for the birds

For the Birds Has Flown the Coop.

But you can find us here: http://forthebirdsblog.com

Cheers!

Did Somebody Turn out the LIGHTS?

A few weeks ago For the Birds celebrated it's one year mark -- picture me sitting at the keyboard with a party hat on....vodka bottle rolling on the floor...  silly string still stuck to the monitor.. I mentioned in my post that FTB has built a following with over 20,000 site visitors. This is a rough estimate, because  -- come on, really. You don't think that I actually believe that 20,000+ of you are out there reading these almost daily observations... And thanks to all of the lovely comments that I received pointing this out. Side note, I am not that BOARING Ms. Kelly from Kentucky -- and although you don't know how to spell, I might have better things to do with my time but I choose to do this -- and if it's just not that interesting to you -- then STOP visiting. But, keep checking in if you must, I am into all things that depreciate. 

So, getting to the point, I do know -- thanks to those smart heads over at Feed Burner, that we do have a factual regular readership of 25 concrete, real-live people. That's right - a lovely and lucky 25. And to you I am calling out. In the next few days the following will be happening:

1. For the Birds will turn out the lights for a much needed beauty rest.
2. For the Birds will return, refreshed and better than ever—but only viewable at the new (still shiny) URL - http://forthebirdsblog.com
3. The old ugly domain http://designsigh.typepad.com/forthebirds will GO AWAY, so DON'T GO THERE
4. Those of you that have the old domain/URL in your readers, you will need to change to the new domain.
5. For the Birds will only be accessible from http://forthebirdsblog.com
6. This has very little to do with the evil birders over at forthebirds.com 

Unfortunately, I don't have specific timing on this event—otherwise I would fill you in. But the wheels are in motion. We've checked the logs, Batman, and will make a swift return... So, if you happen to be settling in for the evening, and pull up to FTB for some mild entertainment, please don't be alarmed if you receive some sort of error message or blank screen—We are still here... we are coming back—this has very little to do with the evil birders at forthebirds.com AND, the best is yet to come... More shameless self-promotion of multiple personality abundance -  I want you to know but I don't anxiety disorder...  have I mentioned most of us here are geminis? Any questions? Email me - rmsatbwdstudiodotcom.

A Delicious List of Randomness

I hate that I write lists obsessively (in a series of notebooks that all look alike) but they never seem to make it to the typepad. Here's a taste of randomness that I've been hocking over at Google Reader... There's never enough time in the day...

• The Hygiene Hypothesis... not accurate (shocker)...
• Misszoot might just punch someone.... 
• Need help reading, writing, eating or drawing while you DRIVE? Here's a desktop... This could take texting accidents to a whole new level.. (note the awesome disclaimer)
• The highest rate of nose jobs?? That's right perfect noses in IRAN... I suppose since everything else is SHROUDED.
• Slumping in Dubai... what wouldn't we do to do Dubai (now taking sponsors)
• THIS JUST IN - food allergies can be dangerous. Thanks, Brain Surgeons @ Grand Rapids Press...
• Generation A
• Decorative Brilliance
• A Grand Slam with Mushrooms... Even if you don't like them...
• Laura Ashley on Crack
• Unattended Children Will (and should) be shot...
• Cool Bird Prints (going to this show soon!)
• David the Designer (I'm probably scaring this man)
• AND of course... blah blah blah follow me on Twitter and read my posts @ Artistic Things..Check back randomly—I promise more random lists and almost daily observations.. yadda yadda yadda.

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• Small for Big and Ethan -- the bravest kid in town. (designsigh.typepad.com) FOR THE BIRDS HAS BEEN ZEMANTA'D!
• Paris Hilton will produce BFF shows around the world (realityblurred.com)
• The World has been Cancelled (laf.ee)

Said it once.. saying it again.. DO NOT FEED THE SWANS!!!

This is a follow up to a post made almost exactly one year ago... NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

We live very close to the Peconic Bay and there are ponds near our property that feed off of this Bay. In the ponds we are neighbors to lovely swan families that we follow and watch with love and fear combined... they tend to have anger-management issues. Also along these ponds runs a public road which people treat almost as a park—bike riders, fishing families, walkers... birders all enjoy the road as it winds away from Shinnecock Hills and into the Bay. It is quite lovely which is why it makes me so angry to state the obvious.. PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE SWANS.

Almost every fair weathered morning for the past few years a car (black station wagon Volvo) has pulled up along side of the pond behind our house. The woman driving the vehicle honks her horn upon arrival. When she does this, swans kick their webbed feet into high gear and float to her as fast as possible. With this, she throws her leg over the divider, walks to the edge of the water and DUMPS A BUCKET OF CORN. 

I have fought myself on this situation for a very long time. The corn is not only bad for the Swans, but it has caused a major upset in the natural Audubon order of things... The Swans have become die-hard territorial about her feedings and have actually KILLED OTHER SWANS (4 to be exact) in an effort to remain somewhat DOMESTICATED. I know I said anger-management issues, but this is actually quite a normal reaction for any kind of animal being treated like a pet. 

Now - this is my problem. I can either throw all "respect your elders" caution to the wind and go "speak" to this woman... Or I can continue to spy from the other side of the pond saying DON'T FEED THE SWANS under my breathe while my blood boils.. Or - I can leave a note on her car while she continues on her walk to probably feed other wild creatures... OR I can grab a can of spray paint and ... A year has passed and I still can't deal... Please please please -  DO NOT FEED THE SWANS. 

(Sid of Sid & Nancy -- One Mean Goose)

365 days later...

Year one has passed!

I began publishing For the Birds on this date circa 2008—wow oh wow have things changed since. Initially, For the Birds was to be a marketing tool for Breakwater Design Studio, and although it does serve that purpose, FTB has also opened up whole new worlds for me... Writing and Internet Social Media. Once shunned—Facebook and Twitter are now common tools that promote, engage... Once feared, writing a very public diary of almost daily observations has given me a personal boost that I never could have imagined... Sharing accounts with readers who then become friends with common interests and concerns... And then my favorite -- sharing our lives with existing friends and family scattered all over the world. In short, connections have become a way of life and For the Birds has allowed my family and I to have a mini piece of the pie—actively participating on an almost daily basis.

So, I guess that I need to thank me for jumping into a way of life that I never knew possible... but -- as I take my place at the podium to accept the award for 2009 Ego of the Year—I really thank all the readers... to date a shocking 23,247—even those that hit the website and went "what the f is this" and x'd the browser out... I have kept my word and emailed everyone back that has commented—and I have kept most comments private... knowing that privacy is still a major player in the evolution of For the Birds.

On another note, I really want to acknowledge a few other blogs out there that have given me the courage to share in this open forum... In no particular order:

Dooce
Mighty Girl
Suburban Bliss
Gotham Gal
Designing Moms

I don't think that any of these authors are aware of me or how much they have influenced... If they were aware—I'm sure that restraining orders would be issued. At any rate, I read their posts with the hope that someday FTB will boast it's own URL (damn you—you evil birders at forthebirds.com) and claim a regular readership. Until that day—keep stopping by—I promise generous helpings of almost daily observations... blood, sweat, tears all mixed with a fine selection of mundane tribulations.

PS. If you want to hear me talk more (The floodgates! Typepad you're killing me!)—visit me at Twitter.

Wings of a feather...

Is it just me, or have we hit the dog days of summer? It's suddenly hot -- after being wet and unseasonably cool for months and now it's August? What? And when did July happen? I'm in denial—hot sweaty dehydrated denial.

In other news... 299 tropical bird skins have apparently up and flown away from London's Natural History Museum... Now - I'm always one for a good art heist (as Scotland Yard beats down my door), but bird carcasses? Really? Apparently that's what they are -- just dead bird bodies with feathers—no eyes or internal stuff.... You can read about it here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk. Can you imagine how this happened? In our world of secured insanity... Someone went into the bird carcass area of the ornithological collection in Tring, Hertfordshire -- picked up 299 dead birds... some more than 3 feet long— and then simply carried them out? There was no gun chase, no bomb scare.. no getaway car... very hush hush and low key...very unbirdlike. Those that cherish these feathers are of course torn to bits over the loss... a catastrophe for the science of bird studies and future generations... Truly a mystery that needs to be solved immediately and authorities are on it... searching high and low, questioning collectors, fashion designers and fly fishing extremists.... but have they considered...

Trickle-down effect

It's not rocket science, but we will treat it as such. We work for you, at your request. You pay us. Once we are paid, we can pay those that we owe. Then the cycle begins again. If you can't pay us, do not request that we work for you.

Sorry. Economy 2008  = Bad behavior.

On a lighter note... We have a Brent swimming in one of our ponds! Apparently rare... this quirky goose (larger than a mallard but smaller than the Canadian honker) has been checking us out just as much as we have been watching it. All calls out for a mate - we hope the Brent is here to stay.

#3 For the Birds... The Fabled Catbird Seat?

A repeat of Sarah Rich's 2007 Birding in Dubai... read more here

[Photo: Clive Temple]

#2 For the Birds-- Please do not feed the swans

There is a pond near our house - several actually, as well as an outlet to the Peconic Bay. There are quite a few swan couples and we can recognize some of them for different reasons-- it's been a few years. This past season, however, we have witnessed actual swan on swan violence. Younger larger beasts attacking their elders - we've been scandalized. At one point we almost became involved - wielding broom sticks like crazy folk... One quick glance at the mirror through the hockey mask, however, and we thought better of ourselves.

Upon further investigation we found piles of dried corn around the location of the attack. They were fighting over a feedling territory.

Then... One morning I was out with our son walking near said pond when a BLACK VOLVO STATION WAGON pulled up honking... Swans came afolcking from all corners. Two elderly women emerged with buckets of corn-- excited and bubbly as if visiting grandchildern.  Brewing with anger, I turned and kept walking.... Visions of my ultimatim right there in the road were scaring me.

#1 For the Birds

We have amazing birds out here on the East End of Long Island. Consisting of the South and North Forks, we stick right out into the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound. I feel like birds fly over on their way somewhere else and just stop in for a visit. This season I have seen Indigo Buntings, Baltimore Orieles and Scarlett Tanagers - not to mention our usual guests... Osprey's and Loons. Even our year-round residents nest in large populations - Woodpeckers, Hawks, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Swans and Egrets (to name a few). I would mention the controversial Piping Plover, but I have yet to catch a glimpse of such royalty.

I am not a "bird-watcher" but one can't help but take notice.