A female and a male Red-bellied Woodpecker are continuing to excavate what I assume is a roost hole in a tall dead pine. Both yesterday and today, one of the two were at work in the same spot each time I went outside to look for them. They work so quietly that if I didn’t know where to look I wouldn’t know they were there – unusual for a bird I usually think of as very vocal and certainly not shy or secretive. Yesterday I again saw the female leave when the male arrived, giving a low, brief rattle in flight as he approached, and he immediately began to work just as she had.

Though I can’t see it, the hole must be getting larger and deeper. When the woodpeckers lean over to work on it now, they almost disappear from my view, leaving only the end of a bobbing tail visible on the pine trunk from my location on our back deck. But they still come back repeatedly to a vertical position on the trunk in full profile, and I’ve watched through the scope again as they lean in, come up with a big bill-full of wood fiber and toss it away, doing this several times in a row, then pausing, and leaning over several times just to dig or peck.

The surprise of the day was finding a Gray Catbird feeding on clusters of dark purple fruit in a privet thicket among all the withered, tangled brown weeds in the old field. The Catbird was quiet and stayed mostly screened in the brush, but came out in the open long enough to see very well – a slender, all-gray bird with a thin black cap, one of my favorites. Usually we don’t see them often at this time of year. Most migrate a little further south for the winter or to the neotropics.

I only saw it because many White-throated Sparrows, several Eastern Towhees and Northern Mockingbirds, a Brown Thrasher, a small flock of Cedar Waxwings, Cardinals, Carolina Wrens and at least three Ruby-crowned Kinglets were all very lively in the weedy grasses and thickets of the field, especially in the privet. So I stopped to watch for several minutes. There also are persimmon trees with fruit in the field. The kudzu vines are all shriveled and dead, the grasses are brown and gray, with lots of dusty, drab gray-brown clumps of goldenrod gone to seed.

Among the other birds were Song Sparrows – brown-streaked backs and wings with darker streaks on a pale breast that come together into a central dark spot in the middle of the breast – the first ones I’ve seen this season. Two came out onto open branches, tails twitching and swishing fast, heads held high and erect, nervously looking around but lingering, as if to soak up some sunlight.

It was almost noon, usually a very quiet time for birds, but the day had begun with dense fog and heavy clouds. The sky had begun to clear about 11:00, and as the clouds dissipated and the sun came out, birds became more active, so it was a good time to be out.

A Red-tailed Hawk flew low, pursued by several cawing Crows. Six Black Vultures and two Turkey Vultures soared very high. The high, thin calls of Cedar Waxwings passed over as small, tight flocks flew. And almost all the other usual suspects seemed to be out, warmed to action by the sun – or maybe it was only that the sun warmed me to action and made me more aware and open to seeing and hearing. Either way, it was a particularly nice walk at a beautiful time of day.

I got a call from Valerie at the Bird TLC office right about lunch time. She said a lady had called and said she had a duck. I asked what was wrong with it. She said the lady said it won’t leave. I said that it had missed migration and it’s too cold for it to even try. She said well, it won’t leave her restaurant. It was in it. She said it followed a customer in and it has made itself comfortable.

I asked what restaurant. She told me it was Jerry’s Donuts and Burgers. I knew right where it was. I get donuts for my customers there from time to time. I walked in and sure enough, the male mallard was sitting under an artificial tree watching everyone walk by.

I caught him after a slight duck chase through the restaurant and into the restroom. With the help of a patron, I got him into the carrier. A dozen plus donuts, the duck and I head to TLC.

We were meet by Terry & Bev, two of the nicest volunteers to ever help a duck. They checked him out and couldn’t find anything wrong, so they bedded him down in a warm mew with lots of duck chow. He’ll spend a few day and if all is well we’ll try to get him headed in the right direction.

We’ve blogged before about beauty gadgets that really work, but here’s one that seems more impressive for its computer science savvy than its practical application: it’s a USB powered eyelash curler.
Kudos to InventorSpot.com for the heads up on this one (and for the picture). You can click the link to read their story, but basically [...]

I’m one of those label-reading, ingredient poring, information seeking obsessives who needs to know everything there is to know before making a purchase, whether it’s my beauty products or what I eat. How could I have known that obsession would reach a whole new level of pedantic a while back when I became pregnant with twin boys, but it did with a vengeance! While I could write a whole post on the baby industry and it’s unbelievable lack of organic & natural products, not to mention its mind-boggling lack of knowledge by supposed industry experts, the purpose of this post is to bring to your attention a new natural & organic hair care collection by Nine Naturals, specifically targeted to pregnant mothers. Based on a medley of nine natural ingredients chosen for their gentle effectiveness and scented with the fresh smell of pure mint (which anyone who has been pregnant with that canine sense of smell you develop will tell you does help ease the nausea – or at the very least doesn’t add to it!), this line is a godsend for anyone who is pregnant. Natural plant oils work to hydrate and soften hair, wheat proteins create vibrance and shine, the mint also fights fatigue on sleepy mornings, and no crazy chemicals! Simple, smart and only the best organic & natural ingredients so you don’t have to worry about you, or that little bundle growing inside you. Writer :: Emma Pezzack – www.futurenatural.com: the best organic beauty products in the world.

Wondering why Liz Hurley has patented the name Violet Eyes. Hmmm, maybe a make up range coming along?

There are also rumours abound that popular USA brand Wei East may be making a foray into the UK market with SpaceNK (I’m sure they’ll put me right if the rumours aren’t true). The range blends eastern Chinese medicine principles with western technology.

Pictured: Herbal Intensive Eye Treatment Pads containing calming Tibetan Chrystanthamum.

It’s rumoured that Dove have plans afoot for a men’s range to take on rivals such as Lynx in the personal care market. Given that Dove’s Campaign For Real Women includes supporting women and promoting a wider definition of beauty and yet at the same time releasing products to tackle cellulite (Dove Intensive Cellulite Gel-Cream) and armpit beautifying deodorants, I wonder if they’ll take the same mixed messages to men. Surely the blokes won’t fall for the beautiful armpits thing?

I also often wonder how many times the corporate marketing departments weep over the fact that men don’t get cellulite.