Last weekend we had the man cubs full-time while their parents were away. Survival rule #1 when in this situation is to make brownies with grandma.

Survival rule #2 is keep them busy with pre-k and pre-pre-k activities...

They also enjoy their daily tricycle rides around Key West and Stock Island.  Henry likes to look for pennies to pick up while out on our rides.  We have been picking up the coins we find since we started our bike ride regimen about a year and a half ago.   Sometimes, the coins are nickels or dimes or quarters.  Henry especially likes to look for shiny nickels.  

For the first time, we tracked how much we picked up on our walks during January.  Here, Henry shows one of his best finds that helped bring our January 'money-found' total to $56.68.  That's right... five six dot six eight in 30 days.  For some reason, people do not like money here.

Crystal and I are on our way north - maybe - for our dentist appointments and to take care of some very important matters about big things.  Today, we made a quick stop at Green Cay near Delray Beach, FL to see what we could see.  It's always great to get a Least Bittern as getting a clear view of these small herons is no easy task.  This one was about the size of a Robin when it was hunkered down its 'ready to strike' position in the dense vegetation.

This sequence is about the hunter becoming the hunted.  Here, a Green Heron is ready to ambush its next meal.

Moments later, the heron came to attention, realizing there was mischief afoot.

... as a 10-12 foot long alligator was stealthily making its way toward the heron.

Needless to say, with a squawk and a quick flush, the heron re-positioned itself in a nearby tree safely out of the gator's reach.  I was happy to be on the boardwalk as the gator was about 15 feet away from us.  

What seems to me to be the avian equivalent to raccoons, Common Yellowthroats were busy searching for bugs and marking out nesting territories.

Yesterday was a cold, gray, dreary day but I was able to bump the January species total to 109 at Merritt Island near NASA on Cape Canaveral.  If you have ever been on a snipe hunt, these Wilson's Snipes may have been what you were looking for.

The man cubs are out of town for a couple of days visiting great-grandma in the Daytona area.

It was left up to me to occupy them while mom and dad got the car loaded.  As is typically the case, we watched cars and trucks videos on YouTube per Henry's request.

Crystal and I are still trying to figure out what to do with our free time.  She planted pots with lettuce and spinach and then we did a little local birding, picking up Black Skimmer...

Snowy Egret...

and Reddish Egret to bring the YTD species total to 74.

I have also been digitizing our family's 8mm movies from the 1960s and 70s.  We have come a long way from that vintage technology to be sure.  Next, I need to work up the intestinal fortitude to edit the movies and add a soundtrack.  Where is my old dependable buddy Daniel K. when I need him?

Crystal also made her first batch of homemade "yogurt."  Having tried it, I see no reason to buy yogurt from the store again, unless of course, we are on the road.

In two weeks we head north with planned stops in Daytona, Charlotte, West Virginia and other points unknown.  This should be an opportunity to boost our 2026 species count while getting in some visits with friends and relatives.   Oh wait... it's winter up there?   Yikes.   It was 62 degrees in Key West yesterday and the locals were out in their winter jackets.  The snowbirds from Ohio and Michigan were wearing shorts and t-shirts that showed off their spare tires with authority.  And, no, the iguanas were not falling out of the trees.

Christmas and the New Year have come and gone and we are no worse for the wear.  Gifts were opened in record time with unwavering enthusiasm this year as Henry served as full-time package distributor and opener.  Once the paper was off, it was on to the next gift.

Chip found a prime seat on top of me from which to observe the chaos.  Needless to say, I ended up with an obstructed view of the festivities.

Chip made use of the holiday dinners to teach the man cubs how to properly use their eating utensils.

Chip has also been teaching the man cubs how to pounce like a cat.  Here, OG demonstrates his form...

All of which left Chip and the man cubs exhausted and Mommy and Daddy in search of another bed.

One highlight of the holiday season was Crystal's first-ever attempt at homemade eggnog.  Suffice it say... we no longer have a need for store-bought eggnog.  It's amazing how well her eggnog mixes with a little 12 year-old rum.  And yes, the peanut butter balls were as good as ever.

A few quick bird outings around the Keys have yielded a pedestrian 59 species with 0 lifers.  I have no particular goal in mind this year beyond tallying more species in Monroe County, FL than son Matthew.  We have a gentlemen's bet which basically means anything goes.

Matthew was recently distinguished by having his photo of a Pearly-eyed Thrasher published in North American Birds magazine.  He was one of two individuals to successfully photograph the first ever observed visit of this species to North America in 2024.

                         

Of significantly lesser note, my local birding this year  has  yielded  few  opportunities for good photographs  although  this  Least  Sandpiper  was cooperative  as it searched for its next bite from the Gulf of America.

This Sanderling appeared to be waiting for low tide to resume its foraging.

While both a Merlin, a species of falcon (top) and a Broad-winged Hawk were simply waiting for the next thing that moved.

We have been cheering on a Cooper's Hawk that has been mauling the Eurasian Collared Doves on our street.  The amount of bird poop on our cars has diminished slightly thanks to the hawk's efforts.  So, we have that going for us.

It has been a while since my last post.  But, it's been a while since there was something to share.  

Crystal spent most of October and November recuperating from her appendectomy.  And, with the dryer, cooler fall weather in Key West, we have been making great progress on the remainder of our home improvement projects from last winter.

The man cubs made their first visit to Walt Disney World in October.  As expected, Henry favored the Autopia cars.

I spent five days birding with my brother in Arizona in early December.  The fall colors were at their golden peak in the Southeast Arizona valleys...

while this Wood Duck and Canvasback enjoyed a warm, sunny afternoon swim.

Although we observed 105 species, I managed to increase my 2025 bird count by just 1 from 525 at the beginning of September to 526 which is where I will end the year.

Back on the home front, Chip the Cat has been teaching O.G. how to fully enjoy the cardboard boxes that have been showing up daily over the past couple of weeks.

For this Christmas season, we opted for a Disney tree with stuffed animals and other decorations the man cubs couldn't destroy.  So, far the plan has worked although the stuffed animals are re-arranged daily.

This video illustrates why we are concerned about the viability of glass ornaments on the tree...

And, there is nothing like a three year-old's sense of wonder during the Christmas season.

Finally, I would like to wish you a very jolly Christmas!

We made another visit to Fort Zach this morning in search of a couple of potential new species for 2025 that were reported there yesterday.   It would seem the absence of storms last night allowed whatever was there to leave and whatever was coming over last night to fly right on past Key West.  So, no new species today.

We did get another look at the Brown Booby on its familiar perch.

This Sandwich Tern stopped for a portrait.  It's about the only tern I can recognize by sight.  It's yellow-tipped bill is its defining feature.

Crystal said she would like to see a Chuck-wills-widow since she missed out on the visit I made with Henry to Fort Zach earlier in the week.   A few minutes later she spotted one that I had walked past.

This Yellow-throated Vireo provided our last decent look of the day.  It too, is migrating south for the winter.

Earlier this week, Henry and I made a trip to Fort Zachary Taylor in search of Chuck-wills-widows.  They have begun their migration through the Keys toward the Caribbean islands and to Central and South America for the winter.  Like many owls, they are a nocturnal species that can be tough to find during the day.  

Henry and I parked the car and walked across the parking lot and there it was.  After four years of looking for this bird, I finally had lifer #592 after about a 20 second search through the dense trees.

You bet we are in the Free State of Florida and Fort Zach is happy to remind you of where you are.

This morning, Henry and I made another visit to Fort Zach in search of boobies.   Yes, Judson, I'm talking about birds.  

Again, Henry and I parked the car and we walked to the beach for a look.  And, just like our previous trip, it took only seconds to spot this Brown Booby fishing with some sea gulls and terns before taking a break on a concrete piling just offshore.

And, just like that, I had lifer #593 and species #525 for the year.  Where does the next species for 2025 come from?  I have no idea.

We said our goodbyes to Tink this week.  At 19 years and 4 months, she had come full circle from the tiny kitten Crystal's sister found in a box with a Pomeranian on the doorstep of the local SPCA.  We called her 'Itty Bitty Kitty' or 'IBK' as she literally fit in the palm of your hand.  She spent her first couple of years sleeping under son Nick's car bed at night.  She never hit 10 pounds.

Tink was a well-traveled cat, having lived in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and finally, Florida.  She was the sweetest little cat until you tried to pet her.  

She was once put under house arrest by the Union County, NC police for two weeks after sending me to the emergency room with a hand bite.  There was never any doubt that Tink was Crystal's kitty and Crystal was Tink's human.

It took Tink about 13 years to catch her first mouse.  I was especially happy with this development as her new nightly pastime of mouse-hunting in the garage provided an adequate diversion from my hand for awhile.

Henry has been asking each day, "Where is Tink?"   Some day he will learn about the circle of life.  For now, he seems content to know that Tink is sleeping under the bed.

We ended our trip through the Pacific Northwest with a jaunt across southern Oregon. We stopped by Crater Lake National Park to take in the incredible views of this 1900 foot deep lake that sits inside the ancient Mount Mazama crater.

In the view below, we see Wizard Island, a volcano within the massive Mazama volcano.

Further north near Bend, Oregon, smoke from the fires that have been burning in the area for the past several weeks filter out the sun over 286' high Salt Creek Falls.  Here we searched unsuccessfully for American Dipper and the Black Swifts that nest adjacent to and behind the falls.

If you ever want to visit "The Middle of Nowhere" then you need to go to Burns Junction, Oregon.  I have been to many remote places across the U.S. but, this area felt the most remote to me.  Malheur and Harney Counties in southeast Oregon encompass an area roughly equal to the combined areas of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.  The Google maps image below gives a sense of how remote this area is.  

Burns Junction shows a population of 641.  I'm not sure how many species they are including in that total.

We added three more species to the 2025 list at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge including this drab-looking Lewis's Woodpecker.  

We ended the trip with 138 total species observed and 19 new for 2025. This brings the YTD 2025 total to 523.  I also picked up 13 life birds on the trip to bring my life list total to 591.

Then it was back to Key West to await the arrival of all the post cards we sent to the man cubs during the trip.  Clearly, the USPS remains America's beacon of operational inefficiency challenged only in its gross incompetency by the IRS.  Our postcards would have arrived much sooner and for a lot less cost had we been able to send them by Pony Express.  

On our way to Crescent City, CA and the Redwoods National and State Parks we passed a billboard advertising a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum somewhere along the southern Oregon coast.  The ad pictured several freakish-looking humans.   It got me to thinking, why go to a museum?  A simple drive around the Pacific Northwest allows you to encounter more strange beings than you can imagine for free.  In fact there are so many, I wonder if we are the freaks.  It's getting nuttier everywhere but, this area seems to be outpacing most places based on my simple observations.

Photographing the gigantic coast redwoods is not easy.  Trying to create images that do justice to trees that are 15-20 feet in diameter and nearly 300' feet tall is challenging.

Along the way, we saw numerous elk including this old bull with his harem of at least 20 cows, aka female elk.

We also passed another huge Paul Bunyan statue standing with his blue ox, Babe.  This statue was big, much bigger than the one we saw in Michigan earlier this year.  Paul's base weighs more than 800,000 pounds and Paul himself weighs 30,000 pounds.  Babe is over 30 feet tall and also weighs more than 30,000 pounds.  I suspect it would take a lot of peaceful protesters to topple statues this large.

The marshes at Arcata, CA were teeming with shore birds and I was able to capture this photograph of one of my favorite birds... the Long-billed Curlew.

Out on the water, this Pigeon Guillemot was fleeing from seagulls with its hard-earned dinner.

And, this Common Murre was just bobbing along in the late afternoon sun.

And, finally, this Least Sandpiper also seemed to be enjoying some sunshine after a day of clouds, rain and fog.

The lighthouse at Crescent City was inaccessible because of the high tide covering the access road.  So, I settled for this distant shot from across the bay.  

Happily, we found a working man's restaurant across the street from our hotel where I handled a large piece of double chocolate fudge cake and a couple scoops of ice cream.  I'll admit I could have only eaten 4 or 5 of those.  If only I had the time.