to cap the well using the money confiscated from BP.   He had no idea if this would solve the problem but at least the people of China would be happy with their government for taking action unlike his perception of the US government which he feels is doing little more than some heavy teeth gnashing. 

If successful, the assets would be returned to BP and the execs released.  If it didn't work, well, you can probably guess what he suggested.

Out of the mouth of babes..............

Eagle activity on the Richmond dyke

Just thought I'd share some shots with you on this beautiful but cold sunny morning in the Vancouver area.  Snow coming this weekend.  Great- snow in March and the daffodils are already about a foot high and ready to bloom.

There is a big old dead tree not far from the house where 1 or 2 eagles perch from time to time.  Lately there seems to be quite a few more around and this morning I counted no less than 7 flying around, screeching at each other.  Then I noticed a few flying unusually close to a tree near the house that they never land on and then I saw why.  There is a young eagle in the tree and if you look at the picture, you can see the branches are very dense so it must have been very difficult for it to land there.  Also, the swan I posted about a couple of weeks ago is still here.  It sure likes Shreddies.

Latest addition to the lagoon

I've posted before about the variety of birds including huge flocks of migrating snow geese and other critters that hang out around our house because of a lagoon and our proximity to the wetlands next to the ocean and recently it seems we have a new resident. 

This swan showed up a couple of weeks ago and seems to be content to stick around, much to the chagrin of the scores of ducks who give this bruiser a wide berth.

I wondered how it got here because while we have flocks of trumpeter swans around during the migration seasons, in over 20 years, we've never seen a white swan here.  It turns out they can fly at speeds up to 50 mph, as high as 28,000 feet over 2000 miles of water when they are migrating.  Now that's some serious flying.  Let's hope he (she?) doesn't get lonely or that another swan joins it to keep it company because it certainly is great enjoying this majestic bird paddling around the lagoon.

Recycling your cell phone in Canada

Here is a website that gives information about how and where to recycle your old cell phones in Canada.

Electronics Recycling in Canada

New electronic gadgets, computers, monitors etc. for Christmas are great but what to do with the equipment being replaced?  If you don't know anyone who would be happy to get your electronic hand-me-downs, the responsible thing to do is to recycle them so that they don't end up in a Chinese waste dump. 

Canadians have several alternatives such as FreeGeek and Encorp Pacific in B.C. as well as national recycler Electronics Recycling Association. ERA will even pick up from businesses and donate them to local community based associations.

Flashed by a blue heron

Since the addition of a platform in our pond, several turtles and ducks have claimed it as their resting place on a sunny day.  But late yesterday afternoon while enjoying an adult beverage on the balcony, I heard this loud bang and turned around just in time to see the turtles scurrying off the platform as this big bruiser landed (about 4 ft tall when the neck is extended.)  I grabbed my camera and took a picture of him but when he saw me do so, he reacted like an old man with a raincoat on and pulled back his wings and -well, I think he flashed me.   After 20 minutes or so of not letting any other creatures on the platform, he left, perhaps to flash someone else.

Great tits will never become extinct

Because they are able to adapt to climate change.